Their total travel time was more than 26 hours, six of which they spent at the Chicago airport. Their American hosts were very welcoming, and they made the Spanish exchange students feel loved in so many different ways.
School however was a very big difference since they are not used to moving from class to class. In Spain, they stay in one classroom the entire day and their teachers are the ones that move.They saw a big difference between their school and Ames High, for example, assignments are the usual for them like math, science, history, language, English, etc… For them seeing a lot of importance for sports is crazy. Another thing that was shocking to them was the amount of different classes we have, like for example child development ,agriscience, physics, chemistry, journalism, etc…
Schools in Spain are also smaller than schools in the U.S. “This school is a thousand times bigger than our school and more,” said exchange student Alvaro. Segovia’s University is the size of Ames High School and for them to see a school this big is incredible. Mostly it was surprising to see how students know where they are supposed to be. They also found it surprising that not all students respect their teachers. In Segovia if you don’t respect the teacher you can get in a lot of trouble. Overall, they still find that Spain is a lot cozier and calmer compared to Ames.
For some students this is their first exchange program, while for others it is their second or third. “The most important thing is that they will learn about a new culture that is different, and in some ways similar to Spanish culture. This will help them mature, grow, and mostly see the world from a different perspective,” said exchange teachers Pedro de Andres and Lucia Luque. Both of their teachers had different experiences with exchange, de Andres has eight years of experience, while for Luque this is her first year. Coming to a different school helped them see how education is in the U.S, which is different from what they usually see in Spain.
Overall their experience in the U.S was enjoyable and unique. “Everyone has been really nice to us, they’ve been very welcoming,”said exchange student Jimena. “ I’ve never had an experience like this before, but I would definitely do it again.” Some of them would choose Ames High instead of their school. “You guys have more common space, more free time, you have more people, and there are sports,” said all exchange students. This is the experience they were hoping for, and one which they received.
