Beatriz "Bia" Fontes

2007-08 Inbound from Brazil

Hometown: Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil

Sponsor: Itabuna Sul Rotary Club, District 4550, Brazil

Host: New Port Richey Rotary Club, District 6950, Florida, USA

School: River Ridge High School

Bia's Bio

Hey, I’m Bia, I’m an exchange student from Itabuna. Bahia, Brazil. Itabuna is a small city but you can find a lot of fun things to do. I’m in a city near Tampa, call New Port Richey. I arrived one month ago but I never realized what I was really doing before I arrived here.

My flight was on a Saturday, so all my friends and my family went with me to the airport. Of course I cried a lot but at the same time I was excited to come and to meet all the new people. My flight was 24hs long, and as soon as I arrived in USA I would have to change the airplane in Atlanta, Georgia, I almost lost my connection because of the immigration. I never fell so scared in my life. That moment I really realize what I was doing, that I was in a strange country with a different language, and where I don’t know anyone, and I couldn’t miss my flight. And it didn’t happen.

As soon as I arrived and saw my host family all the bad feelings were gone. I was so happy to see them, to meet them. I already had a lot of good moments with them and I will have much more. In the first week I met my second family too, and both of them are amazing. In the first days of school I got a headache because of the people speaking English all the time and fast. I really like my school, is completely different from my old one in Brazil.

All things are different, I never imagine that it was so different, but with time I’m starting to be used to it. Of course I always have something that I miss from my country like the food, my family, my friends…. but I know that it is a great opportunity and I can’t miss it. My country and all the things that It represents is there for me anytime I want and it was there all my life, I can wait one year to have all these things back.

One of the best weekends that I had was the orientation meeting, there I remember for what I had come. There I made a lot of good friends, that I will always remember, friends from all over the world. And I’m pretty sure that I will make a lot more and this will be “the best year of my life”!!!!!

October 10 Journal

Hi! This month was incredible for me! I’m getting used to the differences, to school, to the family and more confident in English. I’m making more friends and the days are becoming better and better.

First I went to my first football game at school and I felt like I was in a movie with all that people, the band, cheerleaders…. Was a lot of fun! But some days later I went to a college football game (go Seminoles!!!!!) and that was really fun!! Amazing! I really love it! It’s so good! The best part was when the helicopters pass over us! It’s so exciting that I had goof bumps! I went too to my first softball and hockey game, and went to a golf match! Was awesome!! I had a lot of fun!

The foods here have similar and different things from Brazil. I love the donuts!!! I don’t understand why they don’t have in other countries! They should! hahahaha This month was my future host sister birthday and we went to a Japanese restaurant with some friends of hers. I’m really happy that we had became friends! It’s so nice !!!

Of course I miss my family and my friends but I have had so many unique experiences that I had never imagine, that I’m sure that I won’t forget it!!!!!

December 5 Journal

Hey everyone!!!

There is a long time that I don't write over here, so I have a few things to tell. The last time that I wrote was near Halloween and that week was amazing!!! I went to a friend's house to spend the afternoon and then to prepare to Halloween. Was amazing!! My future host sister came with her boyfriend to pick us to go trick or treating. Everybody was using a costume, Sarah (my future host sister) was a little character from Disney that has a red hat, her boyfriend was the bad wolf, Sam (my friend) was a witch with her young sister. My costume was a disaster! First I was supposed to be a cannibal but I end up being a girl that was in a car crash on the way to homecoming! But was fun any way! I get more candy than my little host sister! Was unbelievable! We had candies for months!!! It was there that I discovered Reese's!!

After that I went to visit the aquarium in Tampa and went to a Brazilian steakhouse, because my host parents wanted to go with me before I move. At first I thought my host father was going crazy! Because he saw all that meat coming and didn't know what to do! On the other hand my host mom's plate was huge! Everything that passed in front of her she decided to try! Was fun!

The following weekend Nanda came here to visit me and I love it! We could talk with it other about everything and we had a lot of fun when we went to the zoo, the movies and the beach. Oh, the beach! Is sooooo different! Here we don't have waves and is all quiet and deserted, no music, no people selling things, no bars nothing! And the water was freezing!! (but we went in the winter, what we were expecting??) But I really like it, I missed it a lot! I had plans to go there more times. I love beach and is kind of hard to understand why the people here live near the beach and have a lot of cars and don't go there! It's incredible!!!

During this month I experience the Thanksgiving. Turkey day!!!! I think this is a holiday that's totally American. Thousand and thousand of food, and eating the whole day. But what I liked better was the desserts! Apple pie!!! It's delicious!!! On Saturday a family friend of my parents that live in Fort Lauderdale came to Busch Gardens and I went to spend the day with them. I had a lot of excitement this days but the best was yet to came.... on wends day I had done my presentation at my host club and a Rotarian had given me football tickets. The tickets were for a Buccaneers game on Sunday against the Washington Redskins. I understand now why the Americans love it. When you enter in the stadium is like entering an other world! All the excitement seems contagious and gives you goose bumps. It is amazing how the atmosphere makes you scream and cheer for a time that you have never seen before in a game that you barely understand. I was in one of the highest seats where you could see all the stadium and have a view of it good enough to be scary when the ship shoots and make you more excited about it! I loooovvvveeee it!! When me and my friend was leaving the stadium in the end of the game we were walking and she pulled us in front of a camera! I don't know which channel but we appeared on TV! Was lots of fun!!!

Then I helped in the outbound interview and could meet some Rotex. There were two that went to Brazil last year and when we were talking was surprising to hear that they had the same impression of Brazil that some kids at school had, before they go. They thought that Brazil was a place where we lived in forests and dressed like Tarzan and everybody was stolen. But is not like that at all! I'm happy that they discovered it and they love Brazil now and that I can help change this false image, because being an exchange student is not just learning other cultures but teaching your own too. No matter how easy you adapt to another country, you will never forget your customs and where you are from.

"Beijos e abracos" (kisses and hugs)

Bia