On September 5, junior Ellie Buono embarked on a year-abroad in Zaragoza, Spain. She is following in the footsteps of Lilah Schatz ‘19 and senior Abri Berg. Schatz, Berg, and Buono all enrolled in the program SYA (School Year Abroad). These students decided to go on this journey to learn a different culture, a different language, and independent living skills.

Buono participates in many after school activities. “I try to keep myself busy every day because it gets me more involved with the culture and feeling more comfortable,” Buono said. The after school activities that Buono does are horseback riding, cooking, ceramics, and volunteering. 

Buono loves every aspect of the SYA program, especially Spain. Buono spends one night of the weekend with her host family and the other one with her friends. On the night Buono spends with her friends, she usually will get dinner and then walk around the city. “It is always super busy at night, and so fun to walk around exploring the city,” Buono said. One such night, Buono and her friends went down to the river and had a picnic. “It was so pretty to watch the sunset and hang out outside,” Buono said.

Buono goes to school from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. She has a two-hour break during the day that she usually spends at the coffee shop near her school with her friends. Buono’s school has a one hour lunch period. Every morning Buono and her peers sign up for which Spanish restaurant they want to go to that day. “I love going to a Mexican restaurant called Jalos,” Buono said.

Other than just academics, SYA provides its students with many opportunities to fully immerse themselves in Spanish culture. One way they do this is by having Wednesday fieldwork days, field trips that help students learn more about Spanish culture. The first trip that Buono went on was to a vineyard. In order for the students to learn more about the trip, one of their classes that week will have some relation to the field trip they are going on that Wednesday. 

On Fridays, the SYA students have a program called “Assembly,” an opportunity for students to talk to their advisors and share their highlights of the week. 

Leila Sheridan, a junior at Parker and a close friend of Buono, misses her very much, but is so happy that she is having a great time. “She has always possessed very mature characteristics of an independent person,” Sheridan said. “So I had no doubts that she would thrive in Spain.” Sheridan also thinks that this is an amazing experience for Buono to step out of her comfort zone. “School has been overwhelming and she’s stressed, but it just seems like the normal junior year workload,” Sheridan said. “When she first got there, she was quick to make friends and wanted to socialize right away. She seemed to take initiative with her social life and put herself out there.”

Buono is enjoying the program. “I don’t think I have had just one best experience so far,” Buono said. “The entire time I have been here has been the best experience. Meeting new friends and being completely independent in a foreign country has been so much fun.” 

Through the SYA program, students take six classes. All of the classes are taught in Spanish, except for English and math which are taught in English. Host families take in the American students in an effort to fully immerse the American students in Spanish culture. 

According to SYA’s website, “each experience you have—whether chatting with your host family, rowing on the Ebro, or painting in a nearby studio—will reinforce what you’re learning at school and teach you more about this influential language and culture than you could ever learn from a book.” 

Ms. Villagomez was Buono’s Spanish teacher last year. “Ellie was very excited about this trip, and a little nervous,” Ms. Villagomez said. Furthermore, Ms. Villagomez explained that being a little nervous is totally normal because the trip pushes you out of your comfort zone. “As a language teacher, I will always encourage students to study abroad,” Ms. Villagomez said. She believes that it is the best way to fully learn a different language and experience a different culture. 

Buono feels like she has already grown and changed so much. “Being around so many new things and people has really expanded my view on life. I have loved it all so much,” Buono said.