Most students wouldn’t be interested in trading warm weather and summer vacation for going to school during dreary winter.  However, Alessia Espejo, whose sub-equator summer vacation falls between December and February, is not like most students.

     Alessia, a new addition to the freshman class at Mariemont, is spending the next few months away from her home in Lima Peru to experience American life firsthand.  “We’ve been planning the trip since I was ten because I’ve really wanted to see what American culture is like,” Espejo says.

     Growing up with an American mother, U.S culture is very familiar to Alessia. However, she says there are some differences. “Everyone is very approachable and friendly. People were coming up and saying hello.”

     Espejo has been staying with her cousin, James Donnelly, here in Mariemont. “My mom is James’ mother’s sister. I like their house because it’s really cozy, and my aunt wears the same perfume as my mom,” she says.

     Back home, she spends her time just like any other teenager. Espejo says, “We go to the mall, watch T.V, and go on Facebook. In school electives I do singing lessons and volleyball.  I love Modern Family and Glee.”

     She spends her free time cooking dishes like curry and gnocchi, or listening to different kinds of music, like country, pop, rock, and jazz. “I’m not a fan of Peruvian music. I listen to a lot of Cat Stevens and Stevie Wonder. I love the musical Wicked,” Alessia says.

     Back in Peru, her school is very similar to any American high school, except for the field trips. Alessia says “We do all these extreme activities. We go rock climbing and rappelling, and hike in the mountains. It gets really cold and you can’t breathe properly.”

     Despite the lack of rock climbing, Alessia’s expectations are being met and says she is enjoying Mariemont. “I like Mr. Wiseman. He’s not normal, but normal is overrated, and I like Mrs. Bell because she gave me candy on my birthday. Before I came here, they told me about the boys being creepy, and that I’d be treated like I’m special, but I really don’t consider myself special.”