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I think I have learned a lot from this experience that will be useful for my next trips and in general for life.

One of these is the fact that I have improved my skills in English, even if only slightly, because I was forced to speak it and put into practice the things I learned at school only on a theoretical level.

I think the experience has helped me a lot to improve my ability to socialize and find solutions in times when you are not totally comfortable.

During this week I also learned to understand and discover what is far from me and my habits, it helped me get out of my comfort zone.

I am very grateful to have done this Erasmus.

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Of this experience there isn't one thing in particular that I liked, because it was in all aspects a beautiful week.

I really enjoyed visiting the cities with their monuments and shops, but above all with their characteristics and curiosities.

I am also very happy to have met so many young people, both Italian and German, and to have spent many beautiful moments with them even doing simple things.

I found very nice also the final evening in which we were all dancing and singing and we reviewed the photos taken during the week, it was very funny.

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As for the food I was very happy because I always ate foods that I liked, also because my host parents were very good at cooking and they prepared me some delicious traditional dishes.

Also in all the restaurants or bars where we ate I have always eaten very good food, such as the typical black forest cake in the photo that I took in a famous pastry during the trip to Augusta.

I was impressed by all the beautiful bakeries where they sold many different types of bread that all looked very good.

I was very happy to have tried many traditional dishes such as potato salad or sauerkraut.

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The family I was hosted by consisted of Jessica, a girl one year older than me, and her parents.

In this family I was very well and throughout the week they were very welcoming and kind to me.

In particular, I was very happy to have dinner with Jessica’s mother who told me many curiosities about the traditions of Germany and about German culture.

They have always been very helpful and I have talked a lot with them about their travels in Italy and the rest of the world, because they are great travelers.

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A normal day in the Gymnasium Schrobenhausen starts at 8.10 and ends at 1.10 p.m. During this time there are lessons that last only 45 minutes and not 60 as it happens in Italy. There are two breaks between the lessons, the first longer than the second, where students can have a snack and hang out in the different spaces that the school offers. For example, there is a room only for 12th graders where they can sit together during break time and lunch.

Some days students stay at school in the afternoon, but do not go to school on Saturday.

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The host school was the Schrobenhausen Gymnasium, a school with three types of courses: musical, scientific and linguistic.

At first I was very impressed by the fact that in Germany there are children of 10 years and people of 19 years who go to the same school, because in Italy this does not happen.

I found the host school very nice and especially very large, with lots of spaces dedicated to very nice activities.

I was particularly impressed by the large central hall with stage, where students often perform concerts and shows.

I also liked the classrooms very much because they were modern and welcoming and in general I found the school very modern.

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During this Erasmus I was in Scrobenhausen, a small town in Bavaria quite close to Munich.

I found Schrobenhausen very pretty and quiet, especially I liked the colorful houses with triangular roofs, typical of northern European countries. Near Schrobenhausen there are many other small towns, but above all there are many areas with large hills and surrounded by nature, that I really liked.

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A school day starts at 8:00 and finishes at 13:10. The lessons last 45 minutes and during the morning there are two breaks. My partner is in the last two years so he isn't part of a class anymore, he follows his lessons in the same way as university students do, changing classrooms for every different subject. One afternoon a week he has to stay at school until 17:00 but he doesn't have school on Saturdays. When he has to stay at school in the afternoon he usually packs his lunch at home and then he eats it together with his friend.

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The Gymnasium Schrobenhausen is a high school that has three main branches: the branch of music, the scientific and technological branch and the linguistic branch. The building of the school is new and well kept, it is huge and it has three floors. The auditorium is spacious and there's a stage in it because people attending the music branch host concerts at the school during the year. Students can also eat at the school canteen and those who attend the last two years have a room where they can spend their free time.

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Hi, I am Caterina Giusti, I have 18 years and live in Castenaso, a small town near Bologna. My family is very large, in fact I have two sisters and two brothers much older than me, so I am already aunt and I have 7 grandchildren. I attend the school Liceo Copernico in Bologna and do a scientific course with an upgrade in chemistry. I have many passions such as cooking, especially I like to cook sweet, and music, in fact I play the guitar and the piano. Also as a sport I play volleyball since I was 9 years old.

I really enjoy travelling and getting to know new cultures and people, even if I have never made a great trip.

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During the exchange I have been completely immersed in a new culture so I have learnt a lot of new things.

Firstly, I had the opportunity to practice speaking English during my daily life, a thing that I can hardly do at home because my parents don’t speak english.

I’ve also learnt how to put myself out and how to adapt to different habits and a different lifestyle but at the end it has been an unforgettable experience!

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Without any doubts, I loved the people I met and the new friend I made during this exchange. I enjoyed spending time with them, trying to communicate in an understandable way for both italians and germans. I also loved my host family and how they treated me like family.

I had a lot of fun even in the trip to Ausburg, it is not a big city but really pretty, a bit like Bologna. It had a good weather and great colourful buildings. We visited the “Fuggerei” a place where people who can’t afford to get a house in the city can ask for a place to live.

Another thing that I really liked was the cooking laboratory that we did on Friday, I had a lot of fun and I felt like a real chef during those hours.

Overall I really liked this week in Germany and I hope it will be the same here in Italy.

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What I liked the most about this unforgettable experience wasn’t only visiting new places, discovering a new culture and living a week like a German, but also the people I met and the group that we have created, made of both Germans and Italians.

We spent a lot of time together, we got to know each other, we played a lot with cards and had a lot of fun!

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I’m not really fond of German cuisine and I discovered that at the workshop we did where we cooked canederli, potato salad and a dessert made of apples and bread.

I had the occasion to try local dishes also at the party we had at school where each family cooked something typical.

I’ve always thought that German cuisine was like Sud Tirol one, so when I went to Schrobenhausen I was thinking about eating the same specialities I’m used to eat when I go skiing so maybe the reason why I haven’t liked it so much was that I thought I would have been different.

However I loved Jonathan’s father's cuisine, he is a really good cook and I loved every meal he cooked for us.

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A day at the Gymnasium in Schrobenhausen starts at 8.10 a.m for everyone but the finishing hours are not the same for everyone, for example someone ends school at 5pm on

Wednesday, someone on Friday but none goes to school on Saturday.

The first day I arrived at school a bit earlier and it was full of students waiting for the bell to ring. In the background you could also hear someone playing the piano, which was available for everyone in a common area, but only at certain times.

Every single lesson lasts about 45 minutes, but often, as my exchange student told me, they have double hours. They have two breaks in which all the students spread sitting in any place available, all with their snacks and lunch boxes.

