A Spanglish exchange

When Peyton McDougal met Luis Desvalls at camp in 2012, he didn’t know he’d one day be like a brother.

Two years later, Peyton has spent a month in Barcelona visiting Luis and his family, and now Luis is spending the year with Peyton’s family as an exchange student at Mountain Brook High School

A friend of Luis’ family sends his kids to Camp Mac in eastern Alabama, and Luis’ family sent him in 2012 to help his English skills, since the language acts a commonality among European countries.

After Peyton and Luis’ month at camp together ended in 2012, the boys kept in touch with Skype and made plans for Peyton to visit Barcelona during the World Cup this summer. 

While there, Peyton was a bit skeptical of the jamon, a popular type of cured ham that he tried, but raved about tasting the paella and potatoes brava. Luis took him to his first bullfight, and they spent time at his family’s vineyard, Finca Viladellops.

Eventually, the idea of Luis studying in the U.S. came to reality in August after a sea of paperwork had been approved. 

The McDougals welcomed Luis with a party before school started and invited high school students to meet him. He will spend the remainder of his sophomore year at Mountain Brook, where Peyton is now a senior.

What struck Luis most about MBHS on the first day was how much he said it is just like American high schools on TV and movies, with cheerleaders, football players and lockers.

He quickly adapted to the local culture with a newfound enthusiasm for college football games. He said attending University of Alabama games is “really crazy” and that he was amazed how many people were there.

Within the first several weeks of school, Luis learned what homecoming and dress-up days meant, and spent time on Lake Martin with friends. He made the roster for the soccer team at MBHS and is playing on a travel team this fall.

Back in Barcelona, Luis also played soccer and attended school, but some parts of life are quite different. He lives in a metropolitan area near his 25 first cousins, and his school day runs 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 

He’s used to nearby cities being closer — anything over 4 hours seems far — and portion sizes being smaller than what he has found here. On his first trip to Costco, he was amazed by the bigness of everything. Peyton caught him taking a photo of a pack of Skittles.

Luis was surprised to drink a milkshake with his burger instead of afterward on a trip to Johnny Rocket’s and also to eat fruit with a main course, not just for dessert. He’s become a fan of peanut butter, Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew, none of which he had tried before coming to the U.S.

Luis has been looking for gazpacho around Birmingham but has decided his best bet will be to make it himself for the McDougals.

Layne McDougal, Peyton’s mom, said Luis’ English is great and improves each day. He still, however, thinks everyone talks really fast. 

“Just be glad you live in the South,” Layne tells him.