May 13, 2013
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490
Ola! This is my second to last report before I return to the United
States. The date is set, I will be leaving Brazil on the eighth of July
and arriving on the ninth. I will be very sad to leave but it will be
good to go home.
So, a lot has happened in this month. One of the biggest things that has
happened is that my family has come down to visit me here. They will be
here until the twentieth of May, and we just spent the weekend in Rio
de Janeiro, visiting the Cristo, Sugarloaf mountain and spent Dia das
Maes (Mother's Day) on Copacabana Beach. We had a very good time. Today
is my birthday and we just arrived in my host city of Sao Luis earlier
today. We are staying with David. Later today we will be going out to
celebrate. I can't wait!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Keith Roscoe -- France (Home Club: Cobleskill)
April 20, 2013
I decided it seemed that it may have been about time to write again. But what to write about?
I am now in my 3rd and final host family. We get along
extremely well. They are sarcastic and joke all the time; Which is good.
I also feel extremely comfortable with them. I believe this has also
helped with my confidence level. I speak up and participate more in
general. After one day I realized that I was sort of just tolerating
things instead of taking an active role, I have been enjoying myself
more.
School here is almost over. I just finished with a large class
project within which I was painted green as Shrek. I will eventually put
pictures up. The performance for our theater group is coming up, as
well as for our music group.
Other upcoming events are the Bustrip Eurotour and my trip to
England with my host family! I leave in a week for the Bustrip!! I can't
believe it is already here! The bustrip is 12 days in a bus with the
other exchange students. We will be visiting: Paris, Reims, Strasbourg,
Nuremberg, Vienna, Prague, Milan, Lido di Jesolo, Venice, Geneva,
Chamonix/ Mont Blanc, Dijon, and then returning to Paris.
Continually, I am having a harder and harder time writing
regardless of which language. Which is stressful, especially when one
thinks that he starts his university year with a 3 week writing and
reading seminar...
Besides that, everything else is going super well.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer -- Brazil (Home Club: North Creek)
April 11, 2013
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490
Ola! Tudo bem? That means 'how are you in Brazilian Portuguese'. I have been having a great time here in Brazil for the most part. This month I learned a hard lesson about straying from the beaten path.
On March 31st, the day after the incident, I wrote this on my blog...
"They say hindsight is 20:20 and now, looking back, I rather wish we had gone INto the (bus) terminal, or at least near the entrance closer to the police. Andriea was painting her nails, Celina was looking at photos on Andriea's camera and I was telling them about the Hudson River Gorge and rafting, when three men came up and took our stuff before running across the street. I ended up with the only 'injury' (though you can barely call it that...) as I had been pushed down and had ripped my jeans and scrapped my knee. The police showed up rather quickly but they needed one of us to go with them to help point out the robbers. Seeing as I was the one who was the calmest (something I'm rather proud of myself for...), I jumped into the SUV with the four policemen and we took off after the men. If I wasn't so freaked out it would have been rather cool, considering that I was being involved in a police chase but I was a little bit freaked at the moment. The three men split up, one (the one holding my bag, of course...) ran towards the interior of the island, one (holding Celina's bag) ran towards the shore (which was near the bus terminal) and the last one (with Andriea's bag) ran a bit further before heading the same way. One by one the three policemen that weren't driving would say pare (which means stop) and one would jump out of the car to go chase a robber. Soon it was only me and the policeman who was driving in the car, he drove to the area behind a restaurant and after telling me to go to the restaurant, took off to help the other policemen.
I went to the restaurant and explained what happened in rather poor and panicky Portuguese. (I must admit to saying things like 'Eles tem a minha bolsa!' which means 'They have my purse!' along with the one that I think anyone would say, 'Eu quero a minha mamãe.' which means 'I want my mommy.') They got me a bottle of water and helped my calm down a bit. The officer soon came back and drove me back to the terminal where I went to the small guard station where Celina and Andriea already were. Andriea was crying and claiming that it was all her fault, to which I forced her to look in my eyes and told her that it was not her fault it was the robbers fault and we we just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Celina was also crying and I gave them both hugs and sang a little bit (okay, I sang a lot, but it seemed to help them and it passed the time...). Andriea had her phone, it was the only thing of value that wasn't taken because it was in her pocket, and she called her mom asking her to come and get her, originally she was going to go home on the bus but none of us wanted to be alone for that long.