Moreover the older students have a room with sofas and also a small kitchen in which they can go whenever they have time.

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My exchange student is Jonathan who is 19 years old. He is an outgoing and funny person and I had a really good time with him. He lives with his dad and they seemed to be really close to each other.

Both of them are kind-hearted and really outgoing, and even if Jonathan’s father doesn’t know english perfectly he has always talked with me and sometimes he even said some words in Italian.

They tried in any manner to make me feel at ease, I loved living a week with them and I hope that for them it has been the same.

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I've had the luck to be in a wonderful host family! We got along well since the beginning and they did everything possible to make me feel comfortable and at home. They live in Schenkenau, a peaceful village surrounded by nature. They have lots of pets: a rescue dog, a cat, a snake and other kinds of reptiles. During the week I developed a special bond with my host mum and my partner. My host mum taught me to make homemade Spätzle and Krapfen and we cooked together, it's been amazing! My partner and I had long and interesting conversations about our lives and had lot of fun together, I really want to keep in touch with them!

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Our host school was Gymnasium Schrobenhausen, it was really big and being renovated at the moment. It had different floors for different areas of subjects, like physic, biology and chemistry. The school had a big “Aula” where we celebrated our las night with a big party, a lunch room, a big gym and another building where the twelve-year-students had their lessons, because of the renovation a lot of rooms where not available and some students had to go to another building near the school. They also got a room just for themselves to decorate like they want and to relax ora eat between classes.

A day per week the students have to go to school until 17:00 and they don’t have school on saturdays.

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During my exchange week in Germany, I had an amazing experience despite not knowing German. I communicated mainly in English, which helped me improve my fluency and confidence. Living with a host family taught me independence and responsibility, as I had to navigate new situations on my own. I also made new friends and realized the importance of intercultural exchange, as a way to step outside of my comfort zone and discover new perspectives and create new bonds. I had wonderful conversations with German students and we also had fun playing cards together: they taught me German games and I taught them Italian ones.

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The host school that my exchange student attended was a Gymnasium, and it had scientific, linguistic and music courses.

The teacher that guided us in the visit of the school showed us some renovations in progress but I think it was already really beautiful.

It was divided into different parts, for example scientific subjects or music, and in each floor there was a specific subject, for example biology in the first floor, physics in the second…

Even if there were vending machines there was also a canteen, from which every morning was spread a delicious smell.

Another interesting thing is that every year the students that leave the school have to create a “masterpiece” and it was really beautiful seeing some of them in every part of the school.

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The city where the Erasmus exchange I have experienced took place was Schrobenhausen, a city near Monaco in Bavaria, Germany.

It is a really quiet and pretty place, with coloured houses. It is perimetered by city walls, of which we’ve seen the different towers during the visit.

In particular it is famous for the white asparagus and also it has a museum and a sculpture of it.

Moreover, one thing that surprised me as soon as I noticed it is that you can see storks upon the chimneys and they are really beautiful. Another particular thing that I have noticed is that all the schools are located in a single street, so in the morning is full of students.

Schrobenhausen is surrounded by green vegetation, forests and small towns, one of them is Peutenhausen, where my exchange student lives.

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During my Erasmus exchange week in Germany, I learned what it’s like to live in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I also learned how to welcome a guest and make their stay easier, thanks to my host family, who were perfect in every way. In Germany, I learned to communicate with everyone around me, simply because my desire to meet new people grew day by day. But most importantly, I learned the word 'Servus,' which means hello in Bavarian. I definitely picked up many other things that will be useful not only for my school life but also for my future. Servus!

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My name is Viola and I'm 17 years old. I live in a town called Crespellano, between Bologna and Modena. I attend the fourth year in Liceo Copernico where I have chosen NLS course, which is like the traditional scientific course but in addition it has one hour of phisycs and one hour of english.

I still don't know what I want to do in the future, I'm thinking about going to university but I haven't chosen the faculty yet.

I love swimming, I love the feeling of being in water and I also like going in the seaside.

On the other side I also really like the mountains, staying in the open air and doing trekking. I love travelling, visiting new places, discovering new cultures and doing trips by camper with my family.

Moreover I'm a scout and I volounteer with an asociation helping children doing their homework but I also really like cooking and reading.

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During this week in Schrobenhausen I learned a lot of difference between Italy and Germany and the major one was the timing in everything, the germans like to do things earlier than the Italians: they eat, sleep, go out and go back to their house earlier than we do.

I also spoke a lot of german, learned a ton of new words and got better in speaking. I adapted really good to the german lifestyle and it surely helped me to improve my language skills.

I made new international friends and learned new cultures and habits, that’s one of the things I love about visiting new places and meeting new people.

This was a unique experience and I surely would do it again.

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What I enjoyed the most about our week in Germany was definitely meeting new and interesting people and sharing unforgettable moments with them. Some were shy, others more outgoing, but everyone was friendly and fun. We were always chatting—on the bus, at school, and on the train. I also really enjoyed talking to Arda about everything. We talked about football, politics, school, and girls.

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In Germany, I tried many different types of food, especially Turkish, Greek, and German cuisine. I love all kinds of food, so before leaving, I wasn’t worried at all about what I would eat. I was truly amazed. The first Turkish dinner prepared by my host mother left me speechless—it was one of the best meals of my life. The only time I ate traditional German food was on the last day when we cooked it ourselves. Unfortunately, as a true Italian, I must say that both German and Turkish cuisine are still far from being as good as italian cuisine.

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My host family was a German family with strong Turkish origins. In fact, I don't think I lived like a German, but rather like a Turk. Arda, my partner, is an outgoing and talkative guy like me, so we bonded right away. I felt welcomed, as if I were at home. Since it was the period of Ramadan, every dinner was a celebration, and I always enjoyed it with the whole family. Arda lives with his mother, so for dinners, we had to move to a larger place where grandparents and uncles could also fit. I also met a friend of Arda, who, being a football lover like me, immediately seemed nice to me. I hope to make the exchange week in Bologna as wonderful as the one I had in Schrobenhausen.

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A day at Gymnasium Schrobenhausen started at 8:00 but I was usually at school 10 minutes before the start of the lessons. They are shorter than in Italy, in Germany a lesson is 45-minutes-long and there isn’t school on Saturdays, that’s why one day the students have to stay at school even in the afternoon until 17:00 but usually they got easier and less stressful subjects or practical activities.

They have two breaks during the day, one of 15 minutes and the other of 10. The twelve-year-students have their own room where they can eat, meet with each other, take a break and relax.

