Most students have lived in the U.S. their whole lives. They might have gone to a different country once or twice with their families for vacation, but most do not leave their homes to live on a different continent for a whole year. On her way to the U.S., sophomore Paula Torralba Lacalle was nervous, but was excited for the new experience.

In late August, Lacalle flew to the U.S. from Madrid, Spain, to meet her host family, the Corsellos.

“All of them hugged me and they are so sweet, even from the first moment,” Lacalle said.
She got settled in and all her nerves faded away as she got to know her new family.

“I expected it to be [weird], but she got adjusted so quick that it wasn’t really weird at all,” senior Josh Corsello said.

The next weekend the Corsello family took Lacalle camping to get to know each other better.

“I got the chance to talk to them and ask them everything,” Lacalle said.

As the first day of school came and went, Lacalle observed a few differences between Troy High and her old school back in Madrid.

“[At] my old school, you have all your classes with the same people,” Lacalle said.
Sophomore Zoe Rouvalis is one of Lacalle’s closest friends. They met in their math class this year and began a new friendship that they both see continuing.

“No one was sitting next to me and she was like, ‘Is anybody sitting here?’ She was super new and I could tell that she was open to conversation,” sophomore Zoe Rouvalis said. “She’s always in a good mood. If you’re in a good mood, then she’s in a good mood.”

Lacalle met sophomore Maddie Zagacki through cross country.

“Then one day at lunch, I asked her if she wanted to sit with us,” Zagacki said. “She’s one of my best friends and it sucks knowing that it’s going to end and I won’t get to see her as much.”
Lacalle will be leaving this June after the end of the school year.

“It will be weird because she makes so much noise. It’s going to be so quiet at home when she’s gone, but I’ll be sad,” Corsello said.

Even though Lacalle will be going back to her family and friends in Spain, she is reluctant to go home.

“I’m going to miss it so much,” said Lacalle. “I just don’t want to leave.”