September 19- September 25

pizza dinner at my house.

Waiting for the spare.

Where we were stranded..

João and the flat tire. one of two.

Keep away. :)

View from Tia Ma's sítio.

volleyball.

blackberries.

they got me. :(

cousins. :)

picking blackberries.

So yet again I am lazy and try to put this off. But sometimes there's nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.
Saturday 19th (Sabado/Saturday)-
My plans got a changed a little today and I ended up with plans to go to Tia Ma's sítio. But first the boys had judo class and mãe and I went to the mall to get money for me to give to my councelor in case of an emergancy. I got it from the ATM and changed it at the cambio, but we had some extra time because the boys were still in judo class so we decided to spend money! I bought 4 shirts (there was a bit of a fisaco/miscommunication but that's another story) then we rushed to get the boys and head to the sítio. We ended up getting a little lost but soon found our way. We were greeted by Tia Ma, Tio Indio, Vó, Tia Nani, Tio Rodolfo, Rico, Rico, Naty, JuJu and Marie. The first thing we did was go pick blackberries. We ate Bacalhoada, which is a kind of dish with cod, potatoes, onions, eggs, tomatoes and the Benedetto dish didn't have peppers. Then we relaxed, I attempted to help Vó with a crossword a task a little difficult in Portuguese, then had sobremesa (dessert). Vó had made a kind of pastry, with a filho dough like pastry and a kind of cream in between the layers. We sat around the table, talking, then all of a sudden there was a commotion to my right and I look over to find Marie and Rico shoving blackberries in each other face's. Fred was the next victim, though he managed to out run Rico and Marie but couldn't avoid the inevitable, and then Pam was attacked. As Pam was walking by me she said "Run Kelsey" and in a minute I saw why. I was the next target and as hard as I tried I couldn't escape Rico and Marie and soon I matched everyone else. João, Rico and Ciça were added to our group. After we washed our faces and ate some more, I got called down to play some volleyball. It wasn't anything too great so we just ended up hitting the ball around some, and Marie and I peppered till we got too tired. After a couple games of Rummikub I went to get changed to go to a play. Tio Indio commented that he liked me a lot and I was a beautiful girl so be careful with the Brasilian boys. The theater was at another mall in the middle of town on the third floor. The outside was a bit sketch, it looked like it was under constrution, but the theater itself was very nice, padded armrests and everything. I had a great time talking to my friends, Naty, Maria, Mony, Michael, and Maisa, before the play started. The play was a monolouge comedy and I understood most of it. Afterwords my host fam picked me up and we went to eat at Agua Doce. We ate the best dish from the restaurant, Escondidinho (means hidden) mashed mandioca, dried meat and cheese, plus french fries. Then I went home and talked to a friend till really late, then crashed out.
September 20 (Domingo/Sunday)-
I was woken up at 9:30 (so again, not a full night to catch up) and told we were going to the sítio again. This time pai drove so we did not get lost and Tio Nanu, Tia Cynthia, Tutu, Aninha and Tia Cynthia's mom went up as well. We ate a typical lunch then I slept in a hammock for I don't know how long. When I woke up we played some volleyball which turned into keep away till my cousins had to leave one by one. We headed back into the city around 5 and as we were turning onto the Dutra the car made a weird ker-clunk noise so we pulled into the median only to discover we had a flat tire. So we called Tio Indio to come help us fix it. We sat on the curb and waited, in shorts, sweatshirts and most of us no shoes. Once it was fixed we headed home for hamburgers and I finally updated last week's blog after a few minor distractions. Then I went to sleep.
September 21 (Segunda/Monday)-
Tia Ma gave us a ride to school this morning and I met Raquel (their friend/maid). Everything else was pretty normal, but my history teacher (that has never talked to me before) asked me to pronounce Woodrow Wilson because he was having difficulty with it. It was really entertaining to listen to American names pronounced in Portuguese. We went to Vó's house for lunch to eat leftovers and stroganoff. After that, we went home for a bit until gym. Janainina had symptoms of swine flu, so our house was not cleaned today. Mãe took João, Aninha and I to the gym because it was raining slightly and Tio Nanu picked us up. I showered really fast so we could go out later, to a mall of course. I hit the last mall that I haven't been to in São José, Vale Sul. We went to Wal-Mart, to buy groceries and then explored the rest of the mall until it closed. Then we walked outside only to find our car had another flat tire. So while pai went to ask people for spare tires, mãe, João and I had some water and carmalized coconut from a stand outside Wal-Mart. Once the car was fixed and everyone was soaking wet, we headed home. The carton of milk was in my normal seat so I sat in the middle and João hugged me, calling me his "irmazinha" (little sister). Then Álvaro climbed in over the milk and we cuddled the whole way home. At home I talked to a friend who I haven't talked to in a while then realized it was 12:38! I needed to go to sleep.
September 22 (Terça/Tuesday)-
