Marina Battig ‘24 has been living with Tess Blake ‘24 for the past few months while studying at Blake for the semester. Battig previously attended Blake in Lower School until her family moved to Uruguay in 2017 . She made the decision to come back for the semester “mainly to visit my friends again, but also because of the opportunities.” Battig adds, “There’s a lot more options art wise and community service is much easier here [at Blake], which I feel in Uruguay it’s just harder to get into that.”
So far, Battig has really enjoyed her time in Minnesota, she explains “I’ve had a lot of fun. I was really welcomed back which made me really happy, and I’ve met a lot of people. She notes that Blake is not too different from the school she attends in Uruguay. The thing that surprised Battig the most about going to Blake was how similar it is to the stereotypical American high school. She explains, “There are a lot of things that are stereotypically American that I did not think actually happened. I didn’t think football games and other stuff would actually be like [the movies] but [they] are literally like what you see in the movies. It’s so funny.”
What is your favorite…
Favorite fast food place?
“I like Chipotle. I like their tacos. It’s easy fast food and it’s a good option.”
Favorite vending machine snack?
“I like rice krispies. They are so good for some reason. Usually, I like sweet things more than salty things, so usually, I go for a rice krispy.”
Favorite class at Blake?
“I like printmaking, it’s really fun. It’s really nice because you can do your own thing. You can work at your own pace and there’s a lot of artistic freedom. It’s not too strict.”
Favorite place to shop at?
“I really like Urban Outfitters. The only thing I hate about it is that it’s lowkey expensive. Their jeans are like $100 and I’m not trying to spend my money on that. I really like their clothes, I just wish they were cheaper.”
Favorite item of clothing?
“I really like statement jeans. I’ve always wanted a pair of jeans with art on them. I prefer statement pieces over plain clothes.”
Favorite app on phone?
“The app that I use most right now is probably Snapchat because I use it to talk to everyone on that. That’s just how I keep in communication with people. In terms of favoritism, I’m not sure if I have one app that I like the most.”
Favorite way to spend a Sunday morning?
“I usually would rather spend my Sunday mornings with friends or doing something. Usually, Sundays are when I do homework that I did not do on Friday or Saturday, so my favorite way would just be to spend it with some friends.”
Favorite thing about Minnesota?
“I would say the people. I really like everyone here, I have a lot of fun. But the weather is a little bit cold right now.”
Favorite thing about Uruguay?
Like Minnesota, Battig’s favorite thing about Uruguay is “also the people. I really like surrounding myself with a good group of people, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job in both places. The only difference is that here I feel like I know more people because there are more people to know, coming from a school that only has 300 people.”
Favorite restaurant in Minnesota?
“It’s called Wakame. It’s a restaurant that I used to go to with my family all the time before. It’s so good. They have the best [sushi].”
Favorite thing you’ve done while in Minnesota?
“There’s a lot. My favorite thing that I’ve done was probably my birthday weekend. There was something to do all of the time, so it was really fun for me. I also got to spend a lot of time with my friends.”
