At 9 p.m. on Sept. 4, a bus rolled into Barnstable High School. An anxious crowd huddled on the sidewalk, with balloons grasped firmly in hand. Through the bus door a surge of Spanish echoed through the empty night. Each passenger exited, was greeted by a nervous hug, and was quickly hustled away with their suit case. For the next two weeks, these Spanish exchange students witnessed American life first hand, with a surrogate family guiding the way.

Twenty-one students came from Ponferrada, Spain to BHS as a reciprocate action to the trip Barnstable students took to Spain last April. The students toured the most iconic places in and around Massachusetts, including Boston, Provincetown, Newport, and Cambridge. They also visited Patriots place, The Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard, MIT, and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History; all in just two weeks.

“Boston was my favorite,”  Andrea Fernandez,  a Spanish exchange student, said. Boston’s confusing, random, complex, yet immensely historical streets were undeniably enjoyed by many of the Spaniards. Pleased by how walkable the city was, the exchange students followed the Freedom Trail, toured the Old North Church, and finished off at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.

On the weekdays when they weren’t off on an adventure, they were shadowing their host students in the halls of BHS. Their shocked faces at the dramatically different teaching methods was mostly unanimous.Walking across the entire school to go to each class was met with surprise.

“In Spain we stay in the same class, and the teachers come to us,” Laura Abad, another Spanish exchange student, said, after a long day of hiking through the sweaty sea of teenagers on their way to class.

“Students here have a lot of homework,” said Fernandez, who spent many nights watching her host student, labor at her homework for hours. Their school in Spain tends to give little to no homework, freeing up time during the week to go dancing or spending time with friends.

“I thought it was only in movies,” said Abad, after seeing an ice cream truck singing its way down the street. (Little things, such as this, define the two cultures outside of school and became very prevalent as the weeks went on). A common observation noticed by the Spaniards was the United States’ heavy use of its flag, showing up on houses, cars, clothing, telephone poles, and really anywhere one goes. Spain has a strong sense of national pride, but it doesn’t show through the everyday use of flags.

Given two full weekends to spend with their host families, the exchange students were exposed to the real everyday lives of Americans. They enjoyed trips to the beach, bonfire parties, and even a journey to Manhattan. Some attended things such as Zumba classes, while others got to experience high school sports by attending games, practices or team dinners.

“At first I was really stressed, but then it became very natural to have her there,” said Liisa Aalto, a Barnstable host student. Over the past weeks Aalto exposed her exchange student to King Richard’s Faire, took her ice skating for the first time, and appalled her by the excessively premature Halloween and Christmas decorations.

Though it was only two weeks, great bonds were formed, and no one was prepared for  September 22, when the familiar bus arrived at BHS one last time. On this day, hosts and exchange students bid their farewells, shed a considerable amount of tears, and promised to visit each other in the future.