Juiette's Year in Midland
Posted by Bill Molesworth
on Jun 27, 2012
Phil introduced a young lady who needed no introduction, Juliette who will be going home soon. Her name, which I didn't quite catch all of, has four because her mother's and father's are incorporated. Her father manages coffee farms - 4 of them - and her mother sells fabrics. She has two sisters who are both in university.
The flag of Brazil has 26 stars below the line for the States and one above for the federal district. About 190,000,000 people live there. The economy is based on agriculture and minerals though manufacturing is strong. A highlight of life in Brazil are Carnival when people show up 'not so dressed' and which involves a year of preparation.
She comes from Patrochinio, which is in Minas Gerais State. People went there first for minerals but now the area she's in is noted more for coffee production - the most in the world. Her school has a fixed curriculum and all the classes are boring but she's already started university, having 6 months of law before she came here. Getting into university requires passing a series of tests that act to filter out many but in the end students get state support.
Brazil has a wide variety of animals, scenery, food, sporting opportunities and soccer. We saw pictures.
Juliette had not considered the exchange program and was already applying for university when she started exploring what it might mean for her. Her parents were relulctant but finally agreed and again she went through a series of tests of general knowledge and Rotary knowledge, a test of English and a psychological test and an interview. She placed second in the rankings and chose to come to Canada and it has become real to her, she has loved it and she is grateful to all who helped make it such a great experience.
She urged the Club to continue participating in the exchange program because it is such a rewarding experience for participants - what she's learned over one year is more than she's learned in the previous 15 - how to deal with people, how not to be afraid of stuff and how to take on challenges, about cultures and about making friends. She said it's been an awesome year.
She thanked her host families for their hospitality and thanked the Club as a whole over and over.
Phil said she will be leaving on a tour of the east coast but will be back for a final visit and farewell - in the meantime he presented her with a Canadian flag signed by all Rotarians present - if you weren't at the meeting there's still room on it - and congratulated her on her spirit and commitment.
The flag of Brazil has 26 stars below the line for the States and one above for the federal district. About 190,000,000 people live there. The economy is based on agriculture and minerals though manufacturing is strong. A highlight of life in Brazil are Carnival when people show up 'not so dressed' and which involves a year of preparation.
She comes from Patrochinio, which is in Minas Gerais State. People went there first for minerals but now the area she's in is noted more for coffee production - the most in the world. Her school has a fixed curriculum and all the classes are boring but she's already started university, having 6 months of law before she came here. Getting into university requires passing a series of tests that act to filter out many but in the end students get state support.
Brazil has a wide variety of animals, scenery, food, sporting opportunities and soccer. We saw pictures.
Juliette had not considered the exchange program and was already applying for university when she started exploring what it might mean for her. Her parents were relulctant but finally agreed and again she went through a series of tests of general knowledge and Rotary knowledge, a test of English and a psychological test and an interview. She placed second in the rankings and chose to come to Canada and it has become real to her, she has loved it and she is grateful to all who helped make it such a great experience.
She urged the Club to continue participating in the exchange program because it is such a rewarding experience for participants - what she's learned over one year is more than she's learned in the previous 15 - how to deal with people, how not to be afraid of stuff and how to take on challenges, about cultures and about making friends. She said it's been an awesome year.
She thanked her host families for their hospitality and thanked the Club as a whole over and over.
Phil said she will be leaving on a tour of the east coast but will be back for a final visit and farewell - in the meantime he presented her with a Canadian flag signed by all Rotarians present - if you weren't at the meeting there's still room on it - and congratulated her on her spirit and commitment.