Written By: Mia Herz

Last year, students Renna and Yana Thukral ‘26 traded the familiar Rye Country Day School classroom for one in Europe. Through School Year Abroad (SYA), an immersive study abroad program for high school students, Renna studied in Zaragoza, Spain, while Yana settled in Viterbo, Italy.

For Renna, one of the highlights was a trip to Sevilla, a lively city she described as a “quintessentially Spanish,” complete with a flamenco show and a view of the Giralda tower. Her host town of Zaragoza was a small, non touristy area, but still filled with culture and liveliness. During the school day, most of her classes were in Spanish which allowed her to pick up the language and unique vocabulary quickly. Her favorite class was Spanish Art History because, she explains, she could walk outside of the classroom and see artists like Goudi and Picasso and “what you learn about in class, you can also see with your own eyes.” 

The overall atmosphere in Spain was extremely relaxed with a siesta culture. Since Zaragoza is not a touristy town, in the afternoon and on Sundays, shops, restaurants, and museums close. Cafés open later, lunch is at 2pm, and after school Renna recalls that she would “study at a coffee shop, run errands, or just live in the city with friends.” On Wednesdays, classes were replaced by “field work days” where Renna was able to explore Spain and its culture by going on a grape stomping excursion, planting olive trees, and visiting Madrid.

Coming back to the US, Renna has brought one of her favorite traditions with her: sobremesa, the Spanish custom of lingering after dinner to talk or play cards, instead of eating and going separate ways. It connected her deeply with her host family and friends abroad, and now with her own family at home. She also has a new outlook on travel, as she explains she wants to continue to visit different countries around the world and learn about their cultures and languages to “see how people live and have a broader perspective on life.” 

Meanwhile, Yana immersed herself in Italy’s deep traditions of fashion and food. Her travels stretched from the Greek ruins of Agrigento in Sicily to the fashion houses of Milan. 

Each morning in countryside Viterbo, she would walk through the gates of the walled city to reach class. Her favorite class was agroecology where she made olive oil, pasta, cheese, and other Italian foods and then learned about the scientific behind these processes. For Yana, field work days meant going to museums and different towns and spending time in Rome, which was only a short train ride away. She explains how this allowed her to “independently get a sense of the country” and learn some of its hidden treasures. After school, she engaged in extracurriculars taught in Italian. She played tennis, attended more cooking classes, tutored local high school students in English, and created her own skirt and dress in a fashion design class. Immersing herself in Italian life was extremely important as she explains that she “wanted to blend in and look like locals.” In doing so, she shares how she learned that “food is a huge part of their pride and culture and seeing how much it’s appreciated and how much care is really inspiring to me.”

Similar to Renna’s experience, the pace of life in Italy was slower and more relaxed compared to the US, especially around meals. This made her appreciate the quality time with her host family and friends and understand the huge emphasis on family. She explains that in Italy it is not traditional to move across the country for college, and instead most kids settle down in their home towns, so there is less generational divide and more family time. 

Back home, Yana continues to cook Italian food and maintain the same coffee and fashion habits she adopted in Italy, while also working at an Italian restaurant over the summer. Looking ahead to future travel, she hopes to return to Italy because she shared that “I found myself there and I feel that my heart is there too. It’s where I belong and where I thrive best.”

As they begin their final year of high school back in the US, Renna and Yana bring not just stories, but broadened perspectives and traditions for their respective host countries.