Vinícius (Vinny) De Angelis

2009-10 Inbound from Brazil

Hometown: Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

Sponsor: Curitiba Guabirotuba Rotary Club, District 4730, Brazil

Host: Gainesville Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida, USA

School: Buchholz High School, Gainesville, Florida

Bio

Vinny's Bio

Hi everybody, my name is Vinicius De Angelis but everyone call me Vinny. I'm 17 years old and I'm from Brazil. I was born in a city called Curitiba located in the state of Parana. Since I was only a kid my dream was going to live in the USA. Thanks to Rotary and the efforts of my dad, now my dream came true!

I've been here in the US for 3 weeks and 2 days now. I'm living in a city called Gainesville in Florida. The city is beautiful and the weather too. My host family couldn’t be better! Thanks to them, everything here becomes so much easier, they really make me feel like I'm home. I was supposed to study at Gainesville High School in first place but David and Mona (my host parents) decided to put me in Buchholz High School because their daughter graduated there so they thought that would be nice if I went there too. The school it's so different from my school in Brazil but I'm loving! I've made lots of friends there already and they are all very nice! Today I'm going to the Gators game! The first game of the season. The entire city is going there! All of my friends are going to so I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have a great time!

One thing I'm loving here is the food! Almost every day my family and I, we go out to have dinner! They take me to their favorite restaurants and they are all delicious! I went to the movies twice already and in both movies at some parts I was kind of lost. One of my goals is that in the end of the year I'll be able to go to the movies without feeling lost anymore! haha

Everything so far has been great and I hope it continues like that! Most of the people here don't know too much about Brazil and are always asking me questions about it. Every day I spend at least 5 minutes talking about Brazil with someone and they are all impressed in the end of the conversation!

My main goal while I'm here is trying to make people know more about Brazil and my culture! So far I'm doing a good job! =) I think that's it for today! I'll let you know more about my experience next month!

Bye bye!

Beijos e abracos para todos!

Vinny ;)

October 29 Journal

Now has been almost 3 months since I got here. It's amazing how time goes so fast. I remember like if it was yesterday, the day I said goodbye to my family and friends at the airport. Life here is tougher than I thought it would be, in a good way of course. One thing I really think was important for me to adapt to the American culture and style of life was the way my first host family treat me. They are awesome! Every time someone ask me how my host family is like, I answer them with pride that for me, they could not be better!

My host parents they love going out to eat. We go out almost every day. Their favorite restaurants are Texas Road House, Balleyhoo, Stonewood, and I think Dragonfly too. But my favorite food it's when my host mom cooks. OH MY GOD! It's delicious!

Here my host family have a box in the Gators football stadium. Yes, I know, I'm really lucky! I have been in all the games this season and we are undefeated. I would like to think that I'm the one who is giving luck to the Gators but I'm not, they already were the best in the country before I came here and I'm pretty sure they will be champions this year again! GO GATORS!

At school everything is going great! Of course I had difficult in the beginning with some things but now I feel like I've been studying here all my life. Last week I had the soccer try out. 80 boys for 40 spots, 20 JV and 20 Varsity. Was 3 days of try outs. Since day one I was nervous. All my friends were saying "Don't worry Vinny, you are Brazilian man! Of course you are gonna make it!", but inside I knew it was not that way. Gladly I made the Varsity and my practices already started. My first game will be on November 8th. I hope I'll make all the Brazilians proud!

Last weekend I went to St. Augustine to see all the other exchange students and get to know the oldest city in the United States. The city is beautiful! We went to the Fort, to the Fountain of Youth, to the Alligator Farm, and also to the beach, which was my favorite part of the weekend. I missed going to the beach so much! We spent 4 hours at the beach and we had a wonderful time together. I really missed all my exchange friends so it was great to see them all!

Sometimes I feel bad for not feeling too homesick yet. All my friends ask me if I miss my family and of course I miss them but I know no matter how long I stay here they will be always there waiting for me and their love won't change. There are times when I really would like them to be here with me to see all this wonderful things I've seen here but inside of me I know they are with me all the time. The same thing with my friends.

Well guys, I could stay here all night writing about all the fun things I've done here but I think that is good for now. Thank you for taking your time to read about my experience here in the USA. Wish you guys the best. GO GATORS!

