December 31, 2025
The Last Bit of 2025
When I decided to do an exchange, I knew one of the more challenging aspects would be learning a new language. However, I didn’t expect learning a new language to change the way I think. For example, you can;t simply translate sentences directly into English and expect them to make sense. It may sound obvious, but it still amazes me how deeply different cultures truly are. Before living in another country, I had never really thought about language in this way. It is not just different words, but a different way of organizing thoughts. So as I continue to speak and hear Italian in my day to day life I have started to pick up sayings and the way they use words that would never work in English. Some days I am better at communicating than others, but every small success and mistake, whether it’s understanding a lesson without help or having a real conversation with a classmate, feels like proof that I’m growing. On December 14, my Rotary District held an event for the exchange students called “Masterchef,” (after a cooking show, but I’ve never seen it.) Basically, the exchange students from all over the world were to cook a meal from their country and we would all try them. Wasn;t as difficult. I made sloppy joe with one other American exchange student. I enjoyed trying all the foods and catching up with everyone. After the lunch, we all went ice skating in the center of Padova. Living in south Georgia, I think I’ve only ever skated once before, but I have to say it’s a lot harder than it looks. It wasn’t easy, but it was a lot of fun. On December 21st, I attended my host mom’s family reunion/Christmas dinner celebration with ALL of the family. I have never experienced a get-together with as many people as there were there. Some of the relatives didn’t even know each other's names! This was one of my favorite things of Christmas December because I met so many wonderful people, and had so many laughs. At the end of the lunch, the younger adults of the family had to get up and explain what they were doing, and their future plans. It was funny because they all made a joke out of it and said something outrageous. Imagine a high school student telling you about their Christmas tree farm, and I can’t even remember the other things they made up. At the end, some of the older relatives stood up to give a speech about living fully, enjoying life, and not being afraid to make mistakes. Hearing that from them meant a lot, and has stayed with me since. School break started on December 23rd, so I spent Christmas Eve soaking up the last couple of days with my host family, because I knew I would be switching on the 29th. From what I noticed, Christmas Eve is not as big of a deal as it is with my family in the United States. However, there are some similar traditions between the two countries. In Italy there is a witch that fills a stocking with candy called, ‘La Befana.’ However, instead of it being on Christmas Eve, like Santa, she comes the night of January 5th and marks the end of the Chrstmas season. So, everyone will take their trees and decorations down. I spent Christmas similarly to how I would in the United States. We exchanged gifts in the morning, and then had a big lunch with my host parents, brother, grandparents, aunt, and uncle. The day after Christmas I went on a trip with the scout group I am in to the mountains for four days. We played a lot of games, and went on a hike in the snow, cooked meals, and also spent time reflecting. Although I honestly hadn’t really been looking forward to it because it meant I had less time with my first host family, I enjoyed my time at the mountains with the other kids. Then, after I returned, I switched host families the afternoon of the 29th. I already knew my second host family because I had spent some dinners with them on the days I had scout meetings (because I was invited to scout by my second host family) So, that made it easier because I already knew how kind they were. Even though they are also great, switching host families was one of the most challenging parts of my exchange so far. Relearning routines, communication styles, and even just the change of what I saw out my window was difficult. Especially because I felt really close to my first host family. However, switching families is one of the many great aspects about the Rotary Youth Exchange. Because not only does this experience give you the chance to learn even more about the culture, but it also taught me something important: I am more adaptable than I thought.