Winter 2017b

HOMESCHOOLIOWA.ORG

wo years ago, my family and I left our home in the States

to move halfway around the world to Italy for my dad’s

job. As you can imagine, that was a big move for your av-

erage American family. At this news, my mom thought it would

be a good time to start homeschooling. So many changes in

so little time. I thought I would hate it - no friends to see every

day at school and living in a country that doesn’t speak my lan-

guage. I was wrong, though. I have learned so much, and I love

living here.

Homeschooling in Italy became legal a few years ago, so

it’s not very common yet. When Italians ask me why I’m not in

school and I explain that I do school at home, they think it is

weird or illegal. I have a few Italian friends who homeschool. We

do a co-op with them and some of our American friends. We

learn academics and culture from each other. I have not learned

the Italian language fluently, but I know enough to get by.

Being a teenager and living in Italy is amazing, although I

don’t get some of the experiences that other kids my age have. I

cannot have a“real”job, but I get work experience by babysitting

and walking dogs. I cannot drive here, so I rely on my parents

to take me to my activities. Another challenge is isolation. We

only know a few Americans who live here to talk with or spend

time with. Sometimes I just miss our culture - hearing my own

language, having other families around to celebrate holidays

our way, going to my favorite stores, eating some of my favorite

foods, or being in the same time zone as my friends or grand-

parents. The internet is slow and unreliable, so I don’t use my

electronics as much as other teens.

Living in Europe has given me new insight on history. I have

the opportunity to see history firsthand and visit places I have

only read about in books. I have seenWorldWar I trenches where

soldiers hid and fought, and World War II concentration camps.

I have seen the rubble of Pompeii and been to France to see the

places of the French Revolution. The things that I have seen and

learned here will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I love being homeschooled here because I get to experience

more of a different culture and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime op-

portunity. I take horseback riding lessons at a local ranch and

help out with their horse camp in the summer, teaching both

Americans and Italians how to ride. A friend of our family, Franc-

esca, loves to cook. She likes to come over and show us the true

Italian way of making fresh pasta, or tiramisu. We like it too. An-

other one of our friends, Nerina, is like my Italian grandmother,

my nonna. She taught me the Italian language and has never-

ending knowledge about history, culture, and customs. Her hus-

band, Diego, doesn’t speak much English but is super funny and

is a really good saxophonist. Living here has given me a differ-

ent viewpoint on a lot of things. I used to think that being fast

and efficient was everything,

but living in Italy’s slower

pace has given me a new ap-

preciation for quality time,

like enjoying good food, my

friends, and my family.

Not only do I have a new

appreciation for time, I also

have a different perspective

on how the world views us.

The people here watched

the 2016 elections and were

interested to know what we

thought. Not only were they

interested in our viewpoint,

they understood that our

new president will affect

their lives as well. When we

saw news coverage on the

post-election riots on Ital-

ian television, our US culture

looked so hateful and violent

Homeschooling in Italy

BY LAURA GEERTZ, STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR