Our school offers an amazing exchange student program that allows students from across the world to come experience American culture. This year, Valentina Perlalta, Sofia Albiech, and Carmen Marcos Gonzalez are here for their sophomore experience in an American High School.

Perlalta, Albiech, and Gonzalez talk about how the process of getting to America was a journey. In addition, Gonzalez gives amazing insight into the tedious process of becoming an exchange student. She tells us about how, during the process, you have to fill out lots of paperwork, and how they have to interview you as well. Perlalta and Albiech were previously friends before they came down to America, and decided to do their exchange year together.

The friends traveled from a school called Trinity College, San Sebastián De Los Reyes.

“It is an area on the outskirts of central Madrid,” Perlalta said

Perlalta visited North Carolina from Madrid a few years back with her parents. She enjoyed her time here, so she decided to spend her exchange year at our school.

Learning can be very different in a new country. Perlalta talks about how different the learning experiences are.

“School is much easier here than mine in Madrid,” Perlalta said

Albeich also agrees that school in Spain is a lot more difficult than in America. She explains how in Spain, you have to test all day long, and you’re not allowed to use any kind of notes.

All three of our students show how they are overwhelmed with excitement about the new experiences they’re going to learn.

Perlalta hopes to get her host parents to show her around North Carolina and get to know a little bit of everything.

Host families are a huge part of helping our exchange students experience American life.

“My host family they are incredible.” Gonzalez said
Gonzalez also explains activities she and her host family enjoy doing together

“We go to church on Sunday morning. We play board games at night, on Sundays, if I have time. We also go for walks with our dog.” Gonzalez said

Albeich is adapting well to the American lifestyle. She tells us how it’s so different from Spain, so it can be difficult from time to time, but she hopes to get better at her English, make some good, trustworthy friends, learn more about American culture, and even expresses her hopes to meet some new boys.

Moving countries can be really hard, especially for people who have lived in the same place for their whole life. Perlalta expresses that a big cultural shock was that people live on a different schedule in America than in Spain, and Gonzalez explains how she was surprised at how early people eat their meals around here.

“Everything is different, but the biggest cultural shock that I had was how big everything is, especially food, the portions.” Gonzalez said, “Also, how Americans are so proud of the country. Like, I see flags everywhere, and I think that it’s so cool.”

Sofia expresses how everyone in this school is very nice and how this school is really good. The main thing that inspired Carmen to come here was actually High School Musical!

“I’ve been watching them since I was little. I think that made me want to experience the American teenager life”. Albeich said

Being an exchange student is an inspiring experience, and can be very daunting, but there are ways to make your experience better and more impactful.

“Be positive, ready, talk with everyone… but the most important thing, be open-minded,” Albeich said.

Being an exchange student can be scary, and for Albeich, in the beginning, she was very negative and cried for days, but then she remembered all the positive things and why she wanted to do this. She expressed how you shouldn’t worry and that everything is different, but it will get better, and it will feel more normal.