After moving to São Paulo, Rafaela began working with exchange programs in AIESEC and is proud to say she already knows a lot about the world.
Name: Rafaela Putini
Year: 2018
Major: Journalism
Hometown: Itatiba – SP
Sign: Scorpio
Status: Single
Interests: Music, writing, making friends
Routine can be boring for some people – the mere thought of spending our precious experience on Earth doing the same thing on a daily basis can be quite suffocating. Rafaela is one of those. She decided to study journalism after noticing she did want to be everything when she “grew up”, but why not be something different every day?
How did you find AIESEC?I have some friends who already participated in another unity, at University of São Paulo. Until then, I never really understood the dynamics, only that it had something to do with tourism. When I saw the ad in Cásper’s Facebook page about the partnership with Getúlio Vargas Foundation’s AIESEC, I signed up and made it through every step of the selective process, until I was told I was approved! My first contact with the institution was through the integration trip, and I then I completely fell in love with it.
Can you briefly explain what is it?It is an organization created post-WWII which main goal is to prevent events like that through stimulating the contact between people from all over the world – if you are capable of exchanging experiences and culture and getting out of your comfort zone, you are able to deal with differences. Since it’s a company like any other, I’m responsible for dealing with exchange programs, more specifically on voluntary work, which is something I have always done.
That’s pretty nice of you!Yeah, like, I volunteer since I was little. I would make some raffles during Children’s Day (A.N.: national event that takes place on October 12th) and Christmas so I could get gifts for some kids. I have also developed a reading project for small children, so my friends and I took the bus to Campinas, which is quite near Itatiba, and read to some kids and six months later, we would help them write their own stories.
You have been on an exchange program before, right?Yes, and it was when I fell in love with it. I’m already planning the next one!
Where do you plan to go?I don’t know yet, but I was thinking about Egypt, South Africa or Kenia. I went to Germany for six months, especially because I wanted to meet a different reality. It was more as an experience of knowing what works there that I could take to these other countries that have a quite difficult access to all of that. Those were easily the best months of my whole life, although I still suffer from post-exchange depression. When I came back, I also realized how satisfying it would be for me to meet the whole world, to meet everything outside my own universe.
How’s your experience on dealing with exchange students?It’s pure madness! [Laughs]. Last July they were here, and it was a non-stop message spam asking me about everything! And of course, I helped every single one of them, and it’s really gratifying. There was this girl from Mexico who sent me a voice message, crying, when she was in the airport, saying “Rafa you are one of the best people I’ve ever met and I just want you to know that the doors of my home will always be open to you”. This is my main goal: knowing someone from each country.
What is it like living in São Paulo? I actually moved to Itatiba when I was 10 years-old. I like it because there are many things to do – if you want to see a play or go to a museum, you do it in São Paulo. You can even find a bakery open at 3 a.m.! There are some bad parts though, since I’m really attached to my parents and siblings and there are some things I’m not really used to, like moving to a tiny apartment and having many responsibilities at home, like cooking to myself every day. But I really like it, and I think it’s the perfect lifestyle for me: weekdays in São Paulo, weekends with my family.
Which are the must-go places you recommend our readers to visit?Well, there is Ibirapuera Park, which is a fantastic place to read, walk or simply hangout while having a picnic. And the whole Paulista Avenue region, since you can find everything – especially those street artists, selling the coolest and most different stuff. We have every urban group in São Paulo, and somehow you end up meeting a little bit of each one of them.