Hi everyone!
My name is Nissa Parker and I am headed off to Cremona, Italy for the 2013-2014 Rotary Youth Exchange. I swear, if Disney had to make a set for the perfect little Italian town, they would build a copy of Cremona. Cremona is also the violin capital of the world, being the home of the famous families Guarneri, Amati, and Stradivari. I am so excited because I'm a cellist, and guess what? My first host father is a violin maker! He's arranging a cello for me so that I can play while I'm there, thank goodness!
I have been working hard on my Italian, but in all reality, I know next to nothing! I have studied Spanish my whole life and now am practically fluent, so it feels weird to be going back to the basics of learning a language like greetings, counting, and easy conjugation. However, Italian and Spanish are very similar so I'm hoping that will help me once I'm in country. I have been chatting with exchange students around the world as well as Rebounds from Steamboat. The most common pieces of advice I've gotten are 1. Learn the language, and 2. Be open to everything. So with that in mind, I've been working hard on the first and mentally preparing myself for the second.
I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thanks so much to the Steamboat Springs Rotary Club and District 5440, as well as to my loving and supportive parents. I am scheduled to leave September 1 and the date is creeping up so fast. I'm excited for the adventure, but nervous about the unknown! Sometimes I think to myself, how was I so crazy to suddenly decide that I wanted to live in a country (where I don't speak the language) without my family for AN ENTIRE YEAR?!?! The enormity of the whole thing is finally dawning on me. This is something that will change who I am and how I think forever. It's even bigger than that, though. Exchanging is about making connections among countries to spread peace and goodwill throughout the world. In Cremona I will have to strip myself of my American ideals and habits to integrate into a community that is completely foreign to me. Not only will I be exposed to Italian world views, but also those of places like Argentina, Sweden, Australia, and Thailand as I connect with the other exchange students in District 2050 Lombardy. I have to do what I can to show Steamboat, Colorado, and the U.S. in the best light possible while simultaneously assimilating myself into a different culture. It will be challenging, but so worth it. The exchange isn't about me, though. It's about ambassadorship, world citizenship, and mutual respect and understanding among cultures, and that is what I've made my goal for the coming year.
Peace and Love,
Nissa
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Kestral Johnston - District Conference
Since October last year, I have thought about doing a project here in Brazil. I never quite found anything that really worked though. Unlike our club at home, my rotary club doesn't really do much, and there weren't very many opportunities to help out. One day, I decided to start making paper cranes in order to give as presents during the holiday season in December. I thought maybe I could make a project out of the paper cranes, but then I went traveling and forgot about it for about a month. When I returned, I still wanted to do something. One of my friends that was in India at the time told me about her idea to make door hangers to sell during the Rotary district conference in order to raise money for Polio Plus. I then took her idea and started thinking, asking people how I could make this possible. The project snowballed from there, and with the help of my host families, counselor, and host club, I ended up making 48 mobiles and 1000 paper cranes. For those of you who don't know, the paper crane is/was the symbol for the Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka for the year 2012-2013. It's a symbol of peace.
I raised $980 reias or about $490 USD for Polio Plus. It was a great experience and feeling to be able to accomplish this project as well as help out those in need.
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| We're this close! At the conference |
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| Almost all of the mobiles |
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| One I made |
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| Different type |
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| From underneath |
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| Certificate from my Rotary club |
I raised $980 reias or about $490 USD for Polio Plus. It was a great experience and feeling to be able to accomplish this project as well as help out those in need.
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| District Conference! Italy, USA |
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| Only half of the exchange students in my district.....Rotary Dance |
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Kestral Johnston - Bem Vindos as Amazonas!
I first arrived with half of the group into the capital of the state Amazonas called Manaus. The first night, we exchange students got to watch a practice of the anual Boi festival, Boi Bumba. Each year, there is a festival held where two "bois" or bulls face off: one red, Garantido, and the other blue, Caprichoso. The next day we went on a bus tour of the city to get to know one of the fish markets. After that, we traveled about an hour away to Presidente Figuerido where we hiked through the jungle at night to visit waterfalls. This was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip, to be in the complete darkness of the jungle with only flashlights to see. Then the next six nights, we lived on river boats and slept in hammocks. I got to visit the indigenous in the area, hold a crocodile, a sloth, fish for piranas, swim with pink dolphins, and see some of the most beautiful sunsets in the entire world. I´m so incredibly lucky to have been able to see the things that most people can only dream about.
