Gabriel Gerhardt -- Brazil

26/10/13

October update

                Hey everyone. It has been a really big month. This month I got to go the city of Sao Paulo itself which was awesome. I got to see a lot of the sites like the Mercado principal which is like their version of the Boston market, where you can buy almost any food you want from Brazil. I also got to see Liberdad which is like their China Town. You can buy a lot of awesome things there that are really cheap which is rare here. The government puts a lot of taxes on everything so all the prices are really high. My father was telling me that 30 % of every Brazilian´s salary goes to paying taxes.

                 I also got the visit a different state, the state of Minas Gerias which was awesome. It one of the bread basket states so it is a really big industrial center and agricultural center. I really reminded me of Cobleskill with the rolling hills and all the farms. It was really nice to get out of the city and out into the country.

                Ju Jitsu has been great. I have made a lot of friends and my Ju Jitsu has improved a lot. My professor says  that I am really strong on the ground but I still need to work on my posture which I will learn in time. One of my teammates has invited to his wedding in December which I am really looking forward to. I really want to see if a Brazilian wedding is any different from an American wedding. Also in December I will be able to compete in my first competition in Sao Paulo, which I  think will be awesome.   

                My school is also celebrating Halloween so they have asked me to help organize the event and make a presentation on Halloween all in Portuguese which maybe hard but I think I will do just fine.

                 So, one more month down, one more chapter in my exchange, and a ton of memories to remember when I am done. Hope everything is going well with you guys at home I look forward to hearing what you guys are dong at home.

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13/9/13

September update

My trip so far has been really good. I really haven’t been having any problems with the language I can understand what they are saying pretty well, but I have trouble sometimes pronouncing the words. To improve this I have asked for help from my English teacher and in return I have been helping out in my school with the English classes.

I also started going to the gym and I am starting Ju Jitsu. It is really fun and I love to do it. It is a great way to keep fit and meeting friends. I also can practice my Portuguese there which is great. I think I have learned more Portuguese there than I have in school because I am forced to really pay attention to what they are saying and forced to ask question.

My school is great everyone is really receptive to me and helps me out a lot. The students like to practice their English with me and in turn I practice my Portuguese with them. The teachers like to ask me a lot about the US foreign policy though which is like a balancing act because I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I like to ask them a lot though about their politics specifically about Vargas there leader during the 1930s because  I find it interesting how if  you ask one Brazilian what they think of  Vargas they say he was the best thing that happened, if you ask another he was the worst thing that happened. 

Rotary here is really big, every town I go to I see a rotary sign or symbol. They are also are big into an organization called ROTEX which is a club for ex foreign exchange student. They organize trips and community service projects which is awesome because I can participate in them and get to see more of the sites.

I love it here and so far I haven’t been having any problems. Hope everything is going well there.  

Shilo Christiansen -- Japan (Home Club: Cobleskill)

November 7, 2013

Late again, time really flies! I didn't even know it was November until yesterday! How is everyone doing?

11/07/2013

Host Rotary Club: 7190

Sponsor Rotary Club: 2560

Current Host Family: Minami

Counselor Name: Nishiyama-san

 

I really don’t know how a month passes so fast. It has been another month of being in Japan, and once again it was a really great month. I feel my language skills improving so much, it’s incredible. I think completely in Japanese unless I hear English, but I don’t think English once while speaking Japanese. It really is an amazing feeling. 

                       School is going very well. I’m just a little sad because next month I get a new classroom. In Japan, after everyone takes their college entrance exams, they don’t have to come to school. So I will be getting a new class. That is a great opportunity to meet new people and make more friends, but I am a little sad to not be in my current class.

            I really love my rotary club...a few of them really take the extra step to make me feel like home. I went with my counselor and another exchange student and met his whole family. It was really nostalgic. There were little kids and I felt like I was apart of their family instantly. Nishiyama-san, my counselor, really is the best counselor I could ever wish for.

            Next weekend, we are going on our three-day excursion to Hiroshima. It should be great! Lots of really beautiful places are on our itinerary, and I am very excited to go! It has been another amazing month in Japan.

Michaela Schnore -- Finland (Host Club: Glenville)

November 13, 2013

  I have now been living here for over 3 months! I have now been living with my second host family, the Siltanens, for two weeks. They are very kind people, and I have been really enjoying living so close to the center of town and so close to my friends.
       The Rotary club has kept me very involved in their activities this month, and they have decided to pay for the Lapland tour costs for me. As a thank you for taking care of those costs of the trip, I made the club two pumpkin pies with the help of my friend from Florida. Everybody really liked them.  

