International Coordinator and host mom Becky from Utah recently traveled to Brazil at the invitation of a former exchange student she supervised during the 2024-25 school year. In this blog post, she reflects on the laughter, surprises, and moments that reminded her why supervising students can create connections that last a lifetime.
An amazing thing happened when a boy I supervised last year, Vitor from Brazil, invited me to visit his city of Bento Gonçalves. When I walked through the security checkpoint in the Porto Alegre airport, Vitor practically side-tackled me with the biggest hug. I felt so loved and so grateful to have been his International Coordinator. We climbed into his dad’s car, and with a huge grin on his face he said, “I can’t believe you came to Brazil. I’m so happy, I think I might explode!”
Then they took me to eat the best lunch of my entire life. Everything they fed me was out of this world delicious. I had no idea how incredible Brazilian cuisine is. He gave me a tour of his city, Bento Gonçalves, and showed me the fountains of wine since it’s a region of vineyards and wineries.
We had the best time catching up on everything that has happened this summer, and I loved exploring his city, experiencing his culture, and being part of a Brazilian Churrasco BBQ. He even sent me soaring like Superman over a canyon in Vale dos Vinhedos and had me bungee jump from a cliff surrounded by waterfalls.
While I was getting ready to bungee jump, he called Fernando from Spain, who had been my exchange student last year and is his best friend. Fernando watched the jump over video call, and the two of them laughed together through it all. I loved how our worlds collided.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we went shoe shopping. It was my little shoe-shopping-spree gift to him for hosting me. I picked a pair of shoes for Vitor, and he picked a pair for me. He picked out a top-line Brazilian tennis shoe brand for me called Ferracini.
But it all started with my friend, Rachel, hosting Vitor as a welcome family. Rachel lives just a couple of blocks away from me in Highland, Utah. Neither of us planned to host last year. We both signed up to be welcome families and only host for 4-6 weeks.
Rachel hosted Vitor, and I hosted Fernando. The boys arrived on the same day, and Rachel and I greeted them together. Two weeks later, Rachel called to ask if I planned to keep Fernando long-term because she wanted to keep Vitor, and I was their ride to school every day. We both switched from welcome to permanent host families.
I got to talk to Vitor every day on the way to and from school. He was regularly at our house after school and had countless game nights and sleepovers with our family. We had the best year together. On his graduation day, I knew I would love and miss this boy forever. I’m so grateful that modern technology and transportation make it a small world after all. Even though I didn’t host Vitor, he will forever be part of my family.
Are you interested in making a difference in a student’s life? Apply to become an International Coordinator with Aspect Foundation. Check out more details here: aspectfoundation.org/become-a-superhero
