ERASMUS+ EXCHANGE TO STATTE, ITALY(By Emily Gagetti, Isaac Nunn, Gemma Rout and Laurie Wilcockson)

We recently returned from our Erasmus+ trip to Italy, it was an enriching learning experience which pushed us out of our comfort zones. It taught us to understand and tolerate different cultures and to build strong relationships of friendship regardless of language barriers. The temporary change of our lifestyles had made us realise the many distinct differences between all the different countries and cultures, such as food, family and education.

The nationalities of the schools involved were: The United Kingdom, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Sicily and Greece. All students had at least a good understanding of the English language, yet the few that struggled we managed to create friendships with different means of communication, including learning a small amount of Italian.

Our host families were the most prominent area of the experience in which we were unsure of what to expect. Thankfully they were incredibly welcoming and friendly people, who we still communicate with on a regular basis! Throughout the week we built strong bonds as we tackled the obstacles of communication. The impacts these families had on us hadn’t become apparent until it was time to leave; tears were shed into people's shoulders, when the embraces finished we said ‘grazie’ to them for all they had done and set promises to return soon.

Education is also particularly different compared to our own, as teachers would move classrooms instead of the students; they attended school on Saturdays, and their lessons began at eight but they finished at one! They also were able to wear their own choice of clothing, much unlike England.

The food was also quite different to what we are used to in England. The majority of what we ate was either pizza or it included pasta, which luckily we all liked a lot. The breakfasts we had varied between us, some of us just had cereal, whereas others had chocolate milk alongside strawberries and cookies to dip in it. There was also ice cream widely available in all of the places we visited, with a wide range of flavours, so it became almost a daily routine to have one. The Italians also seemed to love their Nutella!

The entire experience has become one incredibly cherished by all involved. None of us will forget that week, with all its different cultures, people and moments that represent the connections we created. To conclude, we want to thank the schools, Erasmus, our host families and expecially Miss Pretty and Mrs Chilvers for such a brilliant trip possible!