Since I moved there...

PART 1

my life has changed.

I arrived in Lyon on August 31st, 2016 with a car loaded with luggage and a heart full of hopes. I didn't know anything about the town, and I was there alone, with just a map in my hands. I wasn't scared though; I was thrilled! I could smell the beginning of a new life, a new experience, and a new me!

My room was in a little flat of Lyon 8th and I lived with a woman who really helped me to know a little more about the town and the French culture. She was a Muslim from Morocco and for me that was a completely new experience already as I come from a little town in Italy where everybody is just purely Italians and christian and there are many people who still have prejudices against the "others". I never had, though and I didn't have any problem to live with her and her traditions. On the contrary, it helped me understand that all these prejudices can only come from ignorance.

Anyway, on September 1st, my university life began. A meeting took place with all the freshmen students and I was really nervous because I was the only Italian student and I wasn't even all that confident in speaking the language. My first obstacle came in seeking the hall where the meeting was held and since the people at the information point hadn't been helpful, but rather rude, I eventually managed to find it on my own. While I was seated outside the room, waiting for the time to come, I decided to practice my French with a student (who now is a very close friend of mine), so that I could also some help in case I didn't understand anything during the teachers' speech.

Once the meeting was over, I was so surprised for having understood everything without any difficulty and my confidence increased as well! Now, I could feel more relaxed about my classes, which, luckily, were mostly in English, and about meeting new people. I just had to get more vocabulary in my French by keeping on talking without any fear to make a mistake, but with the will to improve as much as I could.

So I can say that as a first day in a completely different town, all by myself, I was really satisfied, and I was sure that that was just the beginning of a long list of satisfactions.

In the pictures, you can admire my university by night and me while "posing" in front of the river Rhone.

PART 2

Let's talk about sport now!

I had already thought about getting into some competitions once I joined the university, and so I did. I used to play volleyball 4 years ago and I started it when I was only 8, but then things got complicated with high school and I quit. Volleyball has always been my passion, but I never wanted to make a career out of it, so once I realized that I was reaching a really high level, I decided that it was better to focus on school and what I really want to do with my life.

After a break of four years, I eventually got the chance to sweep back my volleyball skills by joining some trainings at school and the university competitions. I knew that the best way to make some friends in a whole new town was finding someone with whom you can share your passion and the best environment is a place where you can be thoughtless and have fun! After some trainings, my coach realized that I was actually wonderful at it, and he decided to add me into the first team. There I met more girls who were really nice and I felt again the thrill of the game! That was awesome! It really made me adapt with the culture since everybody was purely French and it's especially there that my French improved.

PART 3

Getting in a new town by yourself, doesn't mean living on your parents' shoulders; on the contrary, for me it means challenge yourself to grow up and prove that you finally became an adult with your own strength and will. That's why I decided to

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