I moved host families the day after I arrived back from the Amazon. I was sad and reluctant to leave the great memories I had made with my second family but at the same time excited and ready to get to know my third. My new family is really awesome, their daughter is in Belgium on exchange. I will get to meet her when she comes back. I have another younger host brother named Mateus. He likes football (soccor) alot which is really funny to watch when his team wins and he does his happy dance.
I think about the third day after moving my parents called me outside one day to show me a toucan that was in a tree close to the house. I filmed him which allowed me to zoom up really close. He had a more colorful and brighter beak than I have ever seen on a toucan. Not that I have seen many of them but I was just comparing him to the one I saw in a Zoo in the Amazon.
Well it turns out that this toucan might have a thing for me because today at school a bunch of my classmates excitedly told me to look outside where I saw the distinctly bright-beaked toucan. I am pretty sure it was the same one.
Then when I was walking home from dance and I was coming into the house I saw him fly down and sit in a tree right beside me! I think it would be kind of too coincidental to be seeing the same toucan everywhere but I am almost sure it is. Maybe I will come back to Canada with a new pet! If of course the tiny monkeys I am gonna bring that like to eat the fruit out of the front yard trees allow for another toucan friend. Except I don't think those little furry guys would allow me to pry them away from eating their fruit, let alone stay quiet in a suitcase. But I will be curious to see, if one day in Canada I look out my window and see my multicoloured friend spying on me from a maple tree. Although I doubt that toucans can fly that far.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Into the Amazon
I went to the Amazon!!
It was amazing and indescribable. I will try to convey my experience on here as best I can in future entries. I am just so happy that I got the opportunity to go there. It is paradise on earth. I stayed on a boat for four days on the "Rio Negro" and slept in a hammock. I only took a shower on the boat once (it was together with the toilet!) and the other two times I bathed in the river in my bikini! The water was really dark, reminding me of coca-cola. I got to see where the Rio Negro flowed into the Rio Solomon and they together create the Amazon River, (rio is portuguese for river). It was so cool to see the two colors melting into one another creating the largest river on earth! It looked more like the ocean than a river.
One night we went into canoe type boats and went alligator spotting. Our guide Allan dove into the water and submerged with a baby alligator! she was small enough for us to hold and take pictures with. She seemed so frightened of us she barely dared to move. Everyone's question was the same; where was her mother? Allan said that if her mother had been there she would have swam away the moment Allan's body made contact with the water. She would have been warned by the sound. Even so, I would not volunteer to enter the water anytime soon.
Another day we went piranha fishing. We had these simple wooden fishing rods and used cut up steak as bate. It took a really long time but the first one to catch a fish was my Austrailian friend Jet. She just didn't know what to do after the fish was dangling in the air, it was pretty funny. Allan showed us how the piranha could use its razor sharp teeth by putting a leaf in its mouth. Altogether our boat caught about three, me not being one of the lucky ones. When I boat returned to the bigger boat the guy gave me all the fish and then I just walked around for a bit holding them. People from the other boats thought I had caught them all. I assured them I wasn't that talented at fishing for piranha. Later that night we ate fish, I asked if it was piranha and they said no. Too bad.
We also had a day where we learned how to survive in the Amazon forest. We got into our canoe boat things (they have a name in portuguese) and went along the river and through all the trees that were growing out of it. Unfortunately for Clarissa (a woman working for the tourism agency) she got stung at least 6 times on the outside of her face and even on her tounge and inside lip!! It was this type of wasp thing that looked like a giant mosquito. It also bit some exchange students but their reactions were normal. With her, her bottom lip swelled to a comical size!! I know it wasn't funny but it was a real sight to see. One girl from Denmark went back to the bigger boat and she was reduced to tears because she has a dangerous allergy to wasps and that sort of thing.
