Miriam Aparicio is an exchange student from Barcelona, Spain, staying with junior Katherine Roberts and her family.
The United States was Aparicio’s first choice for her exchange year. However, she also considered studying in Australia, too. These were her top choices because she wanted to practice speaking English since she began learning the language when she was five years old.
Aparicio also speaks Catalan, a regional language specific to Catalonia, a region in Spain that includes Barcelona. Aparicio said thatin Spain she speaks both Catalan and Spanish with her friends because “it just comes down to personal preference.” She also knows French and Portuguese.
When comparing the United States to Spain, Aparicio said there weren’t any similarities that came to mind. She has noticed that the Spanish and American people are very different, for example, with “the style of clothes.” Another difference between America and Spain are the education systems. She mentioned “schools (in Spain) don’t offer sports through the school,” so students participate in club sports instead. Aparicio is on a club swim team in Barcelona.
Aparicio’s experience abroad has been great so far, she said, because of her host sister, Katherine. When asked what one thing she would bring back to Spain, she asked, “Can I choose Katherine?… She’s my sister now.”
One surprising aspect of school here, she said, is “the teachers are so nice and the school is super big.” She also commented on the wide variety of clubs, sports and volunteering opportunities offered and that the students take full advantage of these extracurriculars.
According to Aparicio, another difference between the States and Spain is the food. She has noticed that American food is much more fried and processed than the food in Spain. Additionally, there is “not a lot of variation” in American food and it’s “more healthy in Spain” where diets are also more common.
While in the U.S., Aparicio hopes to visit the national parks. Although Spain also has national parks too, the American ones are “not the same as the ones in Spain,” Aparicio said.
