Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Tudo jóia!!
I can´t put into words how amazing it is to finally be here and eat carne and talk with my sisters and go to barbecues, and tomorrow is my first day of school...!
A week minus a day before today, I got up at 3:30 in the morning to catch a flight at 6:00 to miami. On the first flight I was just staring out the window right behind the wing and watching the flaps tilt and marveling at the beauty of the sunrise and clouds turning pink, orange, yellow, and then slept. I remember waking up to the announcement that we were 35 mintutes away, when I would have beleived there was still an hour and a half. On the second flight, I sat next to the mother of a family flying to Miami as well and then to Peru to help teach english to needy schools for a week. At the hotel, I soon met the other soon to be brasileiros- only five, less than the others there at the time going to Chile and Paraguay. It was very neat to be able to meet and talk to the other people who shared such a crazy and adventurous spirit and we connected as close friends even in the short time that we were together.
The next night, on Wednesday, we were picked up, given tickets, and after checking in baggage, left at security. We then comenced to have some dinner, though my stomach was already a little queasy. We could see the plane outside the glass wall at our table- written on the side "orgulhos de ser brasileiros" pride to be brazilian. Now on the ticket, it said the plane was leaving at 7:30, but Naiomi checked the gate and the screens and it said it wasn´t leaving untill later. However, when we happened to hear our names pronounced with a brazilian accent over the intercom, we jumped up and started walking, then running to the gate to see that they were, in fact, waiting for us. (ai!! nossa senhora-) That flight, I have to say, was a bit more stressful. After nearly (well not nearly, litterally) droping my carry-on on an innocent passenger, I sat in the back between two yong brasileiros, one, if not both was with a big group of brazilians with matching jakets and disneyland souveneirs eveywhere. The first thing I was handed was a steaming hot damp cloth, which I was completely bambuzeled of what the purpose was and nonchalatly put down on the side of my seat. I got a drink every time the attendants passed by, sometimes trying to anwer in portuguese and eventually going back to english when i didn´´t understnd them. I had lasagna for dinner, experimented with the tv on the back of the seat in front of me, slept, and had eggs (bleggh) for breakfast, at what must have been about 4 in the morning. I found my first international flight very different, and entertaining- I was interested in every little thing. The five of us then got off and found ourselves pushing carts and pulling, pulling suitcases back and forth through long twisty lines to where we said we had nothing to declare, and then to customs, and then following an AFS volunteer, pulling more and more down a street, and entered into a room of yellow shirts and funny accents. There was definetely a shortge of Americans there, compared to the Italians, germans, etc. Christina explained to me that most americans prefer to go to Europe or not to go on exchanges at all- and that we were very courageous and special for choosing to come here. Then, we said goodbye and went our separate ways engulfed by the enormity of Brazil.
The first thing I ate here for café da manha (breakfast- literally "morning coffee") was pão de queijo (cheese bread) a very well know delicacy and traditional food of minas gerais. I keep hearing people say that their favorite place in brazil is minas- becuse of the nice people, good food, nice cities, beautiflul country side, and I am falling more and more in love with it each day. We arrived in Varginha at the big alien spaceship structure with all of the families waiting there some even with with welcome signs and all with open arms!!! =) me fez muito feliz
The first weekend we spent having barbecues and settling in- Christina as well as others and my family were very happy that I was able to understand and respond to their questions,- none of the other 4 intercambistas at the time (Lizi-germany, Elie-France, Henrike-germany, and Gianfranco-Ittaly)(Zeynep-turkey was not there yet, so I can´s speak for her) spoke as much as me, and it seemed that speaking and hugging and getting used to the new family wasn´t nearly as hard and stressful as I had origionally thought it would be. Although, I have yet to go to school(tomorrow I will). Some things Í´ve noticed and marveled at are the streets that go up and up and down and the houses that are very beautiful on the inside, stuffed into conrrners and slanted streets, with gates in front of the door and on the windows. Everyone uses clothes lines to dry clothers, flys kites, wears tenis with jeans, and drives motorcycles between the cars on the twisting streets, I am completely enchanted everytime we go for a drive, everytime you turn the corner, you can see a hill full of houses and clothes lines and trees. Well, time for jantar, I will post some pictures soon! tchau!
