Kestral Johnston - Hello!

Hi everyone, my name is Kestral Johnston, and I am currently a rising junior at Steamboat Springs High School. This fall I leave for Atibaia, Sao Paulo, Brazil for almost a year!  Atibaia is a city of about 120,000 people and located about one hour north of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo and an hour east of Campinas. So far, I have begun to learn Portuguese, which is thankfully similar to Spanish. I’m hoping this will help me through Portuguese. I have also gotten my first host family and my school, and I am currently emailing my host mom to learn more about what my life is going to be like.

I’m very excited to be spending my next year in Brazil because of the amazing culture I have encountered through the current Brazilian exchange students here in Rotary District 5440. They have been so helpful with any questions I have, and overall, they are some of the warmest most welcoming people I have met. When I decided to go to Brazil after my first country didn’t work out, all of the Brazilian exchange students immediately swarmed me and began talking about Brazil all at once. It was great to see their interest in my exchange, as well as the pride of their own country.

My overall impression of the orientation weekend was that it was a very helpful and insightful experience. All of the Youth Exchange Committee members were very upfront with any concerns we had and didn’t sugar-coat anything, especially the homesickness all the Outbound students (kids leaving the country) will feel. I learned how homesickness is a step in the cultural emersion process, and how most kids who have really bad homesickness in the beginning are the ones who thrive the most in the end. Personally, it made my exchange all that more real, and all that more exciting. We also learned about the 6B’s of an exchange, which are Be First, Be Curious, Be on Purpose, Be Grateful, Be of Service, and Be Here Now. It made me realize how I have to be proactive in my exchange, and in general, anything I want to do in life. As a group of 19 students leaving for countries all around the world, we all had common concerns, fears, anxiety, and excitement. It was great to find a community and a support group through the orientation weekend as well.

I hope that my exchange year brings me a new perspective on the world and connections that will last a lifetime. The people, both Inbound students and Outbound students, I have met so far on this journey have been amazing, and I can’t wait to make more connections with people in Brazil. I also hope to become at least conversational in Portuguese and closer to fluent than I am in any language.

My exchange year, I know, will not be the easiest thing in my life. It may even be the hardest thing I ever do. In the end though, I will know that I can get through anything life throws at me. I’ve begun my first steps on my journey to see the world, and now I’m so excited to take off running!