LOVING LIFE!

Life is has been pretty normal these past couple of months I didn't realise how fast time flies!

I've been living with my family for 3 months now and will be living with them until i go home! My older host sisters have been staying here for the last couple of weeks which definitely changes the dynamics of the family! I even feel a little intimidated by them, not sure why though!

This past weeks have been pretty crazy busy! I have kind of a little routine going on now Monday is our lazy day, pretty much just catching up on lost sleep, because the weekend is just so jammed pack! and Friday is also sleep day in preparation for the weekend! Actually I do anything I can to assure myself its okay to sleep! I still can't explain it but I am so tired all the time!  The rest of the afternoons we spend doing different things in the centre, at the moment usually just sunbathing by the pool because its so hot, 30 degrees or more usually. But i also keep telling myself i'll go to the gym one day...

I have been trying on black dresses for my graduation lately and was super excited when my host sister showed me a really cool one she has...and then it didn't fit! I have never had this problem in my life before! I really don't know what to think of it!

So going back a couple of weeks! I had my first encounter with the new exchange students on the 27, 28th and 29th of September. They are such a cool bunch of people but i still counldn't help but miss the oldies! At the moment in my district we have 8 exchange students from Mexico, 4 from USA, 2 South Africans, 2 from France, 1 from Denmark, 2 Taiwanese, 1 columbian, 1 from Holland, 1 from Germany, 1 from Japan and 2 Venezuelans. It was so interesting seeing how everyone was coping with language, and it also bought me back to my own days trying to understanding even one word! Those the speak one of the 'romantic' languages definitely find it a little easier to cope with learning portuguese. I think its because the structure is similar, and how sentences are put together. However there were also cases where two were from the same country but at very different levels in-terms of how much they understood or could speak.
Anyway, pretty much that whole weekend we just chilled and got to know each other! the encounter was also to teach them about the rules of rotary! It was extremely funny to here the rotex scaring the kids into not breaking any rules, when in fact us who have been here 9 months know that nothing they said was true at all!

After this encounter my host mum organised a trip for me to Hopi Hari, the biggest theme park which they have here in Brasil! I was so super excited to the point where i literally did not sleep the night before, since we only have Rainbows End in NZ. However I was little let down at the start that half the rides were closed so there was around a FOUR HOUR wait for all adult rides! Turned out to the bets thing though because i and Luisa, from Germany, decided we didn't want to wait that long so we chilled on all the little kids ride, i felt like i was 5! and then at night while the others were waiting 5 hours for the roller coaster we lined up for the 2 haunted house attractions! literally i have never been that scared in my life! I swear I almost peed my pants! and all I could hear next to me was Luisa saying 'Please, please, no", "leave me alone" :don't do that!!!" I wish i could go back to hopi hari just for those two attractions!

I know have only one more months of school and i don't want it to end! Not only is the last months I am going to say goodbye to my best friends, but its also my last month of school! I'm turning into a big university kid! However I'm more frightened about what i will think about my 'new life' in Palmy than starting all over again down at Dunedin.

I have become to notice that Brazil has a ridiculous amount of public holidays! Literally i feel like every week someone says tells me we have a 'feriado' (public holiday). Its great for how much time i get off school! Especially if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday because then i get Monday or Friday off too! Such a sweet like I am living!

I am trying so much to think of a way to come and live here! Since i decided that ditching my plane ride home is not such a fantastic idea I have been looking a lot into university exchange! I have certain that I want to do an exchange just not sure if I want to return to Brazil or start over again in a completely new country! I guess i'll just have to see where life takes me!

I am also starting to see how much of a different person I am now! definitely a lot more chilled! The cliche saying 'everything happens for a reason' is a such a darn good reason for everything i never worrying about much!

I finally hitch hiked the other day! My sister and I caught the bus to my house, except that this bus doesn't go all the way to our neighbourhood so we hitch hiked a ride the rest of the way! I was so tempted to take a photo, but i couldn't bring myself to be that strange. However i managed to grab a video of just how jam packed the bus was!

I had an small trip with 3 of us exchange students here in my city and it was again, one of the best weekend ever! We went and stayed with another exchange student in his city called Santa Rita Passa Quatro. His dad is one of the best rotarians I have met here who really cares for us exchange students! He organised a tour for us around the city taking us to the small jesus christ there, two waterfalls, a house on a lean which was so much fun, it left me feeling nauseous! We also met the governador of my district at there rotary meeting! and the coolest part was the rotary went from 9pm to 3am!!!

Here is a photo of my school friends too!

This month I have a trip coming up to Sao Paulo, MY 18 BIRTHDAYYYY!!, and then in December I will have my school graduation, where i actually get to recieve a 'diploma' and the dance. I don't have many free weekends left so I am trying to enjoy every single minute! I have decided sleep is just not important anymore.

Anywho, I really will try to write a little bit more frequently, but I mean lifes great!

Tchau!

P.s Its super hot already here! I am dying, can not wait for the cool in NZ! and where the norm is to have houses warmer than outside! all though the contrary is rather good here.