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I’m a very picky person but I was surprised from the amount of various food I ate and tried in Germany.

I tried a lot of typical german food, my favourite was Wiener Schnitzel. I always ate a sandwich with ham and mozzarella and an apple for lunch and sometimes a Spezi, cola and orange juice.

My host family also prepared pasta with pesto and pizza for me, to make me feel like home, they were all really good.

I can say I never ate so good during an exchange.

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A school day in Germany, and especially a school week in Germany, is very different from a school week in Italy. The main difference is that lessons last 45 minutes instead of an hour. Moreover, in Germany, students do not go to school on Saturdays, so on one weekday, they must necessarily stay at school in the afternoon. The presence of many areas and common spaces where students can meet, chat, and play makes the school day more relaxing and enjoyable. I am not sure if German breaktime livr up to our endless walks through the vast corridors of Copernicus, but they come close. We hope that one day we will also have a foosball table...

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My host-partner is Katharina Beer and she is very kind and extrovert, she lives with her parents Sabine and Klaus and with her older brother Johann. In the first two days Johan’s girlfriend visited him with his dog Pongo.

I couldn’t ask for a better host-family than this, they mede me feel like I was one of their daughters and they were always checking if I was okay and if I needed anything.

I talked a lot of german with them and it helped me a lot to understand their accent and dialect.

I was treated like family and I loved every single moment with my host family.

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Schrobenhausen is a city in Bavaria, Germany, and it’s one hour far from Munich. I lived 10-minutes-away from the city centre in a big house with 2 floors and I had my own room.

Schrobenhausen is not a big city like Bologna, its city centre is really small and has just a bunch of cafes, restaurants and shops but it’s a great city with very little traffic and noises.

I really liked the game that we played the first day to discover the city of Schrobenhausen, with all its green areas and the old walls and houses, it was really helpful to learn more about the history of the city.

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Hi, I’m Matilde and I’m 17 years old. I’m a very extrovert person and I love going out with my friends. I play tennis three times a week and I can say I’m an athletic person. I also have a licence and a motorcycle (a ktm duke 125) and I drive to school with my motorcycle every day.

I live in Bologna with my parents and my twin sister Sofia. I go to Liceo Copernico and I study languages, more specific, english, spanish and german. I also love to travel and to see new culture while exploring the world.

In my free time I like to drive and to go out in the city center with my friends, usually on Saturdays. I like listening to music, my favourite genres are trap, rap and international music but I listen to all types of music.

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From this experience, I returned enriched both academically and personally. The thing I love most is traveling, as it allows me to discover new cultures, habits, and customs. I had never been to Germany before, and at first, it was difficult to adjust to a new schedule and different habits. However, I eventually learned to adapt, and as a result, I had a wonderful time.

From an academic standpoint, I believe that practicing English is one of the most effective ways to improve. By using English regularly during the exchange, I now speak more fluently and have also learned new vocabulary.

On a social level, at first I thought it wasn’t easy to form a friendly relationship with people who have different customs and speak a different language. Yet, from the very beginning, I got along well with my exchange partner and her friends, both those involved in the exchange and others outside of it.

The most important skill I learned, however, was adaptability. It’s not easy to live away from home, with someone you don’t know well, and who doesn’t speak your native language. That’s why I’m grateful for this experience, which taught me so much, both about myself and others.

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The thing I loved most about this entire experience was the experience itself: being with new people, making friends, visiting new cities, and learning about different cultures.

However, if I had to choose my favorite moment, it would be the last night. The party with traditional Bavarian food, the traditional clothing, the music, and the dancing: it was all wonderful.

The evening started with a typical Bavarian dinner, during which photos from the week were shown. The bond that formed between the Italians and the Germans was indescribable: we had fun singing both Italian and German karaoke. We also all joined in the dancing together, and it was an absolute blast.

I wish it had lasted longer, but it was still an unforgettable experience. Even the final moment with the Polaroid photos was beautiful and so much fun. The teachers also took part, which made the atmosphere even more special.

I truly hope that a similar moment will happen again in Italy because it remains my most cherished memory of the whole experience.

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The thing I liked the most about this experience is having the opportunity to live a week in my partner's shoes. I've had the chance to get to know Bavaria from my partner's point of view and to immerse myself in a different way of life. It’s not just about visiting a new country, but about experiencing it from the inside, through daily routines, the flavors of home-cooked food and conversations with my host family. One of the most beautiful aspects is the chance to build a deep connection with people who were complete strangers until recently.

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I usually didn't eat traditional dishes at Mona's house. In fact, they often preferred to eat pasta or rice because Mona is vegetarian.
However, I was able to taste some typical dishes such as Knödel, Scheiterhaufen, Obatzter, Leberkäse, and Currywurst. I cooked the first two at the cooking workshop on Friday.

The first one is savory, and in Italy, they are called "canederli". The second one is sweet: a cake with apples, a creamy custard, and jam. Both dishes use stale bread as the main ingredient.

Obatzter is a traditional dish made mainly with cheese. Leberkäse is a type of meatloaf, usually served with an egg and spinach on top; they prepared it for me for my second dinner, and it was delicious.

The Currywurst was also very good—a sausage served with curry powder and ketchup. I ate it at a restaurant, and I would gladly eat it again because it was excellent.

In general, I don't have any problems with food (even though I didn't have great expectations), so I had a great time!

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My exchange partner is Mona. She is 17 years old, and her family consists of her father, Tobi, her mother, Petra, her sister, Anika, and her cat, Luigi. I also met her two grandmothers. Her paternal grandmother speaks a little Italian, but her maternal grandmother doesn’t speak either Italian or English, so I tried to speak some German (I studied it for three years in middle school).

Their house is a detached home with three floors; I never saw the basement. On the first floor, there is a kitchen, a room with a pantry, a living room, my bathroom, and my bedroom (the guest room). On the second floor, there is Anika’s bedroom, Mona’s bedroom, her parents' bedroom, another bathroom, and a room with a television for playing Nintendo Switch together, some sofas, and a lot of books.

They were very welcoming and kind. Her mom and dad also spoke a little Italian because they have been going on holiday for many years to a beach in Veneto, Bibione. However, they spoke fluent English, so it was easy to communicate with them. Her mom works as a teacher in an elementary school, while her father works for a company that manages the city’s water supply.

Her sister, Anika, studies at a university a bit far from Schrobenhausen. In fact, she doesn’t live with them all week but only during the weekends. She is studying to become an elementary school teacher.