It took a while but eventually my host parents came, they weren't aware that we had been robbed, Celina's phone had been taken and no one remembered their number, so they had to be told by people who had seen the robbery that we were in the guard station. When we saw my host mother, Celina and I gave her a big hug and then she went to go and get my host father who was still in the car. We were very happy to see both of them. We then waited for Andriea's mother to come on the bus.
While we were waiting for her, the police brought a man in that they had caught and asked us if he was one of the robbers. However, because I had only caught a brief glance of them, I couldn't be sure, it was a rather nerve-racking experience. We then sat just outside the station, in the terminal waiting for Andriea's mother.
After she arrived, all of us (including Andriea and her mother) piled into the car and went to the nearest police station (that was not an outpost or a guard station) to report what happened. Of all of us, Celina lost the most, including her exchange student ID, along with her phone, nail polish, credit card and money. Andriea lost her camera, money and nail polish. And I lost my nail polish, my hair clips, my boater's license (which I have never used...), my money, my credit card, (my library card, too, now that I think about it...) along with my camera which is why I won't be able to upload all of the stupid photos that I took of me with my face painted. I really wish I could redo yesterday but no such luck...
We took Andriea and her mother to their house before going home ourselves. When we got their, Celina said that she was seriously considering going home, I told her that I would be staying to finish out my year, even if it was just to prove to myself that I could. And when I Skyped with my family earlier today, my dad had a good point, I shouldn't allow one bad experience to ruin what has been an awesome time so far. She has since then decided to finish out her year, I have to admit I'm proud of her, she is only fifteen and it is a powerful experience to go through at that age. (In fact, now that I think about it, I was the oldest one of our small group yesterday. Andriea turned seventeen in December.)"
If you want to see a full account of that day, it can be found on my blog at http://adkstobrazil.
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490
Ola! Tudo bem? That means 'how are you in Brazilian Portuguese'. I have been having a great time here in Brazil for the most part. This month I learned a hard lesson about straying from the beaten path.
On March 31st, the day after the incident, I wrote this on my blog...
"They say hindsight is 20:20 and now, looking back, I rather wish we had gone INto the (bus) terminal, or at least near the entrance closer to the police. Andriea was painting her nails, Celina was looking at photos on Andriea's camera and I was telling them about the Hudson River Gorge and rafting, when three men came up and took our stuff before running across the street. I ended up with the only 'injury' (though you can barely call it that...) as I had been pushed down and had ripped my jeans and scrapped my knee. The police showed up rather quickly but they needed one of us to go with them to help point out the robbers. Seeing as I was the one who was the calmest (something I'm rather proud of myself for...), I jumped into the SUV with the four policemen and we took off after the men. If I wasn't so freaked out it would have been rather cool, considering that I was being involved in a police chase but I was a little bit freaked at the moment. The three men split up, one (the one holding my bag, of course...) ran towards the interior of the island, one (holding Celina's bag) ran towards the shore (which was near the bus terminal) and the last one (with Andriea's bag) ran a bit further before heading the same way. One by one the three policemen that weren't driving would say pare (which means stop) and one would jump out of the car to go chase a robber. Soon it was only me and the policeman who was driving in the car, he drove to the area behind a restaurant and after telling me to go to the restaurant, took off to help the other policemen.
I went to the restaurant and explained what happened in rather poor and panicky Portuguese. (I must admit to saying things like 'Eles tem a minha bolsa!' which means 'They have my purse!' along with the one that I think anyone would say, 'Eu quero a minha mamãe.' which means 'I want my mommy.') They got me a bottle of water and helped my calm down a bit. The officer soon came back and drove me back to the terminal where I went to the small guard station where Celina and Andriea already were. Andriea was crying and claiming that it was all her fault, to which I forced her to look in my eyes and told her that it was not her fault it was the robbers fault and we we just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Celina was also crying and I gave them both hugs and sang a little bit (okay, I sang a lot, but it seemed to help them and it passed the time...). Andriea had her phone, it was the only thing of value that wasn't taken because it was in her pocket, and she called her mom asking her to come and get her, originally she was going to go home on the bus but none of us wanted to be alone for that long.