We finally got to some firm land and left the canoes where a "jungle man" (for lack of better words) lead us to the start of our survival journey through the Amazon. I think about five spiders managed to fall on me along the way, after a while my friends stopped pointing them out to me and just let them be. Which was such a relief when they told me. Hehehe. He showed us how to make fire, get water, find food, and create shelter. The water part was really cool because there is this type of wood that filters the water and you can drink out of it kind of like a straw, the water stays inside. The first thing he showed us to eat was a larvae!! at first I joked and said I would eat it (not knowing they would actually try to make me) but then I refused and a boy named Michael from Germany did. When I asked him what it tasted like he said it had been sweet. Then the jungle man (or G I Joe, whatever you prefer) found some Brazilian nuts for us. They were so delicious, they were juicy!!! I wanted more but couldn't because the other people needed some too. He then showed us many different ways to weave together leaves and such to create adequate shelter. It was really cool the different kinds of materials that can be used, some of them are really strong like rope! You know the kind that you can see in movies? Well, that was pretty much it. WE had to wade through lots of water and I asked him if there were snakes, he said, "we are in the house of the snakes, the house of all the animals, we are in the amazon!" Typical jungle man response. It was inspiring. I felt like so primal getting all dirty and making my way through all the vegetation. Afterwards we ate lots of fruit and chicken, using a big leaf as a plate. I felt like some sort of jungle cat.
Another day we went to hike through the forest and had another guide telling us different facts about it. I had to be careful not to grab a tree to steady myself well I walked through all the mud and leaves because there were spikes on them! Huge ones! It's not like walking through a forest in Canada. We came to some waterfalls and also some caves that had bats in them. There was water on the ground, again I was afraid of some sort of snake grabbing me from below. Nothing happened of course. I was also one of the only two people who wore open toed shoes after they had specifically told us not to. At least I am learning how to deal with my irresponsible choices. Lol. I was so scared that I was going to step on something venomous and die. Me and my over-active Canadian imagination. My friend from Austria had worn sandals too and in the end we decided that we weren't completely stupid because at least we didn't get our runners wet by wading through all the muddy water. I should mention that I saw a huge spider in a hole in the trunk of a tree, I am sure that my Dad in Canada would be delighted to hear that. I will show him the photo I took.
After words we went to a river with really dark water and lots of algae (which made it darker). There were strong rapids that would pull people along like a water slide. Except the rocks underneath acted like a cheese grate against my bottom. Not the most pleasant feeling but it was fun nonetheless.
Another day we swam in a type of hydro-electric lake that had pink amazon river dolphins!! I did my dolphin noises and they actually came closer, but then they left. They came back later though. They were so beautiful! ANd it was so breathtaking to see them with their rosy color. On another day we went to a sort of rehabilitation center and saw some manitee. They look really strange with their tiny eyes that close when they are above the water. It makes them look like they don't have any! There was a baby one who was drinking milk out of a bottle. Later I will put pictures of them up.
Anyway, that is all for today!!
Até mais! Beijos
Emily <3
It was amazing and indescribable. I will try to convey my experience on here as best I can in future entries. I am just so happy that I got the opportunity to go there. It is paradise on earth. I stayed on a boat for four days on the "Rio Negro" and slept in a hammock. I only took a shower on the boat once (it was together with the toilet!) and the other two times I bathed in the river in my bikini! The water was really dark, reminding me of coca-cola. I got to see where the Rio Negro flowed into the Rio Solomon and they together create the Amazon River, (rio is portuguese for river). It was so cool to see the two colors melting into one another creating the largest river on earth! It looked more like the ocean than a river.
One night we went into canoe type boats and went alligator spotting. Our guide Allan dove into the water and submerged with a baby alligator! she was small enough for us to hold and take pictures with. She seemed so frightened of us she barely dared to move. Everyone's question was the same; where was her mother? Allan said that if her mother had been there she would have swam away the moment Allan's body made contact with the water. She would have been warned by the sound. Even so, I would not volunteer to enter the water anytime soon.
Another day we went piranha fishing. We had these simple wooden fishing rods and used cut up steak as bate. It took a really long time but the first one to catch a fish was my Austrailian friend Jet. She just didn't know what to do after the fish was dangling in the air, it was pretty funny. Allan showed us how the piranha could use its razor sharp teeth by putting a leaf in its mouth. Altogether our boat caught about three, me not being one of the lucky ones. When I boat returned to the bigger boat the guy gave me all the fish and then I just walked around for a bit holding them. People from the other boats thought I had caught them all. I assured them I wasn't that talented at fishing for piranha. Later that night we ate fish, I asked if it was piranha and they said no. Too bad.
