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.