For most people, moving to a foreign country where you don’t know the language sounds horrifying. Lucky for him, junior Lorenzo Negro is not most people. Negro came to North Platte traveling from Sorrento, which is a town on the coast of southwestern Italy. Negro did not learn how to speak English until after he had arrived in the United States. He first decided he wanted to become an exchange student because he wanted to learn English and experience something new. “I wanted to experience another culture, different things, and another place.”

In his time here so far, Negro has participated in cross-country. He plans to play intramural volleyball . “In Italy, I played volleyball, and I also swam and played the piano,” said Negro. He is astonished by the facilities at North Platte High School. “After school I can just go and play the piano in the music room with my friends, and that is a really beautiful thing.”
The biggest difference that Negro has noticed in North Platte is the environment. “The school is so big here, it’s amazing,” said Negro. Another difference he has noticed is the people. “In Italy, people are normally very warm and kind. Here, people are very nice but seem more distant.”
Negro went through a change of landscape when he came from Italy to Nebraska. “In Italy, everything is antique, and stays the same. In America, everything is always changing, and all the buildings always look brand new.

Everything in Italy is timeless.” Negro’s hometown is very small, and only has around 5,000 people. “There are churches, coffee shops, and plazas, but everything in Italy is walking distance away. If I don’t walk somewhere, then I will take my Vespa [scooter]. In Nebraska, everyone drives everywhere,” said Negro.

Before he came to the United States, the only knowledge that Negro had on Americans was the global perception. “We think that Americans eat very badly, and eat a lot of fast food. However, we think that the United States is a very cool and beautiful country,” said Negro.
So far, Negro’s favorite part about the U.S. is the people. “I like America because there are so many different types of religions, culture, and so many different ways of thinking,” said Negro. He said that in Italy, everyone is Italian. In North Platte, there is so many different people that he’s excited to get to know.