Oi!
My name is Erinn Jackson and I will be spending the 2018-2019 school year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Brazil. I’m currently 17 years old and will be spending my senior year abroad before graduating from Jonathan Alder High School in May of 2019. I could not be more excited for this wonderful opportunity to experience life in Brazil! At my high school in the United States, I am involved in a wide variety of activities. I play on the Varsity Softball team and am a member of the French Club, Math Club and National Honor Society. I also serve as the treasurer of my class and volunteer as an after school tutor at my local community center. While abroad, I hope to experience the world from a new perspective and make lifelong memories and friends. I am extremely grateful for the Columbus Rotary Club, the District 6690 Youth Exchange Committee, and all those who have made my exchange possible! I cannot wait for all the amazing adventures that await me in Brazil!
Tchau!
Erinn Jackson

 

October 1, 2018

Oi!

Wow! Already over two months here in Brazil, it has been going so fast! I have had a lot of fun this past month! I have been busy with school, and the other activities I participate in. I have continued playing volleyball here in my town, and have been having a blast. I have also gone to two conferences with my school’s student council. I have really been enjoying participating in events with Interact Club as well. We recently went to a conference with all the other clubs in our district, which was tons of fun. We also recently had an event for Setembro Amarelo, which is suicide prevention month here in Brazil. My district here in Brazil also had our inbound orientation. It was really great to meet the other exchange students, we had a blast! I have been attending weekly Rotary meetings, and we recently said goodbye to an exchange student from Thailand, which was very sad, but it was great to get to know her while we were here together. Every year there is a four day long rodeo here in Tarumã. There is bull riding and horses, but the main event is the concerts that happen afterwards. I went with my friends, and it was so much fun!

 

November 1, 2018

Oi gente! This may have been my favorite month so far here in Brazil. There have been many holidays, and the Brazilian presidential election took place, which was very interesting. One of the holidays that took place this month was Dia de Nossa Senhora Aparecida, a day celebrating the patron saint of Brazil. This was a really interesting day for me. There was no school and most of the shops were closed. At exactly noon tons of fireworks started going off. Later that night there was a mass at the church in my town. It seemed like the entire town was there. They had a statue of the patron saint of Brazil, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, along with a Brazilian flag on the altar. After the mass, everyone went up to touch the statue and say a small prayer. It was a really interesting holiday for me and I really enjoyed it. Also this month, the anniversary of my city took place. There was a huge two day celebration. The first day started with a parade. I was in the parade with Interact Club. At a local park there was a zipline, bouncy houses, beach volleyball, and lots of other activities. At the end of the second day, everyone sang happy birthday for the city and ate cake. It was a lot of fun! I also participated in events with Rotary and Interact Club this month. I helped at a Rotary lunch that was raising money for exchange. I also participated in an event with Interact Club for Outubro Rosa, breast cancer awareness month. The Rotary district governor visited my club this month and my host mom became a Rotarian. This month I have also been able to spend a lot of time with my host family and friends. This is really what I enjoy the most, the little moments that I share with my family and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 1, 2018