Host an exchange student was a very good experience and showed us that, regardless of culture and the country, the basic values ​​such as education, respect and collaboration are the key to a pleasant coexistence. I was lucky to have chosen Catherine, because it created a friendship between us three. She left ‘saudade’. My daughter also liked it and realized that speaking English is very important.

For us it was very special, because we got to know a wonderful person that became part of our family. We have gained a daughter and a new sister for our children. The communication was perfect because she speaks Spanish and it helped a lot. We got to know a person from a different culture, with different habits that could adapt very well to our reality and to our family. I can say that we also participated of an exchange program without even leaving home.

This experience, with no doubt, has been quite enriching to me. I feel like a “mother” to Isabella all the time. And this is very rewarding.
Isabella gave me beautiful flowers for Mother’s Day. I was so happy and emotionally touched.

My trip to Brazil was surely a great learning experience. I’ll admit in the beginning it was a little rough; getting used to the living situation, learning my way around, trying to communicate with people, and settling into a routine were all challenges in the beginning. But when I look back, I see that it is struggles like these that nurture a fulfilling learning experience. As my time went on, I got increasingly more comfortable with my surroundings, and realized my appreciation for the open and loving personality of Brazil. The understanding I gained from working and observing the way of life in here is unparalleled to anything I could have learned while being in the United States; it is only when you are completely outside of your comfort zone that you can really find out what you’re made of.

To our family it’s been a great experience having exchange students at home, because is a opportunity to know about another culture. They are young people open to new experiences and we are very happy to help them learn the best of our language and culture.
The experiences that we had were quite rewarding, we built good friendships, hanged out a lot and practice our English.
We hope that even more young exchange students come to Brazil, we will be glad to have them with us.
Cecilia, Tomás e Nicolas