It took a while but eventually my host parents came, they weren't aware that we had been robbed, Celina's phone had been taken and no one remembered their number, so they had to be told by people who had seen the robbery that we were in the guard station. When we saw my host mother, Celina and I gave her a big hug and then she went to go and get my host father who was still in the car. We were very happy to see both of them. We then waited for Andriea's mother to come on the bus.
While we were waiting for her, the police brought a man in that they had caught and asked us if he was one of the robbers. However, because I had only caught a brief glance of them, I couldn't be sure, it was a rather nerve-racking experience. We then sat just outside the station, in the terminal waiting for Andriea's mother.
After she arrived, all of us (including Andriea and her mother) piled into the car and went to the nearest police station (that was not an outpost or a guard station) to report what happened. Of all of us, Celina lost the most, including her exchange student ID, along with her phone, nail polish, credit card and money. Andriea lost her camera, money and nail polish. And I lost my nail polish, my hair clips, my boater's license (which I have never used...), my money, my credit card, (my library card, too, now that I think about it...) along with my camera which is why I won't be able to upload all of the stupid photos that I took of me with my face painted. I really wish I could redo yesterday but no such luck...
We took Andriea and her mother to their house before going home ourselves. When we got their, Celina said that she was seriously considering going home, I told her that I would be staying to finish out my year, even if it was just to prove to myself that I could. And when I Skyped with my family earlier today, my dad had a good point, I shouldn't allow one bad experience to ruin what has been an awesome time so far. She has since then decided to finish out her year, I have to admit I'm proud of her, she is only fifteen and it is a powerful experience to go through at that age. (In fact, now that I think about it, I was the oldest one of our small group yesterday. Andriea turned seventeen in December.)"
If you want to see a full account of that day, it can be found on my blog at http://adkstobrazil.
Other than that incident, my time here has been well spent and I am loving every minute of it!
Sincerely,
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer aka Kikif
Friday, March 15, 2013
Keith Roscoe -- France (Home: Cobleskill)
March 15, 2013
Bonjour,
How is everyone? I decided to start with this question because it seems that I am always sending out updates but never receiving any. Now, it is your turn! Even if it is just a short message. I would very much like to hear from you. Now what have I been up to?
Well we just had our 2 week mid-winter break. I went to Paris with my host family! That's right. Paris! More details about that in a few; Other than that things have been pretty normal around here. The weather seemed to have given us a sneak peak of spring, but now we are back to snow, sleet, and rain. I am growing fed up of the weather. All I want is nice warm weather. School is as annoying as normal, but I feel like I am starting to get along more and more with the frenchies. Rotary Life; I have been going to my usual club meetings and events. The other day I stayed overnight at my councilor's house after going to the movies; In France the rotary does a fundraiser where they sell movie tickets to a movie debut. So, it is like a rotary specific premiere. The movie we saw was the new version of "The Wizard of Oz." To give you an idea of the "time difference" between American Culture and France, that movie just came out.
Now, Paris! We were in Paris for 5 nights/4 days. On arriving Monday we took a quick tour of Paris by night in the car. The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower. Then we went to the family friend's house where we were spending the night. The next day we fought through the traffic and finally made it into Paris; We started off by seeing the "Place Vendôme." I'd say it is like the equivalent of the "5th Street" of Paris. This is where the most expensive stores I have ever seen are located. My host mom made the choice that if I wanted to buy a new suitcase then I should do it here. What made that funny is that we were in front of the Louis Vuitton store. In the same little plaza there were Chanel, Rolex, Dior, and even the Ritz. Can you imagine? I believe it is obvious that I did not buy my souvenirs here. Sorry to let you guys down, but no Louis Vuitton or Chanel for you. That day was essentially non-stop. We also visited the Champs Elysées, Place de la Concord, L'Arc de Triomphe, Jardin des Tuileries, Champs de Maris, Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and we walked along the Seine. The next day we did Versailles in the morning and the Louvre in the afternoon. Both were very beautiful but since the weather wasn't that nice the gardens at Versailles weren't that great. Since it was the off-season the fountains were not working. There was also a fountain under restoration. I feel as if every fountain I go see is under construction. But, the next day we visited the "Happiest Place on Earth." Since, it was my first Disney Experience, I am very happy to have done it. It was great. I recommend Disney to everyone!