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| Boi festival |
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| Fish market |
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| Theater in Manaus |
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| Presidente Figuerido |
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| Presidente Figuerido |
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| Our boats! |
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| Eu amo Brasil <3 |
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| Place where Rio Negro meets the Rio Solimoes. The water doesn't mix because of density and composition |
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| One of the prettiest sunsets |
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| Giant lily pads |
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| One of the indigenous tribes we visited |
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| Giant tree |
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| Holding a crocodile :) |
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| Making tapioca |
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| School boat anyone? |
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| Our canoes to travel from our boat to activities |
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| Pirana fishing! |
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| Pink dolphins |
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| SLOTH! |
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| My boat Jacaré |
Friday, May 17, 2013
Mallory Richey - Month of Travel
BONJOUR
April and May were amazing because I spent the entire time traveling! April 11-22 with the Rotary Bus Trip and April 22-May 9 with my family who came to visit me. With the Rotary we went from Strasbourg (the cathedral is beautiful). To Nuremberg where we ended up at a little carnival fair where we ate some delicious sausages and we danced and rode some rides. In Prague to we took a tour of one of the most beautiful castles in my life and enjoyed some delicious food...I had a great lunch with Hope Nelson. It was so nice to share the experience with Hope...as we started the journey together. After we drove the the hills of Austria and stopped over in Vienna...it was so clean and regal and a little bit different from other European cities that I had experienced. I loved driving through Austria though. The weather was beautiful and it literally was like being in side "The Sound of Music." Next stop was Venice! My favorite next to Prague. It was a definite check off the bucket list and it was HOT HOT HOT. We ate pizza and took a gondola ride, and of course finished the day with some Gelato. Our hotel was right on the beach so we got some beach time as well. The next day in Milan we took a tour of the cities fortress and the high street shops, followed by a dinner of what else? PASTA!!!! The next day after driving through some snow covered alps we reached Geneva and got a tour of the United Nations Building, which was cool to share with people from around the world. The next day we road up an old train to a peak in Chamonix and had lunch. We couldn't see much due to the weather but since it was our last day together we didn't mind. In Paris I met my family at the train station. There were some tears but it was so nice to show my family around the culture that has become mine in the past year. We visited the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, the Notre Dame, and we even got to have a moment in the Sacre Coeur when the choir was practicing. It was breathtaking. We then went to the alps to visit some friends, another tour of Italy, Switzerland, and back to my house. My host parents made a tradition french dinner called Raclette for my parents (a cheese and meat dish sooo good yet sooo bad). After we headed to London where everyone got a nice language break. We checked out the Tower and walked down the River Thymes. Last stop was Brussels where we enjoyed some Mussels and Fries, a favorite of the Belgians. The funny thing is, I didn't cry leaving the US but saying goodbye to my parents was a lot harder the second time around. I definatly agree with the rule where your parents have to wait to come visit. I was in a strong emotional place after being in France for a while and it was still hard going back home without my family. However, being with my family has made me realize just how far I have come...I have changed a lot. It really flips everything around coming on exchange....at the beginning you second guess who you are, second guess your world views, pretty much you second guess everything you knew about yourself and the world...and through the experience you build up a stronger sense of the world and yourself. It is not something easy to describe.
With only two months left I have been doing a lot of appreciating and reflecting. I want to thank the Rotary for this experience and what it has taught me, I want to thank my family, and all my exchange student friends who I will always stay in contact with...and especially I want to say to Nissa....good luck girl...study Italian before you get there, don't stress out, and above all enjoy every minute leading up to your exchange and every day after.