    This month, I visited a castle for the first time, in Hämeenlinna with my exchange student friends. My second host family brought me to Tampere with them for two days over autumn break. It was snowing quite a bit in Tampere!
        My current host family brought me out to dinner after a nice trip to an art museum in Helsinki. The restaurant was called Chico's and their slogan was "America on a plate". It was a really great restaurant and everything they had was actually American. I ordered a pulled-pork burger which came with coleslaw and onion rings. I was in heaven.
       With my friends and host families, I carved a few pumpkins, which none of the Finns had done before. I also made piparit with my host sister's scouting group, and made cake-lolipops with my host family for Finnish Father's Day, which was today. It has been a really fun month!

       

Anthony Van Dyke -- Ecuador (Home Club: Salem)

October 9, 2013

Hello from Ecuador!  My first month here has been quite an experience. I've gotten to know my host family a lot better, learn how they live their everyday lives and managed to learn a good amount of Spanish.  I've attended school for several weeks but just returned from a language camp on a resort on the beach in Monpiche. My Spanish is coming along but very slowly. Luckily some of my friends at my school know a little English to help me get by in class and to teach me spanish. I also just joined a track team last week to practice pole vaulting again and to stay in shape. I'm having a lot of fun here and I will be going on a trip next week to a different beach. I really enjoy the city and being able to walk or take a taxi everywhere. So far it's been quite the adventure and I can't wait for what the next months ahead have in store for me.

Brendan Kelley -- Brazil (Home Club: Albany)

October 10, 2013

I'm having a great time in Brazil.  I just had a meeting last week with a bunch of other rotary students, and I realized that I hadn't done any monthly updates.  I'm really sorry I forgot about them, and want to get back on track as soon as possible.
         Here in Brazil I'm living on a farm outside my city, Pirapora.  It's nice to be around animals, and to eat lots of natural foods all the time.  My second week here I milked my first cow.  My host family is really nice, and I'm doing well with school as well.
               I've acclimated really well to Brazilian culture and my Portuguese is coming along nicely.  I have next week off so I'm looking forward to that.

Shilo Christiansen -- Japan (Home club: Cobleskill)

October 11, 2013
Host Rotary Club: 7190
Sponsor Rotary Club: 2560
Current Host Family: Minami
Counselor Name: Nishiyama-san


I’m doing really well these days. I’m very healthy and loving life at school and with my friends....
            School is amazing! Of course it’s boring like school in any country is. I’m so lucky to have such great friends that make school interesting for me. Most times during classes, I study my languages, read, or do nothing. I joined Japanese tea ceremony club, which is a perfect club for me. I sit in a room, drink tea, eat some snacks, and chat with my friends. I feel so accepted by my classmates. My class is like one big family.
            I went to a Rotex picnic in Kyoto a couple weekends ago. It was really nice, and the Rotex members were all so nice. I last met Nishiyama-san at the monthly rotary meeting. He’s taking me to a tea ceremony at a temple soon, I’m really excited! I did receive my allowance, it was roughly 90 dollars, because of my cellphone bill.  My relationship with my host club is excellent, and with my counselor excellent.
            I haven’t done anything super exciting recently. I’m just really content with spending a lot of time with my friends, and learning Japanese. It has become a lot harder as I have advanced. I think a lot of times the older people around me expect a lot more out of me than the rest of the exchange students in my group. That’s a bit of a burden. All in all, I’m really happy with my time here so far. 

Michaela Schnore -- Finland (Host club -- Glenville Rotary)

 October 2, 2013
 
   Wow! I can't believe I have been living in Finland for 8 weeks now! Practically two months! The first jakso of school has already come to an end, as of today. And on Thursday I start a new jakso and a new schedule. 

        I haven't had to attend class since last Tuesday because it has been the exam week at school, and on Thursday I return to school for just over a week until it is Autumn Break already. I will be taking conversational English and Spanish, textile design, recording studio music, and physics. I am looking forward to a more challenging course schedule. 

       It has gotten colder and darker here already and it has put me in a Christmas mood prematurely. Admittedly, I did watch White Christmas the other night, and I have already begun practicing some Christmas music for guitar.

      I was only homesick a few times this month, and not for very long either. Within the month, on October 26th I will be moving into Klaukkala city to live with my second host family. I'm sure it will be a very bittersweet time for me. I really love my current host family, but it will definitely be nice to be closer to the school and all my friends.

      A lot has happened in the past month, its hard to remember it all. The Rotex organized their first meeting with the students in district 1420 and it was a fun time. My best friend from Rotary, Sarah, got to spend the night in Lepsämä which was a lot of fun, we made real American pancakes. I attended a few Rotary meetings, one was a visit to a rehabilitation center, and the other was a presentation on Nuclear safety in Finland. And tonight, I went with Sarah's host family to a hockey match between Jokerit of Helsinki and Ilves of Tampere. Jokerit got slaughtered at 4-0.

      

       Sincerely, 

      Michaela Schnore