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In Schrobenhausen, a school day starts at 8:10 AM and finishes at 1:10 PM. Some students have the opportunity to go to school by bike (many of them do), while others arrive by car or bus. Their classes last 45 minutes instead of 60 minutes like ours. To reduce the number of classroom changes, they always have two consecutive lessons of the same subject.

There are also two breaks: the first one lasts 20 minutes, from 9:40 AM to 10:00 AM, and the second one lasts 10 minutes, from 11:30 AM to 11:40 AM. During these breaks, students can relax in the "relax room," go outside, socialize with classmates, walk around the school, play the piano in the corridor, eat their snacks, or change classrooms or buildings. In fact, due to ongoing structural works, they sometimes have to move to a smaller building.

Once a week, they also have afternoon classes from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Usually, these lessons are less stressful subjects like PE or art. The school also offers the opportunity to stay in the afternoon for optional courses. In fact, teachers often dedicate their time to students, teaching activities such as dance, cooking, and sewing.

In my opinion, this is a great initiative because it allows students to build a stronger relationship with their teachers and work better together. Another thing I really like about their school is that they don’t have lessons on Saturdays; instead, they make up for them in one afternoon during the week.

Teachers were very calm and kind, creating a relaxed classroom atmosphere where nobody was afraid of being judged or making mistakes.

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I think that this experience taught me some important things. First of all, I improved a lot my english. Moreover, it developed a lot my social skills, as I was forced to speak with people I didn't know in a language that wasn't mine. Also, most of my host's friends didn't speak english very well because they haven't studied it for a long time and his grandparents didn't speak english at all, but at the end we found a way to communicate and get along and I discovered that there are a lot of beautiful people around.

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I think what I liked the most was the trip to Augsburg, even if at the beginning I didn't like so much the city, beacuse there was nobody around and it was quite sad. But after lunch, we had some free time and, while walking around the city, we found a very beautiful market. It was full of flowers, fruits, vegetables, fishes, colors, and, most important, happy, kind and lovely people. Also, I think that that day, like all the other trips, was a very useful way to bond with the group.

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Because I had dinner almost every day at Eric's grandmother's house, I could taste a lot of typical food. For the first dinner they made Dampfnudel, which is like a steamed dough made with milk, sour, yeast, salt, sugar and butter. It is usually eaten with a vanilla cream or/and jam, usually made with raspberry or currant. They also made me taste Schnitzel with cranberry jam, that was made by Eric, Kartoffelsalat, that is basically potatoes with broth and vinegar, spatzle with spices, lamb with some sauce, Knodel, that are basically bread dumplings cooked in broth with butter, and a very typical cake with chocolate. I think that my favourite dish was the lamb with the sauce, even if I didn't understand how they made it.

The last day we made a workshop of typical bavarian cuisine where we were divided in three groups: the first one made knodels, the second one made Kartoffelsalat and the third one, which I was also part of, made the Scheiterhaufen. The main ingredients of it are stale bread, apples, cinnamon and jam

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My host family lives in Schenkenau, a small village that is 10 minutes away from Schrobenhausen, the town where all the German students taking part in the exchange go to school. Schrobenhausen is in Bavaria, the largest German state located in the southeast of Germany. The town is crossed by Paar river and in the heart of the city there are many particular houses with stepped roof, each one of a different bright colour. In Schrobenhausen there are also historical towers and city walls all around the town centre.

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During my stay I've had the opportunity to taste some traditional German dishes. The first evening my host mum cooked Spätzle, that are little dumplings made of eggs, water and flour. She even taught me how to make Spätzle and we cooked together, it has been a great experience! Other dishes I ate are Currywurst with Pommes, that is wurstel seasoned with curry and french fries and Gulasch, that is a traditional soup made of tiny pieces of meat, potatoes and peppers. I enjoyed all these German dishes a lot!

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My name is Nausicaa, I'm 17 years old and I live in Bologna. I'm an only child but I've got many cousins and since we were kids we've always felt like siblings. I attend Liceo Copernico school and I'm in the scientific course. My greatest passion is karate, I've been doing it for 15 years and I'm fond of it because it has taught me to be determined, self-confident and to be respectful. Besides karate I am a fan of strength training with weights and I fancy going for long walks in nature. I'm easy-going and cheerful.

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My exchange partner was Eric, who is 18 years old. He lives with his parents and his little sister Mia, who is 12, in the first floor of the house, while on the ground floor lives his great-grandmother, who is 84. Despite her advanced age, Eric's great-grandmother is very active, in fact she's always at some club with other old ladies of the village. They also have a cat, Nova, who is very sweet and friendly, a dog, Cheko, who is a very energetic husky. Eric's parents work a lot, so he spends most of his time with his grandmother, who lives in the very next house. In that house live his grandparents and his uncle, but usually it's just Eric and his grandmother having dinner together. Despite it all, his mom and his sister had dinner with us most of the time when I was there. Eric's grandparents don't speak english and I don't speak german, but we somehow found a way to enjoy our time together, in fact many times I found myself alone with them, watching Tv, playing cards or just trying to communicate, mostly with gestures.

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Their day at school is similar to ours: they start the lessons at 8:10 and finish at 13:00, but their lessons last less than ours: only 45 minutes. They don't attend lessons on saturday, but they have to stay at school one afternoon. Because in the afternoon students are quite tired, the school tries to assign them easy lessons. Students my age have individual study plans, so every hour they change the classroom based on the subject they have to study after. I attended math, physics and geography lessons and i can say that they are similar to the italian ones, except for the fact that they don't have LIMs. Instead they use a projector that the teachers connect to their own computers or tablets.

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My exchange partner attends a high school called Gymnasium. This school is very large and hosts students from the first to the thirteenth grade. Their school system is very different from ours. In fact, starting from the eighth grade, they can choose the subjects they want to study in addition to those required for the Abitur (final diploma). The school has a canteen with a kitchen, many classrooms, a hall for concerts and parties, plenty of open spaces for students to meet, and a "relax room" for twelfth-grade students. They also do not always stay in the same classroom but change it depending on the subject, just like their classmates. The grading system does not go from 1 to 10 but from 1 to 6 (where 1 is the highest grade and 6 is the lowest). Later, grades range from 1 to 15 (where 1 is the best and 15 is the worst) to provide more detailed assessments.