Nothing too exciting happened in school besides the falling asleep in biology (from my 5 hours of sleep) and Monica sitting next to me. Lunch was the normal, meat, rice, tomatoes, potatoes, mango (yum!) and beans that were wayyy too salty. I was introduced to the old maid that was filling in for Janainina and she made us the really excellent tea that made mãe and I very tired. I talked to my parents for a bit and we caught up on each other's lives. Then mãe and I rushed to meet Terezinha at Tenis Clube. They have a pool, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, two gyms, salon, and many classrooms for various classes, way cooler than anything in the US. The coolest part was that to enter you have to have your thumbprint scanned. We then went to pick up bread (white, wheat, sugar and powdered) and ate a little dinner. After Marie got dropped off we headed to SESC for volleyball. The kids got kicked off the court and the adults (myself included) played three on three. There was two other guys my age, and 3 older guys, me being the only girl. But I had so much fun. I haven't played volleyball that hard in about a year. I was sweating so badly. After someone got the ball stuck in the rafters, we sat down on the court and talked (again, friendly brasilians) until they took the net down and we left. We headed home after a wild goose chase to find my SESC card and at home I took a shower and passed out.
September 23 (Quarta/Wednesday)-
And yet again, I was tired today. I'm beginning to think this will be a constant thing. I don't think the rain helped either. Lunch was panqueca, which was similar to enchiladas, with dried meat, green olives, etc. plus rice. Sobremesa (dessert) was chocolate cake and ice cream. :) Then I had gym, today I worked out my legs. Then pai picked us up and we went to get bread (as usual) and I ate a quick dinner before tennis class and Álvaro had a play. Tennis was just as fun, even if I didn't feel like I improved. Again, our car was acting up and decided to run out of gas. I ended my night by watching Drake and Josh with Álvaro then went to sleep before 10 again.
September 24 (Quinta/Thursday)-
Today was a little different. During the day, João asked me if I would like to sit next to him because he has no friends, and thus started my new seat. I had so much fun sitting between João, Breno and Gue who were constantly arguing about the 2 main things in Brasil: Beer and soccer. When I got home for lunch it was bacon wrapped filet mignon, mashed potatoes, condorna eggs, tomatoes and rice. I talked with my parents a little and a friend of mine in Slovakia. After a little dinner I got ready for Rotary and Maria picked me up while mãe had a client. Rotary was good, the speaker had been on exchange to Ohio, and he talked about cateracts and the causes of them. Dinner was chicken, rice (kinda tasted like hay), potatoes, tomatoes and pineapple. We had to wait until the end of the meeting to have dessert, birthday cake. I talked with the speaker and his parents until the last people left and it never ceases to amaze me at the amount of people interested in talking to me.
September 25 (Sexta/Friday)-
Classes today aren't much better than the day before so I borrowed João's review book and went through the entire thing, looking at every picture I came across to keep myself entertained. It was pretty successful. Lunch was leftovers, plus some chicken nuggets. :) I sat down to watch the soap opera with mãe but ended up falling asleep on the couch and missing the end of the soap opera. Then mãe woke me up to go to the gym, because João was at an amusement park and I was a little late in the normal time I go. Then I just relaxed with my family, watching some tv and talking to my friends. Everyone here got ahold of my msn and I had 6 msn chats open, plus facebook! Pai ordered yakisoba from China in box and it was super good. So we sat in the kitchen talking while Álvaro watched tv and João was at the amusement park until he got home around 11.
September 26 (Sabado/Saturday)-
I slept in a lot today, because I was still tired from the week. I was supposed to go shopping with mãe but I thought sleeping sounded better. We had lunch at Vó's, meat, rice, beans, farofa, and fried bananas. After hanging with my family for a bit and ate some pumpkin dessert before I left to get ready to go out with Maria and João. I went with them to watch João Vitor give a presentation at his old school. There was all these booths set up for different topics, like water, Martin Luther King, and the hippie movement. And then there was a presentation over some of the groups in the classrooms upstairs. João Vitor's was over sexuality. It was interesting to learn about in Portuguese. Then I went home to get ready for my friends to come over. When I told my friends to come over at 7 in Brasilian time it really means like 8:30 or later. But we had a lot of fun, eating pizza and talking. The types of pizza were tuna, mushrooms, tomatoes, palmito, chicken and dessert was Nutella and strawberries. Everyone left around 11:00. Then we cleaned up until about 12 and roasted marshmellows over a dying pizza fire. I talked with a friend until 2am then crashed.
September 27 (Domingo/Sunday)-
Today I didn't want to miss anything so I woke up at 10. We ate a little breakfast and then all of my family came over for a BBQ. Vó, Tio Indio, Tia Ma, Fred, Marie, Tio Rodolfo, Tia Nani, Rico, Tio Nanu, Tia Cynthia, Aninha, Tutu and then more joined later. We had traditional BBQ and I tried some chicken hearts. Mima signed on Skype and said hello to everyone. Then at 4 I went to a bar to watch a soccer game with my friends. It was an intense match between the two biggest rivals in the state of São Paulo, São Paulo and Corinthains. Corinthains scored first and Coringãos went crazy, yelling, screaming, jumping around, and pounding on tables. The game ended up a tie, 1-1, so no one will talk about it for a week like they would otherwise. Then I came home to eat some pizza again, brocoli and tuna, and talk to my parents for a bit. Then it was really late and I needed to go to bed.
That's it for the week. Beijos, tchau!
I'll get pictures up soon!

