Foz do Iguaçu

Almost all of the exchange students!

I spent this past week with 80 other exchange students travelling around the Iguassu Falls, Argentina and Paraguay.  I really have no idea how to even describe the fun I had! I'm pretty sure I can safely say it was the best week of my life!

My flight was from an airport 1 and a half hours from my host city, Campinas. My parents were unable to drive me due to work and so they organised for a driver to take me at 6.30am! It came around to 5.30 that morning and might host dad comes into my room telling me the driver made a mistake and was leaving right then!!! It was definitely not possible for me to get ready in 2 minutes, hahaha Brazil....sooo my host dad kindly offered to pay the driver to pick me up at 9.30. My lack of Portuguese and the non-existant English of the driver made a rather awkward 1 and a half hours in utter silence. Then much to my dismay, once we arrived the driver took my bag out of the boot, hopped back in the car and waved goodbye! At first I was a little stunned! I had no idea what to do, but then i kind of thought what the hell, this is what exchange is about, becoming independant and what not! so i wondered into what i hoped was the departure area, walked up to the first airport employee I saw and said in my minimal Portuguese "Sorry, I don't speak much Portuguese, I am an exchange student from New Zealand, and I need help!" hahah the lady laughed at what i'm assuming was the possum caught in the headlight look I had going on, and then pointed me into the right direction! and before I new it I had met up with 4 other exchange students travelling to Foz Do Iguacu also!

We spent that afternoon just hanging out with all the exchange students by the pool and it was so cool to hear all their stories, about any problems they had, and to hear how their Portuguese was going! It made me so excited and determined to just live the rest of my 10 months here having as much fun as possible! I was very surprised at the range in fluency, which made me realise i need to speak portuguese at every moment possible so I don't end up never learning!

We had to be in our rooms by 11.30 at night, which made the 8am starts rather draining! The first day we visited a bird park which what i originally thought would be extremely boring, turned into be a lot of fun getting to know everyone, mainly by country! hahaha exchange is the only time you can nickname anyone else by their country and it not be taken in any offense! It became rather tricky when we realised there were pretty much multiples in of every country! "Kiwi' never seemed to go away though!



Later that morning we continued on to the Iguassu Falls in Brazil! and i was definitely not prepared for how amazing it would be! The sound was deafening and we managed to get so close on just the little trek! I now realise why this is such a massive attraction here in Brazil! I also came across my first massive spider and my heart nearly stopped beating! That afternoon we were given the option of paying 140 reais, about $80 nz to go on a boat ride on the river and under the waterfalls! Of course I went! Never would I be offered this opportunity again! It was so cool, and my favourite part was being told the river was in Argentina and Brazil! I accomplished the impossible and was in two places at once! We were absolutely drenched going under the waterfall! I also met a New Zealander from Christchurch! I was very excited to be meeting my own kind on the otherside of the world! It was also very nice to hear the kiwi accent, because I have started so say somethings here very American, and i don't like it!!!

My first ever Toblerone!

The next day was a visit to Paraguay! I can now say I have been to another country in South America! Paraguay was very very different to Brazil! It reminded me of being in Thailand! There were numerous stalls on the street, people selling fake items and trying to talk to you in English. I wish they gave us an opportunity to walk around these stalls however we were taken to two duty free malls which sold cheap electronic items! I decided to buy a new camera because the one i bought here is broken! the camera would have cost twice as much in Brazil! I also bough some Toblerone, which i have never had before!

Amazing Brazilian dancers!

That night we went out for dinner and had the most amazing experience of watching a dance show! I was in my element! haha and could not take my eyes off the whole time! There was many traditional dance types from Brazil and I was absolutely mesmorised! It has made me really want to learn one of the dance styles! (i've already scratched samba of my list, its way too difficult), but i'm sure i can find something else!

The last full day I had was Thursday, and we were told we had an extra hour to sleep in, this was definitely luxury! Arriving at breakfast, the breakfast might add was absolutely amazing, buffet everyday! and even chocolate cake was available! anyway at breakfast we were told there was a problem with the bus and had to wait for another 2 hours, all i could think about was the valuable sleeping time which was being wasted! One thing i have learnt here is to take every opportunity to sleep , hahaha because you never know when you will be able again!