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Our host school was Gymnasium Schrobenhausen. The first thing that surprised me was that even if it seemed very modern, they were restructuring it. In front of the entrance, there is a big structure whose shape resembles a nest, called Vogelnest. It represents the fact that the students can feel like protected and safe there, like the chicks in the nest. Sometimes the students have to stay in school also in the afternoon, so in addition to the vending machines, if they want to buy something to eat there, they can also go to the cafeteria. Also, there is a room just for the older students, where they can relax, play and eat, with sofas, chairs and a microwave

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Schrobenhausen is a small city in the state of Bavaria. It is known for the production of white asparagus, and its inhabitants are very proud of it, in fact there is a museum of the white asparagus and also a big statue of it, which unfortunately we couldn't see. The architecture of the city is quite different from the one here in italy: the shape of the buildings is very geometrical, they are all attached to each other, and they have all different colors.

In Schrobenhausen there are about 8 storks that made their nest on the top of the houses in the centre of the city, so when you go around its easy that you see these birds or their big nests.

Anyways, I didn't stay in the centre of Schrobenhausen, but in Oberlauterbach. It is a very small town, where everybody knows each other and help each other.

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Gymnasium Schrobenhausen is a really modern school, from the equipment used by teachers and students to the labs of music, full of different instruments. You can appreciate wide spaces and the care with which everything is maintained. Older students have a special private classroom where they can relax, study, play with friends, eat and around the structure there are other common areas where you can play some games. There is also a canteen and a big room where special events are held. In this school you can choose to study languages, scientific subjects or music and, in the last years, you can choose your specific subject plan.

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The thing I liked the most is definitely the group of friends we made, composed of Italians and Germans. This experience was fantastic for the company: in every moment I had fun, I never got bored and I always felt like family. In particular, I became a “sister” to my German correspondents: we used to do everything together, from breakfast to dinner. It was really painful to separate. We exchanged experiences, ideas, traditions, in particular we loved playing cards so we played German and Italian games, despite the fact that it was a bit complicated to explain the rules in English.

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This experience has given me a lot. I’ve learnt to live with people who I didn’t know, people who don't speak my language and have different traditions. I’ve learnt to share the room, organise my things and my time. These days I could practice my English with German correspondents and German people around the school, Schrobenhausen and the cities we visited, such as Augusta, Munich and Dachau. I discovered new customs, I compared the two cultures to identify the best characteristics of each and I tried to think how some aspects can be improved by taking inspiration from the other culture.

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My German correspondents are vegetarian so at home I used to eat vegetarian dishes. I appreciated the meals, they tried to cook with ingredients which I like. I noticed that they often didn’t eat typical German recipes (maybe because German cuisine isn’t as varied as Italian cuisine) but they enjoyed Indian or Turkish dishes such as kebab. I think that with my host family I didn’t try the traditional German cuisine, characterized by meat, potatoes, cabbages ecc. but at the Bavarian workshop we cooked typical dishes such as canederli, a recipe with potatoes, onions and cucumbers and a cake made with apples, cinnamon, almonds and jam. I really appreciated German bakeries.

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For this exchange experience I had been in a small city in Bavaria. I lived in Schrobenhausen, which is a very nice and welcoming town, despite being smaller than Bologna. It’s located in one of the richest states in the southeast of Germany. The little city is surrounded by a small torrent and old walls. I did a tourist tour of the town and I saw the Totengräber Turm, the Karpfen Turm and much more. The reality of Schrobenhausen is so different from Bologna’s one: they trust their neighbours so much, they’re not afraid of thieves and they leave their bikes without any chain and they don’t close their doors with keys.

There are many colorful houses, almost all located in the center of the city, around which there is a large natural area with some villages. The city is very famous for white asparagus, in fact there is also a museum dedicated to it (European Asparagus Museum). There are three important bars in Schrobenhausen: Barbetrieb (where you can go in the evening or even for dinner), Cafe Lenbach (which is always full and very popular) and patisserie mijous. The city is very clean and quiet, but there are few shops and meeting places.

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Hi, my name is Chiara and I’m 17 years old. I live in Bologna, near my high school “Liceo Copernico”. At Liceo Copernico I study mostly scientific subjects because I’m in the applied science course.

In my freetime I usually go to the gym and I also like playing the guitar, which I have studied for eight years since I was nine. I also like riding my bicycle on sunny days or going out for a walk. I volunteer for a church not too far from my house, where I am a child entertainer for two weeks in a year. I usually hang out with my friends once or twice a week. I also enjoy my free time with my family, which consists of my brother (Luca), my mother (Elisabetta) and my father (Stefano).

I am a rather extroverted person and I enjoy meeting new people. I like joking and having fun, but I am also a serious and determined person in situations that require it. I am kind-hearted, empathetic and I love helping others.

When it comes to food, I have celiac disease but otherwise I adapt easily.

I love traveling, seeing new places and discovering new cultures. Despite this, I often feel sick on the plane. My dream is going to Thailand and I hope to visit soon!

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Before this exchange, I had never been to Germany, so everything was new to me. I've learnt some german words, and a lot of recipes: I discovered you can make tons of delicious desserts only using milk and another ingredient!

I've also learnt how to fit into a different culture, with different customs and habits. I opened myself more than usual, and I was able to make new friends with both germans and italians.

In conclusion, the most valuable lesson I've learnt was that the world is full of wonderful people, and spending time with them was some of the best experiences of my life.

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Without any doubt, the thing I liked the most was the people. Everyone I met there, from the teachers, to the exchange partners, to the italian students were all truly beautiful people.

I believe that this is what makes this experience unique: in my opinion, I could go back to the places we visited, but it wouldn't be the same without the company. It was a week full of laughs, and communicating in english was challenging, but also very fun.

We played a lot of board games and cards, and it was wonderful to share our classic games with other people: the game they liked the most was "cri-cri-cri, cra-cra-cra", where we were in a circle holding hands.

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I have to admit that there are a lot of things I don't like to eat, so I was a bit worried about this aspect of the Erasmus. I couldn't have been more wrong. Everything that I ate, from traditionl dishes, to kebap, to homemade dishes were all delicious.

Firstly, the dinners at home were fantastic: lots of good food and also a nice dessert at the end.

However, the thing I loved the most was probably the bretzel, which I ate a lot.

In conclusion, food in Germany was different from ours but not in a bad way, and I was happy to try out all the things that the german cuisine had to offer.

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I stayed at Salih's house for one week, so I was able to know his family a bit. My partner has a brother who's older than him and works with his father. As soon as I arrived at their house, his mother greeted me in italian and I was happily surprised by the fact that her parents live in Rimini, so she speaks italian very well! The family were very nice to me and they made me feel a member of the family. Their kindness was unmatched: Salih slept on the couch to let me have his room, the mother always cooked delicious dishes and the father always bought me lots of food at the local bakery.

