Ines Skuqi is a foreign exchange student staying in the United States for 10 months. She came to America for a new experience.

This is Skuqi’s first time in America. She comes from the Northern part of Italy, near Milan, and is fond of the people and positive atmosphere here in the Unites States.

Here, she believes she will be able to discover a new potential and learn from the diversity and culture.

Skuqi said she came here, “to make a new experience, and to open my mind. This should help me to know what I am and what I can be.”

Currently, Skuqi is living with a host family. A host family welcomes the exchange student into their home and typically takes them on trips to show them more of the United States and American traditions.

“They are very nice,” Skuqi said. “They can always find the way to make me feel at home, and they consider me part of the family.”

Along with most new exchange students, the first thing Skuqi’s host family did was take her to Chick-Fil-a. They have also gone to Virginia, Asheville and Carolina Beach.

Italy and the U.S. may share some similarities, but there are some differences that have stood out to Skuqi, namely, with the sports.

“The major difference is football and soccer. Here, people are crazy for football, in Italy for soccer, and those sports are the opposite,” Skuqi said. “In soccer, you use your feet. Here you use your arms. I mean, the ball has a different shape. In soccer it’s like ‘oh no, my ankle, I broke my ankle’. In football it’s like pow, punch and fighting.”

However, athletics aren’t the only dissimilarity between the two countries.

The in-school experience in America differs greatly from Italy. According to Skuqi, in Italy, the students do not change classes and instead, the teachers change. She also says that school in Italy is more theoretical, whereas in America, it is more practical.

Skuqi has to take a full two semesters of classes in America. These classes will count towards her credits back in Italy, but she still has to take exams at home to certify that she understands the material.

She believes the classes she is taking now will be beneficial to her in Italy.

“I’m learning new things,” Skuqi said. “For example, I’m taking an anatomy class and also pre-calculus, and in Italy I will study this subject next year. I will already know them.”

In the future, Skuqi was considering returning to America to go to university for medicine. She aspires to be a physician, and the amount of years she would have to spend in school is less here than it would be in Italy.

Skuqi believes this year will change her educationally as well as socially.

Skuqi said, “I think I will have a different approach to all things, to the study, to relating with people, because I think that after this year my mind will be more open.”