We also had a day where we learned how to survive in the Amazon forest. We got into our canoe boat things (they have a name in portuguese) and went along the river and through all the trees that were growing out of it. Unfortunately for Clarissa (a woman working for the tourism agency) she got stung at least 6 times on the outside of her face and even on her tounge and inside lip!! It was this type of wasp thing that looked like a giant mosquito. It also bit some exchange students but their reactions were normal. With her, her bottom lip swelled to a comical size!! I know it wasn't funny but it was a real sight to see. One girl from Denmark went back to the bigger boat and she was reduced to tears because she has a dangerous allergy to wasps and that sort of thing.
We finally got to some firm land and left the canoes where a "jungle man" (for lack of better words) lead us to the start of our survival journey through the Amazon. I think about five spiders managed to fall on me along the way, after a while my friends stopped pointing them out to me and just let them be. Which was such a relief when they told me. Hehehe. He showed us how to make fire, get water, find food, and create shelter. The water part was really cool because there is this type of wood that filters the water and you can drink out of it kind of like a straw, the water stays inside. The first thing he showed us to eat was a larvae!! at first I joked and said I would eat it (not knowing they would actually try to make me) but then I refused and a boy named Michael from Germany did. When I asked him what it tasted like he said it had been sweet. Then the jungle man (or G I Joe, whatever you prefer) found some Brazilian nuts for us. They were so delicious, they were juicy!!! I wanted more but couldn't because the other people needed some too. He then showed us many different ways to weave together leaves and such to create adequate shelter. It was really cool the different kinds of materials that can be used, some of them are really strong like rope! You know the kind that you can see in movies? Well, that was pretty much it. WE had to wade through lots of water and I asked him if there were snakes, he said, "we are in the house of the snakes, the house of all the animals, we are in the amazon!" Typical jungle man response. It was inspiring. I felt like so primal getting all dirty and making my way through all the vegetation. Afterwards we ate lots of fruit and chicken, using a big leaf as a plate. I felt like some sort of jungle cat.
Another day we went to hike through the forest and had another guide telling us different facts about it. I had to be careful not to grab a tree to steady myself well I walked through all the mud and leaves because there were spikes on them! Huge ones! It's not like walking through a forest in Canada. We came to some waterfalls and also some caves that had bats in them. There was water on the ground, again I was afraid of some sort of snake grabbing me from below. Nothing happened of course. I was also one of the only two people who wore open toed shoes after they had specifically told us not to. At least I am learning how to deal with my irresponsible choices. Lol. I was so scared that I was going to step on something venomous and die. Me and my over-active Canadian imagination. My friend from Austria had worn sandals too and in the end we decided that we weren't completely stupid because at least we didn't get our runners wet by wading through all the muddy water. I should mention that I saw a huge spider in a hole in the trunk of a tree, I am sure that my Dad in Canada would be delighted to hear that. I will show him the photo I took.
After words we went to a river with really dark water and lots of algae (which made it darker). There were strong rapids that would pull people along like a water slide. Except the rocks underneath acted like a cheese grate against my bottom. Not the most pleasant feeling but it was fun nonetheless.
Another day we swam in a type of hydro-electric lake that had pink amazon river dolphins!! I did my dolphin noises and they actually came closer, but then they left. They came back later though. They were so beautiful! ANd it was so breathtaking to see them with their rosy color. On another day we went to a sort of rehabilitation center and saw some manitee. They look really strange with their tiny eyes that close when they are above the water. It makes them look like they don't have any! There was a baby one who was drinking milk out of a bottle. Later I will put pictures of them up.
Anyway, that is all for today!!
