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



I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

I mean literally that I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. The other night, I dreamt that it was snowing here in Brazil! But then I woke up to the sound of rain (p.s. it rains here a lot during this time of year); and I quickly realized it was just a dream. :)

It is so hard to believe that Christmas is only 4 days away! Without snow, I'm finding that I have to remind myself that it's the holidays! Even with the decorations, crowded malls, and songs it didn't hit me that Christmas is just around the corner until yesterday when I went to a Christmas concert with my host parents. The concert was in Catedral Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, the cathedral of Belo Horizonte; and it was absolutely beautiful. The songs, the acoustics, and the whole atmosphere made for a lovely evening. Sure, listening to the classic Christmas songs made me feel a little homesick, but then the choir sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You", a song that's pretty significant to me; and then it hit me like a brick wall. The tears started rolling down my cheeks and there was no stopping it. Then, it finally occurred to me that I won't be home for Christmas. But thinking about it now, I think that song was sang for a reason. To remind me that God is keeping watch over me no matter where I am. And you know what? It was exactly what I needed to be reminded of.

Exchange isn't always easy. There are moments when all you feel is defeated. Whether it's the language that's overcoming you or just feeling alone, it can be difficult. But in these past four months, I have learned that through patience, perseverance, and trust in the Lord, it is worth getting through those hard moments to be able to experience the happy ones that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Moments that I wouldn't trade for the world. :) 

Well, I do believe that I will leave on that note. I probably won't put another post up until after the new year; because the day after Christmas, my family and are head to northeast Brazil to ring in 2012 in the state of Bahia. We will be on an island in a town called Boipeba; and I can't imagine spending my New Year's any other way. With beautiful beaches, amazing people, and the excitement of a new year. :)

So to everyone both near and far, a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord life his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Amen.

Tchau!

Maggie

School's out for the summer!!

So I graduated!!...again....On Tuesday, my class had our last day of school and then the graduation later that night. The day and evening were so much fun; and it sure brought back fond memories from my graduation in the U.S.

During the day on Tuesday, there were no classes really; and all we did was eat and talk. Oh! And I made chocolate chip cookies and all my classmates were quite impressed with them. :) But anyway, then during the last hour of school we had a water balloon fight! After all the waterballoons ran out, we resorted to just dumping buckets of water on each other. I would have gotten more involved with the battle, but I had to go to my Rotary meeting right after school; however, that reason didn't stop my classmates from dumping a bucket of water on me with about 20 mintues left in school. Luckily for me, I brought a change of clothes! :) And with about a minute left in the school day, we formed a circle, held hands, counted down the seconds, and then cheered as the clock hit 12:40 (the time that school gets out).

Then the evening came around and it was time for the ceremony. On the invitation, the event was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., but in true Brazilian style, we didn't start until about 8:20. :) The ceremony was totally different than a graduation in the U.S. But also, this was different for Brazil. Lu and Helio told me that the graduations are more serious, and mine was very happy and light-hearted. I knew I went to a good school. :)
But anyway, there were no graduation gowns or caps, no senior pictures given out, no scootering to school (recent WHS alum know about that one :)), and no marching into "Pomp and Circumstance". But you know what? I was completely okay with not having those things. Those are traditional American things that I have already experienced and I was looking forward to being a part of a Brazilian graduation, or "formatura", in Portuguese.

We did march in to a song however, and then were seated and listened to the principal and vice principal speak. Then, the class elected two teachers as their favorite teachers of the year. The teachers were presented with flowers and then sat in the front, on the stage (it was in an auditorium) along with the pricipal and vice principal for the remainder of the ceremony. After watching a video and thanking the rest of the teachers, it was time to receive the diplomas. Now, my class had 19 students, including myself. So when it came time to distribute the diplomas, the first person was drawn out of the stack, went and got their diploma, and drew the next person's name. And once everyone got their diploma, the mic opened up for people to speak. So why not? I went up there and said a few words, and I mean a few, about how thankful I was to go to this school. But even if I didn't say a alot, it was still in Portuguese, and that's all that matters. :) So after the principal spoke once more, there were cheers and applauses and then it was done! Then it was time for the reception!

Luiza!!

Sarah!!

Marina!!

Renato, Luiz, Me, Amanda, and Victor!!

Vinny!!



So in the end, it was an absolutely enjoyable night. It was definitely different, but definitely awesome. :) And I am so happy that I got to be a part of this celebration. But now I just need to figure out what to do until February....oh, maybe I'll just go to the beach. :)

E as pessoas de Escola da Serra. OBRIGADA!! Voces ajudaram a fazer meus primeiros meses aqui excelente! Se eu nao volto, fui muito prazer para conhecer voces a todos! E vou sentir muitas saudades de voces!! Te amo a todos! :)

Tchau for now,

Maggie

Just channeling my inner Gaga!