September 12- September 18

Host family. :) (September 13)

Host brothers (September 13)

Friends. (Me, Gabi, Bru, Iza) (September 12)

joão bosco e vinicius!!!!!!!! :) (September 12)

local newscaster, Michelle Sampaio. (September 15)

Álvaro and Jonas Almeida. (September 15)

more friends from school. clockwise from bottom: Raquel, Naty, Maisa, Me, Viki, Mony (September 14)

More famous people in São José. Vinícius Valverde. (September 15)

Cousins. :) (thalita and marie) (September 15)

we love SESC theater. (Vó e Mãe) (September 16)

Okay, so I'm going to apologize for my laziness and also for the fact that I have been very busy here so I haven't updated this as much as I have wanted to. So here goes for the last week of my life.

September 12 (Saturday)-

Today, after getting to sleep in for a bit, we a had a little breakfast but went to Vó's house for lunch. We had meat, rice, beans, pumpkin, farofa and something Tia Ma made, coconut milk pudding/jello with caramel and fig sauce. We stopped on the way back for a quick popsicle from the bakery. I had limão but mostly everyone else had corn. Then Mãe and I went to Extra, the grocery store. It was like Fred Meyer and Target, with the fact that you can buy clothes and shoes besides just groceries, but it was huuuuuuuge. There was a couple of the same things, Natural Valley Granola Bars!, but there was a lot of different things too, especially in the produce section. Green coconuts, Codorna eggs, pumpkins, big avocados, 3 differents sizes of bananas, many other fruits I didn't recognize, to name a few. After our adventure there we went back home to pick up the boys and go to SESC. It was very relaxing. When we went home we were going to visit a friend that had just had a baby, but Álvaro wasn't feeling well and we didn't want to risk the baby's health. So I went to Colina's with Mãe to get my ticket for João Bosco e Vinicius. The weird part was I went in the mall and bought it at the shoe store counter, even though the concert wasn't anywhere near the mall... We decided to test my debit card, and it finally worked! So I bought Aninha's birthday gift and a couple things for myself. :) Then I had to get ready for the concert. Tio Indío picked me up at a little after 10:30 with Marie, Iza, Gabi and Bru already in the car. So i squished in the back next to them and drove to UNIVAP. The venue was different. I reminded me of the fairgrounds, because we stood on grass and it was that kind of atmosphere, only with a lot more drunks. After getting patted down at the entrance we had a run in with a group of drunk guys. And let me tell you this is the only time when the Brasilian friendliness can be a problem. Guys grab on to you and try to talk to you.. and you have to tell them to leave and make up fake names, it's kind of scary. I'm really glad I had people there, looking out for me. After shaking the guys off, we waited by the entrance for Marie's friend Mih to get there.

September 13 (Sunday)-

When Mih finally got there, along with more friends I didn't know, we went to find a spot while the opening band played. We pasted the VIP section, actual seats, and many stands selling food or beverages. And people everywhere, doing everything. When we found an open spot, what do Brasilians do? Dance of course. No one watchs the band they dance, talk and laugh. I couldn't really tell you what the singer looked like. And when I say dance, I really mean jump around and wave their arms while belting the lyrics to the songs they know. After our empty spot got crowded by smoke we went to the center of the crowd for the main act, avoiding smoke and drunks along the way. Finally João Bosco and Vinicius came on stage. We watched them for the first couple songs, then it was back to songs no one really knew so we just swayed to the music and talked. But throughout the entire show there was fireworks shooting over the crowd, fireworks on stage, confetti.. It was pretty crazy. The song the duo is famous for it called "Chora Me Liga" and we must have heard it 4 times throughout the night (www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbngXjlUfwo) It finally ended at about 3am. We waited for Gabi's sister to give us a ride home, talking with my new friends. Then all five of us fit in the back seat, Gabi and Marie on our laps, and drove everyone home. I was so tired I mostly slept on the way back, I probably couldn't tell you where we drove. When I finally got dropped off, I couldn't get the door open from my lack of focus. But I got in and passed out at 4:15am.

Not wanting to miss anything I woke up the next day at 11ish, had something to eat and watched some T.V. Then we went to a surprise place for lunch. We went to beautiful restaurant overlooking the city with typical food. We ate filet minon, rice, potatoes, fried bananas, and there was parmasen meat. And Grananá to drink of course. We took lots of pictures in the beautiful setting and ate some pitanga berries that were growing on a tree outside. Then we drove back to the city and stopped at the roadside stand for garapa again. I got mine with pineapple this time. It was just as good. :) Then we went home, I cleaned up a bit, and talked to my parents. Then Va's brother, his wife, daughter and her daughter, that we visited in Lorena, came to eat dinner with us and drop off his daughter, Thalita, because she was spending the week with us. Then we just relaxed and went to bed.

September 14 (Monday)-

Everything was back to the usual routine. Only I went home for lunch and I stood at COC to avoid the rain. As we were opening the gate, it really started raining on us for just a couple of seconds. I ate another big lunch, creamed corn, fried chicken, potatoes, rice, brocoli, and new juices. The highlight for me was hard-boiled Codorna (Quail) eggs. João and I got a ride to the gym because it was still raining. I met with my trainer again and did most of the same exercises, except I learned a new sit up that was 10x more difficult. I talked to the same guy as I did last Friday and he introduced me to his friend, Paulo. Then Va picked us up, and João and I took showers while she went and got Álvaro. We ate dinner and I checked on how the Patriots were doing. I went to bed early because everyone else had too.

September 15 (Tuesday)-

The only interesting thing about school today was Heron taught Gomes Setor 141 class. Other than that, life was pretty normal. Minha Mãe has decided that it is time for me to speak in Portuguese because I've been here a month. For lunch we had leftovers, plus meat, rice, potatoes and more crazy juices. João, Thalita and I watched the end of a movie in portuguese, that I know I've seen I just don't remember the name, and then 13 going on 30 was on again so I opted to chill on the computer. Mãe came home but had a client so we all continued to veg. Then we all got ready to go to SESC for some volleyball! It felt a little weird playing, cause I haven't played in forever and I sucked, but I missed it. Once we got kicked out early for a futsal tourney (indoor soccer), we went out to watch a four on four volleyball tourney in the quadra. We got pictures taken with the people that are on the news here, so they're semi famous. The volleyball wasn't that great, but it wasn't horrible either. We went home to eat again, dried meat, eggs and rice. Then I went up to take a shower and when I came back downstairs everyone had gone to bed. So I talked to Caio till it got really late and then I passed out.

