By: Maria Kronenberg dos Santos
My name is Marina Kronemberger dos Santos; I am from a city called Petropolis in Brazil, and I can not even remember when I first thought of doing an exchange program, as I’ve simply always wanted to do one. Therefore, I had very high expectations when it finally happened, and I have to confess that everything is exactly how I had imagined (except for the lack of snow). Ten years of learning English and more than a year of research and endless applications forms allowed me to come this far, and I am so glad that all of that allowed me to come here, to Williamsville East, in Buffalo, New York.
I get many questions regarding how school in Brazil is, and I always start by saying that there are many differences between the American high school and the Brazilian one. For starters, in Brazil, we wear uniforms. And seeing students walking around in their pajamas here is very unusual for me. When it comes to subjects, back home we have fixed schedules, meaning that we cannot choose our subjects and end up taking 14 of them, which seems crazy to Americans, but is completely normal for us. We also spend a different amount of hours at school. From Monday through Friday we study from 7 am to noon and twice a week, normally Mondays and Wednesdays, we have more classes from 1 to 5 pm.
In the beginning, it was a shock for me. Going from 14 subjects to 7, having to go to each class instead of the teachers coming to our room, dealing with open concept classrooms, having lunch in school and understanding the A and B days was all very different. But everyone here at East was so welcoming and willing to help that I never felt lost or out of place. I felt as if I had been here for a long time rather than a few days.
One thing I have noticed during my stay here is how fixed the groups in the commons are. Every day during my free periods I see the same people in the same tables: the cheerleaders, the athletes, the freshmen, the seniors, the boys, the girls – everyone has their table, which makes fitting in a lot harder for outside students at first. Eventually I met some girls who took me in and gave me a spot at their lunch table. I do not mean to say that this happens only here, as in Brazil, the same thing occurs. I think all teenagers act like this.
My teachers also contributed a lot to making my stay here even better. By asking me what Brazil is like, if I have seen the topics studied here in my other school, or if I understand what they are saying—or by simply being there for me when I needed—they all taught me a lot.
With my program coming to an end, I’ve realized that I have learned, seen, and experienced so much throughout this semester that it’s as if it’s become a new part of me; it has grown inside me and has made me a better person. So I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone who helped lead me through this journey. Without you, I probably would not have made it this far. East has built its place in my heart, and I will never forget all that happened to me here.
My name is Marina Kronemberger dos Santos; I am from a city called Petropolis in Brazil, and I can not even remember when I first thought of doing an exchange program, as I’ve simply always wanted to do one. Therefore, I had very high expectations when it finally happened, and I have to confess that everything is exactly how I had imagined (except for the lack of snow). Ten years of learning English and more than a year of research and endless applications forms allowed me to come this far, and I am so glad that all of that allowed me to come here, to Williamsville East, in Buffalo, New York.
I get many questions regarding how school in Brazil is, and I always start by saying that there are many differences between the American high school and the Brazilian one. For starters, in Brazil, we wear uniforms. And seeing students walking around in their pajamas here is very unusual for me. When it comes to subjects, back home we have fixed schedules, meaning that we cannot choose our subjects and end up taking 14 of them, which seems crazy to Americans, but is completely normal for us. We also spend a different amount of hours at school. From Monday through Friday we study from 7 am to noon and twice a week, normally Mondays and Wednesdays, we have more classes from 1 to 5 pm.
In the beginning, it was a shock for me. Going from 14 subjects to 7, having to go to each class instead of the teachers coming to our room, dealing with open concept classrooms, having lunch in school and understanding the A and B days was all very different. But everyone here at East was so welcoming and willing to help that I never felt lost or out of place. I felt as if I had been here for a long time rather than a few days.
One thing I have noticed during my stay here is how fixed the groups in the commons are. Every day during my free periods I see the same people in the same tables: the cheerleaders, the athletes, the freshmen, the seniors, the boys, the girls – everyone has their table, which makes fitting in a lot harder for outside students at first. Eventually I met some girls who took me in and gave me a spot at their lunch table. I do not mean to say that this happens only here, as in Brazil, the same thing occurs. I think all teenagers act like this.
My teachers also contributed a lot to making my stay here even better. By asking me what Brazil is like, if I have seen the topics studied here in my other school, or if I understand what they are saying—or by simply being there for me when I needed—they all taught me a lot.
With my program coming to an end, I’ve realized that I have learned, seen, and experienced so much throughout this semester that it’s as if it’s become a new part of me; it has grown inside me and has made me a better person. So I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone who helped lead me through this journey. Without you, I probably would not have made it this far. East has built its place in my heart, and I will never forget all that happened to me here.
