They say that traveling is one of the few things that you spend money and it makes you richer. It’s not just about meeting other places, it’s about absorbing knowledge.
However, an exchange program it’s a different travel proposal. This experience teaches you how to live far from home, adapt to new routines, make new friends, speak another language and adds professional and personal baggage for life. Check out the experiences of some Casperians abroad!
Tássia Vieira
Image Surce: Personal archive
Tássia is 22 years old and studies journalism at Casper Libero. Last year, she traveled to Toronto, in Canada, where she stayed for one month in an apartment with another Brazilian girl that she did not know.
There, she used to study four hours a day and had the weekend free to do whatever she wanted to. For example: she would go to high school parties, outlets, museums and much more.
She told Her Campus that her favorite food in Canada was pizza. “There I could eat it all day, not only at dinner, like we do in Brazil”.
Before going to the exchange program, Tássia already had a little knowledge of English, so the classes helped her with the practical part like conversation and pronunciation. For her, it was an incredible experience with a huge learning.
Image Source: Personal archive
Julia Alves
Image Source: Personal archive
Julia is 20 years old and, right now, she is in Brisbane, Australia. Actually, she was supposed to be at her last year of graduation – she studies journalism at Casper Libero -, but she chose to be oversea for a year.
In Brisbane, Julia usually studies six hours a day and during her free time she does homework. She told HC that her Australian routine is hard because her most important goal is to get the Cambridge certified, so she is completely focused on this.
About dwelling, Julia says that Australia is an expensive place to live. Therefore, the best choice is to share an apartment or a house with someone. Also, the public transport is expensive, so her type is to walk as much as you can: “I always try to enjoy the view and get to know new places”.
Marcela Castro
Image Source: Personal archive
Marcela is 20 years old and she made an exchange program in Valencia, Spain, for six months. Her objective was to learn Spanish and the interesting thing is that she organized all the travel by herself, without an agency.
In Valencia, she went to a school, where she studied the language four hours a day, and lived in a family house for a while. Afterwards, she chose to move to a shared apartment to feel really independent in the country.
During the afternoons, she usually had free time to do what she wanted to, but the school always proposed some activities and in between she had classes about Spanish slangs and bad language. “It was really funny!”
As Valencia is a seaside town, she loved to go to the beach everyday with her friends and enjoy the view and the ocean breeze.
Now that she is back in Brazil, she admits to miss the paella she used to eat there, which is original from Valencia.
Image Source: Personal Archive