Introducing Pau Velardebo Garcia
Our inbound exchange student this year is Pau Velardebo Garcia from Barcelona, Spain. He is a well-traveled 17 year- old young man whose father was also a Rotary exchange student. The family has hosted Rotary exchange students from Taiwan and Vancouver. Pau lives with his well-traveled parents and his brother Alex, age 15. His older brother Robert, age 22, lives on his own and is a train driver. His mother is a pharmacist and his father is a businessman and CEO of several companies. His extended family of maternal and paternal grandparents plus many cousins live nearby.
Introducing Pau Velardebo Garcia
Our inbound exchange student this year is Pau Velardebo Garcia from Barcelona, Spain. He is a well-traveled 17 year- old young man whose father was also a Rotary exchange student. The family has hosted Rotary exchange students from Taiwan and Vancouver. Pau lives with his well-traveled parents and his brother Alex, age 15. His older brother Robert, age 22, lives on his own and is a train driver. His mother is a pharmacist and his father is a businessman and CEO of several companies. His extended family of maternal and paternal grandparents plus many cousins live nearby.
Pau has spent the last 5 summers away from home, most recently on the island of Malta where he went specifically to study English. He has also spent time in Japan and the UK. He speaks fluent Spanish, English, and French.
He celebrated his 17th birthday in Minnesota on September 6. When he turns 18, he will be able to vote, get a driver’s license, and drink alcohol.
He is enrolled at Minnetonka HS which he says is much bigger than his high school at home: 3600 students versus 400 students. He is studying World History, English, Social Studies, Cyber Security and Geometry. The geometry class has proved to be too easy and he will soon switch to calculus. When he returns home, he will take a university entrance exam and the results will determine which university he will attend. He would like to study business and follow in his father’s footsteps.
What Pau enjoys most, however, is sports. He’s been playing soccer since age 4 and coached youth soccer at home. His father was a popular soccer player and his grandmother is an avid fan. He’s been skiing since age 5 and brought his ski equipment to MN. He also enjoys racquetball, basketball, sailing, and mountain biking. He definitely wants to learn American football and joined the Minnetonka HS team as a linebacker within one week of his arrival!
He's currently living with members Mark and Tammy Magney. His second and third host families are already selected. He enjoys cooking and thinks Americans eat too many processed foods. He prefers more fresh fruits and vegetables.
He is not a fan of movies or theatre but welcomes any invitation to sporting events. You can contact him through Mark Magney’s email or cell phone.