Church Activities!

Friday night I went to the stake dance in Campo  Grande! Stake dances are way more popular here than they are in Utah. It was luau themed and the decorations were so great! It was my job to tell the DJ to switch songs if I heard anything bad since I was the only one who really understood english! That was a pretty important responsibility I think! I had an awesome time and made lots of friends! I also learned to dance to Paraguayan music!

 

My friends left to right: Juliana, Larisa, me, and Sabrina. Larisa and Sabrina are my bishop's daughters! They are the sweetest girls in the world!

 

 

My new friends left to right: Tiana, Fred, Deborah, Isabela

 Guess how old Deborah and Isabela are...

Fourteen-years-old!!! Crazy right?! They are the kindest people and really took care of me at the dance! They always made sure I wasn't alone and was having a good time.

 

 

My friends at the dance invited me to the mutual activity Saturday morning starting at 9:00 am and lasting until 3:00. Very different from mutual in the USA starting at 7:00 and ending at 9:00 on Wednesdays! It was really fun! We played volleyball and I learned that Brazilians are WAY better at volleyball than Americans!! The girls went shopping to get popscicles and ingredients for "brigadeiro". When we came back we made stroganoff for lunch. It was very delicious! Brazilian stroganoff is different than American stroganoff. I think it has more ketchup or something. But it was tasty! We ate it with fried potatoe pieces and rice. The potato pieces taste just like potato chips just in little flakes. They're very popular in Brazil I have found! Personally, I'm not a huge fan but most people are. I'm really weird-that's the other thing I have learned in Brazil!!

I loved hanging out with my friends from the church! It was so fun to spend time with people I could really relate to because we share the same values and beliefs. I felt right at home!

 Brazil feels like home to me now.  I'm loving every minute I have here!

 

Desperdida de Maria Dolores

This morning my sister, Maria Dolores went away to Mexico on  her own exchange adventure. I can't believe she's already gone! I only got three weeks with her but I'm so grateful for the time I had. She really helped me adapt to the city and make new friends! She also saved my life on the busy roads many times since I was clueless about the traffic laws and patterns when I came!! Obrigada minha irmã!!
Last week we had a party for Maria at a pizza restaurant. We had pizza "rodizio" style, where waitors come out with all sorts of different kinds of pizzas on trays and ask who wants what type of pizza. I sampled all sorts of different kinds. Most Brazilian pizzas don't have sauce, have a thin crust, and lots and lots of cheese!

 

Outside the restaurant after dinner. I don't remember everyone's names.

Left to right: Bruna and her boyfriend (can't remember his name!), Maria, Arthur, (don't remember the names of the people behind Arthur and Maria!) Bruno, behind Bruno: Maria Luisa, Rodrigo, me, and I don't remember the names of the people on my right! Sorry!

One of the biggest challenges in Brazil is remembering everyone's names! I have to remember vocabulary, grammar, think about what people are saying word for word, and then remember each name! It's stressful! Haha!

 

 

Wednesday night some family came over to have dinner and say good bye to Maria. It was soooo cute watching Ana Clara (white shirt), and Awara (pink dress) play the piano! They are the cutest little girls!

 

 

Thursday after school in the morning I went home and many of Maria's friends were there! My host mom said I could skip school in the afternoon and hang out with Maria. (On Tuesday and Thursday I have school both in the morning and in the afternoon with a 90 minute lunch break inbetween)

Names left to right: Victor, Arthur, Humberto, Paulino

Humberto made lunch for all of us which was very nice of him! Then we had ice cream soup because the fridge was broken! Yumm!

I taught them Egyptian Rat Screw and I think it was a hit! Of course, when I played I won every time! I ALWAYS win Egyptian Rat Screw! That's why it's the best game ever! hehe!

 

 

Maria and her friend Juliana

 

 

 

 I taught Arthur how to play a duet on the piano. All Americans recognize it but I'm not sure what the name is! Is it called chopsticks...? We had a great time playing it over and over and over!

 

 

After I taught Arthur how to play piano, he taught me to play the guitar. At least he tried... It was so hard!

 

 

Can't wait until I'm a master at guitar! haha!

 

 

Friday morning we drove Maria to the airport.

Names left to right: Ana Laura, Arthur, Maria, me

 

 

Yes, ebarrassing picture. We crammed four people in the back! Bruna is on my right.

 

 

At the airport before Maria's departure to Sao Paulo.

Names left to right: Ana Laura, Bruna, Maria Dolores, Maria Luisa, Arthur, Jessica, Denisse

 

 

Saying good bye to Maria! We will miss her!

Names left to right: Mariana, Ana Laura, Bruna, Maria Dolores, Maria Luisa, Denisse, Arthur, Jessica, Lais

 

 

I'm so blessed to have such a great host sister!! Can't wait to find out all about Mexico!

 

 

 

 

Coxim

Over the weekend, Maria and I took a trip to her grandparent's farm in Coxim. Coxim is a very small, cute town and also extremely hot! The farm is a tourist attraction outside of the city.

We left early in the morning on a HUGE, fancy bus! Maria and I slept much of the way. I look so beautiful in this picture, I admit it!

Ostrich farm!!

Fields of gold!

Not really, I think it's dead corn.

Another ostrich farm! Apparently ostrich skin is the second strongest in the world after elephant skin! It's pretty popular here for leather boots, purses, etc.

Farms on the way to Coxim.

We had a blast swimming in the lake. It was so warm and beautiful!

