Junior Carolina Martinez Gonzalez, is originally from Spain, but currently, she is spending an exchange year in the United States. She came to America in August and will stay until the end of the school year.
“I like it because it [is] all new, and in America there are a lot of interests, like going to a football game and trying all these things that you don’t have in your country. But now it is like more of a routine now that I have gotten used to it,” Martinez Gonzalez said.
Martinez Gonzalez also notices key differences between the United States and her home country.
“I think the biggest difference is that… [Americans] are not walking anywhere, like in Spain, you go walking everywhere, and if not, they can take the express train,” Martinez Gonzalez said.
However, even with all the positives of getting to experience a new country, there have been some struggles for Martinez Gonzalez.
“I think coming without knowing anyone is hard and also sometimes you cannot communicate well… and it is hard without your family,” Martinez Gonzalez said.
For Martinez Gonzalez, these difficulties were more noticeable at the beginning of her exchange year. As she settled in, it became increasingly easier to make connections with people.
“I am not a really outgoing person at the beginning, but when I have confidence with the other person, I am very outgoing and really funny,” Martinez Gonzalez said.
Luckily for Gonzalez, she has this confidence with her close friend, Johanna Fleischer-Harkort, who also happens to be an exchange student. Even though Fleischer-Harkort is from Germany and Martinez Gonzalez is from Spain, the two are very close.
The duo met before coming to the United States because the exchange program connected them. However, for the first couple of weeks of their friendship, they would only communicate on Email and WhatsApp. In August, they finally had the opportunity to meet in person in the United States.
“Carolina is probably the funniest person I know,” Fleischer-Harkort said. “She is always happy, always positive.”
The two friends have spent a lot of time together over this year. Fleischer-Harkort is inspired by how Martinez Gonzalez interacts with people, and her willingness to make new friends.
“She is really open about everything, I mean really open to meeting new people, more than I am,” Flesicher-Harkort said.
So far, Martinez Gonzalez has described her experience as a time of personal growth as she had the opportunity to make new friends and learn about a new culture different than her own.
“I’ve learned that you are going to stay with some people that are not the type of people you would meet in your home country, but I think it is cool to see other people,” Martinez Gonzalez said.