Até mais! Beijos
Emily <3
Friday, April 24, 2009
Metamorphosis
AAAAAAAAAAHHH! I am just thinking of how it is going to be like to return to "reality". It's going to be so weird. I think it is safe to say that returning is going to be more of a shock than coming here. I'm trying just to focus on the "moment" now but the thought that in nearly two and a half months I will be on a plane flying back keeps finding a way to creep up on me. And airports to me are pretty much the same everywhere, so when I get to Canada is it really going to feel like it or is it just going to feel oddly like I am still in Brasil? Will the transition not be drastic enough? Will I wake up in my bed at night expecting to hear the comforting sound of the wolf hound sleeping outside my window? Or expect to see a ghekko on the wall spying on me while I watch T.V? Or the familiar sound of the bedroom door creaking open as my host mom wakes me to eat breakfast? I don't know. It seems that everything that used to be strange and foreign has now transformed to become familiar, secure. Maybe it's going to be like waking up from a very long, very intense dream. A dream that I will try to make last for as long as I can, but never quite be able to venture back to in the same way again. But life changes and I (you as well) just have to learn to live with the uncertainty of it, embracing that each moment is a new one. Remembering that with change there are most likely growing pains and everything may not be perfectly beautiful, not all butterflies are, but the important thing is what you learned in the end; how to fly.
Photo: A picture I took of a butterfly on a stranger's arm at the Foz do Iguaçu.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Canadian Goose Went South!
Wow, it has been a while, first I need to start by saying:
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got back from a trip to the South of Brasil! I visited many different cities, even some other countries, not to mention met a lot of other exchange students. The photo above is of me and my friends from Mexico, France, Germany, and the United States! Down in the south, Easter is a really big deal because there is a large European influence so that is why we are "bunnified". They also make chocolate in the south which I had the pleasure of going to one of the factories. Where I got free chocolate and got to see the largest chocolate bunny in the world.
I got to visit the "Foz do Iguaçu" which are HUGE waterfalls that connect Brasil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Because of this I got to go to both Paraguay and Argentina!
There are five million people in Paraguay, the majority of which have a standard of living below the middle class. As soon as we crossed the bridge over the large river that seperates it from Brasil, I could definately see how Paraguay was uniquely different from Brasil. It had a dusty street-vender feel with markets lining the roads. Paraguay is known for its low prices and actually its "fakes" (for example a puma purse that isn't a real puma purse). Walking down the street many people approached me trying to convince me to buy socks. That's right, socks. Everywhere I went. They weren't even the hardcore kind of socks, they were ankle socks. My question was, why would a tourist's first need be to buy a pair of nike socks, especially in the blistering heat? And when they were wearing flipflops. Well apparentally there had to be some reason because it won some other exchange students over. The funny thing is, I had thought that I had wanted to buy "a cultural item" of Paraguay. Looking back now I realize that "the cultural item" would have to be a pair of socks. I just thought it was funny, but it's okay, I like socks. I am a sock person. I even have some fuzzy ones. Anyway...lol. Maybe I should have bought some...hmmm.
We just shopped in Paraguay and I guess I must have been a little overwhelmed by all the stuff because all I ended up buying was lipgloss. Even though it came in a bag that said "keychain, made in Korea". Kids at school were dumbfounded that I didn't buy more, they must think I am crazy or something for not giving into the deals down there. What can I say, I guess I am just not the biggest shopper.
So that was Paraguay. In Argentina we went and saw the waterfalls of course. Then we did some more shopping. It was duty free. Again I just bought some make-up (eyeliner) and some skiddles. There was a store that had American candy that you can't get here. So that was nice to have a familiar taste in my mouth. You know, taste the rainbow. Oh that reminds me, at all the waterfalls we went to there were beautiful rainbows where the water crashed, along with many butterflies. Oh and there were also these vultures that circle the top of the waterfalls to watch for when an animal falls over so they can dive down and get the dead meat. There were also these rodent things that were common in the area. They remind me a little of raccoons. they are not afriad of people and know how to work the tourists. They will steal the food out of your hands, that is all I have to say. :)
We also went on a Safari where at the end we got into boats until we came to the meeting of all the falls and then went underneath them! At one moment I was on the side of Argentina and the next I was back in Brasil. The water was colder than you'd think, but I dried quickly. It was an amazing experience, so refreshing, and so breathtakingly beautiful. When we were going back and the wind was blowing in my face and I couldn't hear anything, it was just such a great moment where I was just so thankful to be there. Trying to soak it all in. On the safari there were these HUGE blue butterflies. I always saw them in movies but to see them flying in their natural surroundings was just awesome.
