Caitlin Tillman had second thoughts as she flew to Brazil. At just 17, the Waunakee High School student would spend a year away from home and everything she knew during her year-long  Rotary student exchange.
“When I got on the plane, I started to rethink this,” she told the Waunakee Rotary Club at their Nov. 29 meeting.
She spoke no Portuguese, and she wondered if her host family would; they did, but they had trouble understanding her English when she spoke too fast, Caitlin said.
Now back in Waunakee, Caitlin said she found an amazing support network in the other 70 students from all over the world in the Rotary District at São Paulo.
All away from their homes, she said, they “had to find someone to cling to. We had become best friends immediately.”
Rotary exchange students stay with three host families during their year away. Her first loved the beaches, and with them she visited Camburi, Juaquehy and Sao Sebastiao.
“I used to think I didn’t like salt water, but now I would give anything to be there,” Caitlin said.
While her host parents went to a rock concert in Rio de Janeiro, she and her host siblings visited that city. She showed a picture of her host sister, who at age 7, taught Caitlin the most about the language.
Caitlin’s trip last November was to Pantanal, a huge natural area, but not a rain forest. The nature exploration there included rafting, tubing and zip lining along a river. For the first time, she saw a blue parrot.
She spent a lot of time getting to know São Paulo. Her classmates took school very seriously, and studied hard for the end of the year exam, so she spent time with fellow Rotary exchange students, often taking in exhibits at the art museum and seeing the different Brazilian artists’ works.
One street is famous for its street art, where local artists paint murals.
Caitlin also attended a symphonic orchestra concert.
“I was in my high school orchestra, so this was pretty amazing to see,” she said.
Showing a photo she took of a train station with a metro underneath, Caitlin said taking public transportation to wherever she wanted in the city was fun.
Caitlin also attended her host Rotary club’s meetings about once a month. She described these as casual, and the club offered her a vacation to a resort.
During her year in Brazil, she discovered a new passion while teaching English to 3- and 4-year-olds at a bilingual school.
“That’s what I really want to do go back and do,” she said, adding that she has been teaching at a preschool this year.
In June, the student who was so uncertain about leaving for her exchange just 10 months before had a hard time saying goodbye when she was to return home.
“I want to say how grateful I am to have had this opportunity being in high school and being able to experience something different,” Caitlin told the Waunakee Rotary Club.

 

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Other news:
–Connie Blau and Scott Biba gave their 90 seconds of fame. Connie and his wife, Margie, live in the country off of River Road. They have three children and lots of grandchildren. Connie owned the meat market in town from 1970-1985 and then went into real estate.
Scott lives in Waunakee with his wife, Ann. They are on children 2.0 with twins and have cats and dogs. Scott has worked at Design Concepts in Madison for 21 years and is a senior engineer. He has been Rotarian for four years. He previously was a firefighter in Highland.
–If you still have cookies to provide for Santa at the Village Center, drop them off there on Saturday before 1 p.m.
–Poinsettias will be delivered next week.
–Cheese fit boxes will be delivered Dec. 13.
–Also on Dec. 13, the club will sing Christmas carols at the Manor after the meeting.
–The Christmas Party will be Jan. 10. Westside Andy and Glenn Davis will perform.

 

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Guests: ???
Visiting Rotarians: ??
 
Birthdays: Dec. 8, Neil King; Dec. 8, Roberta Baumann.

 

Anniversaries: none.

 

Programs: Dec. 6, Susan Vergeront, a pilgrimage through Israel; Dec. 13, club assembly, and Nancy Kuehn Thomas classification talk; Dec. 20, John DeMars on opening a Fleet Farm.

 

Greeters: Dec. 6, Jonny Buroker and Kathy Cefalu; Dec. 13, Scott Cochems and Jon Cullen; Dec. 20, Allan Dassow and Liz Diehs; Dec. 27, Lori Derauf and Breck Dokken.