My Exchange Story
1 like1,206 views
The author had a strong family connection to Rotary International's Youth Exchange Program. She participated in the program in 1991, being exchanged to Pottsville, Pennsylvania where she attended Rotary meetings and made many friends. This experience influenced her life and awakened her love of writing. She eventually pursued writing as a career, publishing her first book in 2008 about a girl's exchange experience in London. The book was a success and led to other books and translations, with nearly 1 million books sold in Brazil. The author credits Rotary International's Youth Exchange Program with inspiring her writing career.
My Exchange Story
- 1. My Exchange year and my profissional life Paula Pimenta Machado de Souza Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais-‐Brasil
- 2. My family has always had a very strong connecAon with Rotary InternaAonal in 1966 my maternal grandfather, Ruy Pimenta Filho, was nominated to be the first chairman of Youth Exchange in Brazil. My mother helped him and was secretary of YEPfor a long Ame. All my uncles were exchange students. Later, my aunts, Carolina, Ana Maria and my mother, Maria Eugenia Rondas Pimenta, joined Rotary and were also Chairpersons in their Rotary districts. So I had a very big influence of the Youth Exchange in my life.
- 3. . ParAcipaAon in the Youth Exchange Program of Rotary InternaAonal Youth Exchange in 1991 Sponsor Rotary Club : RC Belo Horizonte-‐Pampulha, Minas Gerais, Brazil District 4760 Host Rotary Club : RC PoVstown, Pennsylvania, USA, District 7430.
- 4. It was an unforgeVable year! I aVended many OrientaAon MeeAngs, travel, went to Rotary meeAngs in PoVstown where I gave a presentaAon about Brazil ... and made many friends
- 5. Many experiences of the exchange year had influence on my life ...
- 6. My parents always encouraged me to read. And I think it also awakened my love for wriAng. At school my essays were always highly praised ... So I decided to Journalism School, to professionalize this love for wriAng, but gradually I realized that what I really wanted was to write "with emoAon" and not imparAally.I ended up transferring to the Publicity and started taking wriAng as a hobby. I wrote for some chronicles websites and made sure I wanted to write. In 2005 I went to London to do a creaAve wriAng course. There I was able give conAnuity to a book I had started and ended it up. Some friends read my book and said I should publish it! More people had to read my story! When I returned to Brazil in the next year, I tried several publishing houses to publish. I had some difficulAes but an editor read my book and said they wanted to publish it. As soon as they had a place in their schedule they would advise me. In the second half of 2008, ader a large waiAng, the editor decided to publish it. ”Fazendo Meu Filmeˆ(Making My Movie) that I thought would be just a story for my friends and family, was a success! It’s the story of a 16-‐year-‐old girl who goes for an exchange in London.
- 7. Fazendo Meu Filme was a great success in a short Ame and had requests to conAnue the story. I made it in 4 volumes.
- 8. Then along came other books and series and“Fazendo meu filme” was translated toEnglish (e-‐book and physical book), Spanish (Spain and LaAn America) and Portuguese of Portugal
- 10. Minha Vida Fora de Série
- 16. Fazendo meu filme Comic Book
- 17. Fazendo Meu Filme in Portugal
- 18. Books published in Spain, United States and South America
- 19. Currently I have nearly one million books sold in Brazil. My thanks to Rotary InternaAonal for giving me the opportunity to parAcipate in the Youth Exchange Program who inspired me in my wriAng career.