A week minus a day before today, I got up at 3:30 in the morning to catch a flight at 6:00 to miami. On the first flight I was just staring out the window right behind the wing and watching the flaps tilt and marveling at the beauty of the sunrise and clouds turning pink, orange, yellow, and then slept. I remember waking up to the announcement that we were 35 mintutes away, when I would have beleived there was still an hour and a half. On the second flight, I sat next to the mother of a family flying to Miami as well and then to Peru to help teach english to needy schools for a week. At the hotel, I soon met the other soon to be brasileiros- only five, less than the others there at the time going to Chile and Paraguay. It was very neat to be able to meet and talk to the other people who shared such a crazy and adventurous spirit and we connected as close friends even in the short time that we were together.
The next night, on Wednesday, we were picked up, given tickets, and after checking in baggage, left at security. We then comenced to have some dinner, though my stomach was already a little queasy. We could see the plane outside the glass wall at our table- written on the side "orgulhos de ser brasileiros" pride to be brazilian. Now on the ticket, it said the plane was leaving at 7:30, but Naiomi checked the gate and the screens and it said it wasn´t leaving untill later. However, when we happened to hear our names pronounced with a brazilian accent over the intercom, we jumped up and started walking, then running to the gate to see that they were, in fact, waiting for us. (ai!! nossa senhora-) That flight, I have to say, was a bit more stressful. After nearly (well not nearly, litterally) droping my carry-on on an innocent passenger, I sat in the back between two yong brasileiros, one, if not both was with a big group of brazilians with matching jakets and disneyland souveneirs eveywhere. The first thing I was handed was a steaming hot damp cloth, which I was completely bambuzeled of what the purpose was and nonchalatly put down on the side of my seat. I got a drink every time the attendants passed by, sometimes trying to anwer in portuguese and eventually going back to english when i didn´´t understnd them. I had lasagna for dinner, experimented with the tv on the back of the seat in front of me, slept, and had eggs (bleggh) for breakfast, at what must have been about 4 in the morning. I found my first international flight very different, and entertaining- I was interested in every little thing. The five of us then got off and found ourselves pushing carts and pulling, pulling suitcases back and forth through long twisty lines to where we said we had nothing to declare, and then to customs, and then following an AFS volunteer, pulling more and more down a street, and entered into a room of yellow shirts and funny accents. There was definetely a shortge of Americans there, compared to the Italians, germans, etc. Christina explained to me that most americans prefer to go to Europe or not to go on exchanges at all- and that we were very courageous and special for choosing to come here. Then, we said goodbye and went our separate ways engulfed by the enormity of Brazil.
The first thing I ate here for café da manha (breakfast- literally "morning coffee") was pão de queijo (cheese bread) a very well know delicacy and traditional food of minas gerais. I keep hearing people say that their favorite place in brazil is minas- becuse of the nice people, good food, nice cities, beautiflul country side, and I am falling more and more in love with it each day. We arrived in Varginha at the big alien spaceship structure with all of the families waiting there some even with with welcome signs and all with open arms!!! =) me fez muito feliz
The first weekend we spent having barbecues and settling in- Christina as well as others and my family were very happy that I was able to understand and respond to their questions,- none of the other 4 intercambistas at the time (Lizi-germany, Elie-France, Henrike-germany, and Gianfranco-Ittaly)(Zeynep-turkey was not there yet, so I can´s speak for her) spoke as much as me, and it seemed that speaking and hugging and getting used to the new family wasn´t nearly as hard and stressful as I had origionally thought it would be. Although, I have yet to go to school(tomorrow I will). Some things Í´ve noticed and marveled at are the streets that go up and up and down and the houses that are very beautiful on the inside, stuffed into conrrners and slanted streets, with gates in front of the door and on the windows. Everyone uses clothes lines to dry clothers, flys kites, wears tenis with jeans, and drives motorcycles between the cars on the twisting streets, I am completely enchanted everytime we go for a drive, everytime you turn the corner, you can see a hill full of houses and clothes lines and trees. Well, time for jantar, I will post some pictures soon! tchau!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
ONE Week
Holy cow, who knew it was so hard to get a visa..... In other news...In exactly ONE week I will be on a pane to Miami,(!!!) and then stay the night with other AFSers in the US, and then take a plane to Brazil (!!!) and then wake up off the plane and I'm there!!! I just can't wait to meet the friendly people whom I have been emailing for the last couple weeks and jump in to the adventure of a lifetime!!! well, the lifetime of a 17-year-old:) I should probably get packing now... até logo!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Thank-you's
