What is the transition like moving to a different country as an international student?
Photo Courtesy of Karen Depaula — APU international student Karen Depaula moved from São Paulo, Brazil to Los Angeles.
Karen Depaula is an international student from São Paulo, Brazil, who is currently a senior at Azusa Pacific University. She moved to Los Angeles by herself at the age of 18 in 2016.
Her journey began when a representative from APU went to an orchestra event in São Paulo that Depaula was a part of. APU gave Depaula several scholarships for her music major, and she has never looked back since deciding to come to APU.
Depaula said moving to Los Angeles from Brazil was weird and exciting initially. The drastic change was also exciting because Depaula always knew she wanted to study abroad.
Despite it being exciting and new, it was also difficult moving by herself. “It was hard to start life alone at a young age,” said Depaula. Moving away from family was challenging in the beginning, but she said meeting other Brazilians in the area has helped her feel a piece of home.
Depaula knew since high school that she wanted to study abroad, so she saved money. Her family helped her, and she also saved money from a part-time job. Depaula originally wanted to study abroad in Europe, but the scholarships from APU convinced her to move here instead.
Another obstacle that Depaula faced in the transition of moving to the United States was the language barrier. Depaula was not fluent in English when she initially moved here. But after being here for seven years, she is now fluent.
It took Depaula a while when she first moved to find an apartment, but overall she said moving to Los Angeles was a better environment for her compared to Brazil. Depaula said she feels safer here than in Brazil — especially as a woman.
Along with knowing she wanted to study abroad, Depaula knew she wanted to study music since she was 7 years old. Her stepfather is a musician, and he taught her how to play the violin at the age of 7. Since then, Depaula grew a passion for music and knew she wanted to play for an orchestra.
After living here for a while, Depaula experienced various culture shocks, such as how people greet one another here and the way food is served. “In Brazil you give a person a kiss on each cheek as a greeting, while here there is not a lot of physical touching,” said Depaula. The other culture shock for her was how the portion sizes for food here are bigger than in Brazil. Also, she said the streets are wider, and the city is different compared to the narrower streets in Brazil.
After a while, Deapula adjusted to her new life in Los Angeles. She said the community here at APU made her feel welcomed and cared about even though she felt homesick frequently in the beginning since she saw her family only once a year.
Depaula not only gets homesick for her family but also for the food in Brazil. Her favorite foods from Brazil are Brazilian barbecue and cheese bread. Brazilian barbecue consists of various meats and side dishes of rice and beans. Brazilian cheese bread is called pão de queijo. Even though Depaula prefers Brazilian food, her favorite American food is burgers.
Depaula’s favorite area in Los Angeles is Downtown LA because she likes the buzzing city life. Santa Monica pier is also another favorite place of hers. After being here for seven years, she has found that she likes living in Los Angeles and attending APU.
Depaula wants to work for a professional orchestra after she graduates this year. She might get her masters degree at APU, but she is still deciding if she wants to start her career here or move back to São Paulo.
Whether Depaula decides to start her career in Brazil or here in Los Angeles, one thing is for sure: Los Angeles and APU have made an impact on Depaula and have created an everlasting memory for her.