We eventually ended up on the bus, arrived at the boarder and started the lengthy process of handing in all our passports to have them checked one at a time! 80 passports took a long time! All was going well until the guide comes on and says "due to diplomatic problems, Australia, Canada and USA, your not allowed to enter". I was secretly celebrating inside, I always new us Kiwi's were great!! Bermuda and New Zealand were the only English speaking countries allowed through! and on that note I did not know they spoke English in Bermuda, let alone that it was also a British Colony! Once through to Argentina we were able to enter the Iguassu Falls here! These falls were not as large, but still amazing! and afterwards myself, Kiira, a girl from Finland I managed to score ourselves these little musical instruments for only $3! which is definitely my best buy here! After practicing for a while we got thinking that we should have a talent quest that night to say farewell to everyone, and of course play our instruments in it! We asked the guides if we could do it and they said yes! (it was meant to be in our countries but i didn't have anyone else from NZ,so we kind of broke the rules) everybody joined in and it was so much fun! I will put a video up of us playing on FB for those of you who are my friend :)

The front of my blazer is now full!

That night we went to bed at 1am and i had to get up at 3am to leave and pack for the airport at 4am! Lets just say i didn't get much sleep! so when we got to out connecting airport and lost 3 of the other exchange students what was the solution...ask to call them over the intercom hahaha it was hilarious to hear "Tyler from Canada, Hani from India, please come to the first floor" definitely made our days! especially since we didn't know their last names so replaced them with the country instead!

That pretty much sums up my trip and I shall post up my exciting life here in Sao Paulo very soon!

xxx :D

Life as an Exchange Student

Brazil has been my home for 7 weeks now, which when i say allowed sounds like an eternity! When in all honesty I know 7 weeks is just a smalll mark on the page! I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks have definitely been a rollercoaster! Exchange is full of amazing opportunities and experiences that you will never be able to encounter anywhere else in the world, and no one else will be able to live them exactly the way you did. However at the same time as providing a plate full of highs, exchange has the ability to throw a few rotten apples every now and then, pushing you to a limit you never even new existed before. But considering this, I have come to realise it is these rotten apples which help you to come to know your true self, where you learn the true meaning of persistence, and can feel proud at the challenges you faced and overcame. Only other exchange students will completely understand the enormity of what the words 'exchange year' mean and after 7 weeks of living this exciting adventure, I know that the rollercoaster will never stop whilst i am known as an 'exchange student'. I signed up for a program which guarantees this, and although I hate to think this year will not be perfect at every minute I know that the high times and numerous moments 'living it up' will be all the more better. I am excited to see what the future holds because every moment is a surprise.

Anyyyyway enough of that rubbish! I have had an amazingly fun weekend just gone! What i first thought would be boring two days filled with boring rotary activities turned into be  two days meeting new people and learning a lot of portuguese!

Saturday was a big RYLA meeting, i'm not sure if we have this in NZ but it was definitely a new experience! The morning was filled with 'inspirational' speeches but as I could only understand the gist of what was being said wasn't as inspirational as intended hahaha. However the afternoon was a lot of fun due to my lack of understanding! We were put into groups and a game was quickly explained. Quick portuguese and me do not get on too well so when the game started I had know idea what to do! Luckily i am becoming pretty good at monkey see, monkey do, and tried to mimic the other kids however when i noticed them looking for something in the bushes and asked what i couldn't understand what they were saying so my idea was just to search until i found something that looked out of place! hahaha this didn't work to well and my team came second!

The next day we had a fundraiser for my rotary club. We put on a lunch and 280 people came! I was a waitress and again this proved to be interesting because when i was asked for something it usually had to be repeated 5 to 10 times! hahaha but it is always funny trying to guess what they say and I did learn a few phrases in portuguese! I really enjoyed just having something to do, i hate to admit it but i miss having work to do every now and then! I am really enjoying having no 'commitments', but I guess you could say i am so use to having a goal or focus in NZ with school and dancing exams so I think i am going to have to find something to keep my brain busy!!!


I have found that the usual hangout places here are very different for teenagers! In NZ we would hang at someones house, go out for a coffee, or go to a party. Contrasting rather significantly, the teenagers seem to enjoy hanging out at the pub at night to let of , i really can't see my mother allowing me to do this NZ!!  Most days instead are completely school based, with the kids either finishing school at 6.30pm or having extra curricular classes for the subjects they are struggling in. This means that when i finish school at 12.15pm I am unable to go out with my classmates until the night hahahah it has taken me a little while to get use to!  I also now don't have school on Thursdays and some Mondays because I these are tests days for the students, and i am not enrolled to do the tests here. 

