Vanessa Silva:
CLASS OF 1995
Flat Rock High SchoolClass of 1995
Flat rock, MI
Simpson Middle SchoolClass of 1991
Flat rock, MI
Kinyon Elementary SchoolClass of 1989
Taylor, MI
Myers Elementary SchoolClass of 1987
Taylor, MI
Vanessa's Story
Life
It is very hard to write a life bio with all that I've been through. I left Flat Rock High at the beginning of sophomore year and moved with my mother and sisters to Brazil where my mother is from. One of my sisters moved back to the US because she couldn't get used to living here and I might go back with my future husband in a few years too. It's been very difficult to adapt to life in another culture. Things are very different. The hardest thing is the language. Although now I speak and write in Portuguese very well, I still miss English, which is a million times easier because it's my native language. I've been working as an English as a foreign language teacher. It's different from a typical English teacher because you have to teach people who don't speak English how to speak and understand it. It's very rewarding, though. The city I live in -Sao Paulo- is huge! It's bigger than New York and just as busy. I do like it even though it's dangerous, but gro...Expand for more
wing up in Michigan makes me miss a calm, quiet life. I'll probably be going back soon.
School
Oh! How I miss having class in English-my own language! Since I moved to Brazil I had to learn how to read and write in Portuguese. It was really hard at first and I lost a couple of years learning it and getting an equivalancy. It was verrry different from school in the US. Students here study really hard it wasn't easy to keep up, especially the math. I studied extra hard and got into a top college here so I guess a little discipline paid off. I'm studying Linguistics at the University of Sao Paulo, I still am since I got a bit behind. But I do wish I could have done so many of the high school activities that don't exist here, like the prom and after school sports. I remember Mr. Cook telling me I would suffer "Cultural Shock" and I had no idea what he was talking about. I found out in about a week after I arrived in Brazil! Anyway, it's been worth the experience.
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