river and even learned to speak some Portuguese.

But the one thing that will stand out in her mind for a long time is the hordes of destitute and poverty-stricken children she saw in Brazil -- some so poor they would sleep naked in the streets.

Kerry Graham, 19, now a university student in England, was one of six Bermudians selected to go overseas on the Rotary Exchange programme last year.

Ms Graham went to Brazil where she lived with four different host families in the San Paulo region of the South American country.

"There are beautiful beaches and people,'' she told members of the Hamilton Rotary Club this week. "But poverty, there is a lot of it.

"You want to help everybody at first. But you get used to it. It's really sad.'' Ms Graham, who is now studying accounting and business, said the experience made her appreciate growing up in Bermuda where the extremes of poverty found in Brazil do not exist. Another difference she highlighted during her 20-minute talk was the galloping inflation which the country suffers from.

On her arrival in August, 1993, US$1 exchanged to 84 cruzados but by the end of her stay last July that same $1 purchased 2,600 cruzados.

"This was good for my organisational skills because I had to keep track of the money because it was losing value so quickly,'' she said.

Meanwhile Ms Graham also toured schools and observed classes, spent Christmas and New Year's at the beach and enjoyed the outdoors miles away from the nearest town.

There she mingled with other exchange students from Japan, the United States, Canada and Mexico learned a Czechoslovakian dance and experienced carnival first hand in Rio de Janeiro.

"It was good to have all the other exchange students there. It was exhausting and character building. I learned about myself and other people and about respect for other customs and their perspectives,'' she said adding, "the world is big but it's small too.''