What language do they speak in Alaska?

I apologize for the lack of photos. I left the USB cord that goes from my camera to my computer at home... I knew I was going to forget something. My mom sent it to me in the mail but I have no idea how long it will take to get to me.

Well, a lot has happened but I don't know where to start. I guess I should talk about Carnaval first since I mentioned that I was going in my last post.

Carnaval: (date? no idea)
About midday I drove with my father, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins into Salvador for Carnaval. We are farther away from Salvador than I thought, but still pretty close (the drive was about 40 minutes). It was really cool seeing all of the run down houses and buildings along the way, along with the modernity of parts of Salvador, but I'm more interested with the historical looking places. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera because there was a very high chance that I would lose it or it would get stolen, however, I still have plenty of time to take pictures of the area! We drove through extremely crowded streets where we literally hit a person with our car, or maybe the man hit our car with his person (??) don't worry we were going like 1MPH. We parked with the aid of this guy who stopped traffic and directed us into a tight parking space. Apparently that's his job because my dad paid him.

There were so many people everywhere and we had to hold hands in a line so that we wouldn't get separated. We walked for about 10 minutes to the street where It happens. We settled on a spot behind the police booth and sat on this wall that separates the sidewalk from the beach. It was pretty uncomfortable and it was really hot out. Eventually the first band came on a giant truck followed by a huge crowd of people dancing, singing, and just going crazy. It was really loud and I didn't know the band or that song that was playing. There are apartment buildings located along the street and so lots of people were watching from their windows. The large truck that the band plays on is called cameao and there were also people riding on it along with the band.

This is what is looks like, but I didn't take this photo.





Honestly it was all a bit overwhelming for me and I didn't really like it, but it was a good experience!


Now I'm going to take a minute to talk about English in Brazil. Most students take English starting in "Kindergarten". Most students literally don't speak any English. To me, this is crazy. I don't understand what is being taught for 10 years. I think language classes in the US are way more effective. Anyway..

Let's see. I've had a lot of fun at the beach over the last few weeks. I learned to ride the waves in the ocean on a boogy board, but I also was thrown around a bit. I still haven't mastered the art of riding the wave or going under it. Also, I don't know what it's called but you throw the board when the tide comes in and you jump on it and ride it. Even though I was being pulled, I wiped out pretty bad so I'm going to take a break from that. I also walked on a slack line at the beach (with someone's help). It was really fun! What's been not so fun is getting sunburn every time I'm in the sun for more than an hour. Even though I use sunblock religiously, I always burn. The sun is SO strong here. I had a pretty bad burn on my shoulders for a couple of days. It's gone now but they are starting to peel. Fun stuff.


The language is still difficult, but it's getting easier. I can understand and speak better, but of course I'm still a long way away from being "fluent" at this point. Luckily it's only been 19 days so of course it's not very good yet. I'm extremely glad that I began to study Portuguese before my arrival here, otherwise I would be a million times more lost all the time (it's already pretty bad).

School is alright. School is school. I'm taking classes in another country, in another language. That's awesome, but it's sometimes really, really boring, especially when I don't understand anything that's going on. Trying to figure out what the teacher is talking about makes me exhausted, so yes, I've slept a fair amount of time in class. But it can be fun and the people are really nice and interested about Alaska. I'm giving a presentation on Friday about my country and state and I'm pretty nervous because I have to give it in Portuguese! But I definitely like that I get to shed some light on life in Alaska. No it's not cold ALL the time, and yes it's a part of the United States. I even had a teacher ask the class what language is spoken in AK..

I'm starting to appreciate Alaska's cold. It's hot here. So hot. You can't step outside to cool down. You're best bet is to take a shower, or sit in front of a fan. We have air conditioning in the classrooms at my school, but sometimes I feel like it's not working. At home we don't have air conditioning, but we have fans in all parts of the house. I'm pretty sure it's going to be like this all year. It might cool down a bit during rainy season, but probably not. Alaska's winters a harsh, but I miss the snow and normal clothes (not shorts and tank tops everyday). Well now I know not to make the mistake of choosing a year round hot place to live when I'm older. Beach weather everyday is nice, but too much nice weather is strange. It's going to be really weird for me having Christmas in 90 degree weather!