Lastly, they invited me to come again whenever I want!

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Hi, my name is Giulia, I'm 17 years old and I live in a small town near Bologna. I go to Liceo Copernico, where I study mostly scientific subjects. I would say I'm a kind-hearted person, very curious and a bit reserved. I am a scout and once a week I volunteer in a house with old disabled people. I like baking cakes, going for walks and bicycle rides, watching film or series, but also hanging out with my friends

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I'm very happy to have been to Schrobenhausen and have visited the school. The school is enormous. There's much space inside and a largo garden outside, even the classrooms are bigger than the italian ones which I'm used to. Inside the school there's also a piano and when I'have seen it, I immediately started playing Albachiara, the most famous Vasco's song. As I said before I am a sporty person and when discovered that the school was situated near a swimming pool and a football field I was dumbfounded.

To conclude, I think that's the best school I've ever seen.

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My host family was really welcoming, I felt at home and like family. They did everything to make me feel at ease and to give me everything I needed. The best moments were the meals in which everyone used to tell how his day was and exchange interests, experiences and particularities of his culture. Being hosted in a family allows you to better understand and learn traditions and customs of other countries because you get a complete full immersion in different habits and ways of living.

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School starts at 8.10 A.M. and finishes at 1.00 P.M. Sometimes school ends in the afternoon because students have afternoon classes (but they don’t have to go to school on Saturdays). There are two breaks, the first lasts 20 minutes and the second lasts 10 minutes: students can relax around the school, play some games, eat and change classrooms. I attended four hours of lessons: maths, physics and two hours of geography.

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Their typical school day is very similar to ours, but the main differences are: they only have 45-minutes classes, sometimes they need to stay at school in the afternoon, and rarely they have spare hours where they rest or do their homework.

I really enjoyed the classes I attended, because the teachers were nice and calm: the general atmosphere was relaxed but concentrated at the same time, with lots of discussion between the students and the teacher. Another aspect of the lessons that I liked was that everybody takes notes on a tablet, and there are almost no books or notebooks involved.

Lastly, the school break is enhanced by the fact that there are a lot of things which you can do: play the piano, play table football or eat in the canteen.

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The Gymnasium in Schrobenhausen is the most beautiful and advanced school I've ever seen.

Firstly, the school is very big compared to italian ones and this makes the space/students ratio very generous: there are a lot of free spaces for students, like the canteen, the hall and the "birds' nest", which is the symbol of the school. In addition to this, they have a classroom dedicated to the students, where they can spend their time while studying, talking and also cooking.

Secondly, the school system is very different from ours, with more similarities to our university. I like the idea of switching between classes every hour and having to choose your subjects for a more personalised experience.

Lastly, they have a lot of cool projects like the sports week, or the week where they learn everyday things like cooking or ironing.

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The city where I stayed for the exchange week was Schrobenhausen, which is located in Bavaria, one of the many regions of Germany.

Even if the city was smaller compared to Bologna, I liked it a lot, because I really enjoyed a more relaxed atmosphere, with less traffic and noise in general. The people that I met there were really nice, and the various bars and cafés were pretty too. However, the thing I liked the most were the houses, with their various colors and peculiar roofs.

The cherry on top was the city center, which is surrounded by walls and a small canal, in classic medieval style.

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Hi, I'm Simone and I'm 17 years old.

I live in Bologna near the train station and I usually go to school by bicycle with some friends. In my free time I enjoy playing tennis, playing the drums, and riding a skateboard or rollerblades. As of now, I'm trying to learn how to play the guitar with my father, who is teaching me when he has time.

In the future I would like to study computer science at university, because I really like that subject and I'm also quite good at it.

In conclusion, I also like learning new things, and travelling is probably the best way to do so!

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Even if this wasn't my first time doing a exchange in Germany (I did one last year), this experience enriched me.

I got to know the colture differences that there are even in the same country (last year I was in the North-West).

I addition to this, I always have made exchange trips with the class, but this time I had to made it with people of the school I didn't know, I think that this has improved my social skills. During this week we built a friendship not only between the italian group, but with the German students too.

I improved my communication skills in German, the language I spoke with the family, but in English too.

I personally have loved this experience and believe that more people should get the chance to do something like this!

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I really enjoyed all the activities we did in the week, but if I had to choose one, it would be going to Munich.

It was our first trip, so we didn't know each other so well in the group, but during this day I believe we got closer one another. In addition to this the city was amazing, especially the cathedral and the main square. We also got free time to see the city centre and we went to see the WOW Museum, where there were a lot of optical illusions and lots of places to get awesome pictures together!

Another moment I cannot not mention is the day we left because it was the day my 18th birthday and in the morning everybody celebrated with me!

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I will never forget this week in Schrobenhausen because it has really helped me change my perspective on things.

Firstly, it was the first time staying a whole week away from my family (and living with people I had never seen before!). Therefore I’m proud of having achieved this goal that a few years ago I’d never even thought possibile.

Then, I’ve definitely learnt how to adapt at situations (such as eating dinner at 6 P.M.) and how to confront with people with different customs and a different language, that I don’t know. Therefore I also improved my english because it was my only mince of communication.

All in all, I’m really satisfied with this experience and I would definitely do it all over again!

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I really enjoyed myself thoughout this whole experience, but if I had to pick one favorite moment, it would definitely be the trip to Augsburg. The city was delightful and seeing the “Fuggerei” was pretty inspiring. Also we had a lot of free time to shop around and, since it was Thursday, we had managed to get to know each other better by then. Some of us went with Scolastica to look for her 18th birthday dress!

Another beautiful moment was the workshop we had our last day there. We cooked some typical dishes together and also put some Italian songs on and sang them with our teachers. It was truly a touching moment that I’ll never forget.

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Schrobenhausen is a small city in Bavaria, Germany. The houses are all similar in their shape and colours. The streets are clean and the people are nice. I've been to a football pitch outside the city and I think I've never had an experience like that in my life. The pitch was surrounded by nothing, only grass and trees. There was only the nature sound. It was so impressive and quiet. Unluckily in the city centre there were only two bars so if you'd like to meet up with your friends there and they're full, you must come back home. I think Schrobenhausen is very similar to Altedo, a little city in the countryside near Bologna. I'm saying that not just for the vibes of the city and its size but also because while Schr. is famous for white asparagus, Altedo is famous for the green ones.

