RYLA!!!!!

 

Last weekend I went to RYLA - a program that Rotary does every year all over the world for youth promoting leadership and service. Eleven of the Rotary exchange students in my district went so it was really cool to meet them! I met tons of friends and got to practice my Portuguese a lot! I had a BLAST!

 

 

Saturday morning when we arrived, they split us up into groups. My group was RED or VERMELHO in Portuguese and we were totally the best group!!! Each team won points through contests and for being on time and tidy. My team was on the top of the board the whole weekend until....we were narrowly beaten in the end by our fiercest competitor AMARELO (yellow) by three points!!!

 

Saturday night each group put on a little presentation. My group decided to have me and Maria Jose (another exchange student from Mexico) sing a sertanejo song while everyone did the choreography! SO embarrassing but hilarious!!!!! Everyone in the my group is doing "arroxa", a strange but popular dance move here that everyone tried to teach me....but I was hopeless! I didn't even try!! hahaha! 

 

 

After we did our little musical number as a group, I played my oboe! I played a Bach concertino and it was really fun! Most people hadn't ever seen an oboe before and had no idea what it was! I hope I left a good impression on oboe players!!!

 

 

For one activity, a member of each group was chosen to give a speech in five minutes about a topic that the judges would give to them. The judges read the topic and then the contestants got a few minutes to collect their thoughts. Then they had to get up and give a speech on their viewpoint of the topic!! All the kids speaking were SO nervous! In the picture above is Andrew from my group. He's SUPER smart and has a lot of interesting things to say! He gave a great speech....as far as I know...I didn't understand it all! He won the contest and lots of points for our team!

 

 

 

After all the activities were over, we played games and these guys did the spider! They get in a circle and then one by one guys jump over the circle and land backwards and act like the foot of the spider.... It's hard to explain but it was SO funny!

 

 

Here they did a caterpillar! It got pretty long before everyone fell off!

 

 

My friend Denisse from Mexico taught her group a Mexican dance! Way cool!

 

Here is my friend Milena! She is such a sweet person and I loved hanging out with her!

 

In this picture is my friend Wilson! He's training to be a pilot and agreed to fly me back home to the USA next year! hahahaha! He also taught me a Brazilian dance....he probably has bruises all over his feet from me stepping on them so much!!!

 

Here is my friend Gustavo! He was an exchange student in Canada last year and speaks English well so he helped me out when I didn't understand!

 

My wonderful friend Nayara!! She helped a lot too because she was an exchange student in Ohio five years ago and speaks English very well!

 

 

In this picture are my friends Luiz and Andrey. Way cool kids!

 

Here are some more friends of mine....I don't remember their names because they were in other groups and I didn't spend a ton of time with them! But on the far right is Milena again!

 

More of my friends from my group!! I feel bad because I forgot some of their names! Alexandre is on the far left, next to me is Milena and Marie is in the pink. Alexandre is so hilarious! I had the hardest time saying his name! (Aleshandree) and his last name is "do Nascimento" which in English is  "Alexander of Birth!" So I ended up just calling him "Alexander of Birth"! Hope he didn't mind my teasing! I thought it was funny......hahaha!

 

Here are all the exchange students from Mexico....and me! I'm adopted Mexican now!

 

 

 

All the exchange students together!

Left to right: Antonio (Mexico), Edgar (Mexico), Abby (Boise, Idaho!!!!!), Ana Gabriela (Mexico), Christian (Mexico), Laura (France), Flossie (France), Denisse (Mexico), Paul (France) and me! There was also another American guy from Michigan who just arrived a day before named Lucas but I'm not sure where he was! Poor guy, he was probably so lost!

 

Here is my city from afar as we were driving home. I had an incredibly fun weekend!!!! I can't wait to see all my friends again!!!

Sertanejo Concert and My Birthday!!

It's been over a week since I last updated! I've been so busy! So many fun things have happened!
I went to a HUGE concert with my cousin Mariana and her friend with sertanejo music which is similar to country music in the  USA. Sertanejo is fun to listen to at first but it gets old really fast. But I had a lot of fun at the concert with my cousin! I love her so much!

 

Mariana and me waiting for the concert to start! We got there at about 4:30 and it started around 7:00! We had to get there early to get a spot because they were making a recording of the show and the artists performing were very famous sertanejo singers in Brazil from Campo Grande!

