“I think one of my favourite parts of exchange for me is the language. I never believed that I could use a part of my brain to learn something like this. “
Ola! Wow, how time flies past!! I’m here to give you my 5-month update. The first half of the year has been a fun challenge for me, but also a real revelation. These first five months I’ve made connections with people that I will never forget.
As you may know, it’s winter here in Curitiba, Brazil (where I’m living). It gets very cold. I didn’t imagine Brazil having a place like this. The weather is even more unpredictable compared to Porirua, NZ! I walk every day to school, and it can get very cold, it was like -0.2°. I was jealous for a moment of the weather in Wellington (8°). Anyways, school is getting easier as time goes by; I’m understanding pretty much everything! The classes are beginning to be a bit more exciting now that I can respond to questions and do presentations for the class in Portuguese.
One of the recent challenges I’ve faced is that one of my closest friends in Brazil moved back to Italy. She was my comfort zone and really welcomed me with open arms into this country. It’s a negative thing that she left but also has given me the opportunity to talk to other people.
Since I’ve begun to chat with the other kids in my class, I’ve noticed that they are more confident to talk to me and include me. My guess is because they’ve realised, I’m understanding more of the language. When I first joined the class, they were a bit shy to attempt to talk to me, being afraid of not communicating properly. But now, they’re much more interested in getting to know my life in New Zealand and are always interested in how I do things in New Zealand and our traditions! I always get the odd person attempting to do a haka for me haha!
I think one of my favourite parts of exchange for me is the language. I never believed that I could use a part of my brain to learn something like this. It has made me feel more confident and cooler. I’ve had to push myself out of my comfort zone and be willing to make mistakes upon mistakes and move on. I think this experience has already made me see how it is going to aid me in speaking confidently in front of crowds and expressing my opinion.
“If I can do it in Portuguese, what’s stopping me from doing it in English?”
I am also excited to reteach my mum in New Zealand Portuguese again! She’s been my motivation to learn this language (she did the same exchange when she was 17/18!)
I’m looking forward to the holidays coming up here! They start next week, and my host family have been so ever kind to help me with the opportunity to visit Recife and Rio de Janeiro! A dream. I am pushing through this freezing weather in Curitiba and thinking about the soon-coming holidays!
My overall goal for the rest of my exchange is to push with the Portuguese language and continue to be kind and make new connections every day. Such as trying new dances, presenting more presentations, and overall to do my best.
Again, AFS, thank you for this opportunity!
Want to know more about Brazil?
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