With her forehead pressed to the car window, she stared at the endless Houston highways. She kept on turning over the strange, unfamiliar words she heard on her 18-hour flight.

The weight of her suitcase was nothing compared to the weight in her chest. 5,464 miles from her small city in Italy, a thousand unknowns waited in America.

For the first time, she was alone.

“I knew this would change me,” Italian foreign exchange student and junior Letizia Giunchi said. “But I didn’t know just how much.”

Giunchi, from Forlì, a town in Northern Italy, traded her family meals, narrow streets and a school of just one thousand students for Bellaire High School’s crowded hallways, four thousand strangers and inescapable Texas heat. She had always dreamed of studying abroad to improve her English to prepare her for a bilingual career.

As she adjusted to her new life, she found herself missing the familiar routines back in Italy.

“In Italy, we eat together every day,” Ginunchi said. “No phones, no TV, just family. On Sundays, everyone comes together, my grandparents, uncles and aunts, for Il pranzo della domenica. I miss that so much.”

That longing for family closeness made her nervous to meet her host family. She was unsure of what life in their home would be like.

“When I walked into their house, I was greeted so warmly,” Giunchi said. “I thought, maybe this can be home too.”

Her host sister, junior Evelyn Tan, noticed a shift immediately after Giunchi arrived.

“[Giunchi] was very shy at the beginning but over time she opened up,” Tan said. “With my real sisters, I argue constantly. With [Giunchi], I almost argue for her because she’s so polite and willing to go along with anything. She’s changed the atmosphere in our house. We fight less. We listen more. She makes us want to be better.”

Over time, Ginuchi got to know her host family better. They often went out for dinners and had family movie nights together. She slowly opened up more, no longer staying in the background.

“She doesn’t just sit quietly anymore,” Tan said. “ She’s more comfortable making conversations with my family and getting along with our pets.”

While she grew more comfortable at home, Giunchi’s new school life also became [easier]. Compared to her education in Italy, Bellaire felt like an entirely different world.

“In Italy, school is very hard,” Ginuchi said. “You don’t get to pick your subjects, and there’s pressure every single day. If you make a mistake, teachers don’t forgive you. Here, teachers help you. I feel like I have more control. It’s still a challenge because of the language barrier but I can breathe. I feel capable. Every moment, I’m braver than the day before.”

That freedom gave her room to explore, and one of the first places she found belonging was the softball field.

“The first time I practiced here, the sun was going down, the sky was orange, and I thought, this is so American,” Giunchi said. “In Italy, softball is a small sport. My school doesn’t even have an official team, just a club. Here, it feels like a family. Everyone supports you.”

Beyond sports, she found ways to share her own culture. Being in Italian class gave her a sense of home, especially since her other classes are entirely in English. Her Italian teacher, Maria Gloria Borsa, said that she helps bring Italian culture to life every day.

“She participates in activities and discussions with my other students,” Borsa said. “It is also a great pleasure to see her interact and generously participate in A pranzo con l'italiano every Thursday during Cardinal Hour when we meet with students and guest speakers for informal conversations.”

Borsa said that her great sense of humor and kindness make her enjoyable to be around.

“Her positive presence in my classroom makes me a little prouder to be Italian,” Borsa said.

Looking back on the three months she has spent in Houston, Giunchi noticed how her own perspective on herself has changed.

“When I arrived, I was shy, lost and scared,” Ginuchi said. “Now I realize I can do things on my own. I can become who I want to be.”

Every small victory, such as throwing her first perfect pitch, or finally navigating a crowded hallway successfully, slowly built her confidence. Though she will return to Italy in June, Giunchi learned more than just new language skills.

“If I could take one thing home, it would be school life,” Giunchi said. “But the truth is, Houston has already given me something bigger — myself.”