Rhett Breedlove/Torrington Telegram After completing his senior year of high school at Lingle-Fort Laramie, Italian exchange student Leo Belli reflects on a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the American family that temporarily adopted him. Pictured from left to right are Aaron Lutz, Berry, Heather Lutz, and his daughter Anora.
“You will see Rome for the rest of your life, so please enjoy it.”
ringle – If there is one thing I can tell you when entering a new high school, it is that it takes a little courage.
Adolescence is never a walk in the park. For some people, their high school years are their four years of great memories, and for others, they are their four years that they want to bury as deep in their hearts as possible.
That being said, it takes courage to choose to complete your last year of high school with all the peace in the world. You don’t have to worry about the general adjustments that always have to be made when your teenager is still at home. Think about the courage and drive it takes to travel alone to a completely new country to finish school.
Meanwhile, all of your closest family and friends are thousands of miles away, and you’re not even an adult yet.
Lingle-Fort Laramie senior Leonard “Leo” Belli showed such determination by taking advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete his final year of high school here in the United States.
Interestingly, and humbling enough, his unique and exciting journey could have taken him anywhere in the country. What’s more, his journey has brought him right here in Goshen County.
Leo, who has been adopted and entertained by Torrington residents Aaron and Heather Lutz, says the trip has been uneventful. We are not completely satisfied that long-term rewards are guaranteed.
It’s just a few steps from Palombara Sabina, a small town of about 13,000 people just a 30-minute drive from Rome. Leo and his “honorary” family opened up about their experiences and provided interesting perspectives.
Perspectives from both American and Italian lifestyles.
According to Leo, the idea of studying abroad was inspired by a similar trip his older brother had taken.
“My brother, who is now 23 years old, came to Colorado as an exchange student in 2018,” Leo explained. “I wasn’t really interested until September. Back home I was doing well in school and had a lot of friends. Then I started thinking about it more. It came to mind in September, so I decided to go to the program. I filled out an application and contacted the family a month later. Normally, as time passes, you wait probably about seven months.”
Leo also honestly explained that the journey from Italy to Goshen County did not begin without incident.
“At first it was a little bit of a shock because I was in Rapid City, South Dakota,” Leo continued. “I knew I was going there, but I didn’t know anything and it was a little scary. The first time I came to Rapid City with my family, things didn’t go well. I called the regional coordinator and I stayed for a few days. I actually arrived here the day before the first day of school, so it was last minute. I was scared to come here to Lingle and attend a small school. My class in Italy We have about 800 students. I love this small school because I get to try all the sports and everyone knows me.”
Leo’s host mother, Heather, a teacher at Lingle-Fort Laramie Elementary School, agreed with her family’s interim addition and has already participated in the Education First high school exchange year in addition to her day-to-day teaching duties. He added that this was a hugely beneficial factor throughout. ordeal.
“I’ve been working for them for about five years, and he was in another house initially,” Heather added. “Unfortunately that didn’t work out, so our regional coordinator asked if we could take him. They all had applications and we thought he was the best fit. Honestly. I mean, we just went with the flow, and the best thing about Lingle is that it’s a small school. Leo has integrated into our family very well and it would be great to have another child, if you like. And the rest is history.”
It goes without saying how vastly different the two cultures actually are. Of course, this is not meant to be negative. It is purely a unique learning experience that builds an eternal bridge between two worlds.
In contrast to the large school that Leo was accustomed to and the simple everyday perspective of several of Lingle’s classmates, the young Italian probably had a better education and understanding, despite the significant differences. acknowledges that small classes are meaningful.
“In Italy you can’t choose your class,” Leo says. “In fact, we can choose our own type of high school. For example, some focus on history and some focus on science. I went to a type of school that focused on history. It’s different from what I study at home, mainly philosophy, Latin and Greek subjects. I really like it. In fact, you can customize your schedule here. Learning methods vary widely. For example, chemistry classes in Italy are all theory, but no experiments. We do not change classes. We’re just in the same class, so obviously we don’t have everything we need in the lab. It was a lot of fun.
“The good thing about this school is that it’s a large school,” Leo continued. “I really enjoy the fact that I can walk down the halls and everyone knows me. I get to talk to all the teachers. They always explain things to me, and the fact that we have sports in high school makes me really happy. I love it. In Italy if you want to play sports you have to belong to a club. This is very helpful in making new friends and becoming close in that environment. Trying out new sports like American rules football I have faced many challenges.”
Of course, Leo and the Latz family know that while the experience has been extremely rewarding, all good things must come to an end.
After all, Leo’s temporary father Aaron realizes the truth that he must inevitably return safely to his home in Palombala Sabina, as the second term of the academic year has just begun. .
But in the meantime, due to family circumstances, I plan to make the most of the time I have left, especially when it comes to spring sports.
“It’s weird not having him here,” Aaron said. “It was definitely a very good experience because you learn a lot about different cultures. You have an ‘eternal child’ that you can visit and he shows you his family and culture. He will show you. It was a great experience and I would like to do it again. Actually, we are planning to have a girl come from Italy next year as well. Leo was absolutely amazing.
“It’s been great to see his growth, primarily through our culture and sports,” Aaron continued. “It’s always an adjustment, but a professional presence always outweighs any fears. He spends a lot of time and effort understanding our culture, but he always tries to do his best in everything he does.” Football and now basketball, but he’s never played competitively. Now he’s playing basketball. It’s been fun to watch him grow in that. I can’t wait to see him play soccer, because that’s his sport.”
As the family heartily stated, no matter how positive or extraordinary the experience, there is always a valuable lesson that will last a lifetime.
Although Leo freely admits that he gets naturally homesick from time to time, he plans to spend the rest of his life learning and appreciating as much as he can about the simple life of Wyoming.
He says it so elegantly and almost boldly: “Rome will always be there, but Lingle will not.”
“Of course there are moments when you miss home, but the mindset I established before the exchange year was ‘don’t let homesickness ruin the experience’. I was determined to see Rome for the rest of my life. So please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
Heather added: “Some people are hesitant to open their home or home for an experience like this. I don’t think it’s a difficult job at all, and I don’t think it’s a scary job at all. But it’s an experience you’ll never regret.”