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.

Mountains to Climb - Heavenly Father Answers Prayers

Homesickness is the worst pain I have ever experienced. It feels like my stomach is filled with rocks and I'm drowing in icy water- I can't breathe. My eyes are constantly filled with tears and everything around me reminds me of home and my family. I miss them more than I ever imagined I would and more than I ever thought possible.
In my despair, pain, tears, and sadness I called out to Heavenly Father in prayer. I went to lds.org and listened to David A. Bednar's talk "Mountains To Climb". No talk has ever helped me to feel the Spirit more and I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. He is with us all in our trials. Jesus Christ suffered far more than we can imagine and He did it for us so that we may be able to bear our burdens and return to Him! My testimony has been strengthened and I know that David A. Bednar is a prophet and a special witness of Jesus Christ and His love! I encourage everyone to listen to David A. Bednar's talk no matter what religion you are a member of or whether you believe in a God or not. I promise if you have an open heart and prepare your mind to receieve the message, you will feel something very good and pure inside you.
I still miss my family more than I can express, but I know that I am not alone and I know that no matter how hard my trials may be in life, I will be able to bear them with my Savior, Jesus Christ beside me to hold me up when I fall.

ENGLISH:   https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng

PORTUGUESE:    https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng&clang=por



President Henry B. Eyring

I am encircled eternally in the arms of His love

My First Rotary Meeting

Every Tuesday I  go to a meeting for Rotary - a service organization which gave me the opportunity to go to Brazil as an exchange student. I met the president of the Rotary club of Campo Grande and many other Rotarians. Everyone is very kind and welcoming, of course. They spoke for a long time (as they tend to do in Rotary meetings!) and then we ate rice, meat, and fruit which is typical food of Brazil. It reminded me of beef stew my mom makes every once and awhile at home. Then we had ice cream and candied bananas which reminded me of something I made at home. I miss my family a lot.

Left to right: Maria Luisa (an exchange student from Campo Grande going to France at the end of the month), Maria Dolores (my host sister going to Mexico in two weeks), the Campo Grande Rotary club President, and me on the far right.

Feira - Japanese Market

My host sister, Maria and her friends Henrique, Orlando, and Bruno went to a Japensee Market they called "feira". It was very fun! My first outing in Brazil!

This "statue" was not actually a statue! It was a man!!! We put money in a little slot and then he did a little dance and spoke in a funny robot voice. I couldn't believe it!!

We also ate "soba", a Japanese dish with noodles, soy sauce, pork, and eggs. Delicious!

Estou No Brasil!!!

On Wednesday, August 1st, I took a plane to Brazil. I was soooo excited...until the moment of saying good bye to my parents came closer. That was the worst moment of my entire life. I attached a picture below of me and my parents about 30 minutes before I got on the plane. Don't let our happy faces fool you. To say it was hard to get on that plane is an understatement. The guys who sat next to me probably thought I was a hysterical crazy girl! I was! When the plane took off I wanted to bang on the window and say STOP!!! Nevermind! I cried on and off for the next 2 days. I love my family so much and I underestimated how hard it would be to leave them.

My flight went like this: 1:55 pm I went took a plane to Atlanta, after a 1 hour layover there I took another plane at 9:00 pm to Brasilia- the capital if Brazil. I arrived in Brasilia at 7:00 am. In Brasilia I struggled to find people who really understood me but it was ok. I had a 6 hour layover there but it didn't seem too long. It was so interesting to hear everyone speak portuguese! I didn't understand a word! I also noticed that Brazilians seemed to dress up to go to the airport and most of the women wore heels! I felt underdressed in my Rotary blazer, t-shirt, and flat tennis shoes. After a delay and three changes of my gate to Campo Grande, I finally boarded my plane at 1:00 pm and arrived in Campo Grande about 2:30 Campo Grande time which is one hour earlier than Brasilia time. (Campo Grande is 2 hours later than Utah time)

When I arrived, my family and Brazilian friends were waiting for me. My "host cousin" Kevin is on the far left, my Rotary counselor Luiz is on my left, my host mom, Lais, is on my right and Marcelo, my friend and future "host father" is in the red and green striped shirt on the left.

I life in an apartment in Campo Grande and it is beautiful! The first few days I missed my family so much but by Saturday I felt much better.

My host mother works at a place called "Pesque e Pague" where people come and catch fish and pay for them by their weight and the type of fish. One man let me reel in a fish and it was HUGE!!! One man caught an enormous fish! I wish I had my camera at that time!

I also met many people and made friends very easily. Brazilians are so friendly. I was caught off guard when I first experienced their greetings. They always give "beijos" and kiss you on the cheek! I am not a "touchy" person and so this scared me but now I'm used to it!

My new friends I met at the pesque e pague took me around and taught me lots of words in portuguese! I have had "muitas professoras e professors de portuguese" (lots of portuguese teachers) here to help me! But I struggle with saying the words! It's so hard to have a nasal accent but I'm sure I will learn with time!

Brazil is a beautiful place and the people here are SO kind and welcoming! I am so grateful to have this opportunity!

Tchau! Beijos!