January 25 Journal

Hey everybody,

I'm sorry I took so long to give you guys my news! But here I am and now I'm going to tell you what happened in this past few months. In November here in the U.S. we celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a day where the family get together and you give thanks for all the good things in your life, and also watch football and eat a lot! Like all the teenagers I also eat a lot so was a fantastic day for me! All the family was there and we all had a great time together.

After Thanksgiving, I had the trip to Disney World. I would finally go the place where every child in this world dream to be! Everything was incredible! Even though I am 17 years old, I felt like a 10 year old kid. To be there with all my friends and experience that great feeling of being in Disney, was more than amazing! Lot of things happened, good things. Lot of surprises too! In the end, everybody was sad to leave. We had 4 days of pure fun and magic!

After a few days, just one week before Christmas, I was asked if I would like to change families. I was kind of nervous because I didn't want to leave my first family just on Christmas week but I had to decide because my next family was going to travel to Philadelphia on Christmas day to spend the holiday with all the rest of the relatives. So after thinking a lot and talking with both families, I decided to move and travel to Philly with my next family. Now I'm part of the Iobst Family. My parents, Karen and Joe, and my sisters, Olivia, Perri, and Chelsea, made me feel like home in my first week. On Christmas day we got in Philadelphia and I got the chance to meet my grandparents, my cousins, and my aunts and uncles. I met Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, my host mom's parents. They are so cool! They remind me of my real grandparents. And also, I had the opportunity to see snow for the first time in my life! It was amazing! I felt like a kid in a candy store! It was freezing but I didn't want to stop throwing snow balls in my little sister head. Oh and I did my first snow angel! After Christmas we did a tour in the city. They took me to the Constitution Center, to the Independence Hall where the Liberty Bell is, the Reading Terminal Market, Valley Forge, and my favorite one, the Art Museum where Rocky did the steps in his movie. Yes, I did the steps too and I felt awesome! The only problem was that it was so cold, but it didn't stop me of having a great time!

When I came back home, I had to pack again to go to Jacksonville to spend the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with all the exchange students in my district. We volunteer on New Year's Eve to help feeding homeless people. It was a wonderful experience. I was really excited to start my year doing good things! After that, we head to this house that looked more like a resort, with pool, Jacuzzi, a bonfire, a pier that goes to the river where you could see all Jacksonville, we had everything! Being there with all my friends in New Years Eve was so good! I thought it would be hard and I would miss home a lot, but in the end it turned all great and easy!

So 2010 began and I could not be more happy. I had the best time with my friends, I saw snow, I traveled to Disney and Philadelphia, and I am with a great family. At school everything was ok. The first semester is over (alleluia), and now I'm going to change some classes so I'm pretty excited! Our soccer team is going pretty well too. Tomorrow we are going to play our first playoff game against our biggest rival, GHS. So wish me luck guys! Also this week, I'll have the last trip with all the exchange students. We are going to the Keys. I can't wait to see everybody again and have a great time!

The last but not the less important news I have for you guys is that in less than a month I'm going to HAWAII! I know you are really jealous right now! It's a dream come true. One more time, Rotary is giving me the opportunity to make one more dream turn into reality. So again here I am, thanking Rotary for this chance and for making this year the best year of my life. Thank you so much!

So that's it! See you guys soon! Next time you will here from me will when I'll let you guys know about my amazing trip to HAWAII ;)

A wonderful 2010 to all of you!

MAE E PAI EU AMO VOCES!!!

May 9 Journal

What's up everyone?! How you guys are doing? With me everything is GREAT...kind of... Well, let me explain why I am really happy but at the same sad. Let's begin with the good part!