I also went to the beach one time in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. It's nickname is "Floripa". One time I body surfed and caught a wave perfectly. I just floated with it like I was part of it and it took me really far! You have to get it just right or else you will be too fast or too slow and miss it. The water was a little colder (as was the later part of the trip, mainly in Porto Alegre) the Canadian in me adapted pretty quick. All of us also went sandboarding on the sand dunes! when I stood on the top of them I could see the ocean and then more dunes and some foliage off in the distance. It was very beautiful as well. Well pretty much, the south was just very beautiful in general. Sandboarding can be compared to snowboarding, but with the exception that it is done on sand (obvious. I have never been snowboarding in my life which is kind of funny considering where I come from. I have been sandboarding but not snowboarding! It was really fun and also really scary all at the same time. I even went off a sand jump....but a really small one.
Another time we stayed at a hotel that backed onto a lake (I think translated it was called the "black lake") and we went on a boat to the other side where we walked to see another waterfall (and I swam in the water!). We then ate FRESH shrimp and fish at the restaurant. It was very delicious. They think that some people got sick from the shrimp, but I ate a lot and was perfectly okay so that was lucky. We also went to this place where they used to grind grain (or something of the sort). As a tradition they still do it every year!
Before I started on my Rotary trip I stayed in Belo Horizonte with the Exchange student Coordinator for about four days. He gave like a tour of the city and I also went to Ouro Preto (which is an antique mining city) and into a mine! I found out that the state I live in, "Minas Gerais" actually translates to "General Mines". Referring to all the mines that are present. It is rich in gold and diamonds for example. That is also why it is more populated because people came here many years ago to make a profit. Slaves were also used a lot. I can't believe that I didn't make that connection before about the translation! I knew that there was lots of mining, I should have looked at the name more closely! Anyway, I thought it was neat.
Here are some places that we visited:
Curitiba, Iguazu Falls, Gramado, Canela, Paraguay, Argentina, Florianopolis, Porto Alegre, I am pretty sure the list goes on but these were the main destinations. Here is a link to Ouro Preto if you would like to check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouro_Preto
I am sorry for how "stream of consciousness" style this entry is and I hope that you could follow it! I just did and saw so many things! I don't know where to start. I have many stories as well. I will write more in another blog about my trip.Brasil is a big, diverse, beautiful country!
<3 Emily
P.S - here is a picture of me at the Foz do Iguaçu (this is a smaller waterfall! Look up "La Garganta del Diablo" That was huge!!)
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got back from a trip to the South of Brasil! I visited many different cities, even some other countries, not to mention met a lot of other exchange students. The photo above is of me and my friends from Mexico, France, Germany, and the United States! Down in the south, Easter is a really big deal because there is a large European influence so that is why we are "bunnified". They also make chocolate in the south which I had the pleasure of going to one of the factories. Where I got free chocolate and got to see the largest chocolate bunny in the world.
I got to visit the "Foz do Iguaçu" which are HUGE waterfalls that connect Brasil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Because of this I got to go to both Paraguay and Argentina!
There are five million people in Paraguay, the majority of which have a standard of living below the middle class. As soon as we crossed the bridge over the large river that seperates it from Brasil, I could definately see how Paraguay was uniquely different from Brasil. It had a dusty street-vender feel with markets lining the roads. Paraguay is known for its low prices and actually its "fakes" (for example a puma purse that isn't a real puma purse). Walking down the street many people approached me trying to convince me to buy socks. That's right, socks. Everywhere I went. They weren't even the hardcore kind of socks, they were ankle socks. My question was, why would a tourist's first need be to buy a pair of nike socks, especially in the blistering heat? And when they were wearing flipflops. Well apparentally there had to be some reason because it won some other exchange students over. The funny thing is, I had thought that I had wanted to buy "a cultural item" of Paraguay. Looking back now I realize that "the cultural item" would have to be a pair of socks. I just thought it was funny, but it's okay, I like socks. I am a sock person. I even have some fuzzy ones. Anyway...lol. Maybe I should have bought some...hmmm.
