Barbara Brauner

2008-09 Inbound from Brazil

Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil

Sponsor: São Paulo Centenário Rotary Club, District 4420, Brazil

Host: Crestview Rotary Club, District 6940, Florida, USA

School: Crestview High School, Crestview, FL

Bio

Barbara's Bio

Hi, my name is Barbara, I'm 17 and I was born in Los Angeles, CA but I went to Brazil at only 6 months, so I'm Brazilian and American Citizen. In Brazil I live in Sao Paulo, a big city with about 13 million people. I live with my mom, my dad, and my brother.

I arrived in Crestview, FL August 3, almost 2 months ago. I love my host family, my friends, my city, and all. I'm studying in Crestview High School, it's a big school and I'm practicing soccer. Everything here is different and new for me but I'm really enjoying this.

I’m very happy to be here and thank Rotary for giving me this amazing opportunity. I'll do my best!

This year is being very good and I really hope that it gets even better. I'm having great experiences! This year will be, for sure the best year of my life!!!!

October 22 Journal

Hey everybody!!!!

I’m here in USA almost three months. I can't believe how things are going very fast here, but I’m enjoying everything very well.

Now I’m into the routine but I'm very comfortable with things around here because I always am doing new things and knowing new places and always making new friends.

I love this. My friends here they are very cool, always get out, and spend the weekends together. And my family, they are amazing with me. We’re always doing new things.

Me, my mom and my sisters we always went to shopping, beach, we watch some movies, and we always have fun together. They are a very happy family. Every Sunday we went to the church, the name is Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, it's very nice, it’s a new and different religion for me but I like to go there and they have nice people, they’re always happy, and they received me very well. And I’m learning a lot with them, they always help me with everything and they always worry with me, I will miss them when I change my family but it's ok, I know this will be good for me. While I am sad so I am excited to see how they are and how will be my stay with them.

At school I’m doing well. Sometimes I have some difficulty to read but it's ok, I always ask for help. And I really love that, and very good to know the differences we have in schools, as well as the way to learn and to teach, the rules; everything is new and different for me. I went to homecoming dance with my friend and we have fun and I saw the dances in America and very different the dances we have in Brazil. Every Friday we go to the football game, now this game is like soccer for me, I always cheer and now I’m part of the crowd.

Last weekend I went to Pensacola Beach for fishing with my friend and her family. We had fun. There we fish, we went to the beach and we went to the mall too. Pensacola is a beautiful place. I want to go more times to there.

Well this weekend I went with my mom to Miami. I had a lot of fun. There is amazing and wonderful place. I went to Miami Beach, Downtown, and Key Biscayne.

That’s it. I love here, and I’m enjoying every second here.

Kisses and hug for all