 

The presentation was pretty cool! There were 100,000 people at the same place!!! SOOOOO PACKED!! We couldn't move and inch!

 

I liked this song. The singers are a married couple and this was their love song. The only problem was they kept messing up and had to do it over and over! Hahahaha! I didn't like the song anymore after the third time!

 

Afterwards we went to the apartment of Mariana's friend's cousin! It was the nicest apartment I have ever seen in my life! We watched the show from there. This is Campo Grande at night! It's so beautiful! I had a lot of fun spending time with Mariana and talking to her.

 

 

Monday was my 18th birthday!!! I am officially a legal adult!!! How crazy!!!!

 

My friends - Ricardo, Laura, Diego and Vitor, gave me a cake for my birthday at school!!! They're SO sweet! Then we made a match stick house...because we're really cool!

 

A few of my exchange student friends at school. Meagan from Canada, Denisse from Mexico, and Niko from Germany

 

After I got home from school and had lunch I went to play basketball with my friends at the park. It's a really beautiful park! We had so much fun! I taught them how to play PIG and I think everyone liked it...I hope!! I lost first....hahahaha! Not surprising!

 

At night I had a party with my friends. It was a totally last minute thing! I came home from school and my mom asked me if I wanted to have a party or anything for my birthday. I said sure, so I invited some friends and we had an awesome time!

 

My family was there too! They're SO sweet! Around the circle left to right: Ana Clara (little girl), Jaqueline, Wadi (my cousin and his wife), Alfredo (my granfather), Dolores (my grandmother), Mariana (cousin), Talita (cousin), Christopherson (husband of my cousin), Kevin (cousin), Ana (girlfriend of Kevin)

 

My friend Humberto helped me choose a cake for my birthday off of a website. It was a "black and white chiffon cake" and SOOO good! The tradition here is that the "birthday girl" cuts the cake and gives the first piece to someone special! So I cut it and gave it to Lais, my mom! She said I cut it way too big! Brazilians don't cut cake in such big pieces! So she taught me how to cut cake the Brazilian way!  hahaha! I told her that everything is bigger in the USA!

 

 

After we had cake, we got in a circle and took turns playing guitar and singing. Then my grandmother recited a love poem she wrote for my grandfather! I didn't understand much but it was SO sweet anyways!!! They're so romantic! They are perfectly happy together and so in love after over 60 years of marriage!

 

 

I have AWESOME friends! Leticia, Humerto, Vitor, and Aline! (plus many more not in this picture!!) I didn't want it to end!!

 

 

My friend Henrique took this video for me. He speaks in both Portuguese and  English. He is studying to be a linguist so he practices English with me!

Everyone sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese and in English! Happy Birthday in Portuguese is WAY cooler! The lyrics are something like this: "We wish you congratulations on this happy day and hope that you are always happy and live for many years!" It sounds much better in Portuguese and it's much more exciting too because everyone claps their hands and gets really excited! Happy Birthday in English is....awkward and kind of a downer....hahaha! When I come back to the United States everyone is going to clap their hands when they sing Happy
Birthday!

Weekend Party and Makeover!!!

My aunt and uncle, cousin and her daughter are here visiting in  Campo  Grande! My cousin Camila is a model and fashionista! She knows all about Brazilian trends and fashion so she took me shopping for my birthday to teach me all she knows!

 

 

She picked this out for me! It was so hard to find shorts, skirts and dresses long enough and shirts that were cute with sleeves! But we managed! I think it's perfect!

 

 

Camila picked out this outfit for me! I wouldn't have thought of pairing that shirt with those pants but I loved it!

I also got my hair done at the salon! The did this thing that I think in english is "crystalization". It's going to make my hair straight and sleek for up to 4 months! But I can't wash my hair for 3 days and it's SOOOOOO hot! My hair is going to be disgusting! hehehe! Good thing I'm thousands of miles from the USA!

 

 

Friends of my cousin Mariana! We had and a really fun party! I learned about lots of Brazilian music : funky, sertaneja, and some really...interesting dances! It was hilarious!

 

I ate fish twice in one day and liked it both times!! This is crazy!! In the back of the plate is mandioca which I love, and in the front is fish - I'm not sure what kind. The thing is, that it was RAW!!! Yes, I ate raw fish and liked it!

 

This was the most delicious "stir fry".

 

 

My cousins!!! Camila and Mariana!

