Sleep PLEASE!!!

Oi, this week has been one of the best weeks in Brasil.
I didn't have school on monday or tuesday. So while you canadians were enjoying a nice turkey dinner I was enjoying one of the beautifulest beachs in the world.. I went to the beach with my exchange friends. We went to Joaquina beach. The sand was so soft. We took many pictures and met lots of neat people. It was a windy day or we would have went sandboarding too. My friends Iliana (mexicana), Andrea (mexicana) e, Lea (german) all slept over so at night we went to lagoa. It was nice. we had so much fun, I tryed konepizza. It's pizza in a cone it looks like ice cream. Then the next morning I made some CANADIAN pancakes. I don't like pancakes so they weren't that good, but my friends said they liked them :) School on wensday was so boring. No surprise.. It always is. but now i'm starting to understand more and more. I still can't speak very well but it's much easyer to understand. One thursday and friday At school we had the "olympics" I didn't go on friday because i was so tired. But thrusday it was good. :)
I went to a club on hip hop night. SO MUCH FUN! I stayed all night. But i only got 3 hours of sleep because the next day i had octoberfest. That was even more amazing! There was lots of german music and it was a really great party. I enjoyed it. But I was really tired the whole time. And that night i only got 5 hours of sleep. So right now i'm Very tired.

Live like theres no tomorrow

So i didn't go for a run. Yet. But i did go for a walk does that count?
Well I've been so busy this week. I went to the mall on Thursday with Iliana and Andrea, So much fun,, We met some bonitinhos.. It was funn.. But iwas a little late getting home because i got on the wrong bus. It wasmy first time at that mall and i wasn't 100% sure on how to get home. But i learned to ask the driver BEFORE you get on the bus.
My portuguese is getting soo much better! I had my first conversation with Sebastine It was so funny were were talking about drake and Josh (the t.v show) and he kept calling it drake and jorge. and i asked him what one he likes better he told me drake and asked me the same thing. I said Drake too. He asked me why so i said because he is Gatinho. That means small cat. But it also means cute. So i believe i confused him.. That was the end of our conversation. AHAHA
I can have conversations with people but, I don't say much. I can almost follow conversations but they need to be slow and i need to really listen and pay attention.
I went to my first club. It was so much fun. I enjoyed it very much. But it was really crowed and hot. But i love to dance so it was great.
I love being 16. I feel so powerful! :D
At school I wrote a test of many subjects and got 14 out of 40. I was so proud of myself. I didn't even get the worst mark :D

feliz aniversario :D

So on Friday night i planed on going to a mustash party.. *Don't ask*
but Arina and I both fell asleep while watching t.v :P Euro trip i believe..
Well on saturday we dicied to go to the mall. We were going to watch a movie at the cinima (love. pray. eat) but saddly it was sold out. :( so we looked around all the stores it was funn.. I baught two sweaters. We were home by ten. When we got home i was soo tired even though i didn't do anything the nighth before. But Arina asked if i wanted to go with her to lagoa. Hearing all the exchange students after their exchanges say things like you can always sleep later and never turn anything down, I agreed to go. SO GLAD I DID!! it was soo much fun. There was so much to see and do. I ate at subway.. Not the same as canada but it'll do. The man there was kind of mean. Then we just went around lagoa looking and walking.
On sunday i got up early no idea how i managed that. My host family took me out to celebrate my birthday on monday. We went sandboarding. Which let me tell you soo much fun. But i think is much harder than snowboarding. I fell a lot and i pulled almost every muscle in my body.

Dont i look like a pro??!
then we went to the top of the montain that looks out over lagoa.. It was soo neat you could see so far and so much. Then we went to a resturant where i ate CANADIAN soup.. It didn't taste good at all.. I don't think it was canadian there was nothing canadian about it..

