Elisa Milesi is 19, is about to start Illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and spent six months in Shenyang on the Dragon programme, with a family with two children.
Why she left
“I had studied Chinese in high school and decided to take a gap year for travelling, so China felt like the perfect destination. I also had a lot of experience with children and the Nice offer was really appealing.”
She left “without too many expectations, because I prefer not to have any: I certainly had some fears and doubts, and they faded very quickly”.
Her experience in China
I was hosted by a truly sweet and welcoming family. With the two children, one three years old and the other thirteen, I built a wonderful relationship. I felt part of the family. My Chinese mum was always available and understanding, which made a rich cultural exchange and a good balance between work and free time possible. I cannot wait to go back!
The best moment and the hardest part
The best moment, with the children: “when they called me sister and started speaking a bit more English”. Outside the house, “a wonderful trip to Chongqing, a city I love”.
The hardest part was “the relationship with the family’s nanny, who was probably a little jealous and behaved rather brusquely. I managed by learning how to make her feel at ease, avoiding getting in her way and leaving her the time she deserved with the child”.
How it changed her
“It made me more independent, more organised, more flexible, and it showed me an immense variety of views, cultures and mindsets.” She would recommend Nice Exchange “because it offers a unique experience, at reasonable prices and with constant monitoring”.
The moment that stayed with her happened a few days before leaving: “my Chinese mum told me that to her I had been like a daughter”.
Quick questions
🍜 Favourite Chinese dish
Xiaolongbao
🏙️ The place that stayed with her
Chongqing
🎯 The most important thing she brings home
New friendships
😊 One word for the experience
Amazing!
🈶 A Chinese word
缘分
❤️ Best memory
When the little boy called her 姐姐, big sister
缘分 “describes a bond that is meant to form between two strangers: a natural, almost inexplicable affinity that brings people to find each other in life”.