September 16 (Wednesday)-

This morning was very different from the others. No one was up but Thalita and I, and she left before I came downstairs. So I let myself out for school and school continued as usual. Perrenoud singled me out again, as usual, but I think my embarrassment is decreasing. Lunch was salmon, tomatoes, white aspargus, beans and rice. Mãe showed us this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbNtPXYL2ltI. It's hilarious. Then João and I walked to the gym because mãe was at work. Lincoln (my trainer) gave me my own card so I didn't have to ask what I should do everytime, though I still did. My friend at the gym introduced me to someone else. I swear he's just trying to get me to know everyone there. Then mãe picked us up and I went home, had a glass of water and a few granola bars and waited for Maria. João went to tennis with me and Maria. I have already improved, my coach commented on how my serves were really good and I play very well. I had a lot of fun with the people we play with. When I got home I got ready to go to a play at SESC with Vó and mãe. Well the show happened to be an opera. :O but it wasn't that bad. There was one lady playing piano and the other one singing. They would explain a little about the what was going on in the scene and then sing the song. The reason they did this was because sometimes the song was in French, German or Italian and everyone in the audience was just as lost as me. They also acted out a few bits, with feather boas, dusters, lettuce, radishes and coffee. It was pretty awesome, the audience even got offered coffee. :) It was so much better than the pianist. We went home, I had a little more to eat and went to bed.

September 17 (Thursday)-

The day continued as usual with Heron breaking up the school day I dislike the most. Fred and I had perfect timing hitting both crosswalks and then mãe was waiting for us. We had "jaticonheço" aka leftovers, plus mashed mandiocinha. I talked with my parents because they were leaving for Canada tomorrow about the time I would halfway through my school day (6:30am PST) Then I had to find a way to entertain myself because mãe had to work and I had not contacted Terezinha in time, thanks to being out all day yesterday, to go with her to Tenis Clube. So I ate an apple outside and watched a ghost show with João. We had a little dinner and then it was time for Rotary. Dinner at rotary was parmasen beef, rice, salad, vegatable and tuna cake thing, with mamão for dessert (I didn't trust the other option).We had a program again and it was about soccer, naturally. From what I understood it was like a club program with U15, U17 and U20 divisions. I understood most of the program and was very proud of myself. We got out at around 9:45 (the longest yet I think) and went home and went to bed.

September 18 (Friday)-

Today was a pretty normal day, to start out with. But when I was waiting for my host mom to come pick me up, I got a call saying that the car is broken and Pai was coming on the motorbike. Awesome? Most definately. Then we had lunch, spaghetti. Then Mãe went to work, on the motorbike, and I went to the gym as usual and had a good talk with Lincoln, in mostly portuguese. Then Tia Ma picked us all up, because we still had no car, but what was better was the fact that we didn't have the house keys either. So we went to Vó's to eat dinner and Marie came home from school and invited me to go with her to a movie with my other cousin Pam. So I went to her house to get changed, into her clothes, and then back to Vó's to wait until Pai got home from work. Then we rushed to Colina's to make it on time, but I needed my id and Claro Clube card and Mãe had to bring it from home. Well the movie was really funny, "Verdade nua e crua" aka "The Ugly Truth". Then I came home and went to bed.

That is all for now. Hopefully I will write something sooner this coming week, and look for a blog on school coming sometime soon. :D

Beijos, tchau!

One month???

Me and the girls in class. Clockwise: Monica, Raquel, Maria, Me, Maisa, Viki.

I can't believe I've been here for one month already. I feel like I've been here forever and yet at the same time I have so much more to experience. I am hardly ever homesick because if I was at home I would be in the same position, without my parents or my friends, only in a place that spoke English. But I wouldn't trade this for the world.

Tuesday (September 8)-

I don't think I will ever get used to this lifestyle, because I once again wanted to sleep in this morning. But against my conscience I got up and had a normal day at school with Biology, History, Geography and Chemistry. The best part of the day was when Carlos (Chemistry teacher) was 20 minutes late and we just sat in class, talking and taking pictures. We all got a ride home with Ylana's mom. She dropped us off in Fred's normal spot and we walked to Vó's house. The only problem with this was the torrential downpour that was happening at the moment. We walked across the street and up two houses to Vó's but were soaking wet by the time we got there. Lunch was rice and beans (excellent as usual, I like Vó's maid's beans the best) and fish from the weekend (not so excellent). After that we all headed back to the house in the rain. João and I finished up the Law and Order we had started at Vó's and then I continued to watch the end of Big Fat Liar, Big Bang Theory, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh and the O.C. (most of which had portuguese subtitles, so I didn't feel so bad). It rained the entire day, with thunder and lightning. We ate a normal dinner and I talked with a friend on the computer who is in Japan. We are 12 hours different. Mãe called Ylana's mom to tell her she didn't like it that we were dropped off in the rain. Ylana's mom then proceeded to put on the blame on Fred saying if he didn't want to be dropped off there he should have said something. Then one thing she didn't know is that Fred doesn't like either of them so he avoids talking to them when possible. Brasilian drama!

