Guest Speaker: Marcela Silva
Exchange student Marcela Silva is preparing to wrap up her stay in Sycamore, and is looking forward to returning to her native Brazil; but she says while this has just been a year in her lifetime, she has lived a lifetime in one year.
Marcela comes from the city of Vicosa, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais; a number of mines are located around the state, but Vicosa itself is known for its open-air markets and for the university...where her parents are professors of environmental engineering.
She showed the Rotary Club pictures of her school -- which is located above a large supermarket. She commutes almost daily by bus, which apparently is not a pleasant experience in Brazil due to crowding. Her family has a large farm, with several horses; a pony born shortly before she left is now almost fully-grown.
Marcela often has to dispel myths about Brazil, or sometimes confirm them (the country is truly fanatical about soccer); but one stereotype is that much of the country is poor. She does note that expensive buildings can often be found alongside slums in many Brazilian cities...and she hopes that her experience in Rotary can be put to use, helping to change that in the years to come.