Sunday, 24 October 2010
Thais Da Costa by Kaeleigh Thorp 4/27/10
"Sometimes my mom says, 'Maybe we should go back,' and I tell her I don’t want to go. I want to stay here. America truly is a melting spot, especially in the Bay Area."
My name is Thais Da Costa and came from Brazil. I lived in Brazil until I was 12 years old, and then I left my homeland for the greener pastures of the United States of America. Now I am 17, so I have been here for five years. I remember my childhood in Brazil very well. My family lived on my grandfather’s farm. It was really fun. We had contact with all the farm animals and I could run around and play. They had all sorts of farm animals: cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats., The farm also had a lot of different fruit trees that were really good. I lived with my parents and my brother, Jerome. We had our own house on the property. My father took care of the farm while my mother was a high school teacher. She taught Portuguese, English, math, and biology.
My family decided to move here – not because we had a bad life in Brazil, but there was no way we could actually go up from the level we were at. It would have been too hard. It was easier to come to the US and try to make a life here, so we chose to move here. We believed that the US would give us more financial opportunities. My father came to the US first, in 1999, and then my mother came a year later. They came before me. I came to the US during my second semester of 6th grade.
I went from Brazil straight to the San Francisco Bay Area; I haven’t lived anywhere else in the United States. We moved to the Bay Area because there is a small Brazilian community here.
To be honest, when I first came here, I didn’t like it at all. I wanted to go back home. I cried every day; it was horrible! But now, I don’t want to leave. Sometimes my mom says, “Maybe we should go back,” and I tell her I don’t want to go. I want to stay here. America truly is a melting pot, especially in the Bay Area.
When I got here, initially I was treated very well. It was hard for me because I didn’t speak or understand English. It was complicated. But everyone turned out to be really nice and understanding. They were more understanding because they realized I didn’t speak English, so they were willing to help me.
The first teacher I met when I came here was Mr. Forbes from Chipman Middle School. He spoke Spanish. I could understand some parts of it because I speak Portuguese and it’s similar. It was helpful.
The immigration process is was very long and took many years. Since my parents came first, they had to get work visas from Brazil. They came here to work for a little bit – their visas were good for six months. Their boss liked them very much and helped them apply for papers; so that’s how they got here.
One thing I would like people to know about my home country is that it’s beautiful. It’s fantastic! No, the whole country is not a rain forest – that’s just part of it. It’s really nice. People are very warm, and they welcome you. Everything in Brazil is like a party. It’s amazing. Brazil is believed to be the next country on its way to becoming a “super power”. Oh, I’m so happy with this news!
As for the Brazilian government, it is definitely not as I wish it was. It’s fine, but when it comes to the Senators – it’s horrible. They are corrupt and I don’t like that at all, it really irritates me. For example they are going to have the World Cup and decided that they needed to take a vacation for those days because they need to watch the games. A Senator came up with that idea and wanted to have those days off. They are requesting sixty five days off so they can watch the World Cup. I can’t believe it! Everyone else is going to work. They are definitely crazy!
As for our our industries, we do have a very big oil company called Petrobras and they also make a lot of ethanol. Brazil also produces a lot of beef and grows many crops.
What’s Brazil famous for? We’re famous for our women, I guess! We are also famous for our rain forest and beautiful beaches. Unfortunately, I have never been to the Amazon rain forest, but I have been to South Brazil where they have beautiful beaches. I wish I had visited the Amazon rain forest, but I will get there soon. It’s beautiful.
I have noticed some differences between Brazil to and the United States. Brazilians are very warm - life is a party to them. Americans, not so much. They are super fast-paced! In Brazil, our neighbors were our best friends. But now, I barely see my neighbors and I don’t even know their names. It’s really awkward. One thing I would change about Brazil are the Senators. I would fire them and tell them all to go home. The one thing I would want to change about the USA is the whole neighbor thing – that whole situation; it’s really weird. The biggest change difference I notice between Brazil and the San Francisco Bay Area is the “melting pot” factor. It’s truly amazing how many cultures there are! Everyone really is welcome. It’s fascinating.
As far as the whole immigration process is concerned, it is very long and requires a lot of patience, but it’s definitely necessary. You don’t want an individual coming from another country who has been causing trouble in their homeland and to bring it here. You have to go through that process. It takes years, but you need to do it. You need to know who’s coming to the US for security purposes.
My advice to newcomers is to try your best to learn English! Also, you need to come here with an open mind; there is a lot for you to learn. I would say you should definitely come to the US – get all your papers straight, and go through all the processes. It is definitely worth it. The US is a really good country. I do not regret coming here. It’s wonderful.
Before I came to the United States, I was told that the US was a place where you can become prosperous and you can achieve a high level of education. Basically I was told that it is very good. We all believed that this is the country of opportunities. I was told I would greatly expand my knowledge. These stories are the complete truth! As it turns out, life in the US is better than I thought it would be. Like I said, when I first got here, I didn’t like it at all. Even when people were telling me how the US was, I thought, “Yeah, sure.” But actually – it is! No, it’s better! I like the US and I would like to live here for the rest of my life.
