TOWAMENCIN – If you’ve been following North Penn Men’s Soccer, then you’ve probably heard a foreign name on the roster. Jorge Lopez Palacios is an exchange student from Spain that took this opportunity to play one of the sports he loves in America.

Jorge left his four older siblings, Eduardo, Jaime, Carmen, and Cristina, and his two parents back in Spain in order to take part in this incredible journey.

“It was hard to leave my family,” said Jorge “I’m actually an uncle because my oldest brother has a son. It was hard to leave him too.”

When he arrived here on August 28th, he had a warm greeting by his host family, especially his host brother, Keenan. Jorge said that he can’t wait to spend the next ten months with such great people.

Jorge wasn’t sure what to expect when he came to America, considering he heard a numerous amount of stereotypes.

“I heard that [Americans] are always playing sports,” said Jorge “and the foods you eat aren’t that good.”
To Jorge, these stereotypes did turn out to be true. They don’t really bother him though because he is able to continue playing his favorite sports, soccer and tennis. Jorge prefers tennis over soccer because he’s been playing the sport since he was about four years old. However, he really enjoys staying active whether it’s on the soccer field or tennis court.

Even though sports are a big part of Jorge’s life, he is also really focused on his studies in school. In fact, he is working towards becoming a businessman or a lawyer. That’s a big reason why he wanted to join the exchange program too.

“I wanted to learn English really well so it helps in my field of study,” said Jorge.

Jorge’s been working on adjusting from his school in Spain, Nuestra Senora Dep Pipar, to North Penn. Comparing the two schools, Jorge commented that North Penn is larger in size, has more students, and it has a lot more opportunities. However, he said that his school in Spain has an older look about it, for it has a gothic architecture style.

Jorge does thoroughly enjoy all that North Penn has to offer, even though he misses his old school. He really likes how a lot of the classes he has here relate to his goal of becoming a businessman or lawyer.

The only thing that really bothers him about North Penn is the schedule. What he likes most about school in Spain is that he is in school longer, which means his breaks are longer too.

“I don’t really agree with the schedule here,” said Jorge, “I just find it very confusing because of the letter days. I can never remember what day it is.”

Jorge doesn’t allow himself to be caught up in America’s confusing schedule because he wants to take in everything he can while here. He’s really wants to visit as many major cities he can, including Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, and especially New York City.

“My time here is going to go by faster than I can imagine,” said Jorge “June 2015 is going to be here before I know it.”