I was writing a couple of thank-you notes, and...well, I thought this was worth sharing :)
...I wanted to thank you for your support and understanding of my dream to go on a foreign exchange. I've had to save a lot of money and study every day to get closer to this goal, and now it's all coming together, thanks to the help and support from my family and relatives. I think that all that work is going to pay off, in many different ways -probably some ways in which I can't imagine- and I am grateful for all the people who trusted in me that it would. I know it may seem like I am just a little person in alone in the world out there, but the truth is, I am not little anymore, and I need the chance to go out into the world and see it for what it is. To understand that two people, two cultures, two countries, are all one and the same, and that the world is my (everyone's) canvas to paint on. -To understand these things would be to understand that I am not alone in the world. But you probably already knew that I´m not alone, because I'll always be in your heart, as well as you in mine. :)
(this is the part where you sing "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan) (hehe I love Tarzan)
...I wanted to thank you for your support and understanding of my dream to go on a foreign exchange. I've had to save a lot of money and study every day to get closer to this goal, and now it's all coming together, thanks to the help and support from my family and relatives. I think that all that work is going to pay off, in many different ways -probably some ways in which I can't imagine- and I am grateful for all the people who trusted in me that it would. I know it may seem like I am just a little person in alone in the world out there, but the truth is, I am not little anymore, and I need the chance to go out into the world and see it for what it is. To understand that two people, two cultures, two countries, are all one and the same, and that the world is my (everyone's) canvas to paint on. -To understand these things would be to understand that I am not alone in the world. But you probably already knew that I´m not alone, because I'll always be in your heart, as well as you in mine. :)
(this is the part where you sing "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan) (hehe I love Tarzan)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Host Family!
It is now summer, and several weeks ago I attended the Pre-Departure Orientation with 4 other (amazing) AFSers from my area. I loved getting to meet them and just having the time to think things over and talk as a group. I think the orientation was a big help for more thoroughly preparing me and my parents for this experience.
This post is a little overdue- so many things have just jumped up on me with the beginning of summer (college apps, the SAT, family vacation), but a couple weeks ago, I received the information about my host family!!!!!!! I can't describe how excited and exhilirated I was the day I found out. I was thrilled to have not only 1, but 3 sisters and a great school, community, and family that were willing to take me in. It was like the experience was becoming real. My parents then submitted the rest of the money saved up on my debit card (that I will use for transferring money in Brazil) to AFS. I am still busy studying portuguese, writing college application essays, and getting everything straight for next year. I can't wait to finally be in Brazil and meet everyone!
This post is a little overdue- so many things have just jumped up on me with the beginning of summer (college apps, the SAT, family vacation), but a couple weeks ago, I received the information about my host family!!!!!!! I can't describe how excited and exhilirated I was the day I found out. I was thrilled to have not only 1, but 3 sisters and a great school, community, and family that were willing to take me in. It was like the experience was becoming real. My parents then submitted the rest of the money saved up on my debit card (that I will use for transferring money in Brazil) to AFS. I am still busy studying portuguese, writing college application essays, and getting everything straight for next year. I can't wait to finally be in Brazil and meet everyone!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Update
Oh yeah! I haven't had time to write a new post for a while (due to my 7 page research paper), but a couple days ago I found out that I was accepted by AFS-Brazil!! Now they will take a while to send my application around to different host families and match me to one, but this will probably take quite a long time and I won't know until at least June or July probably. I am not letting down on my homework though, I have been studying Portuguese, Brazilian culture and music , and doing as much as I can to be prepared for the exchange. My parents used their tax refund to pay the next $1,500 installment, and I will be sending in the recycled electronics we collected soon as well.
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