Sophomores Kristin Salazar and Haydon Wyant are currently preparing for their yearlong journey as foreign exchange students. They both will depart from the U.S. around August and will not return until the summer of 2016.

Salazar’s destination is Madrid, Spain which is located in Europe.

“[To prepare] I’ve been speaking a lot of Spanish with my dad who is fluent,” Salazar said.

According to Salazar her dad is excited for her to travel to Spain because he had wanted her to learn Spanish. Now with a reason to become familiar with the language and culture, Kristin can do exactly so.

“I’m really excited to experience a new culture but scared to screw up with different customs,” Salazar said.

Traveling to a different country means entering a different culture. Salazar concludes that there are several unfamiliar aspects of Spain’s culture; a big one is the diet. In comparison to America, Europe’s diet is extremely healthier. They eat a vast amount of seafood, and all food is eaten with a fork and knife.

Within Spain transportation is unlike America; walking is common, and everyone must be 18 years old to legally drive. This concludes that high school students will either walk, ride the bus, or find another mode of transportation.

Wyant will also be experiencing similar changes in the country of France, also located in Europe. He is looking forward to the two hour lunch breaks and half days on Wednesdays. However, he is not looking forward to attending a half day of school on Saturday.

Apart from the extra school, Wyant is mostly excited for his trip, “I’m also a little nervous.”

“[To prepare] I’m trying to spend time with family and get good grades,” Wyant said.

Grades were a semi-important factor when it came to being chosen to be a foreign exchange student.

Salazar and Wyant were required to fill out applications showing their interest in learning abroad. They then went through a series of interviews to help with the decision.

After being chosen, the two were to pick three countries that interested them and then members from those countries decide if they want them. Both Salazar and Wyant were selected by their number one country.

With approximately six months to prepare both Salazar and Wyant are working on improving their knowledge on the country as a whole by learning the language, culture, and the traditions.