From Island Life to a Winter Wonderland

Left and center: Nadia de las Rivas, PHS foreign exchange student. Right: Nadia and Optimist Victoria Hundhausen share a few words in Spanish.

Nadia de las Rivas, a foreign exchange student at Platteville High School, is spending the school year with Optimist Club member Amber Monroe. Nadia is from Spain but more specifically from Palma the capital city of the island of Mallorca. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Mallorca is the largest of the five islands comprising the Balearic Islands.

Nadia explained that Spain is made up of communities, similar to our states. Each has its own culture, traditions, and food. She spoke about the vibrant dances, festivals and parades that are a part of celebrating holidays in Spain.  Although several different languages are spoken in Spain, the residents of Mallorca speak Spanish and/or Catalon.

Meal times here were a big adjustment for Nadia, because she was used to eating lunch in mid-afternoon and dinner between 9 – 10:30 pm. Spaniards have a tradition called Sobremesa, which literally means “over the table”.  It is the time you spend in deep, meaningful conversation, relaxing together, sometimes for hours, well after dessert has been served. As for meals in Platteville, Culver’s is her favorite.

Nadia wanted to come to Platteville to experience cold weather.  She saw snow for the first time here. However, she misses the warm outdoor lifestyle of the islands. She has taken up running, much to the surprise of her family, joining the cross-country team in the fall and the track team in the spring.

Nadia de las Rivas, Mattie Schutte, PHS foreign students, Optimist Amber Monroe, and President Terri Ellis gather in front of "The Optimist Creed" banner during Friday's meeting.