I guess I need to introduce myself so let's do that quickly !
My name is Mélissa , I am French & I am currently an exchange student in Vigo, Spain with the Rotary.
My wonderful adventure as an exchange student started two months ago , already on September 3rd to be exact.
if you search on the net a definition of exchange student here is what you'll find : ''An exchange student is a person who goes to a foreign country or location in order to undertake learning and schooling while a student from that country or location attends a school in the first country.(noun) ''
In reality an exchange student is way more than only someone that goes to study abroad. First it's someone that take the responsabily to represent is country overseas. Then an exchange student is someone that is mature enough to leave his parents to go living in another country for a year , country where people speak another language , language that the exchange student is going to be teach classes in... Oh , and it's also someone that is able to adapt himself to the way of life of another family a family that obviously isn't his.
But being an exchange student also means having the amazing opportunity to learn a new culture , a new language , a new way of life & especially to meet a bunch of awesome people that are going to be your lifetime friends !
Yeah being an exchange student is a HUGE thing, it's like being a super hero when we really think about it , and guess what ? I am having a blast being one !
so now that you now what an exchange student is , you have to know more about MY exchange.
I am spending this year in Vigo , which is Galicia ( North-western coast of Spain ). Vigo is
a city of more or less 200 000 inhabitants and where the languages spoken are Spanish ( castellano ) & Gallego ( Galician ).
I am living in my first host family that is composed of :
My host parents : Zaida , my host mom , she is architect.
Faus , my host dad , he is architect too.
My host siblings : Carmen , 15 , currently in USA with the Rotary so I won't see her
Candela 14
Pablo 10
Javier 6
I don't know neither of my second or third host family but hope to find out soon.
About my school :
I am attending IES Rosais 2 (which is famous to be one of the best high school of Vigo. )
I am in 1° de bachillerato which would be the equivalent of Junior year in USA.
My classes are : Historia do mundo contemporaneo ( teach in Gallego ) , Maths ( in Gallego too ) , French , Spanish , English , Ciencias para el mundo contemporaneo , Filosofia , Lengua y litteratura Castellana , Lengua y litteratura Gallega ( obviously in Gallego ) , Educacion Fisica y economia.
At school we spend the whole day in the same classroom ( except in a few options where we switch ) , we don't have lunch at school but at our house and not before 2.40pm when school finally ends.
As you saw I have few class in Gallego , class where I have (obviously ) some problem to understand that's maybe funny but I understand better my Gallego's class than my history class teaching in Gallego where we talk about France ( maybe because my Gallego's teacher speaks really slow & is easy to understand ) and I like my Gallego's class better because my teacher wants me to learn at least once sentence in Gallego per class which is good with me.
I am planning on being volunteer for an association that is '' related '' to my high school but we'll see if I can.
I 'll talk to you more about what happened during my two first months in the next article because it's 11.50 pm & I am tired.
PS : Forgive me for all the mistakes I've certainly made...
Mélissa.
