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.