【明報專訊】I come from Sarnicoa, a small town in Italy. My host family lives in Tiu Keng Leng. I really like that district because it is not as crowded as Mong Kok, and it is convenient to go anywhere from it by the MTR. I really like Hong Kong. It is a marvellous city where tradition is mixed with modernity. What has widened my horizons most is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics and remedies.

When I was sick in Italy, my mom would told me to stay in bed instead of taking me to a clinic. When I got sick in Hong Kong, my host mum took me to a TCM clinic. I was shocked and amazed by what I saw - herbs, dried seahorses, fungi, roots and swallow's nests rather than pills.

When I was waiting for my turn to see the doctor, I had fun watching a shopkeeper weighing, cutting, crushing and packaging ''medicine''. The doctor I saw was very professional and friendly. He prescribed me a beverage made of things unknown to me.

My host sister explained to me that TCM not only cured sickness but also kept one healthy. In Italy rarely do people go to see a doctor just to stay healthy. To avoid getting sick is the right way to stay healthy. It is better to rely on herbal medicines that are more natural than pills.

Medicine usually tastes bitter, and mine tasted particularly bitter. I love sweet things. Therefore, it was a particular hard task for me to gulp the beverage down. However, the shopkeeper gave me some sweet snacks afterwards. I enjoyed them very much!

I am having the best experience here in Hong Kong. I am exploring new knowledge and learning from my mistakes. I hope by the end of my stay here I can say, ''I am a grown-up''.

Text﹕Barbara Cadei (an AFS exchange student from Italy)

■Be a host family! Please visit www.afs.hkfor further information.