Recount the first days of college when you and your parents drove the one or two hours to get to campus and dropped you off for a whole new way of life. Capture that moment and imagine that you are that same person, only now the people whom you hold dear are over 4,000 miles away and the language spoken differs from your own. This is the culture shock fall recruit Pablo Delgado is going through since arriving from Spain in January.

While most students got back to the grind of school after Winter Break, Delgado just tried to acquaint himself with the campus. To help him learn the ropes both on and off the playing field and become more comfortable with a new culture, a fellow Spaniard and all-Freshman Big Ten selection Victor Diaz took Delgado under his wing.

"Victor was here and I know [him] because we play together three years ago and that helps a lot to have a friend here to help you with different things because culture is very different [here] — but I was really scared and Victor helped me a lot," Delgado said.

Three years ago marked the last meeting of the now seemingly inseparable pair. They first met as members of the U-18 Las Rozas amateur soccer team in Madrid. Despite nearly two years between meetings the two Madrid natives are having a ball together once again. When they have a break from practice and school, the pre-business majors enjoy hanging out and speaking Spanish.

"For me it has been very helpful to have someone from Spain here," Diaz said. "[Delgado] brings a little bit of culture here, Spanish culture, and I really prefer that."

The tandem seems to really thrive off each other, which bodes well for the upcoming season. In the process, Diaz has taught Delgado everything from Wisconsin culture to playing at the Division I level.

"[Delgado] seems to be doing really well," UW head coach Jeff Rohrman said. "[Diaz's] a great guy for Pablo to have to kind of show him the ropes and kind of help him through the first semester as far as getting used to the language [and] getting used to the American education system.

"I mean Victor's been showing him everything," Rohrman continued. "So I'm sure that that's been a huge plus for Pablo and he seems to be enjoying himself and is certainly doing well on the field, as well."

One of the biggest changes for Delgado will be adjusting to a different style of play than he's used to.

"It's a matter of getting used to the speed of play we play at," he said. "I think over in Europe you find that they tend to slow it down during periods of the game or certain parts of the field and here it's a little bit more frenetic, a bit faster-paced throughout the course of the whole game."

Not only is the game speed faster, the players are typically faster, bigger and stronger than what Delgado is used to seeing.

"I think it's a lot more physical than I'm sure he's used to," Rohrman explained. "He's probably not used to having so little time to do some of the things with the ball. And once people realize how skillful he is, they're not only going close him down, they're going to knock him down. So, he's got to release the ball a little bit quicker so he's not spending any time in the training room [with an injury]."

Last summer Delgado came to Madison for the men's soccer camp to try and earn a roster spot on the only team where he knew someone. He was more than successful and Coach Rohrman looks forward to the day Delgado can display his all-around skills against the opposition in the fall.

"He certainly has some great qualities as an attacking player," Rohrman said. "One of the things we've noticed the past few weeks is his intelligence, comprehension and the grasp of the defensive parts of things. He seems to have taken those [aspects of the game] to another level. Things have been going along very smoothly for him and I'm excited about what he can potentially bring for us in the fall."

With the addition of Delgado to the team, Rohrman and his players are excited about the prospects of a strong fall. Diaz jokingly said that he wouldn't be surprised if the Badgers finished first in the Big Ten.

Although that projection may not be attainable, Diaz is happy to have another assist man on the team, especially one that reminds him of home, and Delgado is happy that he's no longer alone.