Being an exchange student is not something that everybody would like to do. You have to leave your family, friends and life in your native country and travel alone to another place with another language without knowing anything or anyone. You have to start a new life with a new family and make new friends, all while you are learning a new culture and improving your language.

When I came to Alliance, I was a little bit scared and nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to find here. I didn’t know how my host family was going to be, and if I would fit into their lives as another member of their family.  But, I also had the other exchange students, two of them were also from Spain, and I knew one of them, so I didn’t feel that alone in this new place I was going to live for a year. 

The first day of school was confusing because there were too many different and new things that we started doing that day, but it was also an amazing experience. When you first enter the school you don’t know anything or anybody. You are in the middle of a lot of random people and you don’t know who they are. It is scary in that situation, and it takes a few weeks to get used to it. Another difference with the school system in America is that in every class you have different people in it. So if it isn’t already hard enough fitting into one class, you have to fit in eight different classes with new people in each of them. 

Joining a sport is really useful because you start knowing different people and you start feeling that you are part of something. Practicing with them every day makes you know them more and it helps with starting to make new friends and knowing someone in town. During the softball season I made a lot of awesome memories that I am not going to forget. All the team felt like a big family and I made great friendships there.I also lived unforgettable moments with them, on and off the field. I will never forget the first time I hit the ball and the big improvement I made in this sport although it was my first time playing it.

After softball season was over, I joined the basketball team, which a lot of the softball players did as well. Although the team was great and I had fun in their practices it wasn’t really my thing so I quit the team.

In my home country we don’t have school dances, so homecoming was really fun and I really enjoyed it. Trying new things is part of being an exchange student, so I didn’t miss any opportunity I had. I would have liked to experience prom, but that is not going to be possible, although graduation is still something I am going to be able to do, so I am still excited for that. 

During all this year I have done amazing things with amazing people that I am not going to forget and I will always have them in my heart. I really hope we will keep in touch when I return to my home country. I also hope I can come back in the summer and make more great memories with the people that I love here.