We just shopped in Paraguay and I guess I must have been a little overwhelmed by all the stuff because all I ended up buying was lipgloss. Even though it came in a bag that said "keychain, made in Korea". Kids at school were dumbfounded that I didn't buy more, they must think I am crazy or something for not giving into the deals down there. What can I say, I guess I am just not the biggest shopper.
So that was Paraguay. In Argentina we went and saw the waterfalls of course. Then we did some more shopping. It was duty free. Again I just bought some make-up (eyeliner) and some skiddles. There was a store that had American candy that you can't get here. So that was nice to have a familiar taste in my mouth. You know, taste the rainbow. Oh that reminds me, at all the waterfalls we went to there were beautiful rainbows where the water crashed, along with many butterflies. Oh and there were also these vultures that circle the top of the waterfalls to watch for when an animal falls over so they can dive down and get the dead meat. There were also these rodent things that were common in the area. They remind me a little of raccoons. they are not afriad of people and know how to work the tourists. They will steal the food out of your hands, that is all I have to say. :)
We also went on a Safari where at the end we got into boats until we came to the meeting of all the falls and then went underneath them! At one moment I was on the side of Argentina and the next I was back in Brasil. The water was colder than you'd think, but I dried quickly. It was an amazing experience, so refreshing, and so breathtakingly beautiful. When we were going back and the wind was blowing in my face and I couldn't hear anything, it was just such a great moment where I was just so thankful to be there. Trying to soak it all in. On the safari there were these HUGE blue butterflies. I always saw them in movies but to see them flying in their natural surroundings was just awesome.
I also went to the beach one time in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. It's nickname is "Floripa". One time I body surfed and caught a wave perfectly. I just floated with it like I was part of it and it took me really far! You have to get it just right or else you will be too fast or too slow and miss it. The water was a little colder (as was the later part of the trip, mainly in Porto Alegre) the Canadian in me adapted pretty quick. All of us also went sandboarding on the sand dunes! when I stood on the top of them I could see the ocean and then more dunes and some foliage off in the distance. It was very beautiful as well. Well pretty much, the south was just very beautiful in general. Sandboarding can be compared to snowboarding, but with the exception that it is done on sand (obvious. I have never been snowboarding in my life which is kind of funny considering where I come from. I have been sandboarding but not snowboarding! It was really fun and also really scary all at the same time. I even went off a sand jump....but a really small one.
Another time we stayed at a hotel that backed onto a lake (I think translated it was called the "black lake") and we went on a boat to the other side where we walked to see another waterfall (and I swam in the water!). We then ate FRESH shrimp and fish at the restaurant. It was very delicious. They think that some people got sick from the shrimp, but I ate a lot and was perfectly okay so that was lucky. We also went to this place where they used to grind grain (or something of the sort). As a tradition they still do it every year!
Before I started on my Rotary trip I stayed in Belo Horizonte with the Exchange student Coordinator for about four days. He gave like a tour of the city and I also went to Ouro Preto (which is an antique mining city) and into a mine! I found out that the state I live in, "Minas Gerais" actually translates to "General Mines". Referring to all the mines that are present. It is rich in gold and diamonds for example. That is also why it is more populated because people came here many years ago to make a profit. Slaves were also used a lot. I can't believe that I didn't make that connection before about the translation! I knew that there was lots of mining, I should have looked at the name more closely! Anyway, I thought it was neat.
Here are some places that we visited:
Curitiba, Iguazu Falls, Gramado, Canela, Paraguay, Argentina, Florianopolis, Porto Alegre, I am pretty sure the list goes on but these were the main destinations. Here is a link to Ouro Preto if you would like to check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouro_Preto
I am sorry for how "stream of consciousness" style this entry is and I hope that you could follow it! I just did and saw so many things! I don't know where to start. I have many stories as well. I will write more in another blog about my trip.Brasil is a big, diverse, beautiful country!