Wednesday (09/09/09!)-

Nothing exciting to start off my morning except that it wasn't raining as much. School was Biology, Chemistry, and Math. Of course Perrenoud, my biology teacher, had to find a way to embarrass me. He called me out in the first class saying hello and if I was understanding things (in Portuguese of course) and also tried to say stuff in English. The second class with him was even funnier. He was labeling his drawings on the board and he drew a rectangle and forked tongue, labeling it "Cobra". Everyone laughed including me and he saw me laughing so he labeled it again "Snake". Then he drew an arrow and labeled it "Veneno" but claimed he didn't know the word in English so he wrote it in French, "Poison". Then he drew a cavalo and someone from the back of the class said "HORSE!" and he labeled it again. It was just me that went home today, and of course I choose the wrong direction to walk, walking up the street instead of down. Then we went back to Vó's house to get Álvaro because he was instructed to eat very fast and get a ride with tia Nani, but he had sat down and watched tv instead. After dropping him off Mãe, João and I went back to Vó's again to eat this time. We had the same fish, and mãe explained to me that when they have the same meal as the day before they say that they have met the meal before and sometimes call it grandpa. Well the fish today we knew very well and decided it would be great-grandpa. I ate meat instead with rice, beans and mashed mandioca plus the best limeade that Vó always has. Then mãe had to go to work again, interviewing people to get hired to work at a school, so João and I walked to get him a magizine. Then it was time to take a big step and try Forma Fisíca, my gym. João had class at 4 and we hitched a ride with Janaina so we wouldn't have to walk (sneaky us). I talked with the receptionist in Spanish because she didn't speak English and neither did my trainer, Lincoln, who resembles Micheal Weston from Burn Notice. It's very different from gyms there, Lincoln showed me what to do and kept by my side most of the workout. We attempted to communicate, though it was mostly with signals. I met someone there who is Brasilian but was in Gavelston last year so we spoke English. I discovered that once again the people here are so friendly. Once João was done we waited for mãe and got bread for dinner, she made me go order it! I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (some things never change) and a glass of water then Maria was there to pick me up for tennis classes. We drove to this really nice place, with clobberstone parking lot, lots of glass, clay courts and a tv lounge area. I felt so fancy there. We had class with the teacher and one other guy for an hour. I don't know how much my skills improved but we had a lot of fun. I am now going to be a regular there as well. When I got back I ate a piece of French bread and more water while reading some stories on the internet. Mãe got done at work and came out to tell me to take a shower. I told her I was just waiting for her motivation and promptly took one. Then Álvaro and I watched Drake and Josh in portuguese while eating frosted flakes (sucrilhos). Then mãe wanted to watch her novela, Caminhas das Indias, and Álvaro wanted to watch a different show so of course there was yelling and Álvaro went upstairs to watch his show. Always eventful and loud here. :)

Thursday (September 10)-
Today was an average day. I had a normal breakfast but there was a change up in classes. I had the normal, Da Matta (Chemistry), Hélio (Physics), Rafael (Math) but I had Delço (Physics) today and we never have him on Thursdays. Other than that school was uneventful and I went home with Fred. For lunch we had potatoes, stroganoff (again...), rice and beans. I got to try a new juice from Northeast, and it was pretty good. I helped clean the table and put stuff away, also shaking the tablecloth. See Mom, your upbringing did rub off on me. Then I talked to my parents on Skype for a loooooong time. We had a lot to catch up on and I was avoiding the list I had written myself to do that day. Mãe left for work and João was at a friend's house for school so I was all alone at the house. I worked on what I needed to do, gym schedule, SESC schedule, trip paperwork, etc. João came and left, and mãe got home around 4:30. I got to try a new bread too, and it kinda tasted like potato bread. But it was still really good. Caminhas das Indias was on again (it's in the last episodes) but I was on the computer, I think I spent too much time on here today. I went to be a little bit earlier than everyone else so I got to fall asleep to a loud tv, random yelling here or there and my host mom talking loudly to Mima online. I somehow feel asleep.

Friday (September 11)-
I didn't realized the significance of the day till I wrote it down in Portuguese class. Today was kinda weird. We had Geovana (Portuguese) as normal but instead of having Fernando (Portuguese Lit.) everyone went outside. For some reason, I never did figure out why, Fernando was not at school so during his class time I just sat and talked to everyone. I always wondered what happened when a teacher was sick. During the first break I talked with my normal group of friends, then someone on my Orkut that's in my class came up and introduced me to his friends and we talked. Then he left to go study and 4 more guys from 3rd year came up and started talking to me in okay English. Then we had to go back in for Physics with Delço and Portuguese with Geovana, then we got another hour break. This time I talked with João, Gue, Argentine, Micheal, and then slowly the groups started merging together, my normal friends and the other group. By the end we were all talking together and laughing at the pet Argentine. :) And arguing about soccer of course. I was dissappointed I had to go back in for Physics. Also I got a ride home from tia ma with marie, fred and thaá. For lunch we had meat, rice, beans and some kind of egg, bacon, mandoica thing. I also got the best juice today, Pear! I'm sure there was no artificial flavoring. Then it was time for gym! João and I had to walk there and back, but it was nice. We held hands the entire way. :) I am starting to know more people there and I met even more people today, 3 guys who spoke English. A old hippie looking guy that grew up in Florida but lived in Brasil for a long time, another guy that works for IMPE (the space research place here) and he's organizing a trip to São Franisico Xaiver to go on a hike, and a guy who decribed himself as handsome, going to college, looking for a job and lives down the street. He was 19. I feel like I am finally starting to really branch out and meet new people and have connections. I just wish I could speak Portuguese better so people were not so afraid to talk to me. I somehow banged my knee at the gym and gave myself a huge bruise. Good thing my family is prepared and i rubbed some cream on it and got a spray for my toe where I had banged it last weekend causing it to bleed. For dinner we had delicious wheat bread and cinnamon apple strudel. Nothing could top that, along with some pear juice. Best dinner yet. Then the final episode of the novela was on, everyone has been talking about it all day. So we ordered pizza and sat on the couch to watch it. Tomorrow I am going to the supermarket and a sertanejo concert! \o/
Tchau for now!
beiiiiijos.

