About two months ago, exchange students Sophomore Mencia Lorenzo Torres from Madrid, Spain, and Junior Emilia Rodriguez Kaempfe from Santiago, Chile, came to the US.
Torres main motivation for coming to the US was to develop better English skills.
“I feel like English will be important in the future, and I want to have a strong level of English,” Torres said. “I thought being here for a year would be a great experience.”
Kaempfe hoped that being in the US would expose her to experiences different from those in Chile.
“It’s an opportunity to grow and gain new experiences,” Kaempfe said, “You learn so much and get to see how others live. It’s about being independent and preparing for new experiences.”
They have both experienced challenges, seen the different education systems and
have been able to work on what they hoped to achieve as exchange students. One of the biggest challenges for both students since coming to the US was speaking English. They struggled with not being completely fluent and struggling to understand what teachers were explaining. However, things have improved for the girls because of the welcoming environment the school provides.
“People are nice here. I thought it would be harder to make friends, but everyone has been kind since day one.”Torres said. “For example, on my first day, a girl in my seminar and health class, Payton, helped me figure out where to go and what to do with my paper. I’ve met a lot of people who have helped me out.”
The girls were also exposed to a different education system, such as shorter periods and different school years. For Torres, one of the biggest differences was going to different classrooms for each class.
“We don’t have a lot of different classes; you get assigned to one class with a group of classmates, and the teachers move from room to room. We don’t have to change classrooms,” Torres said.
Kaempfe says that one of the biggest changes she has experienced has been the different school years.
“In Chile the school year runs from March to December, so when I came here, it was winter in the US but summer back home,” Kaempfe said. “Right now, my classmates in Chile are finishing their junior year.”
With limited time here as an exchange, both aim to make the best of their year by achieving things they can’t do in their home country. One of Torres goals of coming to the US was to experience an American teenage year; since then, she has done many things to help gain this experience.
“A month ago, I went to Nashville and bought cowboy boots. I’ve always wanted to get them because I’m in the United States,” Torres said. “I’ve also been to some football games, which I’ve seen in movies, so I was excited to experience it.”
Emilie strives to participate in classes she would never get to do in Chile, such as taking unique electives and participating in clubs.
