Julia Robinson has successfully arrived in Brazil! Read about her first couple of weeks in the entry below!
I left the United States on January 13th from St. Louis and after a few flights, I arrived in Brazil on January 14th in Caxias do Sul. I was welcomed by my host family and some other Rotarians. The first few days for me were very exciting because I was able to try many different kinds of foods and get to know my host family. My host mom is a professor at the University of Caxias do Sul and my host dad works as a systems analyst. My little host brother is 12 years old and enjoys riding his bike, hanging out with his friends, and spending time with his family.
My family belongs to a youth club and I was able to go swim there with my little host brother. Later that week, my host family decided to take a vacation to Torres Beach which is about 3 hours from Caxias by car. We stayed in an apartment for 4 days. I went for walks on the beach, and bike rides around the town and it was lots of fun. When I returned from that trip, I joined an amateur volleyball team that plays in the evenings multiple times a week. It is lots of fun even though I do not understand what my teammates are saying to me yet. But I will continue to learn the language while I am here and hopefully, by the time I return to the US, I will be fluent.
During the week of January 28th - 31st, I attended a Rotary camp in Igrejinha with some other exchange students and stayed at a resort named, Ecoland. It was very beautiful and it was lots of fun. We got to swim, ride horses, play games, walk on trails, and eat amazing food. I am so glad I went because I was able to make friends with other kids my age and we all got along well. There were a few other inbounds that just arrived in Brazil and some that arrived in August. Also with us were a few outbounds, they will be going to Finland and Taiwan. Our chaperones for the trip were Rotarians from a nearby Rotary district and they were so nice and fun to be around. I enjoyed my time at Igrejinha and hopefully, in the future, I can meet up with these exchange students again.
Last night I was able to watch the Galesburg Girls Basketball game against Geneseo online. I showed my host family and they loved seeing the gym, the band, the cheerleaders, and the Gadet team. They enjoyed watching the game with me and learning about American high school sports.
Overall my first few weeks in Brazil have been great and I am so grateful for everything I have been able to experience and participate in!
