CORNWALL — Marcelo Gardin Sorde could be any 17-year-old. He goes to school, enjoys sports and music, television and the Internet. At Housatonic Valley Regional High School, he plays soccer and has broken swim team records. His classmates are taken by his charm, infectious smile, and, oh yeah, that he’s “that kid from Brazil.�
It is doubtful many think of him as the exchange student any longer. And Marcelo sees things much differently now than when he first walked through the doors last September. It was one of the rare moments when he wondered what he had gotten himself into.
“I remember that first day standing in the hallway with all these kids going by. People were very nice to me and the kids were very welcoming, but it was so different and even though I had taken English classes since I was 8, I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying.�
Marcelo’s first language is Portuguese, and he speaks a little Italian and Spanish.
Months later, it’s hard to imagine this poised young man has ever felt ill at ease. He impressed his hosts, the Salisbury Rotary Club, at a recent lunch, where he arrived to discover he was without his PowerPoint presentation. An emergency involving his current host family had forced him to move temporarily back with another host family, and the CD had been left behind in the shuffle.
Thinking on his feet, he found an Internet connection, downloaded photos from Brazil to his laptop and deftly winged it.
One quickly realizes that is why he was chosen for the program. He may no longer be “different� at school, but he stands out, probably at home in Maringa as well. He is sponsored on that end by the Rotary Club Paranavai Moema.
“I want to be a doctor, a cardiologist,� he says, with a conviction that stops one short of any doubt.
Marcela had long known about the Rotary program. It became part of his life plan. He saw it as not just a chance to travel, but also as a way to learn the language on a conversational level, gain a true understanding of the culture and its customs, and deepen himself as a person
“I want to know the world better, to develop an open mind. As a doctor, I plan to look for internships in the U.S. and Europe. I’ll need to know the language and the culture. This program has allowed me to learn so much.�
He is influenced by his family, which includes many doctors and a sister in medical school. His mother is a dental surgeon. His dad is a lawyer who currently runs a shoe business and a farm.
Rotary Club member Paul Baren coordinated Marcelo’s stay in Cornwall, with three families: the Kavanaghs, the Pryors and the Tatge/Lasseurs.
“The Rotary program stresses not just an exchange of academic ideas, but a true cultural exchange,� Baren said. “It’s different from other exchange programs because the student doesn’t have to raise all the money for living expenses, and they rotate through several homes. That way, they get a more rounded experience. For instance, Marcelo plans to be a doctor. He went on ambulance calls with an EMT in one of the families, which was a great experience.�
What has he learned as he nears the end of the school year and his departure?
“I’ve started to dream in English. Now I know I can really speak the language. I’m not translating in my head anymore,� Marcelo said. “The weird thing is if there is someone in my dream who I know from Brazil, my dream goes back and forth between English and Portuguese.
“I am finally used to the cold here, and I think when I go back home, I’m going to melt.�
He has found that people are the same inside. They are different only in their cultures.
“There are some things I can’t get used to, like not having a big meal in the middle of the day. In Brazil, everyone goes home for lunch and that’s like dinner is here. I still look at my sandwich and know I’m going to be so hungry before dinnertime.�
He is enjoying all sorts of foods — his new favorites are Italian and Chinese — but noted he appreciates that Catherine Tatge’s grandmother was from Brazil, and he was able to enjoy the authentic dishes she makes so well.
In Brazil, he went to a private school with uniforms. He calls the more relaxed dress code at Housy different, but not necessarily better. What he really can’t get used to is the logistics of learning here.
“It is a very different style here. In Brazil, the students are all in one big room,� he said, describing what we would call a lecture hall. “In the first year, there would be about 70 students in the classroom. By the last year, there would be about 160. The teachers move from class to class, not the kids, like here. I think our way is much better. There’s less distractions and the school day is shorter.�
Marcelo welcomed his parents and extended family for a three-week visit here recently.
“It was not only the first time they saw snow, they arrived during a snowstorm.�
He is conflicted about leaving in June and said he will miss so many people here. But that is tempered by plans families here are making for vacations to Brazil.
“I will have two lives. I’ll never forget people here and I hope we can always be part of each others’ lives.�
