Three Spanish students call Davis County their home

Both Pampanas and Cortes came over through the Face the World Foundation, while the Rotary Club sponsored De La Sagra.

All three young ladies said the United States was at the top of their list for this global migration. They also agreed that the high school experience is more fun in America. De La Sagra said, “There’s no fun stuff in school in Spain, only study—no clubs or sports.” Pampanas was surprised that students are allowed to choose their classes here.

When asked what was most shocking, without hesitation Pampanas said, “School lunch.” De La Sagra talked about the lack of public transportation. They were all surprised that kids as young as 14 can drive. In Spain, the legal driving age is 18.

Unfortunately, the girls aren’t allowed to drive here either. De La Sagra explained that her trip is dictated by eight rules which she calls the “Eight Ds”—No: driving, drinking, drugs, disfiguring (tattoos/piercings), disco (house parties/clubs), dating, downloading (internet content not allowed in Spain), demonstrations (political protests).

Across the board they agreed that the most difficult adjustment was both the food and the meal times. It is common in Spain to eat lunch around 3 p.m. and dinner around 10 p.m. Just like the hobbits from J.R.R Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” have a second breakfast, the Spanish also have a break between breakfast and lunch to eat something like a sandwich.

Pampanas misses Spanish omelets. “I miss pasta. I know you have pasta here, but it’s different,” said De La Sagra. Pampanas said her favorite food here, that’s not found in Spain, is chicken alfredo. She first tried it in a restaurant and then made it at home with a friend. Cortes confessed that she very much enjoyed eating at Chic-fil-A for the first time and gave props to Bloomfield’s own Tequila Grill.

Each teenager was asked what they saw in movies about America that turned out to be inaccurate. “The lockers. On TV everyone has a locker that they decorate. No one uses lockers here,” Cortes said a little disappointed. De La Sagra attended the Winter Formal dance and thought it was much smaller and not as fancy as she was expecting. She also said there are no “cliques” at Davis County, everyone hangs out together.

Pampanas segued to talk about how there are so many television and movie options in the United States. She said that Netflix in Spain does not have nearly as many options as its American counterpart.

Just as students from other countries are interested in the U.S., American kiddos want to know all about Spain. Cortes was asked if they have hotdogs in Spain. To her surprise, Pampanas was asked if they eat dogs in Spain. They do not. McDonald’s was also asked about frequently. There was even an inquiry about the availability of popcorn. One young lady lowered her voice and said that what she was asked about the most was how to say the bad words. The Democrat did not ask if she gave them what they sought.

Overall all, the three young women stated that they were very happy with their experience so far. They have enjoyed making new friends, but all mentioned at least once that they missed their families and friends back home.