A Garota de Ipanema

Well, to start off, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter (I know, I'm a little late). But better late than never, right? :) I had quite a memorable Easter weekend as I traveled to the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro with my first sister, Lakshmi.

After arriving on Friday morning and we checked into our hostel and then headed to the beach. And luckily for us, our hostel was about two blocks away from the beach. We first went to Ipanema; and you can bet that I was humming the song, "The Girl from Ipanema" almost the entire song. And if you have never heard it...

So after staying at Ipanema for a bit, we walked to the very famous Copacabana beach. Although the day was a little overcast, we were persistent and laid out on the beach until the sun came out; and we stayed there until I was a nice shade or red. :)

Copacabana with Sugar Loaf in the back :) 

Then, after my request, we went to Starbucks, where I got a little taste of home! Really, that's the last time I go 7 months without a soy latte.

Feeding the addiction

And before we knew it, it was already nighttime! So we put on our heels and headed out for the evening to meet up with some friend's of Lakshmi's who live in Rio. It was such a fun evening that turned into a night of dancing; and by the end, we were exhausted.

Following a few hours of sleep, we woke up Saturday planning to go to Sugar Loaf; however, another overcast day presented itself upon us. Luckily, a beach about 45 minutes away from the city had clear, sunny skies. So Lakshmi and I went to the beach again with some of Lakshmi's friends. And after a full day at the beach, we headed back into Rio, we got ready for another night out. This time, just Lakshmi and I went to a lounge/bar/nightclub that was having a samba show. Now that was a fun night! There really is something about samba music that you can't help but dance. Even if you don't know how, you find yourself tapping your feet or moving your hips following the beats. The performer was Carlinhos de Jesus. He is one main choreographers for the "Desfile das escolas de Samba" that happens every year at Carnaval. At one point in the show he asked all those that were from different countries or parts of Brasil to come up and say where they were from. So, I scooted on up in front of the stage and told him that I'm from the US. He grabbed my hand, twirled me around, said I looked beautiful; then in English, said "Welcome to Brasil". And so, at about 2 a.m., after hours of samba-ing, we were called it a night. 

The next day, Easter Sunday, we woke up bright and early to take a city tour. Initially, we were supposed to go to the Christ Redeemer, however, clouds were lurking around him in the morning. As a result, we first went to the various spots around the city. Our rather full morning included the Sambódromo (the place where the Desfile de Samba happens), Maracana (the soccer stadium), the cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, and finally driving around looking at various historic buildings of Rio, such as the Teatro Municipal.

The cathedral

And finally, the clouds passed and we were ready to go to the Christ Statue. When I first found out that I was going to Brasil I made a list of all the things that I was planning to do here; and seeing the Christ Redeemer was up there on my list. Little did I know that I would be seeing O Cristo, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, on Easter Sunday. The sun was shining, I was in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with great company and making memories that will last for the rest of my life. We stayed there for about an hour looking around and taking plenty of pictures. It was a pretty surreal Easter Sunday and I couldn't imagine spending it any other way. 

Almost there!

Finally! :)

The view of the whole city from the top of Corcovado 

(Corcovado is the name of the mountain)

After the tour, we went back to the beach (surprise!) and rested after an early and full morning. Leaving after I turned another healthy shade of red, we passed a street fair in Ipanema that happens every Sunday. And after checking out some cool local crafts and loads of tourist booths, we went back to the hostel to get all the sand out of our hair and clean up for our last night in Rio. Lakshmi stayed in the hostel to work while I went to mass at a church about three blocks away from where we were staying. I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of the church because it was simple beautiful. And during the mass, I really couldn't have been happier. It was a moment where I was so incredibly intent, surrounded by so much happiness and love as people celebrated Christ's ressurrection; and reminding myself how greatly blessed I am. It's a feeling that I think that too often we forget as we get caught up in the rush of life. The only thing that would have made it better was if you were there with me! :)

After the mass, I went an met up with Lakshmi at a cafe right next to our hostel; and there we toasted our last night in Rio with pie and tea. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend! 

