Stephen Esposito
Greensburg junior Italo Soares wants to attend a college stateside - five months of life in the United States has captivated the Brazilian exchange student.
Italo joined the ranks of international exchange students in August 2009 after a group of friends told him about the Council on International Student Exchange (CIEE) and its advantages. “It’s been a great opportunity to learn English, make friends, and create responsibility for myself,” he said. “It’s been unbelievable.”
“It was hard in the beginning…now I have a strong grasp of the language and a lot of friends,” remarked Italo, who studied English for three years in the classrooms of Teresina, Brazil, a bustling metropolis of over one million residents. He says the considerable burden of the transition was reduced by his gracious host families; he is currently living in the household of Lori and Sean Durbin, who have welcomed him as a full-fledged family member in every respect.
Italo has made the most of his time in the U.S. by immersing himself in the local and national experience. So far he has commanded the soccer field and grappled with the wrestlers at Greensburg High School with great success. He has attended two school dances, amassed many new friends, and enjoyed, for a time, the torrent of snow.
“I had never seen snow before I came here,” said Italo, “but I don’t want to see it again.”
Among Italo’s new adventures are memories of New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and twelve different states - the itinerary for the exchange program. He’s toured the country’s landmarks and cities with a bus full of international exchange students and counselors from the CIEE program.
Despite the excitement, he wishes he were home for February, when Brazil explodes into the extravagant month-long celebration of camaraderie, freedom, and fun called Carnaval. “I heard Madonna is coming this year,” Italo said with Eighties-era excitement.
He had adjusted well to the contrast - including the school system - between both of the countries. In Brazil he had to attend school six days a week, spend vacation in the winter months, and sit in classes of well over fifty students. Italo welcomes the difference between the hometowns. “I appreciate the smaller classes and the quiet streets of my new home,” Italo said.
When he ends his tour and returns to Brazil, where he is a senior, he will work with his family on returning to the U.S. as a college-bound student. The exchange program has left him with a definite interest in pursuing education stateside.
Italo keeps his parents and two sisters informed and excited about the continuing trip. He is always ready to relay his experiences and talk about the many new cities he’s experienced.
“New York is the most memorable place I have in my life,” said Italo. “It is running and working all the time - a very exciting world.”
“I want everyone to explore the world,” Italo encouraged. “It’s a house without walls.”
