Coming to the End....

AFS Pantanal:

So this long awaited year is coming to an end... After months of preparation, months of adaptation to Brazilian life... after passing the saddness, the lonliness... after experiencing all the awesomeness of Brazilian culture... after seeing Brazilian beaches, enormous waterfalls, and the Amazon... after meeting and making friends with unforgettable and lovable people, I will return home to Seattle in 2 weeks.

Even though the time left is so little, I think that I still haven't completely realized that I'm going home. The time passed quickly, but I have formed a second life for myself here. Saying goodbye to my friends and host family will be one of the hardest things that I've ever done in my life. I have walked these streets so many times and the last time I drive out of this city will be heartbreaking. This new life that I've accustomed too and grown to love, this new culture... it's hard to accept that I am leaving forever. Unfortunately, even though I know that I will return one day to visit, it will only be a visit, and it will never be the same again. At least I am left with the memories and the knowledge that I took advantage and loved it while I was here.

I can safely say that my exchange was a success. My pre- exchange dreams (though hazy now) were of friends, travel, Portuguese, and ... general happiness. I have achieved all of that !

My friends, though I've known them for only a little bit of time, are unforgetable, and I know will never forget me, just as I'll never forget them. We will live on other continents (or, by the Brazilian scheme, the same continent), but we are already making plans to see each other (let's hope this are American style plans- that happen- as opposed to Brazilan plans- which don't. )

My host family here is a second family to me. They helped me so much and treated me so well. I had siblings for a year which was so awesome !

I travelled less than lots of exchangers, but more than lots of others. I got to see Florianopolis and stay on the beach which is the proud beach home of Ronaldinho and Giselle Bundchen. I got to go to Foz de Iguaçu, the largest waterfall in South America. And, my highlight, I recently travelled to the AMAZON with AFS ! It was one of the best trips I've ever been on. The nature, the exchangers, and the food made it unforgetable ! In 9 days, we saw Manaus, visited museums, malls, and parties, and then spent 6 days on boats - Sleeping in Hammocks !!!!!! Feeding a freshwater dolphin, holding an alligator, and swimming in the Amazon River are unforgettable moments, just like my exchange was full of !

On the other hand, I can now return to the US with a head full of good memories and satisfaction. And, I am very excited to see my friends, family, and my missed city (yes, it was hard for me to live a year without a mall in the city...) ! I am so grateful for this exchange year, and I know that it has moved me as a person and changed the rest of my life. I hope that when I get back, it's not as hard as AFS told us it would be ! Wish me luck !

;*

Finally, Finally Update... Name reversed: 4 months LEFT! :O

Well, it certainly has been a very, very long time since I've updated!
I'm caving into the pressure, and I am going to churn out a blog posting before I get up from this chair! Sorry, admirers, I 'll have to go tomar tereré with you later! I'm writing a blog entry!

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Well, I can't actually believe that there are only 4 months left of my exchange. I don't believe that something I waited for so long, is coming to an end. I can't believe that I'm really going to be leaving. It's actually some sort of... Paradox (or not) but I'm excited to go home, but (* trys and fails to think of syonym for really, really, really, really impossibly sad*)I am really, really, really, really impossibly sad to leave here. But for the moment, I'm trying to take advantage of every day (or use the ones where I have NOTHING to do to write blog entries!), and not think about this unpleasant topic. My theme music for the week is "All Good Things (Come to an End)" by Nelly Furtado, featuring that one guy from Nx Zero!