And at 4:30 on Monday, we were on our way back to Belo Horizonte. I got back home around 10 a.m., and after lunch I went right to bed and didn't wake up until later that night! You might say I was a little tired. :) 

So what have these last two weeks included for me? Well, just living life and making the most of my time here. Last week I had my first test at university, and I passed! And for the record, it was in Portuguese, and an oral exam. Now, I won't be taking a test until my final on the 13th of June (just 7 days before I leave!!). Last night I went to a concert of a sertanejo (Brazilian country) band with my friend, Chiara. There we met up with some of her school friends. 

As of yesterday, I have exactly two months left here in Brasil. It really is a strange feeling. I have started to prepare my final presentation that I'll show to my Rotary club and the club of my host mom, Virginia. And as I am making it, the emotions start flowing and maybe one or two tears are shed as I think of saying goodbye to these amazing people that I have met. And not knowing when I'll see them again makes it even harder. However, as extremely hard as it will be to say goodbye, saying hello to my family and friends back home will be nice. 

But until that moments arrives, I am making the most of each moment I have here. Next weekend (April 28th-May 1st), I'll be in a town called Poço de Caldas for my district's conference. And then just four short days after I get back, I go to the Amazon!!!!!!!!!! :) But really, I'm only just a little excited. ;)

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend where ever you are in the world! 

Don't forget to take those moments to remember how lucky you are! 

Sending all my love from Brasil,

Maggie

You can tell that I've been having a good time here...

...Because I haven't written on this blog for over a month! To say the least, I have been making the most of these past few months as they continue to fly by. I hope you have time on your hands right now, because I'm not going to lie, this is going to be a long post. Alright, here we go!

How about I start with...Carnaval. :) Like I said in the previous post, Carnaval is a 4 day celebration before the Lenten season (the 40 days before Easter). This year, it was from February 18th until the 21st. I learned that many people (at least here in Belo Horizonte) travel for Carnaval, myself included! I went to a city called Guarapari in the state of Espirito Santo; right next to Minas Gerais. After a lengthy 9 hour car ride with my sister Ana and her boyfriend, Haisten, we arrived around 5:00ish. on the 17th. For the week, we stayed in an apartment about two beaches from the beach. Did I mention that I spent Carnaval on the beach? Really, I live a tough life here. ;) There, we met Haisten's parents and some of their friends. Later, after a good rest, Haisten and Anna wanted to stay in, so I went out with the parents and their friends! And seriously, the whole time I thought of my parents and the friends who feel more like aunts and uncles to me. As the three women, Rita (Haisten's mom), Caca (her friend) and I gabbed about shopping, traveling, and what I thought of Brazilian men, the two husbands drank their beers and ate their dinner and talked when the subjects interested them. After dinner, we went to the beach where there was a pre-Carnaval show. And before long, we were dancing and around 1 a.m., we called it a night.

And the next day (the 18th), we headed to the beach! And I'm not joking, it was full of people by 11 a.m.

So after a day of catching some rays, we headed back to the apartment for a late lunch and then rest before going out for the night. And around 10 p.m. we all went to the beach to watch the show. And can I just say now that the song, "Ai Se Te Pego" will always remind me of Carnaval 2012 and I guess my exchange for that matter; as I heard that song almost everyday while in Guarapari. :) 

Just a few pictures from the first night!

Anna, Me, Caca, Caca's husband Geral

Caca and I

Caca, Me, Rita, and Anna

Haisten and Anna

Rita and I

My wonderful host sister and I

So, after a fun night of dancing barefoot in the sand, around 2:30 we called it a night. And this was how our days were spent for the rest of Carnaval (with some variation of course). The next night on the 19th, I went  to a samba parade with the parents. There, after a quick samba lesson from Rita and Caca, we became dancing fools in the streets. Have I mentioned that I danced a lot during Carnaval? ;) A little afterwards, Anna, Haisten, some friends of theirs, and I went to a night club; and surprise! We were out until 4:30 in the morning dancing. To say the least, we got to the beach a little bit later the following day. So on the 20th, after another relaxing day on the beach, I skyped with my parents and wished my mom a happy birthday, then it was time to go out again! That night, we went to a bloco; which is pretty much just a huge block party. Hundreds of people in the streets and sidewalks, you guessed it, dancing and just having a good time. Now, I have had some pretty amazing experiences here, but that night was one of the highest moments of my exchange: I was called a Brazilian...because of my dancing. :) And so after one more day of the beach and going out until 3:00 in the morning, Carnaval came to an end. We spent one more day in Guarapari and then returned to Belo Horizonte on the 23rd. My Carnaval spent in Brasil is something that I will always remember and if you ever have the opportunity or desire to go to Brasil for Carnaval, go! :)

And so now, what have I been up to for that month after Carnaval? Well, honestly, it's been pretty chill down here in good ol' Brasil; but the time has gone by faster than I could have imagined. 

