Deep Cove high school student Kaija Jussinoja, 18, spent a year abroad studying on the picturesque Italian island of Sardinia, as part of a Rotary International youth exchange. The aspiring journalist decided to broaden her horizons last year and immerse herself in the Italian culture. The Crier asked Jussinoja to summarize her experience in Italy for our readers.
One year ago, I stepped onto a plane a shy, relatively soft-spoken teenager, unsure of what was in store for me. Ten months later, I returned to North Vancouver as a strong, confident, person with a self-assuredness and maturity I could have never expected.
I can only describe this as the magic of a Rotary Youth Exchange.
Last year I was given the incredible opportunity to travel to Sardinia, Italy, a large island in the Mediterranean Sea.The small town of Siniscola, which with its population of 11,500 and many, many, resident sheep bared no resemblance to cosmopolitan Vancouver, became my home.
There I attended the local high school and lived with a host family. By participating in as many activities as I could, I slowly but surely learned Italian and integrated into the new community I was part of.
During my time in Siniscola I had some very memorable experiences, such as performing in my school play (even rapping a verse in Italian for the finale!), singing in a band, and racing with my school’s rowing team.
I participated in the local holidays and cultural festivals and established a social life all in a place I had never even heard of one year previous. At the end I felt like I had been an Italian girl living in Sinicola my whole life. My friends and family in Italy felt just as close as my friends and family back at home do.
Lunch is really important in Italy. I remember mentioning that I’d be staying after school for a meeting and my host mom concernedly asked “but when will you eat lunch?” and insisted I come home to eat and then go back to school.
I’ve also had some pretty funny run-ins with Google Translate, like when I accidentally included a pretty rude phrase in my essay about Galileo.
I took one beginners Italian course, but when I arrived I didn’t know much more than “Hello my name is Kaija.” During my time there I was able to go from that to completely fluent. Full immersion is magic!
Every student who embarks on a Rotary Youth Exchange comes back home completely transformed. Young people should sign up for an exchange because it is such a transformative experience.
The maturity and life skills you gain while abroad are priceless. We grow the most when put out of our comfort zones, and that is exactly what a year abroad does.
My horizons have been broadened by a tenfold; there are now two places and two cultures I can call my own. I now speak a foreign language fluently, can travel independently, and have connections all over the globe.
I am armed with the knowledge that I can achieve anything, and the evidence is in the little life I was able to build for myself during one incredible year.
