On Exchange in Northeast Wisconsin: Meet Marta del Pozo

From Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, to the Greater Green Bay area, meet Marta del Pozo, a junior student at a Green Bay area high school.

Born in Spain’s capital of Madrid, Del Pozo spent the first eight years of her life in Soto del Real, a mountainous town in the outskirts of the Madrid province in Central Spain.

She said the long commute her parents had to endure took Marta and her family to Alcobendas, also within the province, closer to her grandparents.

After a little over one month in the area, Del Pozo seemed quite acclimated to the “warm” Green Bay weather.

“Although I have heard winters are coming strong here, but I love a good snowfall,” said Del Pozo.

“I was not initially selected by the exchange program I applied for, in spite of my straight-A performance” she said, indicating the large amount of applicants and the income requirements did not help either.

However, thanks to a friend of her mom, Del Pozo’s name was among the top candidates on another program directly linked to Wisconsin-only.

When she was eventually selected, Del Pozo “did not think it twice”.
Del Pozo is a middle child.

Her brother, Pedro, is one year older, and brother, Mateo, is two years younger.
She said the closeness in age created a bond.

“[My brothers and I] confide in one another quite a bit. We had our shenanigans in the past, but as of recent years we enjoy one another’s company often,” explained Del Pozo.

Del Pozo’s mother is not a stranger to living abroad.

“She instilled the love of traveling in me. She lived in New York for five years due to my grandfather’s work. She was also an exchange student for almost two years in Canada,” she added.

Del Pozo said her mom used to tell her stories about her travels in North America, yet she knew the cost of exchange scholarships would not be easy to surmount.

“I cannot believe I am here. The first few days at the end of August (August 22 arrival in Wisconsin), we went to the Dells. My host, Cindy, is very kind and helpful,” said Del Pozo.

Del Pozo admitted her first week abroad here in the Upper Midwest made her feel a bit out of her comfort zone.

“It was overwhelming. Going from seeing my family every day to not seeing them in 10 months was hard to get used to, but then I got acclimated,” she recalled.

Her discovery of Chick-fil-A or Bubbl’r soda, she said, along with her passion for volleyball (she is in the school’s team) are some of the highlights so far.

“My host mom gives me really healthy food,” she said.

But, she confided that her schoolmates have introduced her to “less healthy, yet tasty” dietary choices.

“One of my schoolmates frequents a specific fast-food restaurant on a daily basis and the server already knows her food order without saying it,” Del Pozo said in awe.

“Fruits and vegetables at home are very welcome too,” she added.
The busy Monday through Friday schedule just after Labor Day kicked off the school season, started at 5:30 a.m. for Del Pozo.

“I eat breakfast at 6 a.m., get a ride to school and I get volleyball practice, homework (and) bedtime can be late due to homework,” she said.

Del Pozo said she would be a freshman in Spain this year, but the “more demanding school requirements there are equivalent to junior grade here,” she explained.

One thing Del Pozo does not enjoy as much in this part of the U.S. is having to ride in vehicles everywhere.

“Spain is the size of Texas and distances seem shorter everywhere, with a larger possibility of walking places or more public transportation,” said Del Pozo

The other aspect Del Pozo is not yet a fan of is the tax portion added to the listed price of items.

“In Spain, taxes are included and it’s a bit annoying; however, the exchange rate in euros on my credit card seems less so that balances things,” Del Pozo said.

Del Pozo said one of the events she is most looking forward to is “Halloween trick-or-treating.”