I smiled and I showed to be ready but I was a little bit scared, nervous and my mind was full of doubts. In this way I greeted all my friends and relatives. I took the plane that would take me to the place many people and I've dreamed of for all their childhood: The United States of America. During that flight a faint twinge of excitement floated through my body.

I flew for eleven hours from Milan to Atlanta and then other hours to arrive in Milwaukee, so everybody can imagine how many thoughts passed through my mind during those hours. I thought of what I was losing for one year: everything I built until that moment. I was going in a new world where everything was different: new language to speak and understand new family, people, friends and brothers. All those thoughts did not worry me. Everything was different I thought but when I looked out of the window everything seemed the same: green lands and the blue water of the ocean. I was very excited and I was looking forward to starting that experience that changed my life.

I didn't sleep for a while, but while I was listening to my long playlist with all my favorite songs, looking at old pictures on my phone, watching a movie on the plane-TV and speaking to some others Italian exchange-students, the time ran very fast and the time to meet my host-family was very close. "Passengers we are about to take off" the hostess said. Agitation spread through my body, and a lot of expectations came to my mind. The plane took off; I was finally in the land of dreams. Passenger started standing up and taking their little and colorful suitcases. For many people that was just a custom but not for me.

I walked through the Mitchell-Airport of Milwaukee, I saw a lot of faces but no-one was like the ones of my host-family. I felt as an alien on the earth. I walked, I walked and I walked when finally at the end of the alley I saw four people with a white poster with my name on and a weird red dragon that took me a while before I realized what that was. My host-mum, Barbara, ran to me and gave me a hug. I absolutely did not expect an acceptance so lovely and also I can't imagine a better-one than the one I had. After we took my suitcase, we left the airport and we went home, the house that for one year would have been my home. When I took the first step in I felt like I had lived there forever, my room was ready and two welcome-presents were on the bed. We ate together, talked about me and them and introduced each other. As soon as I touched the pillow on my bed around ten I fell asleep. I only remember that in those ten seconds before I fell asleep in my mind I said:" Wow. What a start. This year will be crazy and super exciting."

Since that day I understood that that was a unique experience and I had to live it without any kind of regrets. Since that day I understood that people all over the world are pretty much the same, no matter your language,your skin-colour and where are you from because those are only little details that make you special and unique in the world. Since that day I lived my life in a different way because that experience gave me some feelings that I can't still explain. That day makes my life more interesting somehow. That day will be forever in my mind.