Many exchanges students from all over the world come to Hastings High every year to live the “American high school life” that is portrayed in movies, but what about the former Hastings seniors who set off for a breathtaking adventure?
“When I was told that I was going to Italy, I literally jumped for the happiness. I was very excited since it was my first time in a European country,” Hastings High alumni Will Parker said.
Parker is one of the many who decided to take a gap year and be a Rotary exchange student. The arrival is always the most memorable.
“I remember the first I came here in Sicily, an Italian region. It was so much warmer than Hastings and the family welcomed me in such a great way. I immediately felt like home,” Parker said.
A family love can break the tension of the first minutes.
“I arrived after 10 hours of flight and the jet lag had a strong effect on me. They welcomed me with kisses and a lot of hugs,” Parker said.
Although the great start, being an exchange student is not an easy job: it takes a lot of effort and adapting skills, but there was someone else that helped him.
“The first week is always joyful and awesome. After that, pressure rises on you. You start realizing that learning the language is not that easy, and the cultural difference does not help,” Parker said.
The host family plays an important role in the first weeks of an exchange.
“Despite these difficulties, I was really lucky. Thanks to my host sister, I met a lot of people at school and making friends became simpler. After that, everything started being better and better,” Parker said.
Being an exchange student means a lot of things, but one of the most important is meeting new people and making connections in a way that nobody would have ever dreamed. It makes a difference and makes everything more interesting.
“I am very glad that I got to know so many people here at school. Each one of them is very important for me. Friends change the exchange year,” Parker said.
Some of the help also came from the local Rotary Club.
“I also had a lot of support from my Rotary Club. They are very nice and helpful and I can ask everyone for help or when I do not understand something. My counselor, Orsola, is so sweet,” Parker said.
Every exchange student has the chance to visit new places and discover new cultures, although it might be hard sometimes.
“I love Sicily. It is a beautiful island and I have never been so happy to live ten minutes away from the sea. Although it has some transportation problems, it is a great place to visit,” Parker said.
The language learning process always takes a while. Every exchange student has to learn how to think and live in an environment that speaks another language.
“The language issue is always challenging at the beginning, but the more I stay here, the more I understand. Looking at what I can do now, I am very pleased that I can have conversations without any problem at all,” Parker said.
Food is a huge difference between Italy and the US. Parker experienced it in a funny way.
“Obviously, the most famous thing in Italy is pizza. The first night I came here my host parents ordered some pizzas. Now, Italian pizza is different (and better). It is lighter and it tastes great, and they usually eat all of it. Italians rarely waste food,” Parker said. “So I ate just one slice of pizza and after that, I was totally full. They gave me a weird look and then everyone started laughing.”
Parker also gave one advice to all the exchange students and to everyone who might think about being one.
“I just want to say that being an exchange student changes the way you are and the way you think permanently. Also, everyone always becomes scared when the language issue is brought up. Yeah, it might be hard at the beginning, but the Internet is full of tools and videos that can help learning the language. There is Netflix, too,” Parker said.
Parker will always remember this adventure.
“I think that everyone should try this experience. A life without an exchange is like a year without summer,” Parker said.
