Spanish exchange student Carlota Palma, junior, made the brave decision to study abroad to further improve her English. Though two hours a week of English is the standard requirement at her school, Palma went the extra mile and took all of her classes in English. Challenging herself in a way few students would be comfortable doing.

Palma is from a village outside of Madrid, Spain. She was given a choice of the United States or Canada to study abroad. When asked about her decision she replied with a firm nod of her head, “I wanted to study in the U.S.” Palma’s host family is Leah and Hope DeShaney. She will be staying in America for a total of 10 months, departing in June.

Though Palma is a well-versed English speaker, some circumstances exist that required adjustment. She says that one of the hardest parts of being an exchange student was not knowing anyone when she arrived here. She also misses her family, but communicates with them along with her friends on a daily basis.

American academics and classroom practices was something Palma with which she had to adjust. At her high school in Spain, they do not use nearly as much technology as Americans.  Although she likes the use of computers in the classroom, she is not used to it. The size of NHS was another acclimation for her. Palma’s high school has about 400 students, a considerably smaller amount of students than Neenah. She has also noticed that the teachers here are more interested in the students than at her school. “In Spain, the teachers don’t care as much as they do here,” she remarked.

Palma likes the fact that Neenah offers so many activities. Though she is not currently in any activities at Neenah, she plays rugby at another local high school.

Similar to many exchange students that come to the states, Palma is perplexed by peanut butter. “I’m not sure that I like it. Its texture is… different, but creamy and strange.” She is, however, a huge fan of Nutella. The types of food as well as time of eating is different for her, but she does not dislike anything in particular. A food that she especially enjoys is cheese sausages, something she had not tasted before coming here.

Palma’s overall view of the America so far is that Americans have a much more relaxed classroom atmospheres than in Spain, most notably phone usage policies. She also commented that Americans are slightly more reserved regarding space and touching. “In Spain, we always greet with kisses, and when sitting or in line you leave more space.”