Seeing a new state

Boarding the plane: the same.

Going through customs: the same.

Saying goodbye to her friends and family: the same.

The location, however, is different.

She’s done all of this before, only on a much smaller scale.

Last time, it was only for a month. This time, it’s for a full year. Not only is Texas vastly different than her home in Spain but also from her past experiences traveling to Colorado. The fear and excitement are amplified. Questions race through her mind as she wonders if this year will be as amazing of an experience as it was before.

Two years ago, junior Claudia Quesada went on a month-long exchange trip to Denver, Colorado with a host family. She fell in love with American culture, as well as the people she met, and decided to travel abroad again. She chose to stay in America for a year to learn about the American culture and meet new people from around the world.

“I chose [to do the exchange program] because I thought it was going to be a great experience,” Quesada said. “I was going to meet new people and live the American experience. It was scary because I was alone, but I thought it was great for me. In some way, it made me independent. I loved America, so that’s why I came back for a year.”

When she came back to America in August, Quesada was faced with daunting uncertainties about how her year abroad would go. However, she felt those concerns melt away soon after arriving when she met her host family and made friends at school.

“I was excited but I was also scared because I didn’t know anyone,” Quesada said. “I didn’t know if the family would be good, which it is.”

Junior Sara Eberhardt, a foreign exchange student from Germany, is part of Quesada’s host family. Since meeting at the airport on their way to Texas, the girls have bonded and become as close as sisters.

“After these past months, I would also say she’s my sister because we do everyday stuff together, she’s super funny and she’s [good at] listening,” Eberhardt said. “She’s just a nice person to be around.”

Although similarities exist between Spain and the United States, such as having fluent Spanish speakers, Quesada still had to become accustomed to the cultural norms of Texas. From new restaurants to school schedules, moving to America for a year is a major adjustment. Her friends, including junior Katie Reyes, have helped her become accustomed to the American way of life.

“This is a completely different place,” Reyes said. “Yes, we speak Spanish, but it’s different Spanish, different culture, different ways of how we learn.”

Quesada’s bond with her friends and host family in Texas have made the experience of living abroad positive for her. The memories with the people she has met while in Lewisville will follow her back to Spain when she returns after the school year ends.

“If somebody just introduced me to her and told me everything about her, I probably wouldn’t want to be friends because we don’t share anything except for art,” Eberhardt said. “Knowing her now, it’s perfect. I love her. I’m so scared of the time when I go back and I don’t have her anymore.”

During her time in Texas, Quesada has loved the experience and the people she has spent time with. In the future, she would like to return and revisit the friends she made through this program.

“I would come to Texas again to see my host family and the friends I made,” Quesada said. “[My host family] is like my second mom, my second dad and a second sister. They are so nice [to] me. We have travelled to a lot of places and it’s been a really good experience.”