The first weekend in March I went to a teeny tiny town called Carmopolis with my mom and sister. It's the town where my mom, Virginia was born. Which by the way, Virginia left the town when she was 15, and moved to Belo Horizonte with her brother! 15 years old! She told me that she just wanted to get out of that town and really make something of her life. And so, both her and her brother went to school here, had their own place, and worked. She said that she thinks that I and other exchange students are so courageous for doing what we are doing, but there is no way that I could have ever done that! Anyway, we spent time there with her family, and then went to their family vacation house and stayed there until Sunday. It was so lovely meeting her family and spending that time with them. 

Two weekends ago I had a Rotary weekend in TiradentesBelo Horizonte came into town because we were taking the bus to Tiradentes early the next morning. So I picked up Allison (from Minnesota) Craig (Australia), and Thiago (Brazil) and we went and met up with the other two students that live here in BH, Chiara (Germany) and Nicolai (Denmark). We actually ended up going to Applebees for dinner. Who would have thought that I'm able to get boneless buffalo wings here in Brasil?! Allison and I were pretty excited to be having a taste of home; to the point where we were took pictures of the menu! After Applebees and hanging out with a bunch of other exchange students, we called it a night (even though Allison stayed at my house that night and we stayed up until 3:00 a.m. talking). But by 6:30 the next morning we were getting on the bus to go to Tiradentes. By the end of the day on Saturday, we were all pretty exhausted. Everything from swimming to meetings with Rotary folks to looking around the city. However, in true exchange student fashion, some of us decided that sleep was unnecessary and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking. :) All I can say is that I am so glad that I like coffee. After lunch on Sunday we headed back to BH and I finally got a full night's sleep! :)

And finally, these past couple of weeks have been pretty chill. Right now I'm in between events or big trips; but nevertheless filling my time by going out with friends, going to school (and actually studying!), and getting ready for these next three months to zoom by.

So with that being said, I'm finally all caught up! I may have forgotten some things, but if you want to know anything else about what I'm doing here, feel free to send me an email at m.smits93@gmail.com or shoot me a message on Facebook.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and hopefully I post about mine on Monday! :)

Abraços e beijos,

Maggie

There is absolutely no way that this is possible...

...I have been here for six months!! Really, when I was told that my time here would fly by, little did I know that it would be flying by at the speed of light. When I think back to when I first arrived, the thought of a whole year away from my home and all that I was used to seemed like an eternity. But before I knew it, I started school, the holidays came and went, and most recently, I moved into my second (and I'm pretty sure last) host family. Of course there have been times in these last six months where days seemed to be passing by like molasses, and my emotions were on the world's biggest rollercoaster; but the thing is...I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. The amount of fun and exciting moments surpass the low moments by a longshot, and I can say whole heartedly that I feel like I am home here. :)

And now for a quick update as to what I have been doing the last week...

As I said, I changed families! My new family is so so nice and I definitely look forward to my next four months with them. The dad's name is Ruben, and the mom's name is Virginia; and they have two daughters, Anna and Isabella. And the funny thing is right before I moved I was feeling so nervous! To the point where my hands were a little shaky and I had an extreme case of butterflies in the stomach! Luciana could tell I was getting nervous, so she told me just to eat, that would solve it. But the thing is, I couldn't! I took a few bites of pão de queijo (one of my favorite foods here, that I could eat all day), but that was it! I found it funny because I have performed in front of hundreds of people and I didn't feel this nervous. Why I was feeling like this is still a mystery to me! But once I arrived in my new home, the nerves flew out the window and never returned. And it has been smooth sailing since. I have felt so welcomed here, and like I said, I happy to see what the next months with this family has in store.