6 Months! Soon to be 7 before I know it. I know I repeat it in every email, but its true. I just can't believe it. I will be back in the states doing my college work before we realize it!
Bonjour,
How is everyone? I decided to start with this question because it seems that I am always sending out updates but never receiving any. Now, it is your turn! Even if it is just a short message. I would very much like to hear from you. Now what have I been up to?
Well we just had our 2 week mid-winter break. I went to Paris with my host family! That's right. Paris! More details about that in a few; Other than that things have been pretty normal around here. The weather seemed to have given us a sneak peak of spring, but now we are back to snow, sleet, and rain. I am growing fed up of the weather. All I want is nice warm weather. School is as annoying as normal, but I feel like I am starting to get along more and more with the frenchies. Rotary Life; I have been going to my usual club meetings and events. The other day I stayed overnight at my councilor's house after going to the movies; In France the rotary does a fundraiser where they sell movie tickets to a movie debut. So, it is like a rotary specific premiere. The movie we saw was the new version of "The Wizard of Oz." To give you an idea of the "time difference" between American Culture and France, that movie just came out.
Now, Paris! We were in Paris for 5 nights/4 days. On arriving Monday we took a quick tour of Paris by night in the car. The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower. Then we went to the family friend's house where we were spending the night. The next day we fought through the traffic and finally made it into Paris; We started off by seeing the "Place Vendôme." I'd say it is like the equivalent of the "5th Street" of Paris. This is where the most expensive stores I have ever seen are located. My host mom made the choice that if I wanted to buy a new suitcase then I should do it here. What made that funny is that we were in front of the Louis Vuitton store. In the same little plaza there were Chanel, Rolex, Dior, and even the Ritz. Can you imagine? I believe it is obvious that I did not buy my souvenirs here. Sorry to let you guys down, but no Louis Vuitton or Chanel for you. That day was essentially non-stop. We also visited the Champs Elysées, Place de la Concord, L'Arc de Triomphe, Jardin des Tuileries, Champs de Maris, Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and we walked along the Seine. The next day we did Versailles in the morning and the Louvre in the afternoon. Both were very beautiful but since the weather wasn't that nice the gardens at Versailles weren't that great. Since it was the off-season the fountains were not working. There was also a fountain under restoration. I feel as if every fountain I go see is under construction. But, the next day we visited the "Happiest Place on Earth." Since, it was my first Disney Experience, I am very happy to have done it. It was great. I recommend Disney to everyone!
6 Months! Soon to be 7 before I know it. I know I repeat it in every email, but its true. I just can't believe it. I will be back in the states doing my college work before we realize it!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Alyxe Perry -- Belgium
This past January, Alyxe Perry posted the following in her own blog, alyxeperrybelgium. It is a wonderful statement on how the Rotary Exchange experience can affect a student. Thanks, Alyxe!
Living the dream.
by alyxeperry
|
So
I can't even begin to express in words how much exchange has changed my
life, but I'm going to take the challenge and try. I came here as an 18
year old girl not knowing what to expect just hoping for the best ready
to learn. I had ideas about life, what I was going to do and where I
would live, the things everyone thinks about. I look back now and the
words that go through my head as think about those moments were "wow how
could my mind be so small" and I wasn't one with a "small mind" I
thought. I realize it's not that I wasn't thinking big enough, it's that
my imagination was controlled by what I knew and my previous life
experiences. As the months went by I began changing, in the best way
possible, I learned so much. Met friends from around the world and
started to understand how the once so BIG world is actually very small
and reachable. Anything is possible. I think my brain is different now. I
dream so much more than I ever did before. Not the dreams you have at
night, but life dreams, and goals. They are not just dreams, they can
easily become reality. Through this whole process I have learned how to
do that. Make connections with people, don't ever be afraid to talk to
someone. Everyone has something to offer in this world and who knows you
could be a part of that something, for the rest of your life. KEEP AN
OPEN MIND, a closed mind gets you no where. I have found that a lot of
people, and I think I was a bit like this before my exchange, don't take
in all thoughts. When minds work together they are one thousand times
stronger than minds that work separately. One person can't always be
right. Respect everyone, you never know when you will see them again or
what opportunities they could present you.
