I’ve heard it said that people from Valladolid, Spain, have the purest Spanish accent (an “accent-less” version, if you will) among all spoken Spanish versions worldwide.

Miguel de Cervantes himself, author of the most read book in history after the Bible (Don Quixote), lived in Valladolid many years.

About two hours north of Madrid, right in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, Valladolid remains a cultural reference, and it is the home town of 15-year-old, Marina Gonzalez, our exchange student of the month, who is currently a student at Ashwaubenon High School in Green Bay.

“My older brother, Dario, spent one of his [exchange years] in a rural part of Kansas three years ago, and I kept telling myself I one day would go to the US to spend a couple of semesters, and it so happened in the end,” Gonzalez said.

Chickpeas

Being from Spain myself originally as well, the Mediterranean diet topic was one of the first ones that came up during my interview with Gonzalez — namely, chickpeas. These are a favorite for Gonzalez, by the bunch.

Gonzalez’s host mom, Heather, who was present during the interview, mentioned chickpeas are more often than not seen sprinkled on some salads at organic food cafes here in the US, and that they are the core part of hummus, which is an item Heather has at home.

Yet Gonzalez repeated these words over and over: “It’s not the same, it’s not the same, I have to cook some for you one day.”

And I believe her, having grown up myself eating “cocido madrileño” which is Madrid, Spain’s most famous dish, a soup consisting of chickpeas in generous portions, paired with carrots, potatoes, ham. Yum!

Cheer team

Gonzalez’s high school, “Compañía de María”, over in Valladolid, Spain, is right in the downtown part of Valladolid. This year would be Maria’s sophomore year in Spain.

“I chose to go one year earlier than my brother did, because the impact would be huge if I had to return home in the late part of summer [of 2026],” Gonzalez said.

She mentioned she would like to pursue future studies in the biology or medical fields.

While she is not into playing any particular sports, the football culture is something Marina loves about Green Bay. She attended a Packers game last year, in October.

She also went to a Ramblers ice hockey game, which she loved as well. “Although I did not know any of the rules,” she said giggling. She got great exposure to high school football by being part of the cheerleading team in the fall. “It was a lot of fun.”

For the love of Quevedo... and of traveling

Her longtime favorite pop music singer, Quevedo, played when her host parents, Nick and Heather, surprised her with a concert of her Spanish musician idol, when she attended in the Chicago area this past month of November. “It was awesome, I cried [of emotion] all concert long.”

Gonzales came August 18th. Her fifteenth birthday was September 2, which is why she was admitted in the sophomore program. She could not visit New York City like some of her older co-exchange students, but her host family took her to Savannah, Georgia late last year. Her host mom said, “We wanted her to experience that part of the Southern US culture” as opposed to just going to Florida or Disney.

Gonzalez enjoyed the architecture and life there.

Gonzalez confirmed she would be visiting NYC for the first time the week following our interview. She also enjoyed visiting Door County.

“Life here is amazing, with the opportunities that can come up, everything is gigantic and enormous [compared to Spain]” Gonzalez said. “Everything is go big or go home. I love it.” Yet off record Gonzalez said that she misses going out with her friends in Spain without having to get car rides, but she loves her host parents and brothers.

The hotter and healthier, the better

As for colder temps and snow, Gonzalez said she is not a winter person. “I love wearing certain clothes but it’s hard here when it’s cold. I love the look of snow, but I want it to be hot”. Gonzalez said, adding that the only culture shock, at times, could be different way students like to dress, for the most part being more so casual and leggings based, whereas she is a bigger fan of blouses, jeans and shoes.

As for her dietary choices — a topic that resurfaced in our conversation — Gonzalez said she loves snacking on chicken nuggets, Nutella, etc., but if the choice is there, Gonzalez said she goes with dishes like the lasagna or mac n’ cheese, which her host mom cooks amazingly. Grilled chicken, risotto, and salads are among the choices at home, too. Gonzalez also confirmed she is more of a water person as opposed to soda or other drinks.

Halloween was very known to Gonzalez prior to coming here. However, Gonzalez loved homecoming, especially. “It’s a lot of fun going out with friends and the dance.”

Her eight month stay here in NE Wisconsin so far could be summarized “as quite the experience worth living.”