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My name is Diego and I'm 17 years old. I'm a footballer and I play for a team called Siepelunga. I'm a Bologna Fc supporter too and I go to the stadium to watch home matches every fornights. I'm very curious and I always try to learn new skills and new information about everything. My main hobbies often change but during this period I think I love playing the piano and cooking. Sometimes my parents come back home late so I have to prepare the dinner for the whole family by myself. I also like watching movies, especially with my best firend Michele and my girlfriend Laura. I enjoy going to the gym too and I always try to have an healthy lifestyle.

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During the time I was there I've tried some traditional dishes and I really liked them.

The thing that most surprised me was the time of dinner. In fact, we used to eat at 5.00 P.M. or earlier!

Apart from this, I really enjoyed my host parents cooking and apprecieated that they made me try traditional food.

One day we Italians also had lot of fun cooking, preparing bavarian dishes that then we ate all together.

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My exchange partner is Cassandra, who is 16 years old, she has a younger brother, Constantin, and she lives with her parents, Jennifer and Michael.

I the house there are also a dog, Mila, and a cat, Schnurri.

They all are really kind-hearted and generous. They would always try to make me feel confortable and ask me if I needed something.

I loved staying with them, and hope to see them again in the future.

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Schrobenhausen is a small city in the South-East of Bavaria and is know for its asparagous museum. Personally I lived in Waidhofen, and to get to school it took me 20 minutes by bus.

Schrobenhausen is very different from Bologna, everything here seems calm and familiar, there are less inhabitants and less rushing. The historical part is rounded by anciant walls and inside of them there are shops and backeries, but defenately less than the amount of commercial activities we have in Bologna.

As a person who lives in the countryside, living in a larger town was something different that I have particularly appreciated.

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School days in Bavaria are similar to the ones in Italy.

School starts at 8.10 A.M. and finishes at 1.00 P.M. but each lesson lasts 45 minutes. There are days where students have to stay in school until 5.00 P.M., but the lessons in the afternoon are more practical than theorical, in addition to this they won't go to school on Saturdays.

The last years students don't have a fixed classroom or fixed classmates, because of the subjects they personally choose, that have dedicated rooms or laboratories.

School also offers lots of activities in the afternoons, such as dance or singing classes.

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We have been hosted in Schrobenhausen Gymnasium and we have got to know the differences between bavarian schools and italian ones, comparing this instituted and Liceo Copernico.

The first aspect we all have noticed is the structure. This Gymnasium is attended by way fewer students, nevertheless it has numerous laboratories and rooms that students can use (as the room for students of fourth and fifth year), in addition to this everything is modern and new.

The school has three courses: music, science and languages. Students have mandatories subject, but during the years they can select the ones they want to specialies in, and in the last years they get a personalised schedule.

Something we could notice, is that this school tries to stay in step with the times, so students use a lot more tablets and laptop than in Italy. Another thing is that in Gymnasium live children of our elementary school together with students of high school.

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My name is Scolastica, I’m 18 years old and I’m in my fourth year in Liceo Copernico in Bologna, studying English, Spanish and German. I find languages very interesting, because they are a way to comunicate to other and get to know other culture.

I don't live in the city centre of Bologna, but in the countryside, in a small village named San Martino in Argine and it takes me 1.30 hour to get to school.

I’m a very active person and I always have many activities during the week, as trainings of aerial silks or voluteering.

I would say that I’m determined and an hard worker, but I think I also am very sociable and out going, in fact I love getting to know new people.

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I honestly had lower expectations regarding food. In fact I liked pretty much everything I have tried. Plus my host mum was a great cooker and always made me typical dishes which were delicious.

One day my host family brought me to a club (that sometimes turns into a restaurant), where they make ribs. They were absolutely divine! And I loved the potatoes. Peak experience!

The last day we also cooked some typical dishes. It turned out better than expected. Then my host mum made it at home as well (and it was 100 times better).

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My host family is made of 6 people. There are 4 kids! The smaller sister, who is 4, the smaller brother, who is 8, the older brother, who is 16, and then Melissa, who is my age. They were really kind and generous with me from the beginning of this experience.

Melissa’s grandfather is from Salento, so he speaks Italian fluently (and with an apulian accent!). I saw him my first day there.

They also have above 20 reindeers and a dog (a german shepherd). I was shocked when I saw all the deers!

I immediately felt at home because they were really heartwarming people. I’m really grateful for meeting them and I hope to see them again in the future.

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A day at school in Schrobenhausen is not that different from one in Italy. School starts at 8:10 A.M. and finishes generally at 1:00 P.M. and each class lasts 45 minutes. Students have two breaks, the first is longer and lasts 25 minutes whereas the second only lasts 10 minutes. 12th-grade students (our year) have their own room with sofas where they can spend their breaks. It’s great!

There’s no school on Saturday! However students, above twice a week, have to attend some classes in the afternoon (mostly easy ones like gymnastics).

At lunchtime students can eat in the refectory, that has a large amount of options: from hamburgers to soup.

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The school we saw was “Gymnasium Schrobenhausen” and, just like “Liceo Copernico”, it has a linguistic and a scientific course. However, the two schools don’t look alike because the Gymnasium was way bigger than our school. Not only it had a refectory, but also a huge athletic track and a whole swimming pool! It was all new and modern, but still they told us that they were modernising it: we could not believe our ears!

Apart from aesthetics differences, the schooling system in Baviera is different. In fact the last two years of school (so the fourth and fifth year in Italy), students can personalise their schooling plan by choosing the subjects they prefer and focusing on them. This way they can slowly get closer to university life. I really love this type of system because it allows students to focus on their own strengths.

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Schrobenhausen is a small town in Baviera mostly known for its asparagus farming. However I didn’t live there, but in a tiny village within a 15 minutes drive. My village had cows and reindeers! It was really odd for me to see this new reality that we don’t have in Bologna.

Schrobenhausen is bigger than my village, but it can’t be compared to Bologna: it has above 5 or 6 bars/restaurants and a few old-fashioned shops. However, it is definitely a lovely city, with its city walls and colourful houses. Plus, all the green areas are a wonder for eyes. Unfortunately we don’t have many in Bologna. You can visit the whole town by walking (as we did the first day through a terrific treasure hunt) or by cycling: people there use a lot of bikes!

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My name is Odrit and I’m 17 years old. I’m a laid-back person and always down for a good laugh. I really love spending time with my friends and family. I’m a sporty person so I enjoy going to the gym and swimming: I always have to do something otherwise I get bored. My favorite hobby is watching tv series, especially crime ones. At the moment I’m watching “Dexter”, a tv series about a serial killer in Miami. But I also like dystopian movies such as “Hunger Games” and “The Maze Runner”. Even though I enjoy hanging out with my friends, I’d rather have a Netflix&Chill night.

