Olá! My name is Leilani, and I was born in California, but have now lived in nine states and three countries. When I was in fourth grade, I lived in Hawaii. I remember meeting a student who was studying abroad in my town from Azerbaijan. She gave a presentation and told us all about her culture, including what the people there wore and ate and what they did on a daily basis. From that point on, I always dreamed of traveling the world. I never imagined that I would have an opportunity to live in Portugal for a year. At the time, I did not know a word of Portuguese!
In middle and high school, I studied Spanish for seven years and even got my bilingual diploma. When I got to college, though, I decided to try something new. I took Portuguese for a year and I loved learning how to pronounce new words, read new poetry and listen to new types of music. After my first year at Wellesley College, I applied for an internship in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon, which is similar to our State Department here in the U.S. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Portugal!
I spent two months here that first summer, and I loved every second. I had never lived abroad or spent more than a few weeks away from my family.
