As a group of people depart the airplane after it lands, there is one student who stands apart from the rest. He is surrounded by voices speaking an unfamiliar language, in a country where everything -from the overhead signs to the items in the vending machine- feels foreign. This student will call this foreign place “home” for several months. For the Italian exchange student, Thomas Salvotelli, stepping off the plane began his journey to see what it is like to be a kid in Richfield, Ohio.
Salvotelli is an exchange from Northern Italy, and is now temporarily staying with a Revere family, Kallie Raubenalt and her family.
Many ask why someone would leave their home from across the Atlantic Ocean. Salvotelli explained why he decided to embark on this journey.
“[My] main goal was to improve [my] English speaking skills and to experience life in another part of the world,” Salvotelli said.
Airports can be confusing, but they are even more confusing when everything is unfamiliar and a flight is delayed. Salvotelli’s flight to Cleveland was delayed three times resulting in a delay of over seven hours, As a high school student, the layout and structure of the school day changes depending on where you are. In Italy, the class stays the same and the teacher rotates.
“You have the same class for five years,” Salvotelli said.
Nicholas DePompei, a Revere counselor, explains how the district hosts and schedules foreign exchange students.
“Basically it is a first come first serve. We try to keep it to three [students] per year. Demand is definitely there. The student is housed with a family within the district. We adhere to what the company mandates that the student here does. . . . So there is a slight difference for each company”, DePompei said.
Raubrnalt’s mother, Amy Raubenalt, participated in her college’s exchange program and had friends who hosted exchange students as well. This is the first foreign exchange student for the Raubenalt family.
“It was really cool seeing their [social media] posts about their exchange students and they look like they have fun,” Amy Raubenalt said.
Italian cultures revolves around relationships through food, whether that be friendship, family bonding or meeting new people.
“He [said] he likes to cook. . . . We had him prepare a pasta dish a few days after he moved in, which was really good. We present a lot of food to him, I love to share things with people so it has been fun to take him around and show him different things,” Kallie Raubenolt said.
As Salvotelli attends more community gatherings, and he expands what he knows about life in Richfield so far. He describes what aspects of American culture he wants to take back to his friends in Italy.
“Here in the school, there are sports and football matches . . . like, the habit of going to the football games. These are particular American things that I love and want to share with my friends this part of the experience, the school experience”, Salvotelli said.
Salvotelli attends outings with the Raubenolts that are not customary in Italy. Stepping out of his comfort zone is giving him more opportunities and experiences while living in America.
“[Thomas] is going to go to Ohio State with us this week. And baseball obviously, they do not have baseball in Europe, so we took him to the Guardians game”, Amy Raubenolt said.
From attending football games to cooking pasta, Salvotelli is discovering the unique parts of life in the U.S.
“I think [being an exchange student] is a beautiful experience. I advise [you] to host it because it is an experience. . . . You could learn a lot of things from it,” Salvotelli said.
As Salvotelli continues his exchange experience in Richfield, Ohio, he engages himself in American culture while sharing his own Italian traditions with the Revere community and host family.