On my brithday i woke up and got to eat waffles :) I was so excited right there it was my best birthday ever! then i was almost late for school :S but i ran so i made it in time. After a long day of school iliana came over and we ate brigdairo and cake.. Not just one cake but TWO cakes! :D soo good. It w\s the best SWEET 16 EVER!! :D
Today i went to the post office all by myself. It was easy. I understood what the lady was saying... kind of. I think they were asking me about beer and if i liked. I was just kind of like huh? But my letters got sent to my family back in Canada.
SO things just keep getting better and better. I love it here and am loving it more and more each and everyday.
My portuguese isn't too good but i'm trying my best. I will stop all englsih. I keep saying that. And i keep saying i will join the gym.
I think i love food too much. The rotary 30 wasn't a lie. It happens. So i should start running but i'm always too lazy. or tired. boo.. Everyday i just think ohh i'll run tomorrow or the next day and i never just do it. but it's hot out right now. I'm in shorts :) and early walking i was sweating from the heat. i have no idea how i will live here in the summer. i hope they dont get any record breaking heat days..

party all night.

last week was great.. I will be here one month on my birthday. October 4th. I really don't want my birthday too come not because i'll be older but because I want time to freez so i have time to do and try everything there is too try in brasil. I do want my birthday to come because i want to be able to say I've made it through my first month. And i will be old enough to go to clubs. I'm excited to try them out.
I learned so much this past week.
-I don't relly know english. (8.5 out of 10 on english exam)
-I'm forgeting english and spelling
-What to do when you miss the bus.
-How too get home from the mall
-That brazilian clothes are muito caro (very expencive)
-Lots of vocabulary.

This is only a small list and I still have soo much more to learn..

I will going on the pantanal and bonito trip. I'm soo excited for this because not only will i see a different part of brasil i will be joined by other exchange students.
I love going to portuguese class because i get to see iliana and Andrea aand Laura other exchange students. :) they are so much fun..
well i'm tired and want to go out tonight so i'm going to nap. because thats what we do in Brasil :) oh.. and we get out of school earlier. I LOVE IT HERE!!!

3 weeks. Holy cow.. this can't be happening.

So i've been here for 3 weeks. it's crazy. I kave no idea how the time flys!
I just got back from a meeting with all the exchange students in my district. Ohmigod. So much fun! I believe i made life long friends. they are so much fun. I learned about the trips and really want to do the amizon and the panatal and bonito. They look so amazing!! ahh.. i really need to get going with my portuguese. From now on i only speak portuguese with my host family and my school friends.
I did my presentation. I wish i was more prepared but i was proud that i did it. It was really bad but i learned from it.
I am loving the weekends here in brasil. so much fun. I hang with my friends from school. Who are amazing by the way. They teach me so much about everything and includ me which is good. :D
I went to a brasilian wedding. It was so beautiful. and so much fun I danced the hole night. But i'm so tired now.
Guarana is amaziing! soo good the tast is like nothing i've ever had before.

2 weeks and wishing time would slow down already.

So today it's been two weeks in brasil so far. The time feels like it's flying by. Well for the most part anyways. It feels weird to be here. I still wake up wondering where i am and how i got here. It all feels like a dream but when the day stars going it feels normal and like it should be. I love the people here they make my stay 1000000000000000 times better!!

I would like to tell everyone that has made this possible my biggest thanks! (muito obrigada!)
It's really a life changer.

My portuguese is getting better little by little. I can say apple and how much and i can say i don't speak portuguese which is really helpful when people ask you things (which for some odd reason seems to happen a lot).
The other day i also took the bus by my self.. it was easy nothing went wrong. I took the bus home after my portuguese class. Where i met another exchange student. He is from sweden.

At my school in lagoa there is a new kid. he's newer than me and not in my class. One of my friends from my class and i deside we would go talk to him. I was really happy to find out he knows english. And he knows a little about Canada :D i think i made a new friend.

Well things here have started to feel more and more like home. (mom your house will always be home and i will always count on you no matter what). I think i'm starting to settle in a bit more.

I've learned so much living her. Like bring something to do during class or you will be extremly bored! no joke. when you don't understand the teachers (other thank when they talk about jellyfish :D) it sucks..
well i should get going.

I still have a cold (resfriado.. or something like that.) but i thik it's getting better.
beijos.

Living life to the fullest.

Oii
Today i've been at school for one week and i've been in Brasil one and a half weeks.
I love it here still.. I haven't gotten homesick yet. Being here has changed me in so many ways already. I've become more confedent. I don't care as much as too what people think of me and I've grown up so fast. I'm much more indepentent. I can't depend on my mommy anymore:(...

I love school. never thought that would come out of my mouth. but it has and it's so true.. I never know what the teacher is saying but that doesn't matter because i make friends in school and i talk with them during class.. (still in english) but they are always teaching my portuguese so it's good.

