Numero 3 - Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II

SCAMBIO DANIMARCA
no BINDS 21
Moreover, you’re dealing with a peer, so there’s no reason
to be embarrassed or to feel uneasy.
This does make a difference.
Let me tell you: don’t ever miss an opportunity because
of fear or insecurity, because you don’t trust yourself
enough, take everything comes along your way as an
occasion to prove yourself.
Don’t be afraid of making up words you wouldn’t know
how to say in another language, of asking to repeat
something because you haven’t understood. Once,
twice, three times, and end up telling the person: “I’m
sorry, I can’t understand you. Could you write that
down, please?”
I did that too…
A cultural exchange is nothing but a great opportunity
to challenge you.
I personally saw all of my classmates getting to speak
English, even those I never thought would be able to
(too shy). In the end they were finished up speaking
good English too.
Whatever you feel, whether you think it good or bad,
you’ve got no choice.
If you want to take a step further, to get the deeper
meaning of the exchange, to understand what’s going
on,to interact,to know,you have to speak.And you have
to speak English.
This apparent and most likely annoying “coercion” at
the beginning will eventually turn into a shared merry
approval,because you discover a way to enjoy it.It is not
merely a fact of valuable academic skills; it’s not only
having classes, studying and taking quizzes. It is getting to
know another country, another culture, different habits
and customs.It is being able to translate your whole existence
into another code without losing your identity: it
is living the language.
It is very rare not to get anything out of such an experience.
If not your speaking skills, you will at least improve
your pronunciation, which isn’t to be sneezed at!
Another remarkable aspect is the effect the exchange
has on the individual both as a social being and on a
psychological level.
The students have to share things far from what they’re
used to at school,to help each other out if necessary and
to come closer. It is fundamental to see someone involved
in certain situations in order to actually know and
either appreciate or dislike him or her. The exchange
helps you do that.People will be likely to show their most
intimate selves and who they really are.You need to be
with a person outside the school context to understand
whom you’re spending most of your time with.
And then I think the shared feeling of cheerfulness that
spreads during the exchange, no matter how things go,
will get the students to feel more united. I even believe
“negative” happenings can help to create this feeling.
Not that we need the plane to crash, but some small
issues can be extremely profitable.
Last but not least, a cultural exchange, improves the
relationship between teachers and students as well.
What I just said about students works for teachers too.
The nastiest teenager can be a good guy outside the
school walls; endless walking and four-hour-sleep nights
are something miraculous. You will eventually yield to
the evidence that teachers are human beings too, and
might even start to think after all they’re not that bad.
But let’s go back to some more edifying aims…
Speaking a foreign language allows you to come into
contact with people way different from you and share
your world with theirs: that’s quite interesting, in my
opinion.Then it’s useful: it gives you more chances for
your future, and more choices as well, which I think is
fairly important.
Experiencing living in another country unlocks a different
reality, helps you to grow up, opens your mind,
makes you aware.And more responsible, I’d dare say.
Or maybe, this last is just a vain hope of mine.
Lisiane Gobbicchi