I’m fond of travelling. I’d love to visit the USA, especially New York, but every place is appealing to me!

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Schrobenhausen is a little city in the South-East of Germany, in Bavaria.

It is a very quiet and safe city, peaceful and welcoming.

It is surrounded by numerous small villages, countryside and forests. For this reason, the city isn’t polluted and you can stay in touch with nature. Unfortunately, there aren’t so many buses, in particular during not-school hours.

Houses are different: most of them are detached houses with a sloping roof and private gardens, garage and parking space. They are usually big and really well-finished.

In the city centre there are coffee bars, bakeries, shops and a new and modern school.

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Hi!

I'm Martina, I'm seventeen years old and I live in Bologna, where I attend the school Liceo Scientifico Copernico. My hobbies are playing music, cycling or walking and going to the gym. I enjoy hanging out with my friends but also meeting new people, travelling and discovering new cultures and traditions. During the summer, I usually work as a children's entertainer and sometimes as a waitress. I love going to the sea, sunbathing and practicing water sports.

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During this experience, I learned a lot, especially about communication and adapting to different cultures. I had to speak English almost all the time instead of Italian, which was challenging but also a great way to improve my language skills. I also noticed some cultural differences, like the time schedules; in Germany, everything seems to run more punctually, and people are very structured. Additionally, living in the countryside was a new experience for me, as I’m used to the hustle and bustle of the city. Overall, it was a truly enriching experience.

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The thing I enjoyed the most about this experience was, without a doubt, the company. It was magical to explore brand-new cities with the whole group and create new experiences. Even though I was skeptical about the WOW Museum in Munich, I enjoyed it. Augsburg was an amazing city, full of history and charming shops. Last but not least, I had a great time during the cooking workshop. It was so fun baking with the other Italians, and we also had the chance to eat what we had cooked.

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As I already mentioned, I’m very passionate about food. I was surprised by the variety of Bavarian cuisine. I enjoyed all the types of meat and how they were prepared, especially the stew with sauce. The cold cuts were also amazing and paired perfectly with Spätzle. But without a doubt, the things I enjoyed the most were the sweet treats. All types of cakes, with chocolate and raspberries or covered with salted caramel and other typical sweets, were amazing and delighted my taste buds.

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My host family consisted of the parents, my exchange partner, and a lovely cat. They were incredibly hospitable and made sure I didn’t miss anything. They were always available and had no problem picking me up after hanging out with the Erasmus group. Even though the mother didn’t speak English, we were able to understand each other. They were very generous, especially when it came to food, always offering me something else to eat. I really enjoyed my stay at their home.

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The school day at Gymnasium Schrobenhausen starts at 8 AM and usually lasts until 1 PM or 2 PM, depending on the day’s schedule. Once a week, students have classes in the afternoon, which are typically more practical than theoretical. All lessons are 45 minutes long, giving students enough time to engage with the material. There are two breaks during the day: the first break is 20 minutes long, while the second one is only 10 minutes. This structure helps students to stay focused throughout the whole day.

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The most surprising thing about this experience was seeing the difference between Liceo Copernico and Gymnasium Schrobenhausen. The school is huge, and even though it has half the number of students as Copernico’s high school, it has many more labs and spaces. The gym is enormous, and every classroom uses technological devices, such as tablets instead of notebooks. It also has a cafeteria where students can enjoy their lunch and spend time together. The building is really modern, even though it is being renovated, and there are no tags or writings on the walls. I’d love to have a school like that in Italy.

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Through this exchange, I learned and experienced new things that helped me face new situations.

First, I got to live with a family that had different cultural habits. It wasn’t very difficult, since their lifestyle wasn’t too different from mine.

Secondly, I had to express my needs and communicate in English, which really helped me practice the language. Only when you are forced to speak English, you truly realize what you can say and what you can’t.

Lastly, I opened myself up to new experiences and had to overcome my shyness to fully enjoy this opportunity and make new friendships.

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The host school in Schrobenhausen was really different from ours. The first thing that I noticed when we went there was the fact that it was enormous and had a lot different spaces.

The classrooms are very modern and with everything the students and professors need. They also have a lot of laboratories and also a kind of stage in a very big room where they can sing or do some school concerts.

The thing that I found really shocking is the fact that in the school there are younger children mixed with teenagers of all the ages.

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I had a great time during this exchange. Personally, I really enjoyed the three trips we took: Munich, with our German partners, and Dachau and Augsburg, just us Italians. But if I had to choose, I would probably say that Augsburg was my favorite. With its colorful houses, it is a vibrant city and the perfect combination of urban energy and small-town peace. We also visited the 'Fuggerei,' a lovely housing complex in the city, and sat down in the middle of the main square of the city, just like local students do.

In general, these trips allowed me to bond with the other students, both Italian and German. It was great because I got to know students from other classes better, and I had a lot of fun.

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In this week in Schrobenhausen I learned a lot of new things and it helped me to grow in some ways.

First of all, it helped me to understand better a culture that I didn't know anything about and to experience something that is very different to my habits. I learned a lot of new things thanks to the activities organized but also thanks to the people I met there.

Secondly I've learnt how to stay with people I didnt know before, how to make new friends that don't speak the same language as me and I learnt how to communicate with them at my best. I learnt that friendship isn't about the language or the nation where you're from, but instead you can easily have friends that don't speak your language if you can understand each other, in this case with the English language.

I also learnt how to adapt to different situations and how to easily fit into a different culture.

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The thing I liked the most was the visit to the WOW museum in Munich.

I think it was such an interesting museum and it was very different from every kind of them because it was filled with beautiful illusions. It was a very beautiful experience because it helped me to know better my exchange partner by doing something out of the ordinary. In fact I also liked it very much because it was something different from the usual walking around the cities to see monuments and I had a lot of fun.

The illusions were great and I also liked the fact that you could go around the museum and take pictures with the museum's cameras and then the photos were saved in your smartphone.

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The food in Germany is a lot different from what we normally eat in Italy. I loved to experience this new food culture and to try new dishes, even if sometimes I didn't like them.

I loved every kind of food I've eaten, but especially I loved the potato salad we cooked on our Workshop.

A thing that I actually don't like very much is the fact that they use a lot of different herbs and spices that I'm not used to eat.

A thing that I found similar to the Italian culture is the breakfast because I ate bread with jam or maybe cereals and drank coffee and tea, so it wasn't that different.