Today was the final dress up day of the year at my school (by the way, I "graduate" next Tuesday; and I start summer vacation!), and we had to dress upas celebrities. So with the help a little eye-liner and a sparkly dress, I was Lady Gaga for the day. Luckily for me, Lady Gaga is an international superstar, so everyone guessed who I was pretty easily. However, the lightning bolt across my eye kind of gave it away too. :)



It's crazy to think that next Tuesday might be my last day at Escola da Serra. And when I say might, it means that we haven't quite figured out what I will be doing school wise next year. I might attend a university or stay at Escola da Serra. Either way, I've really enjoyed my time at this school. It's a great school, with cool classes (like yoga!) and even cooler people. To all the students reading this, thanks for helping make the first few months of my exchange awesome! :)

Tchau

Maggie

Goin' to the chapel, and we're gonna get married!

Alright, so I went to my "cousins" wedding on Saturday; and it was so much fun! The wedding was supposed to start at 5; which in Brazil, that is incredibly early for a wedding. My host mom was telling me that most weddings usually don't start until 8 p.m. or even later! But in true Brazilian fashion, it actually didn't start until about 5:30. :) It was such a lovely wedding. The bride, Sita, looked stunning; and the groom, Rafael, had a permanent smile on his face. The ceremony took about an hour, and then we headed to the reception around 7:00. And coincidentally enough, the bride was a Rotary exchange student to the U.S. and her host family was there. So I was able to meet some cool Americans too! It was such a fun night! From the dancing to almost catching the bouquet to the family and friends there; it made for a memorable evening! And I wish all the very best to the happy couple! :)

Lakshmi, Me, Husdon, and Teresa (Part of my family)

Helio, Me, Luciana (The other part of my family)

Some "cousins" :)

So, before I tell you what I did yesterday, I did something quite familiar and close to home on Saturday. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I was in a play! And for those of you who know me, you know that I was very involved in theatre during high school. So when I found out that my drama class was going to be putting on a play, all the memories of the previous plays and musicals I was in came rushing back; and I got so excited! So the play on Saturday was about a doctor that goes to a city and decides that everyone is crazy and should be put in the hospital; but in the end, it turns out that the doctor is the true crazy one. I played a tourist who had no idea what was going on. I think they may have just added the part for me. ;) But anyway, the play went great and everyone said I did a great job; even though I actually missed some lines, but oh well. Here in Brazil, I have a list of all the things I want to do and see during my year, and being in a play was on that list (and ironically, so was going to a wedding! Who would have thought that I'd do both in the same day!). :)

While embracing my "tourist" role, I took pictures of everything! Here are some of the photos :)



Alright, now for yesterday (Sunday). I was at Teresa and Hudson's this weekend, so yesterday morning, we went to a bazar with my grandparents. We were there for about 4 hours; and as we were leaving, a girl came up to me and asked me if I was an exchange student, and then she told me that she was an exchange student in Belgium last year! See, this is what I love about exchange; when you meet another exchange student, you have an instant connection because you both have this one thing in common and you can pretty much talk about anything. So now, I have a new friend named Izadora, and we're planning to hang out next Sunday!

And after the bazar, we had lunch and watched the soccer game. One of the teams from Minas Gerais was playing. Even though it wasn't the team that I cheer for, it was still pretty fun. I don't know if I have mentioned this either, but the team you cheer for is kind of a big deal here. You can either have life-long friends or enemies depending on which team you are. Ok, I'm kind of joking, but kind of not at the same time. Here in Minas, there are two major teams: Atlético or Cruzeiro. I myself cheer for Atlético, and yesterday Cruzeiro was playing; but I didn't mention that because I didn't want to get "booed" out of the restuarant. Yet again, kind of joking, but kind of not at the same time. :) So after lunch, we went and did some more Christmas shopping! And we didn't get home until about 11:30 p.m.!

So even though yesterday was a very full day, it was such a fun day! I had such a great weekend, filled with so many different things; and I loved every second of it! :)

Happy Monday to everyone! Have a great week! :)

Tchau!

Maggie

Woo! Survived my first big holiday!

Alright, for starters, I want to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving (even if it is a couple days late:))! I know for me, I have an endless list of all the things that I am thankful for.

When I went to school, all of my friends that knew it was a holiday eagerly wished me a happy Thanksgiving; and then for a good part of the day we talked about all the food that we eat and the traditions we have in the U.S. on Thanksgiving. It was such a good day at school, and it made me realize how lucky I am to have such awesome friends here in Brazil. :)

Then, after school, to bring a little bit of Thanksgiving culture to Brazil, I made my first ever apple pie! I was kind of nervous about making it, because this was the first thing I made my family. But luckily, after about three hours of chopping, mixing, and baking, I successfully made a delicious apple pie! :) And now, I have been ordered to make one for Christmas too! :)

So while the apple pie was cooling, I skpyed with my family. I knew from the beginning that seeing them would be a little tough, but I was more than willing to shed a few tears just to see my wonderful family for a bit. It started off really great! Seeing everyone at my grandma's house; talking with my aunts, uncles, and cousins was so nice and I loved every second. But then, once it was time for them to go eat dinner, I could feel my chin start to quiver and tears welling up in my eyes. As I said goodbye to my mom and sister, they said, "Know that we are so thankful for you and we love you so much! We'll toast to you at dinner! Don't cry; enjoy the rest of your day and I am sure the apple pie will be delicious!" By this point, the tears were slowly rolling down my cheeks, and after a very quick and cracked "Goodbye. I love you all so much too." I quickly hungup and let it out! It really is amazing how much better you feel after a good cry and some chocolate. Afterwards, I headed downstairs for dinner, even though my eyes were puffy and I couldn't really talk without starting to cry; however, when my host mom, Lu, saw me she gave me a hug and later told me how thankful they were to have me in their house. But really, I think it's pretty obvious that I'm the lucky one here. My family here, both sides I might add, is absolutely amazing; and I can't even begin to describe how fortunate I am to be living with them! So after a delicious dinner and eating the pie, I was ready to call it a night.

