Hello guys!
Welcome back to this website!
In the last post I make a briefly description of almost everything important. In this post I'd like to describe the school system here!
Well, the school here is completely different from my home country school. Firstly, here we have more classes. I mean, here you have to move from class to class, from room to room and you will finish to have lots of friends (which is good) and lots of kilos less (which is also good ahah).
Here technology is the most important thing. Everyone know how to use a computer just because all the subjects are on it. If you have to do an homework and you are not sure on something you can always send an email to the teacher and she/he will answer you back before the day after. It's incredible...
Now you may say "Where do you live? Everywhere is like you said" It's not true! Probably every Italian guy can understand me when I say that I love this way to do school!
Another big difference, huge I would dare to say, is the number of subjects studied in a year. When the school asked me which subjects would I like to take, I couldn't believe I had to take ONLY 4 SUBJECTS!!!
From 13 to 4... Big step. Some of my friends here in England asked me if I find their school too easy when I said them I used to do 13 subjects. To be honest, I don't know. They are two completely different ways to do school. We do 13 subjects but some of them are not really studied. For example, Physics. If you do physics here, you do 5 periods a week. At home we did 2 a week. It's completely different and I personally think you can't compare them. Both are difficult enough.
However, I find the British school really more interesting. Teachers always try to make you be comfortable and easy going.
However, let's talk about something else... Like host families and homesickness. I remember when I was in the soft landing camp in London, when the Educatius staff "trained" us to face every single problem we would meet during our stay. I remember how I was, like "I don't care, I'm strong, only the weak will feel homesick". And well, guess what? I was probably the one who felt terribly homesick.
No one is immune to this kind of sickness, but there are some people who can face it well and some others who can just be destroyed by it. And I was one of them, until I found my right motivation. Yes, you will always miss your home, I still do, but the only way to face it is keeping yourself busy, don't think about it and think at this as the new life, the one you dreamt since you were a child.
Think about how lucky you are to be here it's probably the most important thing which kept me here. I remember I asked my student liaison officer if I could go home. And now I'm so glad he asked me to stay here a bit longer.
If you are going to leave for an exchange year or you are already there or simply you are interested in these kind of things, remember that your home is still there waiting for you, nothing will change, or better, everything will change, but you will be a completely different person as well. Your home will not escape, it will always stay there where you left it.
Knowing that you'll come back, why don't you enjoy your time here? This is the right way to see the exchange year. You will be there only for 10 months or less. Could seem a lot, but it will last less than a second, and you will have to come back against your willing.
I'm sorry I promised I would talk only about the school, but I think this topic is important too! Today I'm going to the bowling and to eat something with some friends. Tomorrow, my host family should take us to the go kart centre!! If it will happen, stay tuned! Soon will come a post about it with lots of pictures!
Your exchange student in Torbay,
Luca!
Welcome back to this website!
In the last post I make a briefly description of almost everything important. In this post I'd like to describe the school system here!
Well, the school here is completely different from my home country school. Firstly, here we have more classes. I mean, here you have to move from class to class, from room to room and you will finish to have lots of friends (which is good) and lots of kilos less (which is also good ahah).
Here technology is the most important thing. Everyone know how to use a computer just because all the subjects are on it. If you have to do an homework and you are not sure on something you can always send an email to the teacher and she/he will answer you back before the day after. It's incredible...
Now you may say "Where do you live? Everywhere is like you said" It's not true! Probably every Italian guy can understand me when I say that I love this way to do school!
Another big difference, huge I would dare to say, is the number of subjects studied in a year. When the school asked me which subjects would I like to take, I couldn't believe I had to take ONLY 4 SUBJECTS!!!
From 13 to 4... Big step. Some of my friends here in England asked me if I find their school too easy when I said them I used to do 13 subjects. To be honest, I don't know. They are two completely different ways to do school. We do 13 subjects but some of them are not really studied. For example, Physics. If you do physics here, you do 5 periods a week. At home we did 2 a week. It's completely different and I personally think you can't compare them. Both are difficult enough.
However, I find the British school really more interesting. Teachers always try to make you be comfortable and easy going.
However, let's talk about something else... Like host families and homesickness. I remember when I was in the soft landing camp in London, when the Educatius staff "trained" us to face every single problem we would meet during our stay. I remember how I was, like "I don't care, I'm strong, only the weak will feel homesick". And well, guess what? I was probably the one who felt terribly homesick.
No one is immune to this kind of sickness, but there are some people who can face it well and some others who can just be destroyed by it. And I was one of them, until I found my right motivation. Yes, you will always miss your home, I still do, but the only way to face it is keeping yourself busy, don't think about it and think at this as the new life, the one you dreamt since you were a child.
Think about how lucky you are to be here it's probably the most important thing which kept me here. I remember I asked my student liaison officer if I could go home. And now I'm so glad he asked me to stay here a bit longer.
If you are going to leave for an exchange year or you are already there or simply you are interested in these kind of things, remember that your home is still there waiting for you, nothing will change, or better, everything will change, but you will be a completely different person as well. Your home will not escape, it will always stay there where you left it.
Knowing that you'll come back, why don't you enjoy your time here? This is the right way to see the exchange year. You will be there only for 10 months or less. Could seem a lot, but it will last less than a second, and you will have to come back against your willing.
I'm sorry I promised I would talk only about the school, but I think this topic is important too! Today I'm going to the bowling and to eat something with some friends. Tomorrow, my host family should take us to the go kart centre!! If it will happen, stay tuned! Soon will come a post about it with lots of pictures!
Your exchange student in Torbay,
Luca!