Introducing Martina Fava, also known as “Tuni,” hailing from the beautiful land of Italy! She comes from Cesate (with about 15,000 people), which is only about 20 miles away from Milan. Martina describes it as, “more crowded like a city, with flats.” Her home city has four seasons, but the temperatures range from 20 to 90 degrees fahrenheit. Martina lives with her parents and her pet dog and cat.
When asked what she misses most about home, Martina replies, “My friends, my family, and the food.”
Back in Italy, she plays basketball, but last fall, she played on the soccer team for her first time. “I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to playing better against my friends at home,” she elaborates. Martina also is fond of drawing, hiking, and skiing. She shares, “I like pretty much all kinds of music, but not pop. And of course, I love all of the Harry Potter movies and books.” In Italy, she attended a college preparation and art school, where she went to school six days a week. Even though it holds five grades, it only has a total of 500 students. Martina’s school has a block schedule similar to that of an American college. Her favorite subjects at Chardon are English and Art.
AFS advisor, Señora Neumann adds, “Martina is a very good student. She is friendly and open to ideas. She is doing well with English, but still has her beautiful accent.”
Mr. Armelli says of her, “Martina has been a great asset to her health class. We always discuss health issues and get her input on how things are different or the same in Italy. She even gave the class a presentation of her life in Italy-it was awesome!”
Currently, she lives with the Staffileno family. Martina chose to become an American Field Society (AFS) participant because she wanted to change it up, and she enjoys traveling and discovering the world. Her host sister, senior Emily Staffileno shares, “I love having Martina live with me because we enjoy a ton of the same things. She’s like a sister to me and we have a lot of fun together. She fits into our family very well.”
When asked about strange characteristics of Americans, Martina comments, “You have weird, loud laughs-in a positive way.” However, she no longer believes in the stereotypes that “Americans are fat and prejudiced.”
Martina reflects, “The distance in America is one of the biggest differences from home. Here, you always need a car to get places. In Italy, we travel more on trains.” On the other hand, she finds the family aspect is the same across the board. American music is also popular in Italy. Another cultural difference is that the normal workday in Italy starts around eight, and most people come home at 7. Dinner is usually eaten around 8:30. Speaking of dinner, Martina has discovered her favorite American foods to be hamburgers and ice cream.
When she returns home, Martina will attend a university and study art-related subjects. Her current art teacher, Mrs. Steytler, explains, “Martina has her own timetable and is thoughtful and exploratory in her project developments. She is a gentle, perceptive, and accomplished person and artist.”
Before she leaves, Martina wants to travel by boat to an island in Lake Erie. Her favorite experience in America so far was winter break, as she, “did a lot of activities and we went skiing.”
Overall, Martina says with a smile,” I like America a lot, and I will miss my host family, friends, and the nature the most.”