Sure, my Thanksgiving this year didn't have a turkey or I didn't go shopping on "Black Friday", but I did have a lovely dinner with my family, and time to really think about what this holiday means and how incredibly thankful I am for all the wonderful things in my lfe.

So thank you to all of my family and friends, both here in Brasil and in the U.S., you've helped make me the person I am today; and I am so fortunate to have you all in my life! And thank you to Rotary! This has been the greatest experience, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all the hard work that you Rotarians do! :)

And now, it's almost one in the morning here. I just got back from a wedding, and I am exhausted! But don't worry, I'll write about the wedding and what I did today after a goodnight's sleep!

Boa noite!

Maggie

It's November? But I'm still wearing shorts!

Oi gente! :)

I've been here for three months already! It still amazes me how fast this is going! And I realize that I'm not very good at keeping this updated on a weekly basis, but I'm trying my hardest!

Here is what I've been up to for the past couple weeks...

The weekend before last (the 4th-the 6th of November), I helped with a music festival! One of my host fathers, Hudson, has a music school and his music school put on a music festival/competition. The type of music that was played is called "choro". Choro means "cry", so when you listen to this music, you are supposed to be moved to tears of joy. And I can't say that I cried during the weekend due to the music, but I did have an absolutely great time listening to this beautiful style of music. My friend Abi helped with it too; so for the weekend we took pictures of the event, but usually just ended up dancing in the back of the theatre. It was such a fun experience and something I will remember forever, especially because I've got a new genre of music to listen too. :)

During the weekend, I also had my first dream in Portuguese!! Although it was a nightmare, it was still pretty cool that it was in Portuguese. I'm definitely feeling myself improve everyday with the language. My host family pretty much only talks to me in Portuguese now, and I actually understand about 75% of it. After three months, I don't think that's too shabby.

Alright, now fast forward to this most recent weekend. The previous week, I wasn't feeling very good. I won't get into details about that, but it was enough for my host dad, Helio (who is an accupuncturist) to ask me if I wanted to try accupunture to try and solve my problem. "Why not?" I thought. So I had a wild and crazy Friday night filled with accupuncture and sleep! And I actually woke up on Saturday feeling 10 times better and ready for what was next.

On Saturday, I had a Rotary Christmas party! It was so early because some of the exchange students are going to the Northeast part of Brazil for a month long trip next week, and there would have been no other time for it. So Saturday, all of us exchangers (outbounds too) got together at our exchange coordinator's holiday house. It was such a fun day, and I wish I could have spent more time with these amazing people! While there though, I actually met a Rotarian who has been to Wenatchee!! He did an exchange to Seattle and had family in Wenatchee. And for part of the afternoon we talked about all the things at home; like the Apple Blossom Festival, or our favorite parts of Seattle. I definitely never thought that I would meet someone here who not only heard of Wenatchee, but has been there! It got me thinking about no matter how huge our world is, it's still small. :)

Then on Sunday, I went to Michelle's family's farm with Chiara (a girl from Germany) and Michelle's host parents. We had another holiday on Tuesday, and no school on Monday; so we stayed at their farm until Tuesday. We spent the days there relaxing, walking around the farm, and going to the nearby town and getting icecream. My host mom, Luciana likes to tell me that I have quite the spectrum of farms now. Because unlike the other farm I've been too, this farm had electricty and modern appliances. But I like to say that I've had to different experiences that were equally good!

This past week has been really good. I skyped with my parents on Wednesday (it was my dad's birthday on Monday). So I had to wait until Wednesday to tell him "happy birthday". By the way, happy birthday to the best dad any girl could ask for! I love you so much dad! Thank you for everything!

And last night, I went to Luciana's other school that she teaches at to talk to the students. And for many of them, I was the first American they have met and the first native English speaker that they have spoken with. I got some interesting questions though. Things like, "Do you have English classes in the U.S.?", or "Do you eat McDonalds everyday in the U.S.?" And I found it funny that every class asked me if I had a boyfriend. I had a really good time, and I look forward to going back and visiting them again! :)

I can't believe that it is already the middle of November. It most definitely does not feel like November here.
I don't feel quite right wearing shorts and a t-shirt to school; and seeing Christmas decorations on every corner now doesn't feel real either. And although, Brazil won't be celebrating Thanksgiving next week, I plan on baking some apple pies and sharing a bit of American culture with my family and friends here! Now, I just need to learn how to make an apple pie...

Tchau for now!

A vida e boa! :)

Maggie