From January 8-17, I was part of the Spanish exchange.
On January 8, the students from Spain arrived at the airport, and we all went to pick them up.
It was very nice to meet the students, and they were very kind. My correspondent is named Martina. She is sweet, and she enjoyed her visit to Jacksonville.
“At Bolles,” Martina said, “we went on a lot of trips: we visited San Augustine, which was a beautiful place, we also went to the Downtown part of Florida, and we learned a lot at a plantation.”
I enjoyed meeting students from another country and hearing about how their lives are similar and different from ours. Hearing them speak Spanish also helped me with my Spanish. They were able to see how different the United States is from Spain.
“I fully immersed myself in American culture,” Martina said, “trying new foods that we don’t have in Spain, doing activities like bowling, visiting outdoor markets, and touring the school.”
She liked our school and how different it is from hers. In Spain, her school, San Agustín, is one building, and there’s no walking outside from class to class. She enjoyed walking from building to building and getting fresh air. In Spain, the school schedules are also different. Instead of eating lunch at school, they eat lunch at home after school.
It was fun to meet people from another country and hear about their culture and way of life.
Another very different thing about Spain, is that they have a Siesta. A siesta is a period between 2 and 5 when everyone can rest; some shops close so workers can go home and spend time with family or have a nap before returning to work.
It was also fun to show Martina American culture. The students from Spain do not have Chick-fil-A or Crumbl in their country, so they were able to try it here. Martina really loved both.
This experience helped me to be more open-minded and appreciative of other cultures, which was one of the points of this program. Hosting Martina taught me the importance of communication and kindness when welcoming someone into a new environment. This exchange allowed me to form a new friendship even though we do not speak the same language. It taught me that even though our cultures and lives are different, kindness and friendship are universal.
Martina told me about her experience of being hosted. “I have been living with Meera and her family, and I consider myself very lucky to have been placed with this family, I am very grateful for how they all treated me, how they opened the doors of their home to me, and how they made my experience so complete,” she said.
Martina has become a good friend through this program. I’m grateful for this experience to be able to host a student from another country and share my life with them. I’d highly recommend this experience to anyone considering or interested.
During spring break, students who hosted the exchange students will be going to Spain to experience another country and be hosted instead of being the host. I’m very excited to go to Spain and experience a different lifestyle!