But- seeing as I'm so happy here, I guess I could give you guys a little taste of all the great things that I've been doing here that make me like it so much! ;D

^^ Christmas Eve w/ my host mom! s2

Things I've done in the last 4 months:

• Learned incredible amounts of Portuguese words (while meanwhile, forgetting their English, other universe twins).
• Been to lots, and lots, and lots of parties. I'm going to miss the Nova Andradina parties.... I can't imagine anything better than smashing a bunch of moderately drunk people into pickup trucks, and riding around on the streets looking at the ones who don't have pickup trucks to smash people into, sitting on the street. And then going to the party, and even if it's supposed to be Electronica or Pagode, having at least 5 Sertanejo songs... Dancing, crazy, hot, until ... 5 or 6 in the morning! And then? Everyone goes and eats breakfast at the Sunday morning street market thingy! =D
• Went to Florianopolis! (Noo, don't think that's all I did of travelling in my holiday's no! I went to Ivinhemaaa!! ;D ) Yes, we're talking about PRAIA (beach!). I loved it there! We stayed with my host Aunt (and her 3 toddlers! haha), in the RICH person neighborhood! Haha, I saw one of Ronaldinho's houses and Giselle Bunchen's (I know how to say her name "right" now, by the way) ex-house. We took lots of great pictures, rode in the car for 12 hours, met lots of Argentino's, and went to an awesome show of Ivete Sangalo, Exaltasamba, Fresno, Chimarruts, and more! xD
  
  
  ^^ It's so beautiful there!
• ^^ we were already completely crazy after "only" 7 hours in the car!
• Took advantage of my last days in the holiday's, going to people's houses every day (seriously, a day without going somewhere is the worst thing imaginable!) to tomar tereré, sunbathe, or just gossip (okay, when you live in a small town, sometimes there's not much more to do then gossip... ;]), and went out on weekdays (ahh, how I MISS going to the cachaçaria Monday... Tuesday.. and Wednesday! haha). New Years!! Wearing White!
• 
  
• Returned to school... My class is pretty much the exact same people, but now I'm much more adapted, speak Portuguese ( I went nearly a month without my Biology professor finding out that I'm an exchange student, and the Portuguese teacher still doesn't know! xD), do the work, and am much more comfortable in the crazy atmosphere of Brazilian school! School without craziness would be.... boring! haha!
• Went to CARNAVAL! Okay, so I wasn't in Rio de Janeiro, but the great thing about Carnval is that it happens in the entire country! We went to the next door city, Ivinhema, and stayed at my host aunt's house with friends. Friday- Tuesday, everyday on the street with all the competely animated and crazyyyyy brazilians, dancing in the middle of it, on top of cars, and doing they're thing! Then, up to the stage area, listening to "Bicicletinha," "Rebolation," and "A Máscara!" And not going home until 7 o'clock in the morning! Sleep for 5 hours, and it's back onto the street! =D
  

Sooo... life is good for me here! I'm very happy with my host family, my friends, etc! I can't tell you how many people have told me that I have to stay longer here (note to mom and dad: we have to talk! haha)! I've had many rough patches, and have not forgotten that exchange is realisticly a very challenging thing to do in life, especially for a 15 year old, but it is 100% doable, and doing it has been the best decision I've made in my life!

Atéee Mais pra Vocês!!

I can't be sure when the next time I'm going to write a blog entry! It seems like my life is getting busier and busier, and now that I'm taking advantage of every moment, I can't be one to sit on the computer too much! Haha!

Music!

I am loving Brazilian music!

The main type of music in this area is Sertaneja (country music), but lately I have been finding out about other types of Brazilian music too!

Who knew that I would find Brazilian Rock I like?
This song is called "Memórias" by Pitty:


I kept hearing cars passing, and really liked it, and I finally managed to remember enough lyrics to find it on Google!

I'm not sure what type of music this is, but Banda Dejavu took my city by storm about 3 weeks ago! Some people find them extremely annoying, but I like it. There was going to be a show in the next city, but when they became popular, the prices went up and the show was canceled. :(
This song is called Novo Amor:




I'm not quite sure what type of music this is either, but I saw it on the TV commercials. It's called "Ai, Ai, Ai" by Vanessa da Mata:



I also feel like I should include some American country music, because it's a whole lot more famous here than it is where I live in the US! This is "Better Together" by Jack Johnson:


And of course, when you live in Mato Grosso do Sul and are talking about music, you cannot forget to include sertaneja! This is "Voce de Volta" by Maria Celcilia e Rodolfo

Another Update

So I've been here for almost 3 months, so I guess it's time to blog again... And this time we have a special friend! I call him "Giant Ant!"