 

 

 

 

At the party they showed me this "trick"! It's called "foginho"!!! They put alohol in someone's mouth, light a match in their mouth and then someone puts it out by kissing them!!!!! Oh my heck it was crazy!

I Ate a Fish and I Liked It!!!!

So...I thought I was going to go to the bakery after school with my friends and get out of eating fish for lunch but my friends ended up going later than I thought!! So I had to go home...

 

 

When I got home THIS FAT FISH WAS STARING ME IN THE FACE!!!

I hate fish!

 

Everyone said it was delicious and I should try it! Looks REALLY delicious....!

(I'm being sarcastic here! I was scared!)

 

Everyone was SO excited to watch me eat the fish!

 

 

Yup! I liked it! It wasn't my favorite thing in the world but it was good! It didn't taste fishy at all! My host mom said that sweet, warm water fish taste totally different than salt water or cold fresh water fish. I can attest to that! This fish was from the Pesque Pague and was probably swimming around just an hour or two before I ate it! Thanks for sacrificing your life fishy so I could learn that fish isn't always so horrible!

Trote de Brega!!!

On Wednesday at my school, the "terceiro ano" or the "Seniors" had a "dia de trote". It's basically a day where the Seniors get to dress up for a certain theme. This time the theme was "brega": mis-matched, silly clothes!

 

 

My friends: Bea, Luana, Henrique, me, Thais, Julia, Rafaella

 

Deborah and I! (notice my shoes! Shannon made them! Love you Shannon!)

I was going to wear my host mom's Japanese kimono shirt with my yellow pants but I was too embarrassed! Everyone thought I looked funny enough! When I walked in all the teachers started laughing! I thought I had come dressed up on the wrong day and I was so embarrassed!

 

These guys are in the "primero ano" or freshmen! They didn't get to dress up! It's fun to be a senior!

 

 

My friends Luciano, Cintia, Karren, Henrique, and Rafaella

 

Exchange students!!

(The first two on the left are Brazilians)

Then there's Lisa (Italy), Laura (France), Matteo (Italy) and dead on the bench is Meagan (Canada)! Meagan is the only other exchange student in the terceiro ano but she said she didn't dress up!!

There are more exchange students at my school - two from Mexico and another from Germany.

Saturday - Chamber Presentation and Picnic in the Park!

Saturday morning at 9:30, the classical music chamber group that I practice with every Monday, had a presentation! The group is called "Sementes de Harmonia." (Seeds of Harmony) I love playing with them! The music is simple but beautiful and I love being able to practice and perform often with my friends!

Here's a video of the whole performance!





 

 

 

My grandfather here took pictures for me. He is so sweet!!

 

There were also other performers before us- a group of children playing guitar, two guitar soloists, and a piano soloist.

 

Sementes de Harmonia left to right: Andre (cello), me (oboe), Bruno(violin), Renato (guitar), Ana Claudya (piano)

 

Later in the afternoon, I went to the Parqeue de as Indiginas with my friends!

 

 

 

 

My friends Bruno, (He was one of the first friends I met in Campo Grande!) Carlos, and Ana Gabriella from Mexico!

Notice what Ana is drinking. It's tereré, a REALLY popular drink here that people drink when it's really hot through a special straw. It's always sooooooooooo hot so when I hang out with my friends they ALWAYS have terere and sit around playing the guitar and/or talking. It's like the Brazilian passtime! Terere looks like hay and tastes like a ground up tree in water! Apparently it's something that I need time to become accustomed to!

 

Henrique (also one of the first friends I met here!) and his brother Fernando

 

Talking politics with Henrique! Henrique leans toward the left, socialist side of the political spectrum, while I'm more in the center leaning a little right. Very interesting discussion!

 

 

My friend Bruno wants to be a photographer and an artist. (He's an incredible artist!!) He took so many pictures like this of me with a funny face!!!!!!

 

 

I have to concentrate really hard to know what people are saying in Portuguese so sometimes I look angry! I'm not!

 

 

 

 

 

This park has a lot capivaras so I just HAD to see them !!!! We went around trying to find some and found a huge "herd" of them! They're like the size of sheep but look like gigantic guinea pigs!!!! So cute and fat!!!

 

We had to be careful because they attack!! They're ferocious rats!!!

................

Haha not really, they really dont do anything!

 

 

I got so close to this one! Oh my goodness!!!! How cute!

 

 

Being crazy with my amigos!!

 

Haha Bruno!!!

I love my friends! I love Brazil!