I am starting to enjoy school a lot more! I can understand more so I find the history and news classes very interesting and sometimes the teachers translate for me when i ask a question and don't understand something which is very nice!  The boys in my class have great delight in teaching me swear words, or disrupting the class just to yell Ella if i'm not paying attention hahhaha 

I am about to travel to the Iguassu Falls which everyone tells me are absolutely amazing! I will be visiting with other exchange students from around Brazil! There is a never dull moment with us crazy kida! and i will get to to visit the Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil side of the falls! I will also visit the friendship bridge! which has a length of 552.40 metres and a span of 303 metres. 

I will write another post when i return! :D

P.S I found this on another exchange students blog.
If anyone wants to know what it's like to be an exchange students, this honestly defines it a lot!!!


TOP 10 REASONS YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT:

1. You're better than your teacher in your foreign language class.

2. You do something wrong, people look at you weird, and your excuse is: 'Well, that's how we do it in my country,' even if it isn't.

3. Your dreams are bilingual.

4.You have gone in to greet someone with a handshake and found yourself being pulled into an awkward hug/double kiss on the cheek.

5.You spend a lot of time smiling, nodding, and pretending you understand what's going on.

6. It becomes a habit to introduce yourself by saying: 'I am from (country) and my name is (name).'

7. You've tried so many different foods only because you can't understand the person asking you what you want. You just nod your head, and pray that it tastes half-decent.

8. You are tired. All the time.

9. You've said something like 'oh yes' or 'no thanks' only to have everyone laugh because your answer made no sense compared to the question.

10. You get a high-five when you understand what someone has said to you.

School Life

So I know in my previous posts I've made my dislike of school very clear buuut as the days go by it is becoming much more tolerable! I have been finding new ways to entertain myself, and although very rare, occasionally find myself understanding the gist of what is being said. Howeveeeeeer school here couldn't be more different to in NZ and due to my bizarre interest in the school life before i arrived in Brazil, this post is all about how the wheels roll  :)

• Teachers are always called by their first names, and due to a kiss on the cheek being the most accepted form of greeting, this is how many students greet the teachers. That being said, I can't help but see all the teachers as enemies...and don't think i will ever be able to participate in any other greeting than the usual 'oi'. 
• Rather than the students moving from class to class, the teachers move! I remember at Freyberg   always allowing a 5 minute gap of 'class time' to actually get there...well here there teachers allow anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes to arrive at class after the bell goes. 
• I do not get to choose any of my classes, and seem to be taking, Chem, Phys, Bio, Maths, English, Geo, History, Grammer, Writing, News and Art. Grammer, writing and news, are more just the teacher talking about random topics hahaha and I don't even know what to say about art! everyone is intense! and i just want to poke my eyes out! anyone who knows me, know's i am not a fan of art! and i just can't stand having this class every week!!!!!!!
• I have class from 7.15 - 12.15, with three 1 and a half hour classes in that time. There are also two 15 minute breaks. 
• There are afternoon classes on Tuesday, Friday and a morning class Saturday, all of which i do not attend, i am unsure why, but i'm also not complaining!
• The tiny desks, which seem to be built for 5 year olds, are joint to the chairs this doesn't make for great sleeping quality! and on top of that, the desk in front is pushed back against your desk so I can't even stretch my legs out! 
• There is a guard on the gate at all times! This is very strange! I'm so used to being able to 'leave' school at lunch!
• After school you can not leave until they call that your parents have arrived! This created a  little problem when i was meeting my friends in town and my parents weren't actually picking me up! 
• The class has about 18 students, and there are not enough desks for every student! Luckily there is usually someone who doesn't come each day!
• The students do not have seperate books for each subject, instead they have a big folder which has a section for each subject. So far my teachers have not requested i buy paper...so i have not :D The students also buy a big textbook for each subject which they use for all three years of high school, i definitely won't be investing in this 
• The food is very cheap but limited! and i'm glad school falls between any main meals so i don't have to spend too much buying food as 'food for school' (what i would say in NZ at my house) doesn't really exist on the grocery list! To be completely i'm not sure my family goes grocery shopping! 
• There is a tradition in senior year where the class dresses up in a theme once a month, but my class doesn't do it :( :( :( 
• Its a little interesting because most of the time the teachers ignore eveeeerything i do, ocasionally giving me the tumbs up! I think they just have no idea what to do with me!

I think that is it for now! I'm sure as the year progresses there will more differences that come to light! I have a class trip coming up in April, but there has been no information given out yet! hahahah thats Brazil for you! So i shall update on my adventures here soon! :)