8th OCTOBER - DAY 7

Aalborg University

Taking the chance of studying abroad

The 8th of October, the last day of the exchange, started more slowly than usual. Most gathered at school to leave the luggage there, have some breakfast and hitch a bus to Aalborg University with the teachers, while others opted for the more relaxed option of driving (or getting driven) there. The Danish hosts and us Italian students both assisted to a presentation by two professors and two Italian students who were completing their Ph.D at the University: they told us about the journey that brought them to Denmark and also provided us with some helpful pieces of advice about living and studying abroad or just getting in touch with different cultures. They introduced to us different aspects of the University, their strengths and some special features that made it unique. For example they place side by side the theoretical education and the work together with industries. They showed to us the many faculties one could enrol in, especially engineering and physics. We then had a tour of the lab, where students can experiment with some advanced equipment and help resolve some problems industries like Lego can have at different levels of the production.  

At around midday they gave each of us a packed lunch and off we were to Norresundby Gymnasium. All together we evaluated some experiences we had this week, like the trips and the hospitality. Early in the afternoon we had to say goodbye to our Danish hosts. It was really moving to see how strong a bound it was created between teens from different countries, cultures and languages. We then took taxis to the airport where we took a plane to Amsterdam first, then to Bologna. The faces of all of us were like open books, it could be read how much we had missed Italy and our families, but also how this “adventure” had made us more mature and responsible (or maybe not…). 

All in all, the thought of going back to school sat heavy in our tired minds…

[Francesco Righi 4CSA, Ginevra Galateo and Elisa Montanari 4B art]