April and May were amazing because I spent the entire time traveling! April 11-22 with the Rotary Bus Trip and April 22-May 9 with my family who came to visit me. With the Rotary we went from Strasbourg (the cathedral is beautiful). To Nuremberg where we ended up at a little carnival fair where we ate some delicious sausages and we danced and rode some rides. In Prague to we took a tour of one of the most beautiful castles in my life and enjoyed some delicious food...I had a great lunch with Hope Nelson. It was so nice to share the experience with Hope...as we started the journey together. After we drove the the hills of Austria and stopped over in Vienna...it was so clean and regal and a little bit different from other European cities that I had experienced. I loved driving through Austria though. The weather was beautiful and it literally was like being in side "The Sound of Music." Next stop was Venice! My favorite next to Prague. It was a definite check off the bucket list and it was HOT HOT HOT. We ate pizza and took a gondola ride, and of course finished the day with some Gelato. Our hotel was right on the beach so we got some beach time as well. The next day in Milan we took a tour of the cities fortress and the high street shops, followed by a dinner of what else? PASTA!!!! The next day after driving through some snow covered alps we reached Geneva and got a tour of the United Nations Building, which was cool to share with people from around the world. The next day we road up an old train to a peak in Chamonix and had lunch. We couldn't see much due to the weather but since it was our last day together we didn't mind. In Paris I met my family at the train station. There were some tears but it was so nice to show my family around the culture that has become mine in the past year. We visited the Louvre, the Musee D'Orsay, the Notre Dame, and we even got to have a moment in the Sacre Coeur when the choir was practicing. It was breathtaking. We then went to the alps to visit some friends, another tour of Italy, Switzerland, and back to my house. My host parents made a tradition french dinner called Raclette for my parents (a cheese and meat dish sooo good yet sooo bad). After we headed to London where everyone got a nice language break. We checked out the Tower and walked down the River Thymes. Last stop was Brussels where we enjoyed some Mussels and Fries, a favorite of the Belgians. The funny thing is, I didn't cry leaving the US but saying goodbye to my parents was a lot harder the second time around. I definatly agree with the rule where your parents have to wait to come visit. I was in a strong emotional place after being in France for a while and it was still hard going back home without my family. However, being with my family has made me realize just how far I have come...I have changed a lot. It really flips everything around coming on exchange....at the beginning you second guess who you are, second guess your world views, pretty much you second guess everything you knew about yourself and the world...and through the experience you build up a stronger sense of the world and yourself. It is not something easy to describe.
With only two months left I have been doing a lot of appreciating and reflecting. I want to thank the Rotary for this experience and what it has taught me, I want to thank my family, and all my exchange student friends who I will always stay in contact with...and especially I want to say to Nissa....good luck girl...study Italian before you get there, don't stress out, and above all enjoy every minute leading up to your exchange and every day after.
Plaza in Prague
Gondola in Venice
Lake Como North Italy with Mom and Sister
Bisous
Mallory
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Kestral Johnston - Feliz Pascoa!
It's the beginning of fall here in Brazil, and I just can't believe how the time is passing by. Seems like just yesterday I arrived here not knowing anything, about the people, the lanuguage or culture, and yet I feel like I have changed so much and my knowledge has grown imensely.
One day, my host mom told me she was going somewhere and asked if I wanted to go with her. I couldn't make out exactly where she was going, but I decided to join her because you never know what you might encounter. We ended up driving to a town called Perdões that is about 10 mintues away with a downtown area of, at most, three street blocks. There, we visited a retirement house, but not just any retirement house. It was a retirement home where a couple of people didn't even have relatives, and the others that did, only a few actually visited. The Casa of Amizade, which is a group of the spouses of my rotary club, helps the people there by giving donations such as food and presents to the old people. That day, we dropped off dry milk powder and gave yarn to a woman there who chrochets. The atmosphere there was sad though, with some of the people bed ridden, not truly living. One of the stories I heard there was of a women whose legs were permanetly bent because her son locked her in a cage. Some things just can't be understood.
On a much brighter note, Happy Easter to everyone back in the states, and I hope everyone is eating lots of chocolate. Here in Brazil, it's tradition to have the "ovos de páscoa" or easter eggs. But these aren't your typical plastic easter eggs. These are hollow giant chocolate eggs that you can get in every flavor imaginable and some even have toys or stuffed animals inside. Imagine receiving a 6 kg, or 12 pound chocolate egg with a teddy bear inside! You would be set for chocolate for a year.
I moved families right before the Easter holiday, so I got to meet many new people this weekend. My new host family is great, and already I feel at home. Today they took me on a wild adventure up to "Pedra Grande"to overlook the entire city of Atibaia. It was absolutely beautiful and a fun ride up the dirt trail to the top.
oMy next big adventure is the Amazon at the end of April....definitely looking forward to sleeping in hammocks on the Amazon River with 60 other exchange students! Até, Beijos
One day, my host mom told me she was going somewhere and asked if I wanted to go with her. I couldn't make out exactly where she was going, but I decided to join her because you never know what you might encounter. We ended up driving to a town called Perdões that is about 10 mintues away with a downtown area of, at most, three street blocks. There, we visited a retirement house, but not just any retirement house. It was a retirement home where a couple of people didn't even have relatives, and the others that did, only a few actually visited. The Casa of Amizade, which is a group of the spouses of my rotary club, helps the people there by giving donations such as food and presents to the old people. That day, we dropped off dry milk powder and gave yarn to a woman there who chrochets. The atmosphere there was sad though, with some of the people bed ridden, not truly living. One of the stories I heard there was of a women whose legs were permanetly bent because her son locked her in a cage. Some things just can't be understood.
