Matheus Zappa Ramos not a common area name

By Bonnie Kirchman

Billy and Daphne Klema and their daughters Bailey and Kailey opened their home this school year to Matheus Zappa Ramos, who is known as Zappa to family and friends. Zappa is an exchange student from Brazil.

Zappa is from Sao Jose dos Campos, in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. His city has close to one million residents, so coming to Gonvick, with a population around 300 was a bit scary for him. It was also difficult for him to leave all his friends in Brazil. He was encouraged to be an exchange student by his mother, who, along with her sisters, was an exchange student. Their host homes were in southern places like Florida, so Zappa’s stay in northern Minnesota was quite a different experience than theirs.

“When I came, I had the worst English in my family, but I am going home with the best English,” Zappa said. 

One of the advantages of studying for a year in the United States is the opportunity to improve English skills. Zappa’s first language in Brazil, and the one spoken in his school, is Portuguese. Although he has taken English classes since he was four years old, Zappa was not really concerned about it until he realized he was coming here. When he first got to Minnesota, it was difficult to follow the English and it seemed like everyone spoke so fast. After several months of being here and conversing with his host family and friends, he now finds English much easier, to the point where he now thinks in English.  He said video games and movies also helped him improve his English.

Arriving in the area in August, one of the first things that Zappa was surprised by was the sun, not something one would expect when coming from Brazil to Minnesota. What was striking to him was the later sunset during the northern summer days, making our daylight hours much longer than he was used to in his home. In Brazil, the length of days does not vary as much as in northern Minnesota and sunset occurs more consistently between 6:30 and 7:30 in the evening.

Zappa’s home in Brazil is about an hour away from the coast, where it is very warm. He and his friends would go there and enjoy doing many outdoor activities. They could also travel to the mountains, an hour away in another direction, where it would be much cooler. Some of the things he likes to do with his friends in Brazil are going to the beach, playing soccer, riding bikes, and spending time with his friends at parties and barbecues. His home is also about an hour from his state’s capital city, which has a population of 13 million. There are many things to do in this huge city, from visiting Chinatown to watching soccer games.

While in Minnesota, Zappa saw snow for the first time. And our colder weather means dressing warmer and enjoying outdoor activities that are much different than what he is used to doing in Brazil. Over the past winter, Zappa enjoyed many winter pastimes, including snowmobiling and ice fishing. He was impressed that he could “walk on water” in the winter months. He was also able to go to Buena Vista and try snow tubing. 

Over the school year, Zappa has been attending Clearbrook-Gonvick school along with host sisters Bailey and Kailey. His school in Brazil is much larger, with 300 students in his class there. Another difference between his school in Brazil and here is the schedule. In Brazil, the school day starts at 7:00 in the morning and runs until 12:40. Students do not eat lunch at school and do most of their studying outside of school hours. Tests are taken every Thursday after the regular school hours. In school here, Zappa took required classes including M ath, Biology, English, gym, and U.S. History. He was also able to take elective classes like shop. He liked that he could have a study hall during the school day, so he could work on homework and school projects. This made it easier for him to be involved in sports after school, something schools in Brazil do not have. Overall, Zappa found the classes here somewhat easier than those in Brazil. U.S. History was his hardest class, but also his favorite.

Casey Kroulik, who has been Zappa’s U.S. History teacher this past year, describes Zappa in the following way: “Zappa is a great student. He is always upbeat and positive in class. His positive attitude is contagious in class and you can tell he improves the room for the other students as well. He works well both on his own and with others, and has an amazing grasp of American history and the concepts that go along with it for someone who is not from here. He consistently has some of the highest grades in the class. He has been very fun to have in class.”

While he has attended Clearbrook-Gonvick school, Zappa participated in many school activities. He played on the boys’ basketball team and is on the track team. Being on these teams was a good experience for him, helping him make new friends and allowing him to travel around the area to see other schools. Zappa did an exhibit for the science fair. He also enjoyed going to prom and the prom after-party. In Brazil, they don’t have prom. Instead, they have a senior party.

Zappa has also made many friends while he has lived here. In Brazil, people aren’t allowed to drive until they are eighteen. But his friends here have licenses, allowing them to drive to pick Zappa up to enjoy doing things together. He has enjoyed going to Bemidji to go to movies or go to Walmart. 

Zappa enjoyed trying lefse and potato klub while staying with the Klemas. They don’t have peanut butter or syrup in Brazil. We also have more types of candy than are available in Brazil. Zappa ate more fruits and vegetables at home in Brazil where they are less expensive to buy than here. Fast food is more expensive in Brazil than in the United States, so they tend to eat less of that.

The Klema family introduced Zappa to other family traditions. Guns are not allowed where Zappa lives in Brazil, so experiencing hunting season was new to him. He tried venison for the first time and even ate meat from a bear Kailey shot. Black Friday shopping at Target and Walmart was also an experience he will remember from his stay here.

Another American tradition the Klemas shared with Zappa is the “road trip”. The family traveled to Brownsville, Texas to visit Daphne’s parents. This was the longest car trip Zappa had ever taken, but he enjoyed seeing various states along the way and cities he had only seen in movies. At home in Brazil, Zappa has travelled extensively through his country. But there, if the trip is longer than five hours, it is cheaper to fly than drive.

Holiday traditions are somewhat different in Brazil than here. Because 90 per cent of the population is Catholic, many religious holidays are observed in Brazil. So many that, when added up, would amount to about a month of days off from school. Brazil’s carnival is a week-long celebration of parties, with people eating with friends and staying up all night. While here in Minnesota, Zappa experienced his first Thanksgiving, eating a traditional turkey dinner with the Klema family. Christmas is celebrated in Brazil, but the snow made it feel very different.

As an only child, having sisters Bailey and Kailey as part of his host family was also a new experience. He said they were always together doing things like watching movies. And like siblings in most families, they pick on each other. The girls tease Zappa about picking his favorite sister, but he obviously enjoys being with both of them.

Soon Zappa will return to Brazil, where he will join his family, which consists of his mom, a physical therapist, and his dad, a computer engineer. His parents have added a French bull dog into the family, so Zappa will also have a pet when he gets home. After returning to Brazil, Zappa will finish the last six months of his senior year. He plans to go to military college to be a pilot. His career choice has been influenced by his grandparents and aunts who have worked in that field. Zappa’s goal is to be a pilot for the Brazilian Air Force.

When speaking about Zappa’s return home to Brazil, Daphne said to him, “I can’t believe I don’t get to keep you!”

“Fifty per cent of me wants to go home, fifty per cent wants to stay here,” was Zappa’s reply. For him, the hardest part of coming to Minnesota was leaving his friends in Brazil, and he said leaving his friends here would be the worst part of leaving here when he returns home.

Although the Klemas only have Zappa in their home for this school year, it is clear that he will be part of their family forever. They look forward to keeping in touch with Zappa and hope he will return for many visits in the coming years.