Right after I wrote my last journal in January, I went to a place called HAWAII! Yes, HAWAII! I won't say too much about it because I know you guys will die of jealousy so I will say only a few things. To me, the first 5 minutes after I got out of the plane I was confused if I was dreaming or if I was really in Hawaii. Gladly I was with a friend who looked at me and screamed, "Vinny we are in Hawaii!!!" so I finally was able to start jumping of happiness. OMG what a beautiful place! I must admit that I cried when I got there, I don't know why, I don't know if was because I was living one of my dreams, or because I was on the phone with my dad thanking him for everything, or because I was going to have one of the best weeks of my life...but yes, I cried! There I met a lot of other exchange students from other states, and I did lots of new friendships that I'll carry for the rest of my life! Other thing I'll never forget are the INCREDIBLE places we visited! Everything was perfect, hotel, beaches, the people, our schedule, and especially the weather! Actually it did rain one day but we were at the bus so it didn't matter! I caught myself so many times just thinking "Am I really here? Is this all true?" Life is funny and full of surprises. Who would've thought that me, an exchange student from Brazil, who had never been outside his country before, would go to USA and after a while there would be in Hawaii? I don't know about you but I'm sure I have never thought that would happen! And I'm so happy to say that, thanks to Rotary, Belo USA, my parents, and the people that helped me here, nothing of this would come true.

But before I finish telling how was Hawaii let me tell you guys what happened at the last day. During our last night there, there was an earthquake in Chile that created a possible chance that a tsunami, let me say that again, a TSUNAMI, would get in Hawaii. I was in my room for the next 30 minutes watching the news until my dad from Brazil called to see if I was alright. He told me to go talk to our responsible there so I did. Raphael, from BELO USA, who was our coordinator, told us that everything was ok and that soon in the morning we would be moving to another place safer than the hotel that we were which was located right in front of the beach. So after a few hours we head to the middle of the island where there was no chance of the tsunami get there. We were finally safe! But at the end nothing really happened. There was no tsunami. It was kind of disappointing to a few of us that were excited to see a huge wave but we knew that what really matter is that everybody was safe! So on that day I had to say goodbye to my new friends and to that paradise called Hawaii.

A few weeks after I got back to Gainesville I changed families again. Now I'm with my third and last family here in the U.S. The Nickel's family. Here I live with my best friend from school, Kevin, and his two brother, Scott, the youngest, and Brian, the oldest. You must be wondering 4 guys living in the same house. Believe me, it's not bad at all. Sometimes I feel bad for Linda, my host mom, but she is already used to it so one more boy in the family didn't change too much.

Ok I'm going to tell you guys another thing that you will be really jealous again, but first let me say that I have always told everybody I know, that I truly believe I am the luckiest exchange student ever to come here to U.S.A. Why? Because I not only been in Hawaii this year, but almost a month later, my new family took me on a cruise to the BAHAMAS! I don't even need to say that it was incredible. It was my first time on a cruise so to me everything was new and amazing. AND, to add, when we stopped at the island of Nassau to spend the day there, me and my brothers we went to this resort called ATLANTIS, which is an extraordinary resort extremely beautiful! I will always be grateful to them for taking me to this place and making another dream come true. Thank you so much Linda and Walter (my host parents) for all this!

Now back to the real life! At school I'm doing good like always. We have only three more weeks left and Prom is next week already. I hate to admit this but I am really excited for this. All my other friends already had their Prom and all of them said that it was amazing so I am looking forward to have mine. But I'm pretty sure will be one of those incredible nights that will be remembered for the rest of my life, a night full of surprises and good memories.

Ok guys now it's time for the sad part. I don't know if you are ready, to be really honest I'm not ready either so don't worry. But the sad part of all this is simply because is almost over....Yeah I know, I thought this would never end too...but unfortunately soon I'll have to leave, go back to my home, back to my family. Life is ironic isn't it? First I had to say goodbye to my family and friends back in Brazil, and now I'll have to say goodbye to my new family and my new friends here in the U.S. Just to think about it makes my heart beat a little bit slower. Is that same feeling I had before I left Brazil. We exchange students, despite all the good and fun part of our year, we also have to deal with something that most of people are deadly scared of, which is saying goodbye to those who love you and will leave a mark in your life. Well, I guess this is part of life and like my dad always tells me "Life have to go on my son!" and he is right. It has to. But just because it has to go on doesn't mean that we have to leave all these things behind. No, not at all. Me for an example, I'll keep each one of those who made this year the best year of my life inside of me, in my heart and in my thoughts everywhere I go. Some of them I hope I can still see them when I go back home, and there are others that I know I'll visit one day.

I know guys, it's hard to be an exchange student. But trust me, it's worth it!

Well, I think this is it! That's all I have to share with you for now. Soon will be time to say "See you later!" and not "Goodbye". But until then, let me enjoy my last months here ;)

See you all later! FUIIIIII (it means "I'm gooone") haha