<3 Emily
P.S - here is a picture of me at the Foz do Iguaçu (this is a smaller waterfall! Look up "La Garganta del Diablo" That was huge!!)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Math, +25 degrees feels like 10
A rose in the front of my house
At my city's gold mine with the wife of the governador of Rotary and Lydia (rotarian) Withthese glasses I look like my mother in the eighties and nineties!! LOL
Hugging the Rotary sign in my city
A little piece of Brazilian sky
My little ballerinas :)
So I haven't really written in here for a really long time. I guess it is just because I have been procrastinating. I have been doing so much and don't really know where to start with what to tell you. So I guess I will just start with today. That is always the best way to start anyway, right? I'll fill you in on the other stuff later.
Today in school I was completely surprised by myself. A few weeks ago in Math class my teacher asked a question and asked this boy named Willian to answer it. He didn't know the answer and the teacher just waited there expectantly. So my friend Felipe told me the answer, which was really simple, and I put up my hand and answered it. Just for fun. And so of course everyone was all like, "oooohh, Willian, the exchange student knew it and you didn't". So then he kinda stuck his tounge out at me, so in playful response I told him that on the math test I would get a higher mark than him. This was said as a pure joke. I didn't actually think there was any way for it to happen.
First of all because I didn't even finish grade 10 math in Canada. Because I was doing so bad I didn't want to have a terrible mark so I decided to stop while there was still hope. So I can repeat it in summer with a tutor and actually learn and understand it while getting a better mark. Instead of uselessly scratching through, and then not really understanding anything so doing even worse in grade 11 math.
so that was the first thing. The second thing is, I am not even in grade eleven here. I am in grade twelve. So I am doing grade twelve math, with having pretty much skipped grade 10 and 11. And not only that but right now, I have difficulties in math, especially trigonometry. On top of all this, I am learning it in Portuguese.
Anyways, I did the test, actually amazed that I was almost sure I got a question completely right. Today when I got it back my teacher said, "You scored higher than Willian". I didn't believe it. And I felt kinda bad for it, like I didn't mean to actually get a higher mark, I thought that it was impossible.
Now before you go thinking that I got 60% or something, politely just throw that number out of your mind and take all the above factors into consideration. So with everything I managed to get 26%. I know, I have never been so happy at failing in my life!!!
Also on my Brazilian Literature test I got 31%, which was really surprising. Again this was a higher mark than some people. But that is not the point of course. The point is this; now all the kids who scored lower than me are saying to themselves, "the exchange student who doesn't even have to write the tests managed to get a higher mark than me? And she wrote them in her second language?". So maybe now they have a little motivation. I hope. Or maybe they just hate me. But they are not those kind of people. I just think that maybe next time they will study a little harder. Which will only do them good.
I should also mention that last week or so I was freezing in class. Shivering, the works. I commented that it must have been at least 10 degrees outside. After school when Mamãe picked me up, I asked her how many degrees it was. Turns out it was +25....and I was cold. I couldn't believe it, my body has really adapted to the climate here. When I return to Canada it is gonna be like shell shock.
Wednesday I am going to go to Belo Horizonte by bus. Then I will stay in the house of the coordinator of all the exchange students. then on Friday I am gonna catch a plane with all the other kids to go to the South of Brasil. There I will see Foz do Iguaçu, Santa Catarina etc. It is colder there so I better pack a hoody. My god, it could actually be like 20 degrees. LOL.
I won't get back until like the 10th of April I think, so, good-bye until then!!!
Emily <3
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
FIVE MONTHS!!!!!!!!!
I have been here for five months today! Whoo hoo! I have five months more. I have come to the halfway mark. You can expect some blogs really soon, with photos too. I have been working on them but not finishing them so saving them to "drafts" lol. But anyway, WHOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!
<3 Emily
<3 Emily
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