Independence Day/Labor Day weekend

So I know this diverts from my normal pattern but too much has happened this weekend to add it to the week ahead.
Saturday (September 5)-
I woke up today at 8 because I needed to pack to go to the sítio, or country house. Around 10:30, the car was finally packed and everyone was ready to go. But we weren't going to the country house yet, first we were going downtown to eat pastel. We parked in a lot, next to a sex shop hahaha, and walked to the market. The best place to eat pastel in the market is Sonya's. It was packed there, all the chairs were full and people were standing and eating. There were many options, same as the French have crepes there were sweet and savory. I opted for a shrimp pastel even though I was told there was lots of onions. My host dad had ground beef and everyone else got cheese. The trick with pastel is you have to bite the edges and then blow in shell to blow out the steam and cool off the pastry. Then we wandered around the market looking at all the different stalls. There is a couple fishing stores, one with your everyday necessary objects, one with spices, one with herbs, and many cafés. Then we continued through the main square with all the street vendors, selling cellphone cases, dvds, shirts, etc. Then it was time to go to the country house. We drove north by Pai's first school and the poorer parts of town. Then we were in the mountains. At a small shop we stopped for the last time and then continued to the river and lake where we would start climbing on the dirt road. After Álvaro opened the gate we were bumping along the dirt road and then below was the house. We had to get everything out, then people started arriving. I played Rummkub, one of the many games we will play this weekend. Lunch was feijoada, a typical brasilian dish of black beans and pork meat, rice and creamy mashed potatoes. Then everyone went out to help clean the pool and wash the deck. The pH of the water was not good enough to swim and it was also cold. So we played more Rummkub and the kids fished in the lake. My host dad played guitar and everyone joined in and sang. Marie painted my nails in Brasilian colors. It took forever! But they are really cool. :) We had dinner too, baked potatoes or hot dogs. I had a baked potato and a half with some ground beef sauce with tomatoes and bread. Then we started playing card games. Marie and I were teaching each other our card games. Everyone slowly filed to bed and Marie, Aninha and I were the last ones in our room that included Vó.
Sunday (September 6)-
Today was cold and rainy so everyone kept close to the house, except for Álvaro who wanted to fish. I had some toast for breakfast with some local jam that was the best yet. We played more Rummkub, of course. Then more people arrived, Aninha's friend Gabi and her tia and tio. We played a game in the boys room, Gato mia. The lights are turned off and everyone hides and one person closes their eyes and has to find someone. When they do, they say "Gato mia" and the person has to meow and the seeker has to guess who it is. It was fun but it got hot in the little room. We played Trivial Pursuit again and again I won. :) I went to join Álvaro and his fishing habit by the pool and soon joined in. I caught one fish. Then it started raining so we headed back to the house. Gamão (backgammon) had been brought out as well as Rummkub and Truco (a typical brasilian card game) Then we had lunch of stuffed fish, Dourado (fish) and more fish. It was also excellent. When it got darker a fire was started a marshmellows were brought out. I swear I never stopped eating this day. We roasted marshmellows, everyone learning from me for once. I went to sit in a bench near the fire. João and Álvaro then came to join me and João put his arm around me It was the first time I really felt like João liked me a lot too. I am going to be so sad to leave this family. Then we played more Gato mia, more intense because there was more kids and it was dark so we couldn't see the seeker. People hid under the bed, in the dresser and behind the beds. Then we stopped to have some dinner and were going to play a game in the whole farm. That didn't happen but we played mancala and more card games with my host dad singing in the background. I went to do some fishing again, but this time I was unsuccessful. I ate more, meranges, chocolate pastry, cake, bread, cookies, fried mandioca... Then everyone else slowly went to bed and Marie, Mãe, Tio Roldofo and I played another card game. Tia Cynthia helped me. We didn't finish because it got really late, but mãe and I were 100 points short of winning for real. Then all of us went to bed.
Monday (September 6)-
I slept really late because of being up late the last few nights. When I woke up half the clan had gone on a hike because it was a really nice day. I ate a kiwi, being full from yesterday, and then everyone was going swimming. Pai, João, Álvaro, Rico, Roldofo, Tia Cynthia and others had come back from their hike and everyone put on their suits. The little boys enjoyed the pool while the rest of us suntanned or just talked. Marie, Aninha and I braved the cold water for like 5 minutes before lunch, and that was all the swimming I did. For lunch we BBQ'd meat, sausage, ribs, cheese and garlic bread, our usual, plus tomatoes and onions. We enjoyed the sun as long as we could. Then we started cleaning up the house. Marie and I sat in the hammocks eating grapes and then went with Vo to pick some Brasilian fruit from the trees to eat. Then Tia Nani, Tio Roldofo, Rico and Vó left. Marie, Aninha, João and I ate chocolate ice cream. Us kids played more games outside, tag, who could throw their shoes the farthest, etc. I broke my havainas while running away from João during tag but Marie did me one better when got her shoe stuck in the tree and pai had to climb it to get it out. So we gave up the games and sat and talked until everyone was ready to leave. The sun had set and it was time to head back to the real world. We drove the windy roads behind Tio, Tia Cynthia, Marie, Tutu and Aninha. When we got back I unpacked and we ate homemade pastel. I ate all three with turkey and mustard. Then I uploaded some pictures and mãe talked to Mima and we just kept relaxing from the weekend.
Some pictures are on Facebook! I didn't put all 300 up. :) Read from me again on Friday.

