Hey Jude; it's been four months

Today marks the end of my fourth month in Brazil. YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!
I have been doing alot lately. Yesterday I went to school, came home, ate lunch, and then went to my second jazz class. I really enjoy dancing again, even all the sweat feels good. Hahah my host mom makes me bring a towel with me. Sorry, that could have been a fact that you didn't need to know. Lol. But it's amazing how muscle memory works, my body is like right back where it used to be and remembers all the different movements. Although it does cramp like crazy sometimes. Sigh, I'm not as young as I used to be..hehehehhee. I know my mom would probably yell at me for saying that.
After dance I went back to school and played basketball. The last time I actually played I was thirteen (I know, it's sad) but I was awe stricken when the coach let me pick teams. I do have a height advantage, I was the tallest one there. I am like a giant. Every family I stay with I like tower over everybody, I am this giant from the land of ice and snow. Heheheh. This girl that I picked to be on my team asked me if it was cold in Austrailia, I told her that I was from Canada and that it is cold there. I also reminded her that Austrailia is hot like Brazil. It seems to be a trend lately that people think I am an aussie, probably because of my rugged giant look.
After we played I walked home/ran home. In the heat. But wasn't hot. It was strange. I just felt like running. I saw little Gabriel, his mom, and baby Gabriela leaving their house so I walked a little with them.
Oh I forgot to tell you what happened in school. I went to the laboratory and saw a human head cut in half, a whole preserved human body, fetuses, etc. I have to admit that I was surprised how well I handled it. Like I have been trying so hard to avoid having to look at that sort of thing but I have to be honest, it was pretty interesting. It is a little weird now though because I can't help but think to myself that the whole time I have been going to school "Fred the head" and "buddy the body" have just been laying there (Yeah, that is what I named them) waiting.. wow my blogs have really gotten...interesting. But still, I am playing basketball thinking, "Yep, Buddy's there, in that room I can see right now while I bounce a ball around that isn't at all reminding me of a human head..."
Anyway, my host mom told me that a rotarian was going to take me to college with her at 6:30pm. Her name is "Laís" and she has an uncanny resemblence to Ashley Tisdale from High school musical. I will eventually get a picture of her and put it beside one of Ashley Tisdale's so you can see. She said that three people have told her this.
We went on the ônibus (public transit bus), it was my first time. On the actually bus there is a gate that you have to pay and then the guy lets you pass. I talked alot with Laís because the drive to her college was really long. Or longer than most drives here in Paracatu. She is taking a course on law because she wants to be a Judge. Everybody takes the same law course and then later branches out into what they want to be. She is twenty years old and the youngest rotarian in our rotary club. It is funny because some exchange students turn twenty in Brazil! she is a really cool person.
She told me that she is the sixth generation grandchild to the grandchild of Pedro Álvares Cabral (the explorer who discovered Brazil!). It's amazing, I actually met a descendent of the man who discovered the country I am in! He discovered it on April. 22, 1500, which is why she is the sixth generation lol.
The college was made to look like Greek Architecture. It is called "Athena's" which would probably explain that part. Laís showed me the different parts of the school, the libarary, and also explained to me how the judicial process goes in Brazil. Brazil is a federation, not a confederation like Canada. It also is not common law here, it is derived from Portuguese civil law. Here is a link if you are interested in checking it out:
I got to go to her class as well. It was pretty cool, I even took notes. I can't lie though, I didn't really understand anything but I think it was something about a pregnant woman.....
Later I looked at the door and there was this guy motioning me to go outside. I just looked away but he kept doing it so I told Laís. It was her friend so we went outside to meet them. They were all really cool. We stayed in the corridors talking after that and I met more people, and also I met the people who tell the people who are in the corridors to leave the corridors. Hahah. It is very similar to my school in Canada. Alot more independence. The people didn't make us leave though because they were distracted......by me. I did my dolphin noises for them and then it lead to one of them asking if there were Kangaroos in my country. Again, with the Austrailian thing. I then explained to them that we don't have kangaroos but have polar bears. Which then lead to the question if I have a bear as a pet. You know, because I ride one to school everyday. I love talking to people about these things, it is really amusing. They were also really excited that Canada has reindeer, because of Santa and all.
Then I met more people and some professors, some thought I was going to school there. They asked me what course I was taking. I also got to see Laís' friends' class which was just a screen with a guy talking on it. It goes to all of Brazil and the guy is actually in São Paulo teaching. She is the only person in the "mini course" which is what it is called. I knew the professor on the screen was from São Paulo before they told me because I could tell from his accent. They sound more like pirates or maritimers. They pronounce "R" like "Arrr" instead of "pushing the R" which sounds more like a French "R" pronunciation. People here in Minas Gerais speak with the "French R" (well that is what I call it) so I speak with it too. When I first arrived I said one word with a São Paulo accent because whoever I had learned it from had one. It was the word for "because". Later I changed the way I pronounced it because I thought I was wrong. It wasn't until later that I realized both ways are correct.
People said that my accent is beautiful...and then tried to imitate it. Which was a little depressing. Hahahah. I am determined to lose my accent eventually (or most of it) even if it takes me getting a speech coach later on in my life. People still say I speak good Portuguese but I still want to lose my "Austrailian" accent lol.
A met a student who is training in medicine (Omg I just forgot how to spell medicine right there, I had to respell it like five times, see, I am losing English!!) and I was stupid enough to tell him that I went to the laboratory at school that day. He then told me that I could come back another day and he would show me the lab there, that has a lot more "things" to look at than my school has (Fred and Buddy). I said okay because it will be a learning experience.
Then we went home on the ônibus. Before we ate and stuff too. I got home at midnight and then did some homework. I woke up at 6:30am this morning. I was really happy because in Math class I showed my professor the work I had done and that I understood it, he was pleased and stamped my paper with the word "legal" which means "cool". But sadly, I fell asleep in Chemistry. I had copied the notes before everyone else because my hand just moved automatically, and laid my head down to wait. But when I opened my eyes the class was over. Oh well, at least I am understanding Math, for once in my life. It is funny because I am understanding it better now than I did in English.
Today I went to sleep after lunch for a little bit because I was just so hot and exhausted. The heat can be really wearing. Right now I have a fan blowing directly on me at the table beside the computer.
Andressa came over later on and we fooled around on the computer a little bit before I had to go to a different Rotary Club's meeting. I showed her Beatles Music.
The Rotary Cloub I went to is called "The Rotary Club of Paracatu" and has been going for twenty years (heheh the same age as Laís). There are lots of members. I saw the other Matheus who will be my next host brother. His sister is in Belgium. It just so happened to be the President of the Club's birthday today as well as another member's birthday. So Helena (my host mom) got this idea that I should sing "Hey Jude" for them. So I did. And it went okay, or at least they liked it. They seemed pretty happy. It reminded me of a time in Calgary with my friends on Steven Avenue at night and we started singing it and then all these random people on the street started singing too. One thing I have learned is that these things are universal; music and laughter. They are part of every culture. Or every culture I know of. They are just part of human culture. That's why I think it is possible to communicate and connect with anyone despite any differences, because what we all have in common is our human-ness.
Almost half of my exchange is over and I am learning alot. I have decided I will do even more now that I am thoroughly settled in here. And sleep less, because I want to savour every moment. An exchange is more than just going to another country, it is going to another world and leaving everything else behind. Going there with nothing and then in that, finding yourself.