I've been pretty much chugging along as normal. I think my Portuguese reading, writing, and understanding verbally have improved a lot (but do notice that I didn't mention speaking), which is really good. I can understand almost everything people say to me and movies and stuff... which makes Brazil a lot more fun. I've been making better friends and enjoying life here, etc etc etc... Ooh, and I took a picture with "famous" singers :

A Normal Day for Me:

6:00- Waken up by host parents for school. get dressed, eat breakfast (normally bread with cheese or honey and tea), and go to school with mom and brother. '

7:00-12:00- School- everything you could imagine and more! wW've reached the stage in the year where nobody tries anymore (because of the brazilian school system, you can pass a class before the end of the year and then you dont have to really try) so there's still a lot of talking. But my class has moved upstairs to the room with air conditioning, so that's pretty exciting. ;D But no, schools not so bad. :]

12:30- Eat lunch with the whole family. Normally we have salad, beans, rice, potatoes, and some sort of beef. And there's almost always cake in the house! :O

12:30-4:30- The house is pretty quiet at this time of day, so this is watch TV/ computer/ homework time, normally.

5:00-5:45 Jump! (Jump is excercise on trampolines, and it's pretty fun!)

5:45- 11:00- Go drink tereré, use the computer, hang out with my sister, eat dinner, watch movies, etc!

Lately, the interesting things that I've done were to go to Dourados (another, bigger, city about 4 hours-by bus- from here), celebrate my father's birthday, have a week off of school, and have 5 days of parties in a row (it was a cow based festival thing with shows every night)! :)

So, Dourados is a larger city about 4 hours by bus from where I live. I went for the AFS Regional Orientation of Mato Grosso do Sul. The other exchanger in my city and I rode alone on the bus, which was pretty cool because we got to see a lot of other cities on the way! We arrived at night, and went to our host-host family's house to relax and watch movies. The next day all of the exchangers went to a mini-farm/ retreat center for "orientating." Then, at night, all of the exchangers went to a party that was happening that night! I liked this party, because i was really different than the type of party they have in my city (we normally have sertanja- Brazilian country music- at ours, and this one was electronica, funk, reggaeton, etc)! Then, on Sunday, a few of us went to the mall (my city doesn't have one!) but most of the stores were closed. So we went to an outlet store and bought things we missed like Twix and Nutella. Then, later we returned to the mall to eat hambugers (I've missed those!). Finally, we took the bus back! A very fun weekened- and great to make new exchange friends!

To celebrate my host dad's birthday, we had a small party at our house with lots of his friends, torta, and cake! It was really delicious!

During my week off of school, I slept a lot, hung out with people, and looked forward to summer vacation! (One more month!) And I even took a trip to the town museum! :)

The 5 days of parties was a festival like thing called "Exponan" that happens every year in my city. Some people said it wasn't very good this year, but I had fun still! The festival had cow auctions, food, a mini amusment park thing, rodeos, a dance, and shows every night! We took lots of photos, danced, hung out, and had lots of fun, etc etc....

So yes, this is life in Brazil! It's exciting sometimes, but really it's becoming normal life! :)

Until Next Time,

Ale

1.5 months in Brazil... já :(

Oi!
Let's start with this: I rode a horse! :)



Oh, and here's another thing before I get to the real blog entry:
There are a lot of cows here.
Yes, I knew this before I came.
But wow. There are a lot of cows.




Oh, and one more thing, before I start!

I am proud to say that I no longer get excited and long to pull out my camera when I see a horse and cart go down the street. It's normal here.

Okay, the real thing:

So, the time has flown just like everyone promised, and I have been in Brazil for a month and a half already... In some ways it seems like I've been here forever, but in the good way. In the, "I fit in and I don't feel awkward anymore." In some ways, it feels like I've been here forever in the bad way. In the "How has the time been moving so slowly?" But mostly I feel like I've only just arrived and the time is passing much much to quickly.

