Jimenez adjusts following move from Spain to US

My name’s Marina Jimenez. I’m from Spain and I’m doing my senior year in Oshkosh. Being an exchange student is a double edged sword; one moment homesickness takes over and missing friends and family is harder than ever, and the next, I am jumping from happiness for living something I had been dreaming about for years. Alone in a whole new country, with new people, a new family and a new school, every day is a lesson. It’s exciting, that’s for sure; each day is another opportunity to meet people and to learn a bit more about this completely strange place. 

The first couple of weeks, one feels like a child who just arrived at an amusement park, running around and amazed by the smallest things locals take for granted. For me, the houses, the signs in English, the school lockers and the football games were what left me speechless. I found myself having to take a moment once in a while, to absorb everything and believe that it was real, that I really was here.

Now that the school year is more advanced, being in Oshkosh is bittersweet. Even though one always tries to avoid having any type of expectations when going somewhere unfamiliar, it’s difficult not to do so, especially when it’s something that I’ve looked forward to for a long time. That is why I couldn’t avoid being disappointed when I came to the realization that creating an environment where I was one hundred percent comfortable would take so long; so used to easily connecting with people in Spain, the struggle of a second language and not being familiar with American culture can be big obstacles. I’ve learned that not everyone is open to step out of their comfort zone and take a stranger in their life, or to make the effort to get to know foreigners. However, I’ve been lucky to meet amazing people that have made me feel included since the beginning. The truth is that there’s a bit of everything everywhere, and a specific way of being will never encompass totally all the people from a nation or culture. 

The United States has really turned out to be “the land of opportunity”; maybe not in every aspect, but it does have a much wider range of options for playing sports and participating in school clubs, for example. In my home country, the schools don’t usually offer these types of activities, so each person looks for extracurriculars out of school and there’s not a concept of “school spirit” involved. We don’t have events such as school dances either, which is why I find them to be so exciting. It’s more typical for Spanish teenagers to go out partying on our own until late at night, often until the next morning. Another huge dissimilarity is the food, which I have to apologize for admitting it’s ten thousand times better in Spain, and that probably is due to the fact that here goods are much more processed.

There are lots of festivities which are celebrated equally in both countries, but we don’t have Halloween and Thanksgiving where I am from. As far as I know, there are no “town fests” in the U.S. The ways of celebrating are also different, and America is more “extra” when it comes to decorations.

Nevertheless, our countries have similarities as well, regarding lifestyles for instance. Spanish day-to-day life may seem more “relaxed,” but the routines of individuals are practically the same, filled with school, work, and sports.

This exchange year has been a rollercoaster of emotions so far, and I’m very motivated to see what’s to come.

by Marina Jimenez

Published November 27, 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue 3