Today i asked the teacher if i could go get water, i was so proud of myself.. I forget how to say it now. ahahah.. and just the other day I asked a chaseir how much the deritos were. It was neat to know i could do it! but he didn't understand me when i said deritos so Arina translated better. But still! :D

I had my second portuguese class and it turned out really well.. Much better than the first. i understood so much more. i also met another exchange student but she
isn't from rotary.. But she lives near me so we might meet up sometime.

My friends from school are planing on taking out sometime Can't wait! i want to know what it is they do for fun.

English class today was so BORING!! even in that class i never know whats happening... the teacher doesn't like me because i talk the whole class.. But today he was wrong! I swear!! he said the sentance should be : we should have drunk wine... But i think it should havve been: we should have drank wine.. I wasn't the only one in the class that thought this so i told him and we had this big disagreement but i just let it go in the end.

I'm sick with a cold and i hate it! But i think it was my fault from leaving my window open.. ahaha that'll teach me! i hope i get better soon.

Did i tell you i baught my first piece of clothing the other day? It's a sweater! I love it so much!! but the clothers here are SOOO much more caro (expensive)... like no joke 30 canadian dollars for a sweater that would be 20 dollars at the most in canada.. but my sweater was well worth it! :D

Tchau for now..

one week almost.. :D

So i've been here one week tomorrow and i love it here. I seen the beach (so amazing!) and yesterday i went downtown :D (so busy).
I started school on wensday. I wear a uniform but it's just a sweater and a shirt but i dont have the shirt yet :P I like school i learn so much portuguese there. but i never know whats going on. there is a girl in my class that i have sat with every day because she helps me. She knows english so she lets me know whats going on. It all started on the first day when my portugiese teacher told me to be carful. everyone laughed when she told them in portuguese what she was trying to say. She was trying to tell me to make myself comfortable. Nicole was the one to tell me what she ment. ever since then she's been my best friend here. My first day i had english class. I got in troble because i was talking with Nicole.. it was funny.. Not many people talked to me on my first day. My second day was much better i met more people and class was better.. Here in Brasil the students stay in the same classroom for the whole school day and only the teachers switch.
Yestday i had my first portuguese lesson at the university. I met an exchanger from France. :D
The class over all was extremly difficult! the teacher mostly talked in portuguese because everyone in the class already knows so much, because i started half way throw the class. she gave me work sheets to do but i had them done in 2 hours. (i did them during school.. and i got my friends to help me out.

I really do love it here but i think it just started to hit me that i'm really doing this for a whole year! oh my gosh.. this is going to be so hard. But i know i can do it. right now im picturing a little cartoon in my head thats runing a race singing I KNOW I CAN! I KNOW I CAN! hahhaha this makes me laugh throw my tears. I was crying but i have no idea why.. I'm not sad. or atleast i don't think i am.. i have so many mixed emotions. I don't know whats going on! I'm still not homesick although there are things i miss.

This week Arina took me on a city bus for the first time it was so awesome. I was a little scared at first but the next few times it was so easy.. Soon i will have to take a bus by myself.
I had a mcdonalds ice cream the other day.. when i seen the mcdonals i laughed so hard!
The food here is so different but i love it! I don't think i'm eating as much as i did when i was in canada. i think it's because i eat a big meal at lunch and that does me over until i need a tiny supper. Sometimes im not even hungry for supper. Sometimes im a little dizzy but it passes fast.

Last night i had my first HOT shower. all the other times it was FREZZING COLD!! so there is only one water temperature in brasil. cold or umm.. cold! but when i felt this hot water i didn't ask questions i jumped right in. (not really more like steped) I love it so much! i stayed under the water for a while because it was cold outside. it gets really cold atnight. but hot in the afternoon. At school im always cold.
I forgot to tell you things here are alot more like canada then i though they would be.. i thought i would be so dumbfounded by everything.. but really it's a lot a like.. But here there are gates around everything. Even the school. The class rooms doors open to the outside of the school. The hall ways are outside it's reall neat. and it's much more hilly. There are mountains here!
Beijoss

so far amazing!