My third week.

Some of the ice cream flavors (clockwise from top left): Maracujá (passion fruit), Paçoquinha (peanut), Iogurte com Amarena (yogurt with no idea), Coco Branco (white coconut), Mousse da Uva (grape), and Cupuaça com Amora (brasilian fruit with no other name with blackberry)

Marie and I.

My crazy family at our Sunday BBQ.

Eating ice cream with my host family. :)

August 29 (Saturday)-

Today I got to catch up on my sleep by sleeping in till 10:30. It felt wonderful. The first thing I did was start reading my book to practice my Portuguese still while my host dad and brothers cleaned the gate. I ate a couple of pieces of bread with João but we ate lunch soon after that. Lunch was the usual, tomatoes, potatoes, rice and meat. I read more of my book after that and did some research on college because I was inspired by my friends. I was going to my cousin's house, Pam, later to spend the night, something my Álvaro was not happy about. He wanted me all to himself. First I was asked if I wanted to go with my first host family to get ice cream. Of course I said yes. The ice cream here is way different from the US. The flavors cover anything from corn to grape to pineapple and wine to white chocolate and many more. After eating two bowls with so many different flavors and different toppings (kiwi and cherry syrup) I was full and we went to pick up Marie. The first thing we did there was recondition our hair. There was four steps and it made my hair so soft. :) Then we went to pick up a friend of Pam's and go to McDonald's in CenterVale. It was McDia Feliz here and for every Big Mac sold McDonald's donated the money to a hospital. Then we wandered around the mall and talked to a guy about his $5000 phone so that if his dog ate it nothing would happen to the phone. It was so ugly and he was the only one to buy the phone in the 3 months it's been in the store. Then we picked up JuJu, Pam's niece. We spent time with her watching The Pacifier, she's 2, until she fell asleep then we went to play DDR, Pam, Marie and I. We sat on the couch in their small living room, eating chocolate and gummy candies and drinking coke when it wasn't our turn.

August 30 (Sunday)-

Pam went to bed around 1 I think but since Marie and I weren't tired we stayed up till 2am playing DDR. Then we finished the night watching 13 Going on 30. Then we passed out on the matteresses side by side while JuJu and Pam slept on the bed next to us. We slept till about 10 the next day. While Pam and JuJu went to get bread, Marie and I chilled out in front of the tv watching Big Bang Theory, Jimmy Neutron and other various American shows. After a normal Brasilian breakfast, french bread, yogurt smoothie, Rico and Naty came back and we got ready to go to my house for lunch. All of my family was there. Tia Ma, Fred, TuTu, Aninhe, little Rico, Tia Nani, Tia Cincha, and more cousins of Pam and Rico. We ate tomatoes, garlic bread, chicken, cheese, ribs, beef and rice for about 3 hours. Marie and I escaped to my room to look at pictures on my laptop but were called back down to eat ice cream and mousse de Maracujá (passion fruit). Everyone started to leave around 4 and the house slowly got quieter. We just hung out, me reading, pai working, mãe talking and the boys watching tv/sleeping. We had dinner around 9:30, bread and butter. Then we relaxed the rest of the night till we went to bed.

Monday (August 31)-

It's now back to the school week and my normal routine. The only change of today was Fred was sick so I did not get a ride from them for school. Pai took me and João to school. Fred's absence meant I had to find someone new to sit with, something I was planning on doing anyways. Raquel ended up being my new seat partner. Classes today were History, Geography, Geography, History, Math and Physics. Michael was back so classes got a little bit more crazy, more paper throwing, shouting, obsene drawings (that were subsequently blamed on me). Pai and João were waiting for me after class. Lunch was more stroganoff! With rice, french fries and fresh squeezed orange juice. I made the video tour of my house and one of João's friends came over. We ate a normal dinner. I don't know how I'm ever going to go back to American food. Bruno's (João's friend) mom and siblings came to pick him up and I was introduced. The night was finished by watching the Indian novela and disney channel and of course me passing out on the couch.

Tuesday (September 1)-

This household is a little bit more noisy than my other one, but it's not a bad thing. I just don't think I'm used to it yet. Life was back to normal, Fred picking me up for school and such. I sat behind Fred today, next to Maisa. Classes today were Biology (the first class I slept through, but it's okay it was all review), History, History, Chemistry, History and Biology. I got a ride home with Ylana and was introduced to her mom. Lunch was a kind of fish with only one bone, Cação. I looked it up the next day and found the name in English is Dogfish, a type of shark! It had a sort of tomato sauce on it, plus rice, brocoli and zuchinni. My favorite lunch so far. I talked to a few of my friends and took a nice long shower. I think I'm starting to get cabin fever. Next I watched Jimmy Neutron (in Portuguese) with João and watched the funny parts in English. Dinner was the usual. Álvaro came home and was so excited about getting a good grade on his English test. I think it's because of me. :) He was very hyper all night. I spent the rest of the night just relaxing.