To future exchange students- What I wish I would have brought:
Books!! I brought one but finished it the first couple of days I was here. Sometimes I just want to read, but can't.
School supplies. I know I can buy them here, but everything is more expensive here. My notebook was about $17
More cash! I'm still not sure if I can take cash out of an ATM or a bank, so I'm a bit nervous about that.
More clothes (the opposite of what everyone says, I know). My suitcase was only 40 pounds so I could have brought 15 more pounds with me. Clothes are really expensive here.
I know there are other things but I can't think of them right now.

All in all, I've been having a really great time here and can't wait to experience more!

neither good, nor bad, just different

I've heard it many times from returnees that after the first week you will feel like you have been in your host country for several months, and now I can validate this statement. I've been in Brazil for one week today, and yet it feels like forever. The things that once gave me culture shock are beginning to feel normal and I don't feel like an outsider anymore. I'm slowly becoming Brazilian. When you go on an exchange, you must start with a clean slate. You are like a baby. You will have to learn how to talk, how to eat, how to walk, how to dress, how to act... etc. I'm very lucky that I have been placed with a family that is so kind, helpful, and just great. Already I feel like a part of their family and it's just the beginning.
In the next couple of days I'm going to CARNAVAL! I'm so excited! It's going to be so much fun, and filled with so much culture. Hooray!

While bored in school one day I compiled a list of the things that are different between Bahia and Alaska:

1) There are walls outside of houses, none are exposed
2) Brazilians are crazy drivers
3) There are no speed limit signs anywhere
4) Motorcyclists can ride between lanes
5) No one wears seat belts
6) You can't flush toilet paper
7) Teachers switch rooms instead of students
8) You don't leave campus for the break (it's kind of like lunch)
9) A lot of students have to come back after another break that is at 12:30 for afternoon classes
10) The white boards have graph lines
11) There is a TV that displays the computer behind one of the whiteboards
12) There is an optional microphone that teachers can use
13) The area where teachers stand is like a mini stage and is lifted off of the ground by about 8 inches
14) Most girls have really long hair
15) The teacher hisses to quiet down the class (sounds like PSSSSSS)
16) Kisses to greet one another
17) Lots of touching
18) Very food oriented
19) It is normal to take 2 showers a day (I've started (one before bed, one when you wake up))
20) So many people wear watches, there are no clocks anywhere! even in my school
21) It's very very common to have a maid
22) My school is so small
23) Most kids attend private school (me included)
24) Classrooms have absolutely no character. White floors, walls, board. Nothing on the walls
25) The windows in classrooms are not transparent
26) No scrub days
27) There are two seasons in Bahia-- Summer and rainy season. Now it's summer and VERY hot
28) There are no substitute teachers so if the teacher doesn't show.. you don't have class (this happened twice already in my class)

There are soo many more things but this is a really long list already

Today I didn't have school because of Carnaval (yesterday too). It's been nice and today I watched a movie in Portuguese and actually understood it. It's a very slow process, but I really am learning more and more everyday even if I don't realize it, but because I already feel like I've been here for so long, I feel like I should be able to speak Portuguese already. But I know I will be able to eventually. Today is just a week. I still have so much time, and am so thankful for this.
Bem, ate a proxima vez.
Tchau.

Life in Brazil

I would have to sit here for about 2 hours to explain in detail all the things that have happened since I boarded my flight in Alaska. Because of this, I will summarize. (expect typos and mispellings because the spell check is set to Portuguese)

