Pandemic doesn't deter student from coming to America
Blanca Arenas Giribet had a preconceived notion of what the United States was like.
She had seen the country portrayed on TV and in film in her native Spain, and wondered for years if that was what the USA was really like.
When she had the opportunity to see the U.S. for herself as part of the International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) program, she was eager to go.
One problem, however: COVID-19 erupted on the scene.
It was a very real concern, not only for Blanca and her family in Spain, but also her U.S. host family and the high school that usually welcomes foreign exchange students with open arms.
It made the process complicated.
Blanca, 16, considered not coming.
Then her mother made one, unassailable point.
“She basically told me: 'You're not going to miss anything here,'” Blanca said. “'We're going to be in lockdown. So, while we are doing nothing, you'll be doing something.' I couldn't argue with that.”
So, in the fall, Blanca packed her bags and headed for the U.S.
She hasn't regretted it.
“In Spain, we idealize a lot about the USA,” Blanca said. “The agency told me not to expect a lot, not to raise my expectations, but it has been over my expectations. I'm so glad I decided to come.”
Blanca is one of a vastly reduced foreign exchange student presence in Pennsylvania and the U.S.
Most schools closed the door on accepting students from other countries. Some host families decided to take a pass, and even some prospective students from foreign lands decided to stay put instead of taking the risk.
But Blanca has flourished at Seneca Valley High School.
New land, new challenges
Blanca grew up in a town about an hour from Barcelona on Spain's east coast.Her region of Catalonia is known for its beaches and resorts and is the cultural center of the country.Coming to Renfrew, which is nothing like where she is from in Spain, was jarring for Blanca.“The thing that shocked me is in Spain, I'm really independent,” Blanca said. “I can go anywhere in my town whenever I want. I can get my bike or just walk. Here, I depend on someone who has a car. People hang out at houses or at the malls. That's the thing that shocked me.”In Spain, Blanca gathered with her friends in the town square, or in one of the many cafès.And then there's all the time she and her friends spend at nearby beaches.There are not many beach days this time of year in Renfrew.Blanca laughed and said: “I was joking with a friend the other day. I was in a hoodie and he was cold. I'm good with a hoodie. Back in Spain, I would be in short sleeves.”It didn't take Blanca long to figure out she wasn't in Catalonia anymore.The first month was, at times, difficult for Blanca, who was adjusting to a new country, a new family with six children ages 3 through 15 and, of course, all that with a worldwide pandemic as a backdrop.But Blanca adjusted and settled in.“I was a little shy, then I started getting more confident,” Blanca said.It helped that she made fast friends with the oldest of her new brood of siblings, 15-year-old Tayla.The two found they had a lot in common despite growing up an ocean apart.Blanca also grew close with the younger children in her new family.“I feel at home here,” Blanca said. “Living with little kids is nice because I love little kids. I've had so much fun.”Blanca, though, laments not being able to do as many “American” things as she had hoped.Because of the pandemic, the experience has been different.“I feel like, for example, wearing masks and social distancing made socializing much more difficult in school and in making friends,” Blanca said.
She missed out on school dances and football games at Seneca Valley, although she did get a taste of American football this fall.“I went to a Steelers game,” Blanca says, smiling broadly. “I went to Florida, too. I did things I never thought I'd do, and only saw on TV and in movies. There were things I wanted to experience, but couldn't. That was probably the worst part.”The best part may be a little surprising:Sweatshirts.Blanca has become obsessed with them. She bought as many as 20 with her host father, Mike, who frequents thrift shops and flea markets.“I don't know how I'm going to put that in my suitcase,” Blanca said, laughing.Foreign exchange struggleAs far as planning foreign exchange student visits this year, it has been difficult.During a typical year, ICES places hundreds of foreign students in high schools in the U.S.This year, because of the pandemic, the organization has placed only a fraction.While there are usually hundreds on the agencies' queue to be placed in a state such as Pennsylvania, now there are just eight.“This season was a struggle,” said Butler native Kathryn Smail, who is a local coordinator for ICES. She is also a multiple disabilities support teacher at Butler Middle School.Smail has two foreign exchange students in the area who she oversees: Blanca at Seneca Valley and Marie Funke, an exchange student from Germany who is at West Middlesex.Smail and her family have also hosted twice in the past, including one student last school year from Italy, Elena Bongiovanni.Elena stayed, even though many foreign exchange students returned home when the coronavirus pandemic swarmed the U.S. this spring.Smail got involved with ICES two years ago as a result of fate.“We were going to the beach, and it popped up on my Facebook page, you know, one of those sponsored ads,” Smail said. “I was like, 'OK. That sounds kind of cool. That sounds fun.'”She forgot all about it until a week later, when they left the beach and the ad popped up on her feed again.“I tend to take fate where it's handed to me,” Smail said. “I figured maybe I need to ask a question about this.”She did and got involved as both a host and a coordinator.Smail has noticed some interesting trends when it comes to placement in normal years.“When placement season rolls around (in January), you have your basic demographics — you have girls and you have boys — and then your geographic demographics. The European students are real popular. They disappear real quick. Our Asian students are the exact opposite because the cultural divide is so great.”Girls also tend to be placed more easily than boys, Smail said.“A female European student will find a home quickly,” Smail said.Smail is hoping some normalcy returns when applications start coming in again next month.So does Elena, who said nothing can replace the experience she got with the Smail family in the spring. “It's honestly so sad that other exchange students couldn't have this experience,” said Elena, who has returned home and is in her final year of school in Italy. “I remembered that I planned my year abroad months ahead. I can't imagine how sad it would have been if they told me I couldn't go.“I will always remember this year,” Elena added, “even if it was partially ruined by COVID-19.”Blanca will always remember it too.The Poop LogChristmas is big in Spain.But not as big as it is in the U.S., Blanca said.The spirit of the season has certainly inspired Blanca.“I'm so excited,” she said, a wide smile creasing her face. “You can't imagine how excited I am. I'm as excited as a 7-year-old girl. I'm counting the days. I love Christmas, and I feel in a Christmas mood. I really like seeing what other people get, and I can't wait to see their faces when they open my presents.”Blanca has experienced a steady diet of Christmas movies.Her favorite?“'Home Alone,'” she said, laughing. “I've seen it like 10 times. I love it.”The exchange of new things hasn't gone just one way.Blanca has taught her new family a Christmas tradition of her own from Catalonia.It's an old one — and definitely an odd one.It's called the “Caga Tio,” which translates into “The Poop Log.”Feeding the Poop Log is a Catalan tradition that dates back centuries and has evolved over time.These days, the log appears Dec. 8 and is placed under the tree on top of a blanket. The log is “fed” every day until Christmas Eve, when children beat the log with a stick in the hopes it will “poop” forth presents.After they give it a good flogging, kids lift the blanket and find goodies under it.There's even a song the children sing during the beatdown (some versions are not suitable for print).Blanca is teaching her family's children the PG version.“They are super excited,” Blanca said. “They remind me of me when I was young like that. I'm happy to teach them that.”Blanca said she hopes she made as big of an impact on people in the U.S. as they have made on her.While she is eager to return home, she also admits she will miss her stay here, profoundly.“I'm excited to see my family again,” Blanca said. “I'm excited to go back to my routine in Spain.“I was thinking about that, how I got used to something so different. I like living here. I like waking up here, but I would like to wake up in my own bed, in my own room and hang out with my friend, but it's going to be super sad. I'm going to cry a lot.”Crying, though, is good.It means it was an experience worth having.“If we're crying, that shows something good happened here,” Smail said.
