It’s been two months since I arrived here in the United States. I don’t know why but it seems like I’ve been here for longer. I don’t really know how to feel about it, I mean, usually when time doesn’t pass it means that you’re bored or that you’re not enjoying what you are doing. But I really like how my days are going.

I went to my first football game. If you’re reading this and you play football I think you’re amazing. It was the best experience ever. I don’t think you guys understand what it means to grow up watching everything that you Americans do in movies and finally, one day, see everything that you watched on a screen with your own eyes. I’m not just talking about the football game, I’m talking about the yellow bus that takes me to Ben Barber,  or the typical high school, even the classrooms and the library. Everything I see is amazing. And the cinema? OMG the seats are amazing, I felt like I was in heaven and I cannot wait to go back. In Italy seats are comfortable too but for sure not as yours.

I have recently fallen in love with Denny’s. The best pancakes ever! I’m getting used to big breakfast in the mornings and I just love it. My family back home said that in Italy they are always starving because they can’t find any place that would give them more than a croissant at breakfast time. We are not really used to have very big breakfast. I usually have coffee and maybe some biscuits or a toast with jam. We also have late dinners, usually around 7.30 or 8 pm, and during summer at 10. It’s gonna be very hard to come back to my normal Italian routine next year.

Last weekend I went out to lunch with a friend at a sushi place. I was very happy because it was my first time that I was going out with someone from school. She’s a really nice person and I’m so glad to be in English class with her. Sometimes people don’t know how important a smile is, a kind word,  or a compliment. When someone waves at me in the hall, or smiles, they make my day better than it was before.

I think actions are very important, I have never been good in dealing with people and usually it takes me a lot of time to trust someone or start a conversation, but when I do, I give everything I have. I admit that most of the time I like just being by myself and doing things on my own, but I’m learning that sometime it’s better working in a group instead of working alone, or starting a conversation with a stranger instead of staying on my phone. I’m trying to do a lot of things that I usually wouldn’t do in order to become a more confident person. I want to be proud of myself for how hard I am trying.

Not every day it’s good as the others. Sometimes I miss my friends so much that I feel like I’m never gonna be happy. My friends are my home and leaving them was the most difficult part. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to spend a year away from them. However I’ve never questioned why I did this, or said I just want to go home.  I know my sadness will pass. I feel like days like this are helping me to grow in a good way. I’m starting to think positive and understanding what distance means. I’m very glad to be here because I know that this is the year that is gonna change my life forever. When you feel sad take a shower, sing, cry and eat some ice cream, it always works for me.

Genny is a junior and foreign exchange student from Udine, Italy. She hopes to study Criminology while in college, and will be a special contributing writer throughout the school year.