For Mariana Costa, coming to Canada was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
The Grade 12 student enrolled for the year at Olds High School is a native of the city of Patos de Minas, located in southwest Brazil. She says she has wanted to come to Canada for a long time and is thrilled to be here.
Costa is here on a one-year exchange program set up by the Olds Rotary Club and has been in town since July.
"It's been really good so far,î says Costa. "The best thing so far has been the people ñ they're really nice and have helped me a lot. I've wanted to switch countries for a while just to learn about other cultures and learning English has been a great experience.î
And despite what she may tell you, Costa's English is actually very good; her Brazilian accent smoothly rolling out English words and phrases as though it has been her native tongue for quite some time.
The Rotary Club, an international organization that is made up of volunteers committed to community service, strives for higher ethical standards and continually works towards peace and understanding in the world.
The club is also committed to youth and more than 8,000 students in over 80 countries are part of the exchange program every year; students like Mariana Costa who heard about the program through friends of her family and jumped at the chance to participate.
In Patos de Minas there also happens to be a Rotary Club like the one in Olds and Costa was delighted to find that she had the opportunity to take part in a global event.
It was a big change for the only child who, up until a few months ago, had lived her whole life in Brazil - but she embraced it with open arms.
"I have no brothers or sisters,î says Costa, when asked about the decision. "But when I talked with my parents about it they were happy for me and told me that it would be good for me. I knew it would be good for my future and help me get a good job in Brazil.î
Perhaps the biggest adjustment that Costa is making concerns the weather and when prompted about it, she iterated that even though it's quite balmy in her home all year round (the average annual temperature is 21 degrees) she is a fan of the snow.
"(The early October snowfall) was my first time seeing snow,î Costa says happily. "It's cold but I like it.î
This optimistic outlook is indicative of Costa's attitude in general and the impression given is of someone who is genuinely happy to be here.