I love it here so much! It is so beautiful. My host family is so nice and they are just such amazing people. I went to a BBQ the other day. It was fun. it was at my host grand parents.. they live in a resort so Arina took me around the resort and to the beach. The sand was so fine i loved it very much! My feet would sink into the sand.. it was almost like quick sand..
Yesterday i went exploring around Lagoa.. it was so beautiful! It's a much bigger city than my own in canada. I went to the park also.. it was so fun There was this spiny thing and i think they should have them in canada!
my littlest host brother and i played a game this morning.. i didn't really understand it all i know is he would always send my men back to home. and he would yell at me and say VAI VAI (which i learned means GO!) ahah but i also learned to count :D
He has been taching me a lot with out even knowing it. He talks and talks to me and doesn't really care that i don't answer when he asks me questions.
Arina took me to the beach today It was nice and peaceful. I seen so many new animal.. there was these shells that ran into the sand and this sucker thing (no idea what it was called but it sure was neat) and i also seen a stingray egg. i think.
I baught some havaianas (sandals) they are yellow with a small brazil flag. :D
I road a city bus for the first time in my life today. it was intertursting..
I ate the greatest thing in my life, Crapes with hambuger and sause and rice.. SO GOOD!!

anywho.. bye for now

And so it begans

Well at 4 o'clock on friday my journy began and we (my family and i) set off to the airport. We stoped at a resturant on the way and i got really sad and the waiter forgot my food and i was crying (not because i didn't have food) but anywho she thought i was crying because of her and she felt really bad!
We get to the airport and check my luggage in I didn't have to pay for the one i thought was over weight because it was just under :D :D.. So i was saying goodbye to my family and we were all crying! mom later told me she and sam cryed all the way home. I got to my gate and stoped crying. I was excited for my new journey! well i was waiting for my plane and it turns out they changed the gate # AHHHHHHH.. but i found it all okay no big deal. I board the plane and it's huge! a really nice brazilian is sitting next to me.. we didn't talk much but that was okay i tryed to sleep most of the way but sleeping while sitting is very hard! so when we landed i went and got my luagge because i had to go through brazilian customs. Then this guy who knew very little english was like need help and kept telling me to change my flight. So he told me were to go and everything turned out okay.. but he did make me pay him 10$. I ended up not changing my flight because i didn't want all the confusion. I was waiting for my flight and this girl sat down beside me she knew no english but we managed to find out that she is also going to Floripa :D so we boarded the plane together! but then had to say tchau because our seats were far apart.
That flight was short and when i got off i waited for my luagge and meet some one thats been to canada once i think.. i had no idea what he was saying. :P
Then i walk through the doors and i see my host family!!!!!!! it was such a relife! we all huged then went to the car that was parked 100000000 miles away i swear! well we got there and this is the coolest car ever! i've never seen one in canada like it! well then we go to a supermarket and i didn't really know what was going on ;p but being here for less than a day i still have no idea whats happening.
We got to the house. It's the cutest house! i love it. And my room is so awesome I just love everything about it.
To flush the toilet there is a button in the wall that you need to push if i wasn't told before i used it i would have no idea how to flush it! ahha
Well now i'm going to go and start my adventures. my little host brother just came in to my room and started talking to me. I feel so bad i have no idea whats he's saying! ahaha
Beijoss
(just a heads up i tryed to spell check this but it speel checks in portugese so sorry for the horible spelling!)

24 hours before departur.

So far I've
-finishes all my packing and locked my suit cases.
-Made my sister cry a total of 4 time and laughed at her!

Samantha (my sister) is crying and telling me she doesn't want me to go.. too bad :D i want to. I'll miss her but I'm still going
My mom is trying to dance. I have no idea why..
We played the card game golf :D it was fun.. Sam still doesn't want me to go...
i don't know if she's laughing or crying.. i don't even know if I'm laughing or crying.. It STILL hasn't hit me! it all still seems like a really amazing dream.
Anywho i need sleep before a long day tomorrow :D
BEIJOOOSS

VISAAAAAA :D

So I've just received my visa in the mail.. one of the most exciting moments in my life.
I called the travel agent right away maybe I'll be leaving Friday YAY!!

I woke up this morning and pinched my arm because i thought i was having a dream. I can't be live this is all really happening. This is so amazing! soon i will be on a plane to Brazil! YAY!

Here is my flight On friday!
03SEP /Toronto 1130P Sao Paulo 1040A + 1 day
04SEP /Sao Paulo 600P Florianopolis 710P


So i leave at 11:30 and sleep all the way there (hopefully)
Then i get to sao paulo and i have a 7 hour lay over.. I hope i can find something to do,
Then at 6:00p.m on september 4th I will be one hour away from meeting with my host family. :D
CAN'T WAIT
it still hasn't hit me that i will be going away for a year! AHHH