On a much brighter note, Happy Easter to everyone back in the states, and I hope everyone is eating lots of chocolate. Here in Brazil, it's tradition to have the "ovos de páscoa" or easter eggs. But these aren't your typical plastic easter eggs. These are hollow giant chocolate eggs that you can get in every flavor imaginable and some even have toys or stuffed animals inside. Imagine receiving a 6 kg, or 12 pound chocolate egg with a teddy bear inside! You would be set for chocolate for a year.
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| My host sister and I's chocolate eggs |
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| New host family (minus host dad taking picture) |
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| Rotex event with other exchange students |
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| My city from the sky! <3 Atibaia |
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| My new project :) |
oMy next big adventure is the Amazon at the end of April....definitely looking forward to sleeping in hammocks on the Amazon River with 60 other exchange students! Até, Beijos
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Mallory Richey - ¿Habla español? SPAIN
Buen día para todos,
Why am I speaking Spanish in France...well I just got back from a week in SPAIN! Barcelona, and the south of France...and with some help from some exchange students from Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela...I can now speak a bit of Spanish (it also helps that it is similar to French and I have been taking Spanish class here in France). I LOVED IT...it was a bus trip so there was a ton of other exchange students and we all got along really well. We started off with two days in Paris, climbed the Eiffel Tower, went to Versaille (third time for me) and then my first time to the Louvre where I saw the Mona Lisa. It was insane. Then we headed to the South of France for a day in Carcassonne which is a huge old fortress castle that is a cute little village now. In Barcelona we checked out some architecture from Gaudi (obviously we were in Barcelona and had to check that out) which included his garden and cathedral. We also had a delicious lunch on the coast which was probably the best lunch I have had on this exchange thanks to the company and the quality of the food for the price. We had calamari, mussels, fried anchovies (these were actually pretty good), potato cakes in a cream sauce, and shrimp, followed by a mean plate of Paella (SOOOOO GOOD), and a spanish creme dessert that is a bit like creme brûlée and lemon cake....IT WAS AMAZING. All with some great people that I met. Later we hit up the Pablo Picasso museum which was my favorite of the trip. We also had some free time in Barcelona and I may have done some shopping ;) We finished the trip off with a tour in Girona...which was a beautiful little old village in the north of Spain. Overall an amazing trip and only a month until my big european trip..three weeks till I see Hope Nelson...and a month and a half till my family! Things are going well. Some days I am ready to go home, but some days are some of the best of my life. Things are defiantly speeding up as I hit the six month mark today...four left. I hope all the Rotarians out there got to meet my host sister Faustine! She spend a week with my family and she is loving the US.
Bisous
Mallory
Why am I speaking Spanish in France...well I just got back from a week in SPAIN! Barcelona, and the south of France...and with some help from some exchange students from Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela...I can now speak a bit of Spanish (it also helps that it is similar to French and I have been taking Spanish class here in France). I LOVED IT...it was a bus trip so there was a ton of other exchange students and we all got along really well. We started off with two days in Paris, climbed the Eiffel Tower, went to Versaille (third time for me) and then my first time to the Louvre where I saw the Mona Lisa. It was insane. Then we headed to the South of France for a day in Carcassonne which is a huge old fortress castle that is a cute little village now. In Barcelona we checked out some architecture from Gaudi (obviously we were in Barcelona and had to check that out) which included his garden and cathedral. We also had a delicious lunch on the coast which was probably the best lunch I have had on this exchange thanks to the company and the quality of the food for the price. We had calamari, mussels, fried anchovies (these were actually pretty good), potato cakes in a cream sauce, and shrimp, followed by a mean plate of Paella (SOOOOO GOOD), and a spanish creme dessert that is a bit like creme brûlée and lemon cake....IT WAS AMAZING. All with some great people that I met. Later we hit up the Pablo Picasso museum which was my favorite of the trip. We also had some free time in Barcelona and I may have done some shopping ;) We finished the trip off with a tour in Girona...which was a beautiful little old village in the north of Spain. Overall an amazing trip and only a month until my big european trip..three weeks till I see Hope Nelson...and a month and a half till my family! Things are going well. Some days I am ready to go home, but some days are some of the best of my life. Things are defiantly speeding up as I hit the six month mark today...four left. I hope all the Rotarians out there got to meet my host sister Faustine! She spend a week with my family and she is loving the US.
