Bianca Trevisan de Jesus is learning much about life as a U.S. high school student during her year in Waunakee.
The Rotary exchange student is from Brazil, and at the Dec. 1 club meeting, she spoke a little about her life there and here in Waunakee.
Bianca was born in Londrina, in the southern region. She and her family now live in a condominium in São José de Rio Preto in the state of São Paulo. Translated into English, the name of her home city is St. Joseph of Black River.
Bianca has a 10-year-old brother and a 13-year-old sister, and the family pets are a Maltese named Buddy-Martin and a canary named Kevin.
São José de Rio Preto is north of the large city of São Paulo and as of 2014, had 442,548 residents. The average temperature is 76 degrees, although its common for the temperature to be about 100 degrees, she said.
“Winter is about a month,” Bianca said, adding that for about 10 days, the residents experience what she called “really cold weather” in the 40s and 50s.
Bianca said so far, she has been surprised at how cold it is here in Wisconsin.
Right now, the time difference between São José de Rio Preto and Waunakee is four hours, but that changes with daylight savings time.
In São José de Rio Preto, Bianca attends Colegio Santo André, where there are gardens and a courtyard with trees for students to have lunch together.
In Brazil, students don’t move from class to class – the teachers of various subjects come to the classes. Bianca said she likes the educational system in the United States, where electives and career path courses are offered. She also likes the variety of clubs and extracurricular activities. She’s a member of the drama club, she said.
Bianca is staying with the Dan and Kimberly Evans family, her first hosts. Rotary exchange students usually stay with three families during their stay.
The Evans have a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, so they’re close to her brother’s and sister’s ages, she said.
The Evans been showing Bianca the sights here, including the Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Fest, where she first tried that Wisconsin summer staple. She’s also visited Door County, been to a Brewers game and the play Cinderella.
Bianca said she spends most of her time with Gabi having fun, and showed pictures of the two in their unicorn Halloween costumes and at football games.
Bianca said she’d like to visit Chicago and see Cloud Gate, the sculpture otherwise known as “The Bean” at Millennium Park.
It was also club assembly, with the committee chairs delivering the following reports:
•President Travis Heiser thanked Bob Klostermann for organizing the Group 6 Social.
•No one has stepped up to greet at the Rotary Lights on Dec. 25. Also, if you’d like to volunteer to turn them off and on, check with Phil Willems. You can also stop in anytime and help greet the visitors.
•Mark McFarland said 75 high school students, the most ever, attended the ethics forum, and thanked the volunteers. Judges are needed for upcoming mock interviews at the high school, he said.
•A Rotarian has offered to match up to $1,000 for a Shelter Box USA kit, with a tent and other supplies for those hit by emergency disasters. Linda Olson has information on this.
•Poinsettia deliveries will be Dec. 8; the Monona club’s cheese and sausage boxes will be delivered Dec. 15.
•The membership committee urges members to bring a friend in January.
•The Christmas party is being planned for the second week of January.
•Two grant writing seminars will be held in March. Someone from the club must attend to remain eligible for grants. See Linda for details.
Guests: Adam Bentley, guest of Todd Schmidt; Laurie Kreuger and Jessica Schecks, guests of Linda Olson.
Visiting Rotarians: None.
Birthdays: Dec. 8, Neil King; Dec. 8, Roberta Baumann.
Anniversaries: None.
Greeters: Dec. 8, Tyler Knowles and Dave Kruchten;
Dec. 15, Neil Kruschek and Nancy Kuehn-Thomas;
Dec. 22, Martin Lackey and Alan Langeteig.
