Oi from Brazil! My name is Katelyn and I am on an exchange in Curitiba, Brazil. I am having the time of my life! My Rotary Club is Bom Retiro and everyone in the club is really nice. The thing I like most about my club is we act like a big family when we are together. The club president is my current host mom. I have an older sister and brother too. My family has taken me in like I am actually part of the family. My counselor is really sweet and caring. Whenever I have a problem or need to talk to someone, I know she is there for me. My high school here is very different from my school back in the U.S. My Brazilian school only has about 100 students in the entire school compared to my school back home which has about 2000 students! My entire class consists of just 15 students! I have a different combination of classes every day and I take thirteen classes. Life in Brazil is unlike life in California but it is just as wonderful!

When I was flying over Curitiba heading into the airport when I first arrived, I was surprised at how large the city actually is. As we were landing, all I could see was buildings and roads. With 1.8 million people living in my city, I knew it was not going to be small, but I never thought it would be as big as it is. I know my perceptions of my country are going to change a lot in the next couple months. In January, I have the wonderful opportunity to take a month long trip to Northeast Brazil. The city I live in now, Curitiba, is one of the wealthiest cities in the country and it is located in the southern part of Brazil. I know on my trip to the Northeast, I am going to see cities and villages that are not as fortunate as mine. My goal after I return home to California is to come back to Brazil and help some of the needy villages in any way I can.

I have had a dream since I was a little girl to be work in the medical field possibly as a nurse or doctor. I have always wanted to help nurse people back to health. My exchange has helped me in several ways. First, I have only been on my exchange for three months, but I have already changed a lot. Not only have I matured a lot and learned to go with the flow, I have had to deal with emotions I have never felt, such as homesickness. I am a stronger girl than when I got here just three months ago. Second, school is so much harder here. I have to study twice as hard as everyone else because everything is in Portuguese. With these study habits, I will be able to get through the rest of high school and college without a problem. I hope one day after I graduate from college that I can come back to Brazil and help the ones that cannot afford medical help. Little by little, exchange students are changing the world. We experience life in another country and are able to take our experiences back to our county and learn from the mistakes. Thanks Rotary for this amazing experience!