La Toscana nel palmo della mano

Alisa is currently on a cultural exchange program in Italy—and she’s soaking in every bit of that iconic Tuscan charm. Here’s how her unexpected summer adventure turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

It’s been a month and a half already—wow! If someone had told me four or five months ago that I’d be spending the summer in Italy, I would’ve laughed and said, ‘What would I even do there?

Originally, Alisa had very different plans. She was expecting to graduate from the Faculty of Philology this summer (Turkish language and literature), and her next stop was supposed to be Turkey. But life had a surprise in store. One random evening, she stumbled upon a post from the Center for Affirmation and Development on Facebook. She read about the program for a total of 30 seconds before clicking “Apply.” Two days later—interview invite. And the rest is history.

Despite being overwhelmed with exams and work, and nearly backing out more than once, Alisa is glad she didn’t give up.

Honestly, a big part of why I pushed through was Kristina from the Belgrade office. She made everything feel doable.

After going through the paperwork and filming a creative intro video, Alisa had a Skype call with the family she would be staying with.

The girls were adorable on camera. I was nervous, didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I kept telling myself—You’ve got this!

Her adventure began in beautiful Florence. The family had four children, and after three days, they all headed to a village near Pontedera, just 20 kilometers from stunning Pisa. It sounded perfect—but Alisa is quick to offer a reality check:

The first two or three weeks will be chaos. I know they say this during the interview, and trust me—believe them! But don’t give up. Please don’t. Because once you push through that phase, you’ll see that this experience is worth every single challenge.

And she’s made the most of it. So far, Alisa has explored nearly every corner of Tuscany: multiple visits to Florence and Pisa, plus Lucca, Livorno, Siena, Levanto, Cinque Terre, Forte dei Marmi, Castiglione della Pescaia, and Castiglioncello—and the adventure isn’t over yet.

Beyond the stunning views and travels, she’s also built meaningful connections. You meet so many different people and share moments you’ll remember for a long time—at least until you’re old enough to start forgetting your own ID number.

Her advice?

If you’re still on the fence—stop overthinking. Just apply. And if you’re thinking of giving up—don’t. Because trust me… the best is yet to come.