1998 School Magazine

Girls 16rammar ^ichool ;Brisbane 1998

^,^

Rotary EXchange from Brazil

'day, mate! My name is Claudia eXchange student from Brazil. The first time I wore the Grammar unitonn I couldn't stop laughing, because I am not used to this kind of uniform. I still I arrived in Brisbane early this year and will return home in have Some problems with the knot of my tie! BGGS is quite different from my school back home. We don't have as many January next year. facilities as Granunar has. There are so many different clubs and I come from F10rianopolis, an island with forty-two beaches sports offered to the students here! What I really like are the in the South of Brazil. 500,000 people live in the city, but the Population gets to a million in the sununer time because of the ''inP' er rooms, W ere I ave spent a lot of time sending a mans back home. tourists who go there for the holiday I am doing five subjects: Maths A, Geog- I live with my mom, Regina, my dad, raphy, Arts, Ms. Science, and English. I Fellpe, and my older sister Fernanda, in a have to study hard (well, I am supposed to!) house on the western side of the island. We as I haven't finished school in Brazil. Unlike have three dogs and a beautitul garden here, back home we don't get to choose which my mom takes care of subjects and the teachers change class- Since the age of fourteen I had wanted to rooms instead of the students, Our school go on an eXchange, after hearing fascinating day is a lot quicker than Grailunar's; we stories from my cousins and sister who had start at 7:40 am. and firtish at 11:50 am gone overseas with Rotary. The process of with only a twenty minute break. The being accepted was really stressful, because completely different system has made my of the numbers of people who were coinpet- year at school fascinating! ing for the position. After waiting for a Through all the year I've had five differ- month I finally received a letter saying that ent farmlies. They've all been really nice to I had been accepted to come to Australia me and have taken me to lots of beautiful with Rotary. I was really excited to know places up and down the coast. My second more about that country on the other side of family took me to Sydney for ten days. From the world. My family and I were amazed with there we went to the Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains everything that we saw or read about Australia. My friends got where I could see snow for first time in my life jealous when I told them that I would be living near the famous But the best trip, ever, was the "Walkabout". Together with Surfers Paradise, and that I would be able to see a koala or a kangaroo Clasen. I am an , I'. . ,.

twenty-one other eXchange stu- dents from all over the world, I travelled for twenty-four days in a bus around Australia. We visited manymagriificentplaces such as Sydney, Canberra, Ayers Rock a got to the top!) and the I have had so much fun in the past year. Coming to AUS- tralia on an eXchange was the best experience that I've had in my life! I've made so many good friends, visited amazing places and collected so many good memories which I will Great Barrier Reef!

it was hard to leave, because I knew I would miss everyone a lot. After three days travelling I arrived in Brisbane. I was really tired and confused but excited at the same time. I became even more confused when all the cars were driving on the wrong side of the road ! I thought we would I spent the first week at my Rotary Counsellor's house. He took me to see the tourist points in the city, and the following week I moved to my first host crash

*

,

Clawd, '" in ungi"orm/

never forget!

family's house at The Gap. They helped me a lot with my English, which was really bad. I had Thank you so much, for having me as a student in your learned four years of amencan English in Brazil, and when I School I have had an amazing year! it is going to be hard to arrived I thought that the Australian accent was weird! Now, I leave as I love Australia so much! just can't stand the way Americans speak Obrigczd" por judo/ Vow in o, 787 ofe sat, dade de tortor. / Elf am0 61 AUS!rang/

CLAUDIA CLASEN ,

88