Also,this past week, I started college classes here! I am only listening in on the classes, and they don't count for anything, but so far that hasn't stopped the professor from making me an active student. On the first day of my sociology class, everyone got into a big circle to discuss a reading. All the while, I was praying that I wouldn't be called on to give my opinion. But wouldn't you know that God didn't answer this prayer as quickly as I hoped and I had to talk in front of the whole class about what I think makes me, me. And bam! It felt as if someone had literally just taken an eraser and erased all the Portuguese from my mind. I was blank! But I stumbled through it with some pretty weak Portuguese and just shook my head with embarassment; because I really can speak Portuguese, just at that moment I couldn't. And then the whole class clapped for me which made me turn even more red. I definitely think that I got my daily dose of humility that day. But oh well, what can ya do? :) I think it will be a very fun and interesting class though.

And this past weekend, I was supposed to go to another city to meet up with the inbound and outbound exchange students; however it was cancelled at the last minute and rescheduled for a weekend in March. And that my friends, is quite typical for Rotary in Brazil. :) But it actually was ok because I ended up going to a music festival on Saturday with some friends from my old school. It was called "Sensacional" and featured various types of good music from Brazilian bands and even a gypsy band from Holland. The following day, in the same place there was a well-known Brazilian band playing; so my host sister, Anna, and I went to that. Both of these concerts were pre-Carnival events; just things to get the city ready for Carnival, which is next week. :) Carnival, by the way, is pretty much a week long party the week before the Lent season begins. Many people travel to another city for Carnival, so we'll where I end up celebrating.

So, I found out that I am leaving Brazil on June 20th and will be arriving back in the states on the 21st. When I first found out, it didn't really hit me that I would be leaving (and I guess it won't really hit me until I'm on the plane). But that means that I've got 4 months and 7 days left here in this wonderful country; and I've got a pretty good feeling that they are going to go by even faster than the first 6 months. Nonetheless, I will savor each and every moment I have here. I am so excited for my adventures to come, which may or may not include the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon. Stay tuned to find out! ;)

Thank you to everyone who has kept up with me in these last 6 months! You're love and support really means so much to me! And until next time friends!

Sending all my love from Brazil,

Maggie

British philosopher Alan Watts once said...

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."

So with that said, guess who is moving families today? To be honest it's a strange feeling knowing that I'm moving. It has created a mixture of sadness, nervousness, and excitement. I am sad to be leaving an awesome family that I was so fortunate to stay with for the past five and a half months; and the nerves are starting to kick in now as I finish up packing. (Also, guess who will be coming home with another full suitcase in 5 months? I really thought that my two suitcases and backpack would be enough...psh...looks like I was wrong.)

Anyway, to Helio, Luciana, Teresa, Hudson, and the rest of the family...

OBRIGADA!!!!! Honestamente, não sei como agradecer por tudo. Vocês me fizeram sentir muito bem-vindos e em casa. Vou sentir muitas saudades de vocês!! Oh, e uma mais coisa...vê-lo em Washington para a Copa do Mundo de 2014! :)

So although I will miss this family, I very much look forward to the future with my next. My new family seems so so nice and ready to welcome me with open arms. Really, I don't know how I got so lucky with host-families.

Sorry for the very quick update, but I promise a more detailed one is to come soon! For now, I need to get back to packing so I can actually move!

Abraços e beijos
(Hugs and kisses)

Maggie

Sorria! Você está na Bahia!!! (Smile! You're in Bahia!)

Ok, so first a quick summary of my Christmas. Here, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve. So on the afternoon of the 24th, Luciana, Helio, Lakshmi, Pedro, Clara (Pedro's girlfriend), and I had a big lunch and then opened presents. Afterwards, Lakshmi, Pedro and I went to the grandparents house to celebrate with Teresa and Husdon and that side of the family. There, we had another huge meal and had a wonderful first part of the evening. Before I knew it, it was time to go to the next party. Around 10:30, the three of us arrived at Helio's brother's house; where we stayed there until three in the morning!! Then around noon on Christmas, we woke up and throughout the day, I would skype my family while Luciana and Helio would skype with Miguel, who is Germany. It didn't really feel like Christmas, but it was a special holiday that I will always remember.

