Inside the Lives of International Students: From Spain to St. Louis
Five girls from Spain come to Meramec to play soccer
HIBA OBEED ART & LIFE EDITOR
In 2025, five Spanish girls came to St. Louis to play soccer, attend college and live together. With no car, no family and living in an unfamiliar city, they became instant friends.
“When we arrived, one of the young men from the Men’s soccer team came to take us from the airport. We don’t remember the exact moment we said ‘we are friends;’ when we first met we felt like immediate friends,” Alba Pino Martin said.
But how did they get here to begin with?
“An agency spoke to my parents about my soccer, offering me an opportunity to come and play in the United States. So I started speaking with the agency, and accepted this offer to come to St. Louis. Later they revealed that I actually had more offers, but I had already picked this one so it was too late,” Elena Miron Santos said before laughing.
Although Santos felt misinformed, Martin had a slightly different experience. “I was considering my other offers, but our current coach called us and he tried to convince us,” Martin said. “I preferred to speak with someone from the college and the others were only on paper. It made me more comfortable with this offer because at least I knew who my coach would be.”
After coming to St. Louis, the girls experienced culture shock. “Relationships between people, schedules for when to eat and sleep are different,” Nahia Moreno Munos said. “We eat dinner at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and sleep at 11 p.m. or midnight. In Spain we eat lunch at 2 p.m., and here it’s 12 p.m.”
It isn’t simply scheduling issues the girls had trouble with, they’ve also encountered discourteous treatment from their American peers, according to the players.
“Here in America, they think Spain is in Mexico but no, it’s in Europe. Sometimes I feel like they think we are Spanish so we’re dumb because we don’t speak the same language. In Spanish I may even
be smarter than people here. We’re not dumb,” Munos said as the other girls nodded in agreement.
Martin feels similarly.
“Sometimes I don’t know how to say certain words or I’m nervous at the moment, but I understand when I’m spoken to; they think because I don’t know what to say that I can’t understand,” Martin said. “If they were speaking Spanish and they said something imperfectly, I would still understand. I feel like here they don’t try to understand you– they are very specific about pronunciation.”
The girls sometimes receive uneducated questions. “One of our teammates once told us ‘Don’t think I’m stupid because of this question but can you go from Spain to Africa by walking?’ She also thought Spain was a city and Europe was a country. They have no clue about geography here. In Spain geography is mandatory,” Santos said before chuckling.
The girls reflected on the differences between their cities in Spain compared to St. Louis.
“They told us in Spain that here you need a car for almost everything, but only after coming here did I realize how bad it is. I thought, well there must be some places to walk and get food. In Spain you walk for five minutes and there’s plenty of food vendors. Also fast food; people here eat a lot of fast food,” Munos said.
Although according to Santos, it’s not all bad.
“I thought it would be uglier, like the landscapes. The nature is nice here. I thought it would be dirty with less nature,” Santos said.
Martin was also pleasantly surprised in some ways.
“I was worried about food because in Spain they told us people here only
ate hamburgers and fast food. I thought Americans wouldn’t have lentils or vegetables, but the supermarkets have the same stuff, just way more expensive,” Martin said.
There are many things the girls wish people in the United States knew about Spain.
“We have good health insurance in Spain,” Munos said. “There is a lot of help that the government offers for teenagers in Spain– they give hundreds of euros to teens, 18-year-olds receive around 400 euros just because, free trips around Europe just because and a lot of cheap or free things just because. It’s easier for young people to live comfortably in Spain,” Santos said.
In hindsight, there are a lot of things they now appreciate after living outside of Spain.
“For me, I miss the food the most. Public transport as well. I told them we needed a car here but they didn’t listen. I was talking with my roommates recently and I said that I love my parents more now; they talk to me everyday,” Santos said.
Martin shared her thoughts as well. “In Spain when I went to college, I had relationships with people. Here I can’t tell if it’s because I’m from Spain but I feel like I can’t speak with anyone– I feel like here people just go to class and leave and I don’t see people together,” Martin said.
PHOTOS BY HIBA OBEED
Elena Miron Santos, Eva Santiago Parro, Nahia Moreno Munos, Judit Carulla Fabregat, Alba Pino Martin pose for a photo.
MERAMEC
The Music Program at Meramec offers courses and ensembles for all students. Classes are available for general education credit and the Associate in Arts degree with a concentration in Music to prepare for transfer into a Bachelor of Music program.
** SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE ** COURSES
MUS 101,102,201,202 Music Theory I,II,III,IV
MUS 103 Music Fundamentals
MUS 114
Music Appreciation
MUS 115 Group Voice
MUS 121,122,221,222 Class Piano I,II,III,IV
MUS 128 History of Rock and Roll
MUS 130 Beginning Guitar
MUS 141,142,241,242 Applied Music (Lessons) I,II,III,IV
MUS 150 Fundamentals of Music Technology
MUS 152
Audio Engineering
MUS 154 Music Recording
ENSEMBLES – CORE42GENEDCREDIT!
