Girl With a Suitcase

The American college is something unimaginable for any Italian student; I was already aware of this, but not really, not like now I’m finding out … and that’s just the beginning!
It seems like here studying is not the main thing… it surely does, and it shows, but they create around the mere task of “studying” an incredible experience of social life, entertainment, events, clubs, complex structures. In Italy, you sign up to college, get some information, they send you home and hey, you are a college student, the rest is up to you.
Here there is a whole universe behind it, and not only for the exchange student! Just think, right now, the first-year students who just enrolled are somewhere in California to make an Orientation Adventure, a kind of trip. And the year has not even started yet! Why? But for them to know each other, to make friends, because their university life is not only study, indeed!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We exchange students, on our side, have spent the last three days between shopping, tours of the city and the college, profound and moving speeches from the whole staff, specific and strict rules … and a trip to Newport Beach.
I do not know where to start from for listing the things that struck me most in this short but intense introductory experience … probably everything that I have seen and done!

Without a doubt, the first thing to say is the college itself. It’s  something more than a university, something more than a city, more than a hotel … it is all of these things put together, and much more. There are 5 colleges that are part of the consortium, all neighbors and all similar but each with its own personality, its unique architecture, its various special gardens with plants … the green is a thing that strikes you everywhere you turn: large , vast grassy lawns even if the climate is hot and you’d barely expected to grow cactus and shrubs. Even more striking because the space is still almost completely empty, since the majority of students have not yet returned: you look around and you imagine students chatting, laughing, studying, lie down in the grass, and you find yourself to think that every single thing has been specially designed for them. It’s not like in Urbino, which has become in effect a campus, but it is only because in a small town enclosed by walls came 15,000 students. Here, every bench, every fountain, every tree has been planted for the students, so they can exploit them, love them, because they help their career of students and future workers. It ‘a completely different conception of life, and I think we should learn a lot from them in the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moreover, there are not only benches and trees: there are swimming pools, gymnasiums, libraries, study areas, communal kitchens, a thousand different canteens serve different things every night … all for free. Or rather, it costs a lot of money. But then it’s free, it’s there, it’s all at your disposal. Even in these days of orientation, I have not paid a penny. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, activities, events, facilities, staff … in some obscure way they can make sure that everything is available to everyone, even those who, like us, actually are not paying! Actually it is not difficult to imagine how: the value of my scholarship, at least according to what is written on the paper that they gave me, is $ 29,000. Ok? TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS. One semester. Can you imagine that? I do not. I do not even quantify such a number. But here it is and we’re not even at Harvard. In short, if a normal American family wants to send his son to college, you have to shell out $ 29,000. 8 times (4 years). A drain. In fact, in the United States, there are systems similar to the mortgage loan to be able to afford these figures, as well as scholarships for almost anything. But, anyway, a social advertising comes to mind that I’ve read somewhere, against the American educational system: the image you saw a poor boy who could not afford college, and the slogan read, ” What if he was the next Einstein? “. And it’s true … it’s not just negative to make education so elitist? I can not answer that question, really … my critical mind says no, but on the other hand they are one of the great powers of the world, if only from the point of view of culture and technology. Here is where the American dream can be realized, where zero can be infinite. Here, according to statistics reported today, 90% of students graduates in four years. So how can you not justify them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other big thing that struck me, and it will continue to always strike me, is what I call (not just me actually) American‘s “hypocrisy” .
We have passed Half of the day today being explained what you can and what can not do on campus. For the most part, what you CAN NOT. Rules, prohibitions, penalties … hours and hours spent doing real psychological terrorism . If you smoke where you you can’t you need to be punished, if you download the movie the police will trace the IP of the computer and you will be removed from the network, if you post a photo on facebook in which you drink alcohol and you are a minor, you may have repercussions. I’m not kidding, these are real-world examples of things that have been said today. For each offense, the punishment. Very clear, in fact, impossible to say “I did not know” . Right here stays the big difference: in Italy I know that it is illegal to download movies or drinking alcohol by a minor, but nobody ever told me what I faced if I did. Here too it is likely that no one will even notice what you do, least of all the police, but the fact is …. you think I’m going to try if it is true?
The land of freedom, but you’re only free to do as they say. Hypocrisy, is not it? But things work. I have no doubt that there are those who drink in college at 19 years old, those who smoke, those who use drugs and those who download movies … but the reality is that I’m sure many people will have no desire to take risks and  will be limited to do not even try. This basically is called to respect the rules … perhaps believing that people are honest for a higher sense of justice is simply overrated.
The other and more pronounced form of hypocrisy is the other side of the coin, If you really want to break the rules, do it OUR way . They tell you that you should not get drunk, and establishing the “dry week” for the first week, but then the rest of the year? Isn’t it like saying ” from the second it ends you can do whatever you want “? Or, you can walk around with a bottle of alcohol, but only if sealed shut …. If you go from room to room with the closed bottle, okay, you’re going to get drunk in some dormitory, but ok, what’s the problem. However, if the cap is not sealed, you can not. What is the point I wonder? it’s as if they were constantly there to observe and control. But then you go next door and pretend to look the other way.
The last consideration, but perhaps the most important and worthy of note, is their contagious sense of patriotism and proudness. And consequently, the way in which they make you feel to have the opportunity to be there. Today, during the first introductory speeches of the members of the staff, when several people spoke of our experience, of how we would change, how it would be important …I almost cried! The way to talk, how they moved, how his eyes shine … is a form of patriotism that infects you, makes you feel part of something, it makes you feel important in your time because you can be a part of something so beautiful and valuable . It would be nice to be able to make an Erasmus in Italy, in order to really evaluate the differences and make a judgment. I can not, so I’ll base myself on my unique experiences, that is, the presentation of my college courses, and before, my high school. Never in 20 years of career student, I felt the excitement that I felt today in the speaker. Never have I felt so involved, so supported, so important for an institution …they have created entire programs and events for us, the host family picnic to welcome us, the “passport” for foreign students containing all the information and all events planned…
now I’m just curious to see how it progresses. All this is great, but it also has many dark sides, some of which I’ve already mentioned. The American culture, the ‘ American way of life , is made ​​of great light and great shadows, and other wonderful things that go at the expense of the weak, of great opportunities and huge losses … in Italy, however, in our Mediocrity at least we know not to make mistakes. I will continue to study this extraordinary world, but I will always keep my eyes open to avoid falling into the trap gullible. Just so I can bring home the true teachings and maybe, if I can and I will be able, try to improve a little ‘what is wrong in my house.