Dinner :)



And now I am going to begin with the fact that I have found the place where I will retire. First I just either need to find a wealthy good-looking Brazilian man or win the lottery...I'm still crossing my fingers for both. It's an island in the north-eastern part of Brazil, in a town called Boipeba. :) That's where my family and I spent the New Years and the first week and a half of 2012. And let me tell you, it was absolutely awesome! We arrived to the island around 9:30 at night on the 27th, after two days of driving. We took a 20 minute boat ride to get to the island; and as we were loading our things onto the boat, Luciana looked at me and said, "Doesn't it just feel like we are in a totally different country?" and I replied with, "Well, actually, I am in another country." Both her and her sister Abigail found that pretty funny. Abigail and her husband, Bernardo and their two kids came as well. They made for excellent company!

And so for two weeks, we spent everyday on the beach; just haning out, planking on coconut trees, and enjoying the island lifestyle. And now I have a tan and blonder hair to prove it. The island has 7 beaches, and we went to 6 of them. On the first day, we went to the beach that was a 10 minute walk from the inn. And everyday afterwards we would go to the next beach over, or go to the same beach for a couple of days. And before I knew it, New Year's Eve was already here! Like Christmas, it didn't really feel like New Years. But I honestly couldn't have imagined spending it any other way. Barefoot with my feet in the sand, clad in all white (it's a tradition), and watching the fireworks reflect over the ocean. The funny thing is that the fireworks started before midnight, so there was no countdown. And before I knew it, champagne bottles started popping and everyone around me was screaming "Happy New Year" or kissing! We didn't stay too long on the beach; around 12:45 Luciana, Helio, Ignacio (Abigail's son), and I went and had tapioca (a typical food of Bahia; it's definitely not like the tapioca in the US, but it's so delicious!) and by 2:00 a.m. I was headed to bed. After another day at the beach, two friends of the family, Jussara and Lucina joined us in Boipeba. Then on the 3rd we took a boat to another island and spent a few hours there. And while on the boat back we stopped and snorkelled in natural pools. We didn't see a lot, but I did see a fish like Dori from "Finding Nemo", so I was pretty content. :) And each day after, we went to the beach. There really isn't a better feeling than laying on the beach and hearing the sound of the waves on a beautiful day. It really was an amazing vacation and I am so lucky to have such a great family to take me there.

Just some pictures of paradise :)

I couldn't resist ;)

This was the sunset on our last night :) A perfect ending to a wonderful vacation

Trying some delicous food from Bahia



So after a great two weeks in Bahia, we headed back to Belo Horizonte on the 9th and arrived on the 10th.

And now...on the 12th, my friends Abigail, Michelle, and Blair from Australia went home. They have the same school year as Brazil, so they came here last January. I spent the night at Abi's on the 10th, and we didn't sleep at all! It was nice having that extra time. And I'd have to say that saying goodbye was one of the hardest things that I've had to do here. Even though we know it's just "see you later", not knowing when later is, is a real bummer. Each of them are amazing and I am so incredibly blessed to have them in my life and to have met them on this journey. If any of my Aussies are reading this, thank you for everything. Can't wait to see you guys when you come to the US for our awesome road trip! :) Love you guys! SAUDADES!!

Later on the 12th, I got my second Christmas package from home! (The first one just had food :)) Only after paying R$597 (about $330), but that's only because my parents sent me a new camera!! :) Thanks mom and dad!! To say the least, it definitely lifted my spirits; and I have been taking pictures (of pretty much anything and everything) for the last two days. So after a good skype session with my family and one of my best friends, Stacia, and with not sleeping for the past 32 hours, I was more than ready to call it a day.

And last night, I taught my host mom and Clara how to make chocolate chip cookies. They turned out quite nicely and I am pretty sure there are only about 5 cookies left. And I also introduced my family to the beauty of eating spoonfulls of raw cookie dough. :)

Lakshmi

The finished product!

Clara

So these last few weeks have flown by! But they have been filled with great memories, rollercoasters of emotions, and moments I wouldn't trade for the world! On the 12th, I had been here for exactly 5 months; and let me just say that these have been some of the best months of my life and I look forward to the next 6. :)

Sending all my love from Brazil,

Maggie