Perhaps the most important parts of our Intensive English program are the students, who come from all over the world to study here with us. As part of the ongoing International Education Week and to celebrate our students, this blog post marks the kick-off of our Student Spotlight Series.
Every so often, we will sit down for a Q&A with some of our students who are currently in the Intensive English program. Primarily, the stories we tell will be about the students’ journeys - what led them to the program, what they are learning with us, and where they believe they can go. This week, we spoke to Didi Gallo, who came from Brazil to Houston to study English, and brought a very interesting persona along with her. Read on to find out more!
Studying English here in the United States was a decision Didi made due to other life events happening around her. “I came [to Houston] with my husband who started a PhD [at] Rice,” Didi said. As for her own enrollment into the Intensive English program, Didi said she received some excellent recommendations which convinced her to sign up.
Being from Brazil, Didi has explored quite a bit of the country, even making it to remote destinations like Fernando de Noronha Island, which you can read about in our previous blog post. Didi said she one day dreams of traveling North to experience some colder climates. “I would love to see the Aurora Borealis because it’s a rare natural phenomenon,” Didi said. “It must be very special and magical.”
Saudade (pronounced roughly as sauw-dah-djee) is a Portuguese word whose meaning in English can be described as a deep longing for someone or something. Many Portuguese speakers would agree that it is difficult to find a suitable word for saudade in English, however. Didi said she does find herself missing her home in Brazil, evoking that feeling of saudade. “I miss my family,” Didi said. “We used to have coffee and cake on Sundays with the whole family together.”
Adjusting to life in Houston has come easily to Didi. “One surprise for me was the hospitality with which I have been treated in Houston and mainly in Rice,” Didi said. Outside of class, Didi enjoys spending time with her husband, meeting new friends, acquainting herself with Houston’s food scene, and exploring the city using one of her favorite hobbies: clowning. “These [activities] make me happy because I really like people and food,” Didi said.
As a food lover and international student, Didi immediately noticed Houston’s diverse cultural scene. “I really like how culture is a strong value in Houston and the respect there is for the different people who live here,” Didi said.
Here at the Intensive English program, Didi was able to fit right in and said the teaching quality and the care her teachers, Anna and Lisa, show have impressed her so far. Didi said she appreciates “the concern the teachers have that everyone understands the content [and] the encouragement for us to try to interpret the most complex day-to-day situations.”
Didi said she has learned a lot with the Intensive English program so far and has big plans for the future. “I intend to pursue an artistic career here in the United States as an actress and as the Curiosa Clown…to continue to spread affection and love through the language of clowning,” Didi said. In the near future, Didi said she’d like to develop her professional pursuits through social media and volunteering opportunities in the city, but aims to perform on TV later down the line.
We asked Didi for a phrase in Portuguese which has helped her stay motivated throughout her life. “Trabalhe até não precisar mais se apresentar. As pessoas vão começar a te reconhecer sem que você precise dizer o seu nome,” Didi said. “It means ‘work until you don’t need to introduce yourself anymore. People will start recognizing you without you needing to tell them your name.’”
You can find more of Didi’s adventures as Curiosa Clown on Instagram @palhacacuriosa. Stay tuned to our blog in the coming weeks for more in our Student Spotlight Series.
by Hadrian Barbosa