7 Months!

I have just spend the 20 minutes reading over my blog and its crazy how much my mindset has changed over the last 7 months here! Things that were once strange have become normal, I now enjoy going to school rather than absolutely dreading waking up every morning, and once always feeling hungry due to the complete difference of meal times, I've now come to enjoy eating a good sized meal for lunch and not having to worry too much about dinner!

Also as I write this many words that I want to write come to me in portuguese first and I have to translate into English, which at one time I really did not think was possible! 

All of this thinking back in time is because we now have a new exchange student who arrived from the states yesterday! I remember being in her exact position and am so glad i'm past that! A year is really too short! The time in which i really started living here was probably around the 4 -5 month mark and since then time has just gone way too fast! She was a little nervous because her family doesn't speak much English but i told her it really is the best thing she could have got because she'll pick up the language that much faster! 

 We have also had two mexicans here for a week or so, but because they are with my club I don't know there families and routine so its harder to just 'invite' myself over the family to say hi! Instead i've organised to get to know them better by organising an exchange outing next Friday for us all which should be fun! 

I have now changed families which although i know is for the best and because its always good to learn new things about Brasil, I still miss my old family a crazy amount! I feel a little homesick for their house rather than in NZ! Mainly because I was treated like one of their children! I'm super close to my host brother there as he is the same age and we had a lot of the same friends! But i'm sure they will keep seeing me regularly! I'm just glad i didn't stay with them until the end of my exchange because it would have been super sad to leave brasil than! Well even more sad than its going to be! Its strange to explain to people, but i now have a life here! I have friends, ALOT of family and am in the loop like I would be in NZ. I'm invited to parties, can invite myself my friends houses or invite them to mine, ask them to things! When I imagine returning to NZ its the strangest thing because at the start of exchange i felt like i would be living here for ever, so acted like it, but actually its so far from that! I can already smell the end! 

I managed to acquire my own room and bathroom again in this house! what a luxury way of living! I also feel like my increase in body mass should slow down a little as they eat more healthy and less here, i'm so far away from any shops to buy anything, and i now have my plate, so i'm too lazy to snack and then brush my teeth again. 

   

I learnt to take the bus a couple weeks back and it was so nice to gain some independence! I could go to the centre, the shopping and return home whenever! I didn't have to wait until my host parents finished work at 6 or 7. It took me a while to learn as there is nothing at the bus stops or on the internet telling you which to bus to take to where, and no one in my family really knew so it wasn't until I asked the maid that I found out! The bus's also works so much more efficiently than in NZ. First you hop on and rather than paying to the bus driver, there is a turning thingy in the front of the bus with someone sitting there and you pay to him, once you pay he lets you through the turning thing. Its efficient because sometimes there can be 10+ people getting on, so once everyone is on the bus driver can keep n going while the people line up to pay! The only down side is you have to make sure to secure both your hands to something as the drivers are crazzyyy, drive super fast and don't really slow down for corners so whilst your waiting to pay it can get a little scary! 

I was thinking the other day i have been managed to achieve many ordinary things here that I wouldn't in NZ!

- I haven't lost one bit of stationery!

- I haven't lost a pawpaw!!! (usually in NZ I would go through one a month)

- I keep my room so tidy I haven't had to spend more than a couple minutes tidying this whole year! I've kind of turned into an organising freak

- I have never run out of shampoo, conditioner soap etc simply because i have to rely on myself for this so have a huge stock of it! 

- I have managed to live without a straightener this whole year due to mine breaking in the first month, and me not wanting to spend my money on a new one!
- I managed to wear a pair of brand new jandals down to the ground in only 4 months! 

- aaand lastly, the amount  times of i have shifted i have only lost one piece of clothing! 

anywhoo tchau for now!