Wednesday (September 2)-

The excitement of this morning was João's temperature of almost 40 degrees (104 for you Farenheit people). He was taken to the doctor's/hospital. Mãe commented to me that I don't eat a lot and I'm going to be so thin. Hahahahaha, I eat so much! Just not for breakfast. School was Math, Chemistry and Biology. Wednesdays are my favorite day for classes because my Chemistry teacher, Rodrigo, asks me if I understand and Biology is the teacher that embarrassed me on the first days and now waves at me. Everyone rode together for lunch break. My lunch was leftover fish/shark, tomatoes, corn, potatoes and green beans and carrots. I then tried to figure out what to do so I was not couped up in the house with the sick boy. Mãe came up with the idea to go look at all the gyms in the local area so I can pick the one I want to go to. We went to four, with all sorts of classes and prices. One had a street running class, another had a step class and one had Jui Jitsu. I'm just glad to be exercising again. I can tell because I went home and ate so much. Muffin, apple and granola bar before dinner. I watched a new novela, in English the twin souls. One and a half peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, potato roll, pão de sono (like a small filled doughnut), crossitinis and french bread I was finally full. I relaxed by playing freecell and a jigsaw puzzle. Then my host family had the great idea to play Trivial Pursuit, in portuguese of course. I had to ask the question in portuguese as well as listen to the question in portuguese. Pai, Mãe, Álvaro and I played for many rounds until we got tired and distracted and hungry of course. Pai went to make eggs and rice (I had just eggs) plus strawberries with sugar and meranges. After all of this and a late conversation about food, it was time for bed.

Thursday (September 3)-

After gorging myself the night before I was so bloated and not hungry so I took a chocolate crossiant to eat during break. The highlight of today was the contruction they were doing at school. They had blocked off the main entrance as well as all the bathrooms. So during the first break the girls and I (Maisa, Mony, Maria, Naty, Viki) went looking for a bathroom. We walked up the street to the local store and it was packed with people! So we kept walking around the corner to the church. We used they're very nice bathrooms. People were handing out flyers at school to take a trip to San Diego and L.A. for $5000 in January. Too bad I've been to most of the places they would visit already. I think Thursdays are my least favorite school days because I have Math, Physics, Chem and Geography and it's all pretty boring or over my head. But in Geography the lesson was about the US! Something I knew something about. Fred rode with us today and for lunch I had my first bacon-wrapped meat! Something I have been looking forward to since having Brasilian BBQ in Mexico. It was paired with tomatoes, corn, green beans and carrots. Then I laid down to watch some disney in portuguese and before I knew it I was asleep. I woke up for my novela, but then fell asleep again until mãe woke me up to get ready for Rotary. I ate a little dinner with Pai, Mãe, Tio, Aninhe, TuTu, Álvaro and João. Then Maria and João Vitor picked me up for Rotary. There was actually a program at the meeting. It was about Independence day, on the 7th. I didn't understand any of it. Dinner was chicken with some sort of rub, mashed cauliflower, salad and I avoided the rice with peas. Dessert was some sort of pudding/custard with jello on top. I always get interesting food at Rotary. At home I talked to Pai on Skype, he showed me his classroom. The boys crowded around me, fighting to type and then the shouting/crying fit started and ended with slamming doors. But Álvaro was fine 10 minutes later. The rest of my night was spent listening to music and playing some freecell.

Friday (August 4)-

This morning was a little rainy, but I felt hot and sticky. Yay humidity. \o/ (Brasilian smiley, the slashes are arms and the o is the head) School was normal, Portuguese, Portuguese and Physics. Everyone was together on the ride home. At home we had lunch, tomatoes, mashed potatoes and carne. Today the meat was cooked with beer and yesterday's was cooked with white wine. Mãe joked with me that she was an alcoholic and she was just keeping it a secret. The first thing Fred told me though was that Vó (grandma) was an alcoholic. Mãe said she learned from her. It was so funny. Then I talked to my parents for a bit and then Janinina wanted to clean the living room so I didn't get to watch my novela. Mãe and I went to the bank to try to figure out my debit card, again, and again we failed. Then we went in search of the chocolate lady. We asked for a directions and the women we asked immediately knew, take a right, right and right they said. We then found her stand. Not only does she sell chocolate and condensed milk covered strawberries but I also got to try sugar cane juice. She was making the juice right there! Running the cane through a machine to squeeze out the juice and she poured me a plastic cup right there. The aftertaste of the sip tasted like sugary part of the marshmellow. It was so delicious and so sweet. We stood on the sidewalk in the median, drinking our caldo de cana/garapa. Then we went to the mall to see if we could buy something with my debit card. And again we failed. But I bought a Brasilian sweatshirt anyways, though most of the clothes look American. If I can't figure out how to make my debit card work I'm thinking that my parents will just have to pay for my time here. :) One of the shirts in the store said, "Let's night a DJ saved my life". I looked at it and said this makes no sense. Then Mãe and I went to look for marshmellows to roast on the campfire. Pão de Açucar is just like Albertson's but half the size. The marshmellows cost 22 reais! (about 11 dollars) So we vetoed that idea. Then we had to run to pick up Álvaro from school and get bread. I discovered why Mãe always picks up Álvaro first. He wanted hamburger buns and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Álvaro begs and argues while João cries when he doesn't get his way. It's always an interesting time with the Benedettos. Then we had dinner and I sat in the kitchen and talked with my host parents about many things, Mima, schools, views of foreigners, the best beaches in Brasil, etc. We ate our strawberries bought earlier and just hung out.

That's all I have without boring anyone too much!

Comment the blog and let me know you read it. :)

My current house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88XHY2ZWwoU

A video tour of my very clean house. :) minus one noisy boy.