I can’t even count how many times I’ve been asked “How does it feel to be an exchange student?”, and how many different answers I’ve been giving out without finding the one that could express what it is really about.

During my months as an Italian exchange student in Michigan I’ve been smiling and crying, wishing to go home and wishing I could stay longer.

I’ve been feeling as I couldn’t get through this experience, and feeling on the top of the world.I’m not going to tell you where I come from, if I miss my family, or if it’s hard speaking in other language, if I like my school or how I find American food so far. I want to let you know what this experience really is.

The exchange student figure is part of the American Culture, as well as cheerleaders and football players. If you pay attention you can find exchange students in movies and TV series, they’re part of the typical American high school setting.

Starting from the best example of Sandy the Australian exchange student, main character in Grease, to the new Irish Rory Flanagan, in Glee, to the terrible Czech student, Nadia of American Pie.

We’re interesting at the beginning. We’re exotic. We’re news. We’re also funny with our foreign accents, and frequent language mistakes, but those movies don’t tell you what is left after one month, when the exchange student is not that new anymore.

Here comes the hardest part, “You’ve to make yourself interesting and just jump into things, take the initiative, don’t wait for other people to invite you, you have to start it,” our trainers said at the orientation meetings. Well we thought it was easy but it’s once you’re here that you realize that is everything but easy.

Being an exchange student is about fighting to make your dream come true. It’s something you can’t decide on the spot, you have to plan in advance both because of the extensive paper work and because you really have to think about it before making a final decision.

You don’t want to be an exchange student just to learn another language or because it’s cool to live in the United States or in China. You want to be an exchange student because you dream of it, because you want to grow up and make yourself a better person.

I was dreaming of being an exchange student since I was ten. I knew I wanted to do it just like I knew I liked chocolate, but deciding was much more difficult than wanting to be an exchange student.

You have to face difficulties before leaving. Your school may not want you to leave and you may not want to leave your family, friends and boyfriend.

You have to face difficulties when you’re away, a new house to live in, a new family to deal with, a new language, a computer screen between you and your family back at home, when all you want is just to hug them.

You have to face difficulties when you go back to your country, when you find that many of your friends had a great time even if you weren’t there, when you realize that you’re grown up and people around you are not, when you realize you left your heart kilometers away.

Each of these situations requires strength and that is what being an exchange student is all about.

“It’s like being left alone in a cold place, it’s makes you stronger and tougher,” said Tobia, Italian exchange student in Sweden.

“Being an exchange student is one of the best thing that could ever happen to me. Meeting new people, trying new food, and being loved are just some of the best things that could ever happen to you during this exchange year. I’m glad I’m here,” said Denise, Italian exchange student in Minnesota.

Stefano, exchange student from Italy, actually in Quebec said, “I was proud of myself, of the words I used when I told my parents I wanted to be an exchange student, but mainly, I was proud of my decision… It was when I was at the airport that I realized what I was going to do… Taking a plane with the purpose to come back ten months later, many people were crying. I didn’t, my mother neither. We both knew that that was the beginning of a huge opportunity and a life-time experience,” he said.

I remember when I left, tears falling down my face, kissing and hugging everyone I could.

I can imagine my departure from Michigan, tears falling down my face, kissing and hugging everyone I can.

You’re going to have the best time of your life and you’re gonna break your heart and leave each half in a different country.

You’re going to see your family crying and you’re going to cry, you’re going to be willing to get down that plane and you’re going to want to never take it to go back home.

But most of all you’re going to end up having two families, two best friends, two houses that you will both call home, you’re going to get the best of both worlds.

So this morning when I was asked by a friend if I was happy to be going home in two months, I told her that I’m already home.