My name is Ixone Martinez, and during winter I lived one of the best experiences of my life so far.
My school gave me the opportunity to spend one month in Italy as part of an Erasmus exchange program, from November 11th to December 13th. During that time, I discovered an incredible culture and met amazing people that I will never forget.
I shared this experience with my friend and classmate Naia, which made everything easier, more comfortable and much more fun. But actually, the experience started one month earlier, because from October 11th to November 11th the Italian girls came to Spain and stayed with us before we travelled to Italy. Thanks to that, we already knew each other before the trip, and in total the experience really lasted two unforgettable months.
On November 11th, we travelled to Bari, where we spent two days and one night with our teachers, Teresa and Iratxe. We stayed in a beautiful place right in the center of the city. We walked around Bari, explored its streets and tried our first real Italian food. Everything felt exciting and new.
The next day, on November 12th, we took a bus from Bari to Rionero in Vulture, a small town in the province of Potenza. When we arrived, I went to Rapolla, the nearby town where my Italian host family lived. From the very first moment, they made me feel welcomed and comfortable. They are wonderful people who made this whole experience much easier for me.
The following day, Naia and I started our temporary new life. We began attending the local school together, sharing classes with different students and different age groups, but always supporting each other. The school was small, familiar and very welcoming, so adapting was easier than expected. We met very important people there who taught us many things, and little by little we became much more confident with the language.
Living with my Italian family felt very natural and easy. They taught me how to cook different Italian dishes, we had movie nights together, and they always respected my personal space while making me feel part of the family. They shared their lifestyle with me, which gave me a completely different perspective on life. I met grandparents, relatives and family friends, and every day I felt more comfortable and connected to them.
They also took me to visit many beautiful places around Italy, sometimes together with Naia and her host family. We visited places such as Salerno and the Amalfi Coast, Melfi, Matera, Rome, and many historic places near the town.
Without a doubt, the hardest part was saying goodbye. Sometimes, just when you finally feel completely comfortable, it is already time to leave. That is when you realise how difficult it is to know if you will ever see all those people again.
However, I am very lucky to say that I gained not only an amazing friend, but also a sister for life. Spending two months together 24/7 made us inseparable. This summer I will travel back to Italy to see her and her family again, and afterwards we will fly together to Bilbao so she can spend more time with my family too, because they truly love her very much.
I would completely recommend this experience to anyone who has the opportunity to participate in Erasmus. You meet incredible people who stay in your life forever, and you create memories that become impossible to forget.
This experience changed me in many ways, and it will always have a special place in my heart..
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