I am having a great time so far! It does not snow where I live, but it is where the school is so I got to see snow for the first time the other week, which was very exciting. I am learning how to make delicious Italian dishes like Gnocci, Polpette and of course Pizza! It will be good once school starts again so I can start making friends and experience more that Italy has to offer. Also I would like to say that I had a great time at the orientation I really enjoyed it...
My exchange is going great! I get along really well with my new family and have made friends at school. I love Savas and don't think I want to go back to Australia. :)
My French skills are improving and every night I read to my new 9-year-old brother to improve my pronunciation.
Going to school six days a week is not as bad as I thought it would be. I think I prefer the school timetable here better than in Australia because you get the afternoon off. It's nice to eat lunch at home and then have time to go out or relax at home. Everyone at school is very friendly and supportive. I get along well with my host sisters. We enjoy playing cards, doing sudokus, listening to music, eating and shopping.
Things have improved a lot and I have friends in and outside of school. I contacted my natural family today for the first time in Italia. Once a month is enough for us. 
Everyone asks about kangaroos and they are the funniest questions I have ever been asked but you got to love the people here. I am also always getting asked to say something in Australian...
Yesterday I watched a French film with my host-sisters. They put the French subtitles on for me and I understood the whole movie!
I have been fitting in very well with the kids and making new friends! Me and my sister have been getting a long very well and become very good friends. The parents have been spoiling me and taking me to a lot of places. I have been to Mt Vesuvius, Amalfi coast, Sorrento and Pompeii already!
I have met all the family and are very nice. School is a bit boring because I don't understand the language, but I have my own Italian book and have been learning that. Every night me and my host...
This past half-year I've met some fantastic people, tried a lot of new things and learnt a lot about myself. I'm getting along fantastically with my host family; we're actually on holidays now in the south! I'm happy with how my Italian is coming along, it's coming along naturally now instead of real broken with drawn out pauses.
My host family love giving me random French specialties to taste and I'm open to anything. Some of it has been amazing and some of it has been, well, interesting. It's all a new experience!
The orientation was really informative and reassuring. Any fears I had about what was about to happen were put into perspective. A bubbly returned student, came and talked to us and that proved an invaluable insight about how no two exchanges are the same, they are unique and personal and you get out what you put in.
Everything is going great I love it here! The weather is cold, it was -3 degrees the other day, I was freezing! Skiing was good, I ran into a pole in true Aussie spirit. Life’s great! School is really tough, I’m in a really tough English class where at first I thought this would be easy, I’m in English 3 so it’s really pushing me but I’m really trying to study as much as possible! I don’t know where to start without sounding like I’m bragging but I have heaps of new friends who are really...
Ireland's great! I’m having the best time and way better then I had expected. I love the weather here. Time is going by really quick, which is both a good and a bad thing, but I’m making the most of it! The family's good and I could not have asked for a better one. They treat me like their own. The school is very different, but good. Everyone is really friendly and though it has taken a few weeks, I am slowly getting used to their accents! I love listening to them.
It is a hard decision to make at first, but once you arrive in your host country you will realise that every second and every minute of your two months, semester or year is a rewarding cultural experience.
We visited the town of Roquefort last week famous for its cheese and we saw how the cheese was made in the caves.
Everything is going great! The school is very interesting and the quality of education is amazing. I am getting along well with the host family except for the cat, one day it loves me the next it doesn't. Is it possible for me to slip under the radar and stay?
My family here is AMAZING to say the least. We all get along really well and I am enjoying having sisters. At the moment I am a part of both the ski team and the girls' basketball team and I have been asked to sing at two community functions!
My time here in France has been amazing! I had a great holiday with my family, who took me on a road trip to Strasbourg to visit relatives to spend Christmas with. We went back to Irigny for New Year's and celebrated it with friends. It snowed a bit before Christmas, so I made a snowman, but none of it stayed. However, where I went for Christmas was all white on Christmas Eve, but all the snow melted that night so I unfortunately didn’t get a white Christmas. Today was the first day back at...
It’s going good so far. The language is hard to pick up because they talk really fast but I’m slowly getting there. The host family is really nice and understanding and I‚’m getting along with them really well.
It’s weird having two younger siblings because it’s sometimes difficult to communicate with them and they’re always wanting attention so it’s hard to handle sometimes. Aulnois sur Seille is tiny! There is hardly anything to do but the scenery is nice so the walks are good,...
I'm loving every minute of my exchange so far! I can't believe I have been here over a month now! It's seriously feels like 2 weeks ago I landed! My host family is amazing. I get along with everyone! Life in Biella is very different to life in Melbourne and I think it's just now that I have finally gotten use to all the changes and differences.
My school is very good. I'm in about 4 different classes because of the subjects I'm following. My Italian is slowly improving but I have...
My exchange is going great!
It's really strange having a younger sister. Sometimes it’s really fun but sometimes its hard work. Luckily we get along really well so everything's fine.
I love my host family. We get along so well and have heaps of fun together. My host father's not great at English but despite the language barrier we still have a good time. My host mum and sister are much better at English so I'm constantly reminding them to speak Italian to me so I learn. It's good...
It’s been the best thing I have ever chosen to do. The experience has been unreal. I've been up to so much in the four months I've been here.
With school, which is amazing, I went and climbed some mountains, went horse riding, surfing, bowling and also went up to Dublin for a soccer game (Ireland v Uruguay) and it was a great experience. I've had quite a few holidays too, so I've had plenty of time to wonder around Waterford and experience the culture first hand. Ireland is a great...
My adventure in the US has been everything I've hoped for so far. It's hard to believe that I've been here over a month already! Time is absolutely flying by.
My family was more than amazing! All of them from the grandfathers to the cousins. They have always seen me as a family member and we really love each other. I'll never forget them and will really miss them.
I am so happy that I've seen the snow for the first time! It's really amazing and I'm loving the cold weather. I never thought anything could be colder than Ballarat but now I have the proof! I just would like to say thank you for extending my flight and it makes me so happy that it's my family who asked me to stay longer. I had a rocky start but things are amazing now! My family told me I'm more than just a host student.
My Australian friends and family are absolutely lovely people and make me feel as Aussie as they are!
I have settled in quite well and bonded well with Camille, my host sister. All the students take an interest in me because I am Australian and they find it an exotic place. The language barrier is difficult every day. Though I can understand most things, I find it more difficult to respond.
