di Bianca Muffato, III F
What made you choose Italy for your Erasmus trip?
Actually, it was our school that chose Italy; we students were offered the chance to go there as a class for our final trip before graduation, and we accepted. I know that my school has already been to Italy at least once, but I think it was to another city, not Rome: we collaborated with another school. The decision to choose Rome was guided by its historical richness: our class is a social studies class, so it’s definitely suitable. I was certainly very happy that it was Italy, because it’s very beautiful.
What was your first impression of Rome when you arrived? Was it confirmed later?
Personally, I had already been to Rome at the end of October last year, so quite recently, and my first impression of the city had already been very positive. It was very beautiful, I was just really happy to be there! I was very hungry (laughs, ed.) and soon we all ate pizza – it was fantastic.
How long have you been in Rome? What activities have you taken part in, both inside and outside school?
We arrived on Monday afternoon and left on Thursday around midday. It was really wonderful.
We did lots of activities with the whole class: first of all, guided walks around the city to see some of the famous monuments with a lovely guide who also spoke Swedish, which was great for learning more about the real meaning of things and not just looking at the buildings. We saw the Vatican City, St Peter’s, Piazza Navona… The teachers could see that we were enjoying ourselves; they said, “Wow, they really liked it, they’re really interested, they even want to go and see the churches – and not all 18-year-olds would want to do that”.
We then visited your school, which was very nice despite the fact that, from what I heard, our visit was quite impromptu. It was very nice to meet you all.
On Wednesday we went to Florence because there is a school there with which we often do exchanges. We met the students, who were about 14 years old, and it was a bit strange for us because most of us are between 18 and 19 years old and a 5-year age difference starts to bother us. We felt like we were living in completely different worlds – we already live in different worlds because we live in different cultures and countries – and many of them didn’t speak English very well because it was their first year of study. Then they got us talking about geography, and, well, that made it very difficult to really get anything out of it. But we also got to visit Florence a bit, which was actually very nice.
We had a couple of hours of free time after dinner and then a few more after supper; we simply used them to explore the city. Some of us went to the Colosseum, while my friends and I went to Villa Borghese and then for a walk around the city centre. All my classmates returned to the hostel at the agreed time – honestly, I didn’t expect anyone to break the curfew.
Is there anything about Italian culture that particularly surprised you, either positively or negatively? Did you experience what is known as “culture shock”?
I was shocked by the fact that students in Italy often finish lessons at 2 p.m. and then have lunch at home, whereas we sometimes have lunch at school at quarter to 11, which is very early compared to here. Then I remember something, perhaps silly, that I think is different from Swedish culture: at school in Florence, at lunchtime, people mainly ate sweets! I know this was perceived as very shocking by many in my class, because everyone said, ‘Where’s the normal food, why are there only sweets? Even at breakfast there were lots of sweet things, whereas we are used to eating mostly a sandwich, or bread and butter, or ham. Also, cappuccino is very cheap here! In Sweden we pay as much as 5 euros for it, and it’s certainly not as good as the Italian one.
What were the main differences you noticed between Swedish and Italian schools?
Our teachers also enjoyed asking us the same question. Our school in Sweden is definitely newer than yours, and it is not a state school, but it is not a private school either: all schools are free in Sweden for Swedish citizens, but some are not funded by the state and therefore often have a little more money and, I imagine, the opportunity to renovate. One big difference I noticed, however, is in the facilities: our school is very clean in design and quite modern and up-to-date in substance – it is less than 30 years old – but yours has very large rooms, very high ceilings, etc. – but I understand that it is much older.
As I was saying, education in Sweden is largely funded by taxes or, in the case of our school, by private funds from a company. I spoke to some people who told me that some children cannot go on school trips because they are too expensive. At my school, however, when we came to Rome, we didn’t have to pay practically anything – we paid for our lunches, but certainly not for flights and accommodation.
I also understand that we have a completely different relationship with our teachers than you have with yours in Italy. I have heard students talking to and about their teachers as if they were terrified of them! I have noticed a great distance here, whereas our teachers are practically our best friends: we call them by their first names and without any titles. We have a much more relaxed relationship with our teachers than yours seem to be, which is another big difference.
Do you think this experience has been formative for you or that it will influence your personal or professional future? In what way?
I definitely feel that we have all grown and matured. Travelling with such a large group, i.e. the whole class, brought us much closer together.
Personally, I have always found it interesting to see how the school system works in other countries and to discuss it with foreigners; every country has its own way of doing things and I find that really fascinating, so it is definitely an experience that I will carry with me into the future. Visiting Rome, I thought, “Wow, this would be a really nice city to live in!”, so if I ever live in Rome or Italy in the future, it will probably be thanks to this trip. Travelling gives you many different perspectives and lifestyles and voices and opinions and experiences just by talking to other people and meeting people from other countries. It’s something I like to be influenced by, but I think more on a subconscious level. It’s a constant reminder that everyone has their own experience of things, both people within a country and even more so abroad. I don’t know if it’s just a feeling, it’s not something I can pinpoint, but it’s just something that’s there.