Flights and Orientation: My flight to Miami was the first time I have flown alone. It was really exciting, but incredibly boring and extremely hard to sleep. When I got to Miami after transfering flights in Chicago I claimed my bags and made it outside and hailed the shuttle to the hotel. When I got there I was welcomed by an AFS volunteer and told about what would happen later of that day and the next morning. I then met Erin, Anna, Kate, and Marley (Paraguay). And Nevo, Sylvia, Corri, and Nikita (Brazil). We hung around the hotel before orientation and got to know one another. I also had the worst dinner ever at Bennigans, where the sandwich I ordered was deep fried. It was disgusting and my stomach couldnt handle it, but I took a picture and it will make a good story. After dinner we talked with a returnee and then tried to catch up on our sleep. In the morning we had orientation again and then it was off to the airport! We were all so excited and although we were 4 hours early for our flight the Brazil kids passed the time by studying our Portuguese! Our flight to Sao Paulo was extremely different than any flight I have been on before, this is my first time out of the country! Although we were fed and were able to watch movies, the flight was way too long and very uncomfortable. I slept about 30 minutes and missed breakfast, but I was just happy we were almost there.
When we arrived we got our bags, went through customs, and Nevo and I prepared for our 9 and a half hour wait until our flight at 2 oclock. We were tired, hungry, and just ready to get to our new homes. Due to the language barrier we almost missed our flight to Salvador, but we barely made it. I slept a little and woke up with a headache and feeling like my ears were going to burst. Eventually we arrived in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. (I should have summarized more)

Arrival: As I waked through the doors from the baggage claim into the other part of the airport I heard cheering and saw my family holding signs welcoming to Brazil. I was first greeted by my father and handed gifts. I was the ushered into the crowd where and overwhelming amount of people were introducing themselves and asking me about my flight. It was so hot and I felt a bit lost. After about 15 minutes I left with my family. I live in a gated community and all the houses are behind walls. The front door to by house is glass which was a bit surprising for me. I then went to this public place by my house where there is a pool and a court to play soccer where kids from my neighborhood hang out. I played soccer, swam, and played soccer again, it was a lot of fun.
Since then Ive played a lot more soccer, gone to the beach twice, swum in the ocean once, ridden on the back of a moped, eaten a lot of rice and beans, and many other things! The language is really hard and I dont understand what people are saying a lot of the time, but I definitely understand a lot more than I did on day one and speaking comes to me more easily. My little brother is adorable and is my Portuguese Professor. He doesnt speak English so sometimes he has to explain something many different ways, but it is very helpful!

School: Yeserday was my first day of school and was a huge culture shock. When I arrived in my classroom everyone was screaming and running around. The teacher was standing upfront and speaking into a microphone but no one was listening. When I walked in and everyone found out the I was an exchange student from the US. They all started screaming and trying to talk over one another when asking me questions. And when they found out I was from ALASKA... They started screaming even louder. I couldnt understand what people were asking me becauase there where too many people talking at once, the room was very loud, and everyone who was talking to me was yelling. I thought that the entire day would be like that and I didnt understand how they were able to learn, but soon people got into their seats and the next teacher came in. School continued and it was very hard to understand what was going on. Later I found out that the first class I came to was Art, which makes more sense. I had English for 4 hours in the afternoon but I dont have to go because, well, I speak English. Today I had Spanish for an extra 2 hours, and we didnt speak any Spanish and I didnt learn anything. Hopefully it is just because it is the beginning of the year. The rest of the week I only have school until 12:30.

Well, this took way longer than I expected, but I am glad I am finally done with my first post in Brazil! I will try to update more often, but it seems like there is always something to do here. Its never boring and each day I love it more. Tchau

My new host family!

Yesterday I woke up to fabulous news; I had received my permanent host family. I was absolutely ecstatic. My father's name is Jailton and my mother's name is Rosina. They have 3 children: Raissa, Fernanda, and Rodrigo. Raissa is the same age as me, 18, Fernanda is 13, and Rodgrigo is 11. We also have 2 dogs, Drake and Luna.

This is a photo of my host family dressed in traditional wear from their trip to South Brazil! (And no his mustache is not real haha).









Well, they all seem really great and I can't wait to meet them in person! I'm officially ready to start my exchange!! Only 4 more days!

Itinerary:
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Depart: 11:25PM Anchorage, AK

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
Arrive: 8:25AM Chicago, IL
Depart: 9:35AM Chicago, IL
Arrive: 1:40PM Miami, FL

Orientation at 4:00PM

Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Depart: 6:15PM Miami, FL

Friday, February 10th, 2012
Arrive: 5:30AM São Paulo, Brazil!

I was told that I will not receive my flight information to Salvador until I get to São Paulo.
It's crazy to think that my next update will be from the other side of the world! Eu não posso esperar! Até breve!