The kids of Maria's grandparent's friends went with us to the farm. I was able to help them with their English homework which was pretty awesome! I felt really smart!

 From left to right: Annelyne, Antonio, Alyane, and Maria

The lake is SO beautiful! It felt awesome in the blazing heat!

And yes, this should be a calendar picture I know!!

Grandparent's home. It is beautiful and quite big.

View of the lake from the house. Everyone kept saying it is so ugly right now because it's so dry and that it would be more beautiful during the winter. I thought it was beautiful the way it was!

Um cavallo branco!! A white horse! So beautiful! I didn't hang out with the horses much because I wasn't sure they were friendly.

The horse was giving me a stare down.

Yes, they have horses and ostriches!!! Cool right! This one liked to follow me around a lot. It kind of scared me!

Posing for the picture! I honestly don't know what he was doing! Silly ostrich!

Sunday we left the farm and went up the stairs to see the Cristos of Coxim. It looks over the city like in Rio de Janeiro.

This was my favorite part.

All that was missing was my Mom and Dad and little sisters. I thought of them constantly. They would love the farm! Lola would love the ostriches and cats I'm sure! Maybe someday we can go together.

Monday morning starting at 4:00 am, Maria and I took a long trip back to Campo Grande from Coxim by bus. I was glad to come home and also glad to skip school!



Welcoming the New Exchange Students!!

I've gotten behind on my blog because the system was being weird! But luckily I figured it out!

Last Saturday two girls from Mexico and a girl from Idaho arrived at the Campo Grande airport! Two of the girls are being hosted by another club in our district so I won't be able to see them much.

I was so excited to welcome some new friends!

My friend Denisse (from the hottest city in the world!) is in the middle holding the flag. She was freezing when she arrived! It was probably 80 degrees fahrenheit! Oh Denisse!

Maria Jose is to the left of Denisse. She is living in a different city in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Later on Saturday night we had a fancy party to welcome Denisse and me! You can see why exchange students usually gain a lot of weight! The food was so good! In the middle are "brigadeiro", a delicious chocolate candy that Brasil is famous for.

Tuesday night Denisse and I went to the Rotary meeting together. We both agree I look drunk in this picture! I promise I didn't touch the beer!!

Pesque e Pague

My host mom works at a "Pesque e Pague" where people come to catch fish and then pay for them based on the type of fish and how much they weigh. It's a very beautiful and peaceful place. My favorite times in Brazil so far have been at the Pesque e Pague talking to the fishermen there and to my friends who work there. They teach me a lot about Brazil and help me with the language.

It gets dark at about 6:00 pm. Yesterday the Pesque e Pague was very "tranquilo" or calm. On other days the lakes are lined with fishermen.

Kevin (host cousin)  helping a man with the fish he caught. This one is kind of small compared to others I've seen!

This type of fish is called "Pacu"

The journey of a fish unfortunate enough to be caught

At this point the fish is still moving!!!!! Joel (don't know if that's spelled right) is cutting a slit in the belly to take out all the insides. I just watched in shock! Good thing I don't have sound effects! Was not a pretty sight!

YUMMMM!!!!

Poor fishy!

After all the insides were take out they placed the fish on the table to be cut and the fish started MOVING!!!!!!!!!!! I screamed, "IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Being cut into slices so it can be fried for waiting customers. At this point it wasn't moving!

(Sorry about the rotation. It won't let me rotate it to hamburger style!! haha!)

Before we went to the Pesque e Pague, we went to the fishing essentials shop. Lais told me to come over and look at something. I was expecting so see fish or more bait. Nope. SNAKES!!! I almost screamed!! HUGE SNAKES!!! They were slithering around the tank in bunches. ewwwww!

In Campo Grande I've seen very different types of fishing bait. Of course, there are worms but they're not just worms- they're HUGE worms!! Fat, juicy, and long! At the Pesque e Pague I helped put dog food and cornmeal balls into bags to use as bait as well. Raw beef is also used! The snakes in the picture are to be cut into pieces and used as bait! Ahhh!!! Then I was even more shocked to hear that there are snakes like this inside the water at the Pesque e Pague!!!!!!

I learned a lot about animals yesterday. There are flesh eating ants all over so I must be careful! There are also dangerous, violent dogs that live in Brazil. I met one that was tied on a rope and it was NOT friendly! There are also little monkeys that live in the trees outside the Pesque e Pague!! My new goal is to see a monkey living in the wild before I leave!

I also saw my first banana tree. Banana trees grow a bunch of bananas one time and then die! (At least that's how I understood it when they explained it in Portuguese!) How sad! Those banana trees sacrifice their life so that I might have a delicious, healthy breakfast! Thanks banana trees!

First Concerts in Brazil

Wednesday I went to my friend Henrique's choir concert at his university. They sang one song in english and the rest were in portuguese. I really liked it! It wasn't so different from concerts I've been to in the USA except the music was different.

I don't know most people in this picture but my friend Henrique is directly on my right with the white shirt, Orlando is next to Henrique and Bruno is on my left with the glasses.

Friday night after coming home from the Pesque e Pague, I heard music and thought it was some kind of concert. It was, but it was an Evangelical "gospel concert". I don't know how to describe it. It was very interesting and different. I wouldn't think it had anything to do with religion if I didn't hear words such as "Holy Ghost" and "God". My host mom, Lais, is so kind. She wants me to have every experience here in Brazil so even though she was tired she brought me to see the Evangelical concert. We didn't stay long. There were tons of people screaming and waving their hands and I don't think either of us were in the mood to stay.