Music 131 – Concert Choir/Chamber Singers*
Music 132 – Orchestra
Music 134 – Symphonic Band
Music 138 – Jazz Combos
All ensembles hold a seat/part assignment hearing after the first rehearsal.
*Members of the Concert Choir may audition for the Chamber Singers/Jazz Choir. stlcc.edu/music · MeramecMusic@stlcc.edu · Humanities East 101
IN THE MONTAGE
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SMALL TEAM, BIG IMPACT
Freshman basketball player Ella Nottmeyer fuels Archers team with passion and determination
LINDSEY UNNERSTALL SPORTS EDITOR
Freshman Ella Nottmeyer turned an obsession with basketball into an adolescent career with a journey rooted in passion, teamwork and dedication. After graduating from St. Charles High School, Nottmeyer began playing basketball for the STLCC Archers this past fall. She has been playing basketball since the fifth grade and has been determined to carry out her athletic career ever since.
What motivated me to play was back in March 2017 when my family and I attended a local high school district basketball game,” Nottmeyer said. “I remember being starstruck with the game and the atmosphere. After the girls’ game, I even went up to one of the players and asked for their autograph.”
Nottmeyer has countless supporters in her community among her family, friends and teammates. The small size of the team and the intimacy of being a community college results in a strong, tight-knit bond between the eight athletes.
“My favorite aspect of the game is the competitiveness and the relationships you build along the way,” said Nottmeyer, freshman guard.
Nottmeyer’s teammate and fellow guard Sophie Westbrook sees her passion and energy both on and off the court.
“Ella is a great teammate, we can always count on her. Whenever someone falls she is there to help them back up, or whenever someone does something good she is there to high five,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook has also been playing basketball most of her life and values the support of the team just as much as Nottmeyer does. The Fort Zumwalt East alumn believes that being on a small team means that the girls have to stick together on and off of the court.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
“Our bond is very close, we can all joke around and we all have each other’s backs,” Westbrook said, recalling memorable moments of bus rides to and from the collegiate games.
Aside from the sport, Nottmeyer’s carefree and energetic character is shown through the friendships she shares with her teammates, according to Westbrook.
“Ella is a great teammate, we can always count on her. Whenever someone falls she is there to help them back up, or whenever someone does something good she is there to high five.”
- Sophie Westbrook
“Ella is a very hard working person, but off the court she is a great friend and likes to joke around and laugh. She is also a great hype woman,” Westbrook said.
Nottmeyer said she feels lucky and extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue playing basketball at STLCC.
“In the future, I hope to apply the lessons I’ve learned through basketball to my everyday
life. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from playing basketball is to ‘keep chopping wood’,” Nottmeyer said, quoting American basketball coach Brad Underwood.
It’s clear to teammates of Nottmeyer like Westbrook that she embodies this determination and resilience through every practice and game.
“Ella is very dedicated and she always works hard. She never gives up,” Westbrook said. “I’ve learned a lot from Ella, and she inspires me to keep working hard as well.”
Martin shared her thoughts as well.
“In Spain when I went to college, I had relationships with people. Here I can’t tell if it’s because I’m from Spain but I feel like I can’t speak with anyone– I feel like here people just go to class and leave and I don’t see people together,” Martin said.
Freshman Ella Nottmeyer shoots a free throw during a Nov. 25 basketball game against Rend Lake College. The Archers lost 67-29.
Such is the Story of an Adventurer OPINIONS |
Netflix series ‘Hilda’ sparks child-like awe
DANIEL HOYER STAFF
It’s just a show on Netflix about a girl and her fox-deer companion, so it can’t be that interesting, right? It’s just the stereotypical “child and their pet go into the forest and go on adventures, meeting monsters along the way” trope. These assumptions, lackluster but also kind of accurate, give the impression that “Hilda” is a low effort show with a plot that has been done hundreds of times. That’s the fun part. You go into the show not expecting much, but the theme song alone reveals what you’re really getting yourself into.
The theme song is written by Canadian artist Grimes. The beginning of the song is a build up that almost sounds like if, instead of water, rain was made up of rainbows. While that might sound weird or even ridiculous, the sound is so hard to describe that I can’t find a better analogy. Right after the rainbow rain builds up, you hear an “ahhhhh” that sounds like a sigh of relief, like sinking into a beanbag chair. The sigh signifies that the show is going to be the kind of comfort show that you watched once as a kid and still watch it today as an adult. Which, personally, is what the show is to me now– even though I watched it for the first time as an adult. After that sigh, we get a combination of electric piano and synths that, once again, builds up to another “ahhhhh.” Then there is a sequence of electronic drums that lead to a “hilllldaaaaa” in that same “ahhhhhh” voice. For the next few seconds, it’s a chaos of electronic drums, synths, that voice again and other indescribable sounds. Right at the end though, it dies down a bit, sounding like the kind of music that you’d hear on a dark night in the country surrounded by fireflies.
