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By Norma Dittman Fifteen year old Adriana Vilardeu Naudeillo, Barcelona, Spain, is studying as a sophomore at Fulda High School during the 2025-2026 year. She is the daughter of Meritxeu Naudeillo Cosp and Jordi Vilardeu Molas. Adriana shared that she has three siblings: her sister, Carlota Vilardeu Naudeillo (age 19 years); step-sister, Aitana Guimera Gil (age 16 years); and her half-brother Daniel Vilardeu Gabas (age 3 years).
Living with host parents Phil and Tori Duerr, Fulda, Adriana currently has three host siblings: Madisyn, Brayden, and Adeline.
Adriana learned on August 27th that her host family lived near Fulda, Minnesota. She arrived in Sioux Falls on August 29th, meeting her host mother for the first time.
Wanting to have a new experience, Adriana chose to apply through the Nacel Open Door Student Exchange Program.
When asked if she had ever been to the United States before, she replied, “When I was so very small that I don’t really remember it.”
She described her flight from Barcelona to Chicago as 9 and one-half hours in which she was able to sleep for most of the flight, waking at times to take nourishment. From Chicago, she flew directly to Sioux Falls Regional Airport.
Because Barcelona is a city that is almost twice the size of Manhattan, New York, Adriana stated that travel is mostly by underground trains, trains, buses and automobiles. The population of Barcelona is 1.7 million. But when the neighboring municipalities within the province are included, the population increases to around 5.7 million people.
“You have wide open spaces where you have to travel so much further,” Adriana observed. “In Spain, I take a train that takes us to a stop near the school. Here I ride a bus to go to school.”
School in Spain is much more studying, Adriana stated. “My classes here are more practice. I take Algebra II, biology, English, history, and art,” she shared. “I have been going to the football games and I like that. I also like volleyball.”
Learning about the foods of this area has been different for Adriana, as well. “In Spain, our food is more healthy than it is here. We eat a lot more vegetables.” Her favorite foods at home in Spain are paella de marisco (a rice and fish/meat dish), and tortilla de patatas (a Spanish omelette that can include potatoes, onion, eggs, salt and oil).
But, she has found a favorite American dessert! “I really like Crumbl Cookies!”
Adriana is staying in touch with her family in Spain through video calls. “I try to video call mom one weekend and dad the next weekend. Alternating every other weekend works very well for all of us,” she shared.
