Expanding Leopard Culture

Foreign Exchange Students at LEHS

Nuria Corominas Perez

Not many students this year are aware that we have two foreign exchange students enrolled for the 2018-19 school year. Nuria comes to us from Spain and her family home is located near the city of Barcelona. She has been in the U.S. since August and she stays with the Faulkners, which is her host family and Jordan Thrift, a freshman at LEHS, is her ‘host’ sister.

Students from all over the world are involved in foreign exchange programs every year. Liberty-Eylau High School is fortunate to have Nuria with us as she completes her sophomore requirements. The PAX (Program of Academic Exchange) is the program that she became a part of to live in the United States. Programs such as these allow students from most countries to experience everything our country offers while still getting an education.

Nuria has one sister who is 17 and one brother who is 27. Her father works for IBM and her mother works in the medical field. Her family is very supportive of her choice to live in another country for almost an entire year, since they understand this great opportunity to personally experience a new culture instead of studying it through books and/or the internet.

We interviewed Nuria recently and she was very open to us questioning her about her being a foreign exchange student in Texarkiana, Texas. “Being involved in sports here in the US is very different than team sports in my country, and especially in my school in Spain. If a student wants to become a member of a team, they have to join with a group outside of the school. In other words, sports is much more common in US schools and students have many more opportunities to participate in sports here. Volleyball and handball are the popular sports where she lives- Nuria plays volleyball in her home country and enjoys it. On a similar note: it is much more common to see young people dressed in relaxed clothing, such as gym shorts and work-out clothes here in the US; however, the style of clothing for teenagers is very similar in both countries.”

Nuria was asked to give us an insight about food in her home country and how it compares with our meals here in the US. “We have a few fast food restaurants in our area of Spain but not as many as I have seen in Texas. Subway, McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell are the main food choices where I live- nothing like the large amount of eating places Texarkana offers. In Spain, we have multiple fresh meat and vegetable markets available and for the most part, we prepare meals at home to eat. My host family is very understanding and accommodates whenever possible when it comes to meals each week while I am here.”

The newspaper staff was curious to know how schools in Spain operate each day. Nuria explains the similarities and differences: “Here at LEHS, students travel from class to class, allowing for more opportunities to meet each other. In Spain, the teachers move from room to room instructing students. In Spain, We do have more time to get to know our classmates since we are basically with the same students all day. Here, we have a few minutes with each other and then it’s time to change classes. I do like changing classes- it’s different in a good way.”

Nuria’s parents may visit her one time during her year-long stay in the US since foreign exchange students remain in their host country for the entire school year. They miss her but understand the desire she has to learn about life in the United States and most importantly, in Texarkana, Texas.

Pablo Aller

Pablo Aller is a foreign exchange student for the 2018-19 school year at LEHS. His host parent is Mr. Justin Woodson, our own Health Science Instructor and Pablo will remain with his host family until May of next year. Pablo has been in the US since school began and comes to us from the city of Zaragoza, which is in the northeastern region of Spain. The foreign exchange program he became involved with is called the International Experience. Their goal is to help young adults become exchange students and they believe that learning about other cultures, languages, and customs is the best way to dispel prejudices and embrace global citizenship. The program is somewhat expensive and it’s not easy to qualify, but Pablo believes it’s worth it.

Pablo's 17 year old brother David, was also an exchange student, so his parents (father is in the military and mother is in the banking business) were on board with his decision to live for one year in a foreign country. He communicates with them quite often and he is thankful for the opportunity to become a Liberty-Eylau Leopard for a year.

Pablo offers an insight into the similarities and differences between life in Spain and in Texas. “Where I live (in Spain), not everyone owns an automobile so walking is much more common there. I agree with Nuna (foreign exchange student from Barcelona, Spain) when it comes to our daily meals. We eat more fresh meat and vegetables, which are purchased in various open markets. Yes, we do have ‘fast food’ eating establishments, but most Spanish families don’t eat out for every meal. Eating at home is more prevalent and visiting a place like McDonalds occurs less often where I live.

Fashion trends for young people are very similar in Spain and the US; however, I noticed students at LEHS wear much more relaxed clothes, such as gym shorts and t-shirts. There are more males in Spain who wear the latest fashion items such as skinny jeans and coordinating shirts. Which brings me to the next difference- sports in school. In Spain, there are very few sports teams a student can join. If you want to be more active in a sport, you are required to join a team outside of the school. There are many more opportunities to participate in a desired sport here in Texas.

The last difference I see between schools in Spain and those in the US deals with the actual school day. The teachers in Spain move from class to class instead of students changing 8 times a day. My opinion? It is a nice change of pace, at least for this school year.

I am enjoying myself so far and I look forward to experiencing much more of the US before I leave in May of next year. I miss my family but I’m learning how students from Texas live in a more personal way. This experience, so far, has been a very positive one.”

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