For international students, the school year can be a unique and challenging journey away from home. While they’ve traveled many miles to Florida, it doesn’t mean they won’t miss their old lives in their hometown. Summer break allows students to travel back to see the place, the people and the culture they’ve left behind.
Senior Gabriela Passaro and her brother sophomore Rafael Passaro returned to São Paulo, Brazil this summer to visit their family. Since they spend long stretches of time separated from their relatives, the Passaro siblings try to make every minute with their loved ones count when they travel to their home country.
“I miss them so much throughout the whole school year, so coming back during the summer makes me so happy… I look forward to the break for this reason,” Gabriela Passaro said. She tried to spend as much time with her relatives as possible.
Similarly, junior Alice Prado and senior Bianca Prado spend their summers visiting their loved ones in Goiânia, Brazil, after not seeing them for months. For Alice Prado, this yearly trip reminds her of how important it is to reconnect with herself and her family as she feels more “at home” when she’s in Brazil.
“Moving to the US was not easy, but we did it and we’ve adapted very well. I do think, though, that without being able to travel and see my family, we wouldn’t have done it,” Prado said.
Some students, however, don’t have the privilege of seeing their family every summer, such as junior Terry Liang. Liang, an international student from China, stated that when he sees his family he feels “excited, touched and moved.”
Summer break is a vital period for prioritizing family and friends, especially when you only see them a few times in the year. For international students, these few months can be crucial to bring fresh memories of home and prepare them for the new school year. The break sends them back to Florida with a reminder of their resilience and adaptability to change.
The Passaro siblings spend a few weeks visiting their grandparents and close relatives in Brazil (Photos/Gabriela Passaro).
