Above is some of the history of Novara, Italy.
By KAMARON HILLMAN
I have been a High School student in Novara, Italy, for more than two weeks now. In that time, I have biked to school every weekday, eaten gelato with friends, window shopped in the city center, and more. My host family is wonderful, and I feel quite at home here.
I think the greatest difference between my life in Dunkirk and my life in Italy is school. It does take up six hours of my weekdays.
Every morning I ride my bike to school at 7:35 a.m. — there are no school buses, even if you live far from your school. Transportation is up to the student. The traffic is much busier here than in Dunkirk and Sheridan, and when a person drives down the cobblestone streets, it is quite normal to come within a foot or less of pedestrians and automobiles.
I park, secure my bike, and walk to the school’s large entrance doors. There are about one hundred students waiting outside these doors (there are other entrances), and I join some of my classmates.
At right is Kamaron Hillman eating gelato.
At 7:55 am, the doors open, and we climb the stairs to our classrooms. Classrooms in Italy (or at most Italian public schools) are very different than classrooms in the United States. There is nothing on the walls, no screens or smart-boards, and no lockers. My classmates have had the same teachers since beginning high school and we stay in the same room for all our classes, the teachers rotating instead.
When we are all at our desks and the teacher walks in, we stand up. The teacher tells us to sit down and we do, getting our books out for the class. In my school, I have had Italian literature, English, mathematics, physics, science — biology, chemistry and geology are all separate classes by the same science teacher, history, information science, philosophy, art (history and technical drawing), physical education, and religion. On one day, we might have two hours of science and two hours of mathematics. Once a week, we have two hours of physical education. My classmates are very friendly, and they love to hear me read passages aloud because I don’t have a British accent (they only have British English lessons there).
School normally finishes at 2 p.m. At that time, I ride my bike back home and have lunch. Because school ends at that time, there is no lunch — or breakfast — served at school, though students typically bring a snack to eat during breaks. Additionally, there are no clubs, sports, or after school programs at school. All these are separate and must be organized outside of school.
I am greatly enjoying my time here in Italy, and I look forward to writing about more subjects, such as the food, art, music, and more.
Arrivederci!
Kamaron Hillman, a Dunkirk resident, is an exchange student in Italy.