A year ago around this time, my high school principal read us a passage from Dr. Seuss’s famous book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” At that moment, my friends and I had no idea what the point of it was, I mean after all, we weren’t children anymore; why read to us from a children book? A year later, I have finally made sense of that infamous passage:
“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own.
And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
I finished my first year at Dartmouth College in a way I hadn’t foreseen: energized. Finals went well; I didn’t pull any all-nighters and didn’t stress at all. Now, I have a summer to reflect on everything that happened between September and now, a summer in Brazil! I will spend 10 weeks in Salvador, Bahia furthering my understanding of the Portuguese language and learning more about Afro-Brazilian Culture. Dartmouth is a partner school of ACBEU (Associação Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos) and I will be taking classes alongside students learning English. No amount of exclamation marks can emphasize my excitement of visiting a foreign country but I will say this: THIS SUMMER WILL BE ONE TO REMEMBER!
During the first week of September I will come back to the U.S and spend a few weeks at home until it’s time to come back to Hanover. It’s hard for me to believe that in another year I’ll be reflecting on an amazing summer and preparing for another memorable term. This is only the beginning and I’m sure you all will also have some wonderful news to share in the upcoming months.
Desejo a todos o melhor e boa sorte!