Look back at that rant. That’s just the theme song! Now let’s get into the actual show.
It’s hard to cover the show without going through the entire series bit by bit, which would
‘Brief’
probably end up being a whole newspaper issue by itself. Let me just start with…it’s magical. In the literal sense that there are witches, fairies, trolls and elves but also in the more metaphorical sense that it brings back that curiosity of when you were a kid and you wanted to turn over every rock you saw. You feel like you’re on those same adventures right beside Hilda and Twig (her loyal and adorable deerfox). When she moves to the city you feel the same amount of sorrow and sadness as she does as she leaves her childhood home behind.
Now I want to talk about the constant theme of authority throughout the show. While he doesn’t show up until season two, Erik Ahlberg is the head ranger of the Trolberg Safety Patrol, the city in which Hilda now lives. At least for me, he is reminiscent of Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast” with that muscular build and an ego higher than a bird can fly. Something about Ahlberg that you have to understand is that he lives for glory and reputation and he’ll do anything to maintain his image. This could mean spreading propaganda to children, encouraging their parents to join the Safety Patrol, or willingly doing things that will anger and hurt trolls just so they will run away and he can stay on his soapbox.
The main thing that Ahlberg does is he rings bells in front of them to drive them away but, as we come to find out, the reason they run away, is because the sound is amplified for them and that sound to them is like if you were standing right under a tornado alarm as it was going off. Hilda knows this as she’s lived next to trolls all her life. She tries to tell Ahlberg to stop, but the bell ringing drives the trolls away so Ahlberg doesn’t care about it. Now, thankfully, in the movie (yes, there’s a movie) he finally gets harshly talked to by his deputy, but this further angers Ahlberg to the point that he actually fires her. Thankfully, something happens to him in the movie that turns his entire view around. I won’t say what since it would give away the whole plot of the movie and a bit of seasons two
Intermissions
and three. This plotline shows kids the dangers of corrupt authority, telling them they need to fight for the right thing in order to enact change. Finally, I want to talk about the sort of “slogan” of the show: “Such is the Life of an Adventurer,” which this article’s title is based off of. This phrase gets said in several different instances throughout the show, usually when something big happens. This phrase is basically saying how hardships and difficult events will happen if you’re an adventurer (which Hilda obviously is). To me, this phrase transcends the archetype of an adventurer and bleeds into everyday life. No matter what happens, consequences are going to follow, whether good or bad. It’s all about how you deal with them.
If I have to leave you with something, watch the show not as an adult trying to relive childhood, but watch it as a child with an infectious curiosity. For all that is good and great in the world, WATCH THE GOSH DARN SHOW! (It’s also a book series).
The problem with Netflix decreasing TV show seasons while having longer wait times through ‘Stranger Things’
“Stranger Things” is a show that has recently aired the first part of its fifth season following its three year hiatus. With that, a growing problem has begun to rear its ugly head. This show is too short to have been going for so long. With the rising trend of TV shows releasing a total of eight to 10 episodes max, then taking a pause and leaving its fans waiting for years, I feel “Stranger Things” may have played a vital part in this.
“The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached. Instead of increasing anticipation, they’ve lessened it, arguably breeding indifference among its once-loyal fandom,” said Emma Flint in a statement taken from the opinion piece “‘Stranger Things’ Is Proof the TV Release Model Has Changed— for the Worse.”
“Stranger Things” first premiered on July 15, 2016. Since then it has stretched through four presidencies for a total of nine years and has only released,
counting season five, 42 episodes. Comparing this to another show, “Lucifer,” which was released during the same year and has a total of 93 episodes, six seasons, and ended back in 2021. While these shows may be different in story, they both come from the same studio: Netflix. I feel that plays into another problem: letting creators and/or studios stretch their shows thin.
“I get fatigued watching 20-episode seasons,” producer Matt Duffer said. “We didn’t grow up interested in any of that. We only watched movies. That’s the weird thing that we ended up in TV, because we had almost zero interest in television. If TV shows come out every year, it’s diminishing return,” Duffer said.
“I like the buildup.”
The “build up” that these shows create has, in my opinion, allowed companies to shorten their TV shows and instead have a couple episodes be movie-length to the detriment of their shows. I think Netflix does this the most with “Stranger Things” given that it’s one of its top three biggest shows. The others being “Squid Games” and “Wednesday,” both shows that average a six to nine episode count for each season. Having short episodes like this takes away the charm in sitting back and enjoying a show. A prime example being the Korean show “All of Us Are Dead,” which has been on hiatus for season two since 2022.
A TV show isn’t supposed to be a movie and a season shouldn’t take years to make. It’s not supposed to average one to two hours long each episode. When it does, I feel like that can lead to letting good moments slip so that the main plot stays on track. We live in this age where everything has to come immediately to us. Why can’t we just enjoy the moments? Why can’t episodes be 20-30 minutes with an average of 20 episodes? Have we strayed too far?