I think my Portuguese is really coming along. Everyone says that I speak really well (I don't really believe this). It's not so much of a struggle to say things, and I don't have to plan out in my head what I'll say. It's a pretty big deal to me that I can now randomly interject (when I understand) without having everyone stop and hold their breath, waiting for what I'm going to say. However, I think that my grammar and writing skills are much worse than my speaking, so I think I'm going to start studying those at home.

School is pretty good. Still really boring, as I don't understand the professors or much of what my classmates say, but eveyrone is nice. The format of school is so different here, (we don't change classes, there's a lot more "note taking," and the students talk a lot more). My school is also really small, which in some ways is nice (I know everyone), and in some ways not (limited number of people to know).

I'm already finding things here that I'll miss. I'll miss being able to walk places (padaria, downtown, post office, school). It's good bonding time, walking home from school with your classmates. I've found some foods that I like (brigadeiro, pão de mel, suco de maracuja com leite) too. And I will defintely miss always going to people's houses and drinking tereré

I've joined a gym, so that keeps me busy three days a week. I also go out with my exchange friend from Germany. I've also gone to some birthday parties, barbeques (love the churrasco!), and every Friday night, all the teenagers go to the cachaçaria (it's a restaurant like place). I really like to hang out with my sister's friends, but it's nice to finally have friends of my own.

Okay, so being an exchange student will be very hard at times. You've just moved to a place where you don't speak the language and you don't know anyone. I understand why everyone says not to have expectations, because you can be really let down. I'm not trying to sound negetive, but it's reality that it's difficult... But when you get through all that you have many more good times than bad! :)

PS. Everyone really loves the brand Kipling here. All the purses have this little monkey on them:

Pictures

Oi a gente! Here are some random pictures from my first two weeks in Brazil:



My school notebooks: Sleeping Beauty and Polly Pocket


View from the highway on the way to Ivinhema (a nearby "city"). It's very flat here.



My class!



My Street:



Brazilian money: Reais:

We went out for ice cream:

Orientation, Arrival, First Days, etc.

Oi Everybody!

I have arrived in Nova Andradina, safe and sound. Everything is going well etc.

It was so sad to leave everyone etc. The orientation in Miami was okay, but pretty boring. It was fun to meet all the other AFSers and the 7 other USA to Brasil people. There was lots of waiting and wandering around in the hotel. We played sardines and spyed on drunk people.

The flight to Sao Paulo was delayed 2 hours because of a broken part, which sucked. It was one of those big planes with the TV's so I guess that was good. I watched 27 dresses and slept very uncomfortably. The customs form was only in Portuguese, so that was difficult.

Immigration and customs were easy etc. I waited in the airport with some other AFSers from BFL, Germany, and the US for only about 20 minutes, then me and about 15 other people went to the flight to Campo Grande. That flight was pretty short and I looked at all the farms from the window. There were lots, and it's veryyyy flat!

When we got to Campo Grande (they have the fun kind of airport where you get out of the plane from stairs and walk across the runway) my host family was there to meet me! It was so exciting!! Then we drove to Nova andradina (so long!) and stopped to get Pao de Queijo with the other girl going to Nova Andradina's family on the way. Yum!

When we arrived I was so happy! Then we went out to somebody's birthday party for a short while and then to get pizza. It was different. There was no sauce and the topping was cheese, ham, and fried potatoe things. And the crust had gooey cheese in it.

The next day, I met my host sister's friends and we took a walk. There are lots of motorcycles here! Then later we all went to the cachacaria (this is my new favorite word!!! So fun to say)!

On Sunday we hung around the host for the most part. The TV show I saw was so funny with people doing an obstacle course etc. Sort of like those Japanese game shows.

For breakfast we eat bread with cheese and ham (a sandwhich) and this juice stuff. Also, they don't really drink milk straight, just with chocolate or coffe etc. Lunch is beans, rice, meat, and other stuff and dinner is pretty much the same as breakfast. And I've had so many sweets! :/

But yeah, tommorrow I start school, so that should be interesting!

Bye!

PS. I'll add pictures when I get around the uploading them
PPS. Portuguese is hard! I understand a whole lot, but it's hard to speak.