Bisous
BEST LUNCH EVER...Fried anchovies with my friend from Mexico
Gaudi's Garden
After we put a lock on the bridge in Paris ( for friendship and happiness...your supposed to throw the key in the Seine but we kept them)
Barcelona
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Kestral Johnston - A viagem da minha vida
My trip of a life time:
So after New Years began the most amazing memorable and indescribable adventure of my life. In 29 days I experienced 13 cities, drove 10,000 km, spent who knows how many hours on a bus, and laughed with 48 of the best exchange students.
I left from São Paulo with about half of our entire group. I was so excited, and incredibly sleepy after waking up at 5:00 AM to arrive in São Paulo on time. It was nice to see some of the exchange students that I had already met from my district on the same trip. We traveled the entire day on the bus to arrive in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. There, we encountered the other half of our group. Brasília began our tour of brazil. Since it was a planned capital of the country, everything is very precise, and organized. From an overhead view, the city looks like an airplane. Another cool fact is that there are no walls in the city. The architect didn't want it to be closed off, so the president's house (Palácio da Alvorada) doesn't even have a wall, just a small pool of koi (of course there are armed guards). After Brasilia, we traveled to Lençóis in the state of Bahia. We visited Chapada Diamantina, and natural fresh water pools. One even had a "slide" into the water. After Lençóis we began our beach part of the trip. The Northeastern part of the country is known for its beaches and being incredibly hot. We went to Maceió, Natal, Fortaleza, Recife, Porto de Galinhas, Salvador, Arrail D'Ajuda, Porto Seguro, and Rio de Janeiro . Fortaleza was one of the most memorable cities. There, we went on this sand buggy ride. It was literally insane, but so much fun with the wind in your hair and screaming like you might die. In Fortaleza we also had a BBQ (churrasco) on the beach with music. Another place that I enjoyed was Salvador. In Salvador, we visited the Mercado Municipal that had all sorts of things to buy and a semi-deserted island where we spent the entire day on the beach. To be honest I could write a novel about everything I saw in these places, but there just isn't enough space. There isn't enough space for all of my photos either.....
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| The group <3 - Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro |
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| On top of the "Torre de TV" - Brasília |
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| World Cup Stadium - Brasília |
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| Chapada Diamantina - Lençóis |
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| Rock slide - Lençóis |
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| Capoeira show :traditional fight/dance - Lençóis |
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| Sand Buggy ride - Fortaleza |
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| Porto de Galinhas |
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| Over looking Recife |
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| Exchange Student mini Carnaval - Olinda/Recife |
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| 2 week old sea turtles - Praia do Forte |
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| Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim - Salvador |
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| Semi-deserted island - Salvador |
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| Where settlers first landed in Brazil, first mass - Porto Seguro |
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| First road in Brasil - Porto Seguro |
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| Escadaria Selaron - Rio de Janeiro |
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| Favela - Rio de Janeiro |
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| STARBUCKS! - Rio de Janeiro |
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| On top of Pão de Açúcar gondola - Rio |
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| Ipanema beach - Rio |
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| Christ the Redeemer w/ fog - Rio |
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| What could be seen from the city below... Copacabana beach - Rio |
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| When it cleared..... - Rio |
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| My best friends during the trip: Denmark, Alaska, Norway |
Last but not least, the most well known city in Brazil, the host of the 2016 Olympics and World Cup stadium: Rio de Janeiro. It was an amazing feeling to actually be in that city that everyone thinks about when you say Brazil. Despite the rain, we toured the city on foot, saw one of the world cup stadiums, went to Florest de Tijuca, had a samba class, visited Praia de Ipanema, went to the top of Pão de Açúcar, and saw the famous Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). Unfortunately because of all of the rain and fog, we only saw the statue clearly for about a minute, and barely saw anything of the city below. It was still incredible. Each of the different cities we visited had difficulties. Some had different dialects of Portuguese, and some even had new words for things I already knew. At the end of the trip, I learned things and again saw Brazil in another light. Slowly I'm starting to fill in the pieces of this puzzle that makes up the culture of Brazil. I know that even at the end there will still be gaps, but the picture will still be clear enough to grasp the meaning of "Brazilian".
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