Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Culture Is Relative: The Staton family has 'adopted' Pedro Gioia (bottom) during his stay in California.
Brazilian exchange student adds a welcome accent to Glen family
South American teen discovers the joys of snowboarding, onion rings and rap music
By Chantal Lamers
Pedro Gioia is no different from any other teenager. His bedroom floor is strewn with dirty white socks and tennis shoes. Baseball caps pile up in a corner near a steel string guitar and a surfboard. On the walls are posters of surfers and snowboarders; no different from any American high schooler. But that's just it--he's not.
The 17-year-old exchange student from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has taken up residence at a home just outside Willow Glen. Although he's not the only exchange student hitting the books at Willow Glen High School, he's been proclaimed by his American "brother" and "sister" to be the most popular one.
The Staton family adopted Pedro during his stay in California. He calls the Staton children, Matt, 18, and Samantha, 16, his brother and sister. He calls their mother Andrea Staton, Mom, and he calls their father, Steve Staton, Steve.
Since his arrival in the states, Pedro has added rap CDs to his collection of Brazilian ones. He's discovered onion rings, an American fast food not to be found in Brazil. And he's still working on the California accent he wants to take home with him in July.
When he first arrived, Pedro was having trouble keeping up with American English-speak. "When you wake up, you have to speak English, and when you go to bed, you have to speak English," Pedro says.
In his dreams, American friends and family would speak Portuguese. But that's all changed. Now, he dreams in English, and his non-English speaking mother speaks English in his dreams. "It was a good sign, Pedro says. "The English was getting in my mind."
The teenager has discovered some of California's quirks, too. The avid surfer learned to wear a wet suit while surfing off the chilly Santa Cruz coast. In Rio de Janeiro, where summer temperatures can soar to 120 degrees, there's no need for a wet suit. So Pedro came out of his first California surfing experience numb and dizzy.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Bossa Nova: Pedro Gioia, 17, plans on bringing American music home.
Since he arrived, Pedro's stayed busy by joining the water polo, soccer and volleyball teams at WGHS. "Sports opens a lot of doors," Pedro says. "I don't care if I play or sit on the bench." When he attended his first high school football game, he and his waterpolo teammates sang "Olé, Olé" each time the team made a touchdown. Everyone thought it was the Brazilian thing to do, though it isn't, of course. Then fans at waterpolo matches began to pick up the "Olé, Olé" habit too, swinging the Brazilian flag through the air when WGHS scored. Pedro just laughed.
He's also learned some American pop culture sayings like, "Who's your daddy?" which Matt insisted he say to the goalie each time he scored a point in water polo.
He's visited Monterey, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He's still waiting for his chance to visit Disneyland. But Pedro says the most memorable experience he'll take home to Rio will probably be the snowy mountains. Living so near the equator, Pedro had never snowboarded before, much less seen snow.
The Staton family has become accustomed to their young Brazilian friend. "It's like having another brother," Samantha says. "But I don't think he's figured out how to answer call-waiting yet."
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad Staton have become the parents of a third teenager. Andrea Staton says the most difficult part is telling Pedro what to do sometimes, since she's not really his mother.
"Sometimes it gets crazy having another teenager around," says Steve Staton. "The first week, he generated a lot of excitement around here."
But Pedro isn't the only thing the family's adopted. They've also become pretty attached to the sound of a Portuguese accent. Matt, Samantha and Andrea often teasingly echo words that come from the Brazilian's mouth--out of love, the family agrees. So far, they all nod in agreement, Matt can imitate his new brother's accent best.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