As
I approach the halfway mark of my exchange I have so much to reflect
on, and think about. I have never felt so many emotions in my entire
life. I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I never would have
thought that being so far away from your home can actually bring you so
much closer. I was thinking the other day about the word "home". We
always say it but what does it really mean. The place you were born? The
place you are currently living? The place your family lives? Throughout
our lives "homes" come and go. The phrase "home is where the heart is"
has never meant so much to me before because it defined the word home
for me. I AM at home here in Belgium. I have two homes here, two
families that have taken me in, provided for me, loved me, and nourished
me for the time that I stayed there. I will always love them and leave a
piece of my heart with them, therefore calling it my home. I also have a
home back in New York. What my real family likes to think of as my
"real home" where i grew up, and spent so much of my life. Where so much
of my heart is too. I have never loved that home more than I do now
being away from it. It is really hard to wrap your head around and
I apologize if you have to read this paragraph a few times. If you've
ever questioned where home is, don't. Whatever comes to your head and
you feel in your heart, is home, you can have more than one.
I
want you guys to feel inspired. Think about life and all that you have
done. It's honestly amazing. A truly beautiful thing. It's something
everyone has, but nobody's is the same. We all chose different paths
different ways of living. Through that we develop thoughts and ideas we
learn from. Everything you do is important, every decision you make has
an effect. Think about one day you were planing to go out, even if it
was just to the grocery store, but instead you decided to stay home or
do it tomorrow. That changes the people you see, the people you could
potentially meet, the opportunities you could have. Don't let those
opportunities wait until tomorrow, they may not be there.
I
think a really good word to describe myself right now is open. Open to
new things, open mind, open heart. This all leads me to who I have
become, something school could never teach me only I could find by
myself through exchange.
Live
like there's no tomorrow. Enjoy the little things in life. Slow down,
look around and take a deep breath. Put a smile on your face, even if
you're sad, life looks better when you smile. :) Be thankful.
Appreciate. LOVE. Make everything fun. Sing at the top of your lungs.
Dance like you just got new legs.
.......and
just enjoy life, it's not a chore, it's a gift. Pretend
it's Christmas and reopen the best gift you've ever gotten...today :)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer -- Brazil (Home: North Creek)
March 12, 2013
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490
Hello again! Sorry about being late for this months report, I can down with a bug the day it was due and am only now catching up to where I'm supposed to be with both my school work and other parts of my life. I'm fine now, I made sure to drink lots of juice (which is something I will really miss when I return to the states, there is nothing quite like fresh squeezed juice that isn't Tropicana...) and get lots of rest. I wasn't the only one to come down with it, my host sister caught it as well. But enough about me getting sick, February was rather boring... Who am I kidding? February had Carnival, loud music, Carnival, dancing, Carnival, spraying (and getting sprayed) your host sister with cans of foam (apparently it's a tradition...) and did I mention Carnival? Needless to say I had a very fun February.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer (a.k.a. Kiki)
Sponsoring Club: North Creek Rotary Club District 7190
Host Club: Sao Luis, Sao Fransisco Rotary Club District 4490
Hello again! Sorry about being late for this months report, I can down with a bug the day it was due and am only now catching up to where I'm supposed to be with both my school work and other parts of my life. I'm fine now, I made sure to drink lots of juice (which is something I will really miss when I return to the states, there is nothing quite like fresh squeezed juice that isn't Tropicana...) and get lots of rest. I wasn't the only one to come down with it, my host sister caught it as well. But enough about me getting sick, February was rather boring... Who am I kidding? February had Carnival, loud music, Carnival, dancing, Carnival, spraying (and getting sprayed) your host sister with cans of foam (apparently it's a tradition...) and did I mention Carnival? Needless to say I had a very fun February.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Beth Lomnitzer (a.k.a. Kiki)
Monday, March 11, 2013
Aubrey Racz -- Ecuador
March 11, 2013
Everything
is going really well here. I had to adjust to my new family becasue
they are very different from my first family but everything is going
well. Life has been a little boring during the vacation. It's not always
easy to just get up and say "Oh lets go there today." My parents work
and can't always bring me and taxis arent the safest option either. I
definitely miss having my car. Neverthelesss , I really love it down
here. My health is great. Everything with Rotary as well is great. Im
really excited because tomorrow i have my trip to the galapagos
islands!!! Should be a blast!!!
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