From other countries all the way to the United States, foreign exchange students come from all over the world, and this year there are three joining the LCM family. Although it has been a tough change for juniors Gaia Fiore and Sofia Rodriguez, and sophomore Anahit Sanchez Cerezo, they are each learning from the many differences here in the United States.
Cerezo is from Spain, the region of Aragon, which is surrounded by mountains with three rivers crossing the city.
“It is full of flats and parks,” Cerezo said. “It has half a million of habitants and it is located in the North of Spain.”
Rodriguez is also from Spain, specifically from the Northern Spain, Galicia.
“The same as my hometown, the people here are very kind,” Rodriguez said.
Fiore is from Italy and said there are many differences between here and her hometown.
“My hometown is totally different, from the people to the school, and even the town,” Fiore said.
According to Cerezo, there are many differences here in Texas compared to her hometown including the higher temperatures, and the fact that there is air conditioning everywhere. Besides the temperatures, Cerezo said the people in Texas are unlike anyone else she has ever met.
“Almost everybody is religious,” Cerezo said. “They also take sports too seriously.”
There are many ways people get started in the foreign exchange program. For some, it has been their dream since they were young, like Fiore. For others like Rodriguez, they find out about it from a best friend and decide to join in, but then there are some like Cerezo who are determined to learn about diverse ways of life.
“I was interested in knowing another culture and living in another country,” Cerezo said. “I am not scared to leave my home. I am open to new experiences and escaping from my comfort zone to meet new people.”
Although learning diverse ways of life was the reason Cerezo got into the exchange program, she was not the only one who was looking for new experiences.
“I love new experiences,” Rodriguez said. “I think to be an exchange student, you need to be brave and open to everything. I wanted a change of scenery and get to know more culture and more people.”
There are many reasons to love the exchange program, from learning about new sports and discovering new things to generally feeling welcomed by an amazing family, but for Fiore, the best part is getting to meet all the kind people.
“I like staying with new people and getting to try new things,” Fiore said.
Getting into the exchange program has many positive aspects, ranging from getting to meet people to traveling or even learning English.
“Some positives are discovering new things, making friends, discovering new cultures and places, and even becoming more mature,” Rodriguez said.
Although there are many positives, there are also just as many difficulties when traveling to another country, including the need to adjust to a different language or even feeling home sick.
“I did not know anyone, so I had to start my social life from zero,” Cerezo said. “It was difficult to maintain my physical condition. It was also hard to understand the Texan accent at first. Even making real friends was a difficulty too. It was also hard to realize that I was alone for 10 months in another country.”
Even though it can be hard to be away from family for a while, host families are there to support foreign exchange students.
“My host family is made up of five brothers, two parents, and an exchange student from Spain,” Fiore said. “It is very different from my Italian home, because over there I have just one sister and my mom.”
Coming into the United States is a unique experience for everyone; some believe it is exactly how they could have imagined it, yet are surprised on how easy-going many people are. Others find it a more entertaining place than they expected and even some find that the food is quite different from back at their hometown.
“I like the United States so far, but the food in Spain is better because the people here eat a lot of fast food,” Rodriguez said. “Also, the people here do not hang out like in Spain. In Spain me and my friends hang out every weekend.”
Many who come into the United States have either high or low expectations about many things, but there are also some who come into the United States with no expectations and are just excited to jump into the experience – like Fiore and Cerezo.
“I had high expectations,” Rodriguez said. “You see in social media some exchange students have their perfect life, but it is not like that. At first you are going to feel homesick. I think it was bad to have high expectations.”
The overall experience can differ for each foreign exchange student. Some enjoy every moment, as others may have difficulty navigating around in a new country with many new people.
“At the beginning it was hard to wake up every morning realizing that you are alone on another continent,” Cerezo said. “I think that little by little I am starting to remake my life in Texas. I hope that the situation only gets better as time passes.”
Although there can be challenges of being as foreign exchange student, there are just as many positives that help to overcome each negative and that is why many students such as Cerezo, Rodriguez, and Fiore still chose to come to the United States.
“My advice is to be open-minded,” Rodriguez said. “Be brave to leave your home and above all, enjoy it because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
