Since I started high school in Italy, my dream has always been to travel and to get away from Turin. I have nothing against my city, on the contrary, I think it is among the most beautiful in the world. Nevertheless, I always felt the need to leave.

As soon as I had the chance to live abroad, I jumped at the opportunity and immediately initiated the paperwork in order to leave as soon as possible. I had no doubts about my destination. My parents had been to Ireland in 1989, along with my brother. Whenever the subject was brought upon, they took every opportunity to talk about it joyfully. Since I had first heard about it, I felt a connection to Ireland.

I relied on an agency that prepared my entire trip, and in August an email arrived introducing my host family. They were a young couple without children, they only had a dog and lived in Donaghmede, a neighbourhood in north Dublin. Their names were Sinead and Mark, and the thought of living with them for the next five months appealed to me.

When I arrived in the Irish city, my family welcomed me with open arms. I discovered that Sinead and Mark’s sister lived next door, with her husband, daughter and mother. In that house there was also going to be another Italian girl, Francesca. Francesca and I arrived together a week later, Laia (Spanish) arrived in my house, and Charlotte (German) in the other home.

The first week was incredible. School had not started yet, and the Irish agency that looked after us decided to organise an orientation week for all the exchange students. So I got to know many of those who would later become some of the best friends I have ever had. We spent the first few days taking tours of Dublin and playing games to learn how to navigate the city ourselves. School started in no time, after we spent a week discovering the city.

On the first day of school, I chose which subjects I intended to take during my stay. Maths and English aside, which are compulsory in Irish schools, I decided to study History, French, Biology and Art History.

In fact, Ireland made me fall in love with a subject I had undervalued all my life: History. Two factors contributed to this passion: first, Ms. O’Keeffe, the teacher whose lessons successfully conveyed her enthusiasm to me; second, the topic we covered during the year, Irish independence. Studying Irish history, from the Home Rule Act to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, made me a patriot of a nation that I wasn’t even born into, and it has also brought me much closer to the Irish culture and people.
Furthermore, I took advantage of every free day I had to explore Dublin, the surrounding towns and the country itself. I have been to Belfast, Cavan, Bray, Malahide, etc.
However, the trip I enjoyed the most was the one to Galway.

My friends and I had taken a ticket for a tourist bus, which would take us to Galway, stopping by the Cliffs of Moher. We woke up at 5 a.m. to reach the centre of Dublin and board the bus. Our long journey got us to the Cliffs at 10 a.m. Unfortunately, the Irish weather was not on our side. Despite the rain, we managed to have a quick walk on the coastline. The views were breathtaking, the wind and the nature made me feel like a Celtic princess. When it started raining heavily, we took refuge inside the cliff museum. A few hours later, we arrived in Galway. The rain, as well as the short free time given by the tour guide, had prevented us from fully enjoying the city. Despite this I fell in love instantly with the city, to this day Galway remains among my favourite ones.

What I had experienced in Ireland was one of the most important things I did in the past three years, and I will be forever grateful for it. In those few months I grew as a person, which helped me overcome difficulties at school. I also became curious and passionate about knowledge again.