BRAZIL BRAZIL1. What was one thing that worried you about coming to an unfamiliar country ?
I worried about my first host-family. I didn't know much English and I couldn't show who I really am.
2. How did you deal with your homesickness ?
I always tried to keep my time busy by doing sports or activities with friends or my host-family. I always sent e-mail to my family and friends. Beside that I also tried to call my family at least one time during the week to know how they were doing.
3. Was it hard to understand and speak the language ?
In the very beginning, it was a little difficult to understand all the slangs and the people spoke so fast.
4. What is the difference between living with your own family and with your host-family ?
The difference was with your real family you can get really easy mad but not with your host-family.
The food is good but we eat more sandwiches and less real food. Here you eat more fatty foods.
6. Tell the difference between school in your country and your host-country ?
The system of the school is different. In my country the teachers change classes and the students stay in one class for the entire year with the same classmates. Also we can't choose classes and we don't have this variety of classes. We have lockers in school, too.
7. What is hard to make friends in the host-country ?
Yes, it was hard because of the language and because some Americans are hard to be friends with. But I tried to involve myself in sports. I think that's the easiest way to make friends.
8. How do teenagers handle relationship in your country ? What is the different here ?
The teenagers like to do almost the same things but sometimes they have different concepts about dating. Also in my country the teenagers are more social and they don't worry about the opinions of other people. Here the teenagers have their own little world.
9. How did you deal with religious worship ?
It was fine. My host families didn't push me to participate and they respected my choice to go or not. I decided to go to a Youth Catholic Church Group in my city.
10. What makes you want to be an exchange student ? Is it your choice or your parent's ?
My wish was to know different people from different countries with different cultures from all over the world. It was really my choice to be an exchange student.