Feliz Natal Atrasado (Merry Late-Christmas)

Christmas this year was definitely very different than that of any other I have ever had-but I had a fantastic time! My host dad has a very large family, and lots of them don't live in the same city. So, everyone came here for Christmas and lots of people stayed in my house. We had such a good time together! On Christmas Eve, we had a churrasco and just hung out. And then at midnight, everyone told everyone "Feliz Natal", and then about three hours later everyone went to bed. And Christmas day wasn't really a big deal. My family didn't exchange gifts and didn't put up any Christmas decorations or a tree. I don't know why but Christmas just isn't as strong as it is in the United States. And one of the weirdest things was the weather-it was hot, sunny, and snowless. And the day after Christmas, I went to the pool and got sunburned. That same day, I went over to an "uncle's" house and when we got there, we decided to eat dinner. And so I was eating and someone offered me a chicken's head, swearing it was delicious. So, I decided to just go for it, and I bravely accepted. And once I could finally eat it, it was actually very good-tender, flavorful, all-around yummy. And so I happily went along eating, until I came across this black, mushy, slimy thing. And stupidly asked, "What is that?!" And when my uncle told me it was the chicken's eye, I could barely keep down the chicken I had just eaten. But, I was able to forget the eye, relax, and calmly finish my rice and beans. :)

On Thursday, I'm leaving the state for the first time and going to Sao Paulo(which is not just a city, but the state, which is what I am referring to). I'm going to the city of Franca, where lots of my host dad's family lives. Here, for O Ano Novo, or Revellion, New Year's, people wear white. And the coming year is determined by the color of underwear you wear. If you want love, wear pink, passion-red, money-yellow, peace-white. And if you live near the beach, and you want to have good luck, jump seven waves.

If you have the time or desire, check out these three songs. They're my favorite right now.
Madri
Fudiginha
Sutilmente

Tchau.
Beijos.

Verão (Summer)

my host mom got a puppy!

my host grandpa turned 75 (but, oops! the candles say 77. hehe)

my host grandpa and his grandchildren

my host grandparents

my host grandparents and their kids (my host mom is in the blue)

the girl in this picture made the cake!

me and my host grandparents

I have no school! Eba! So, to pass the time, I have been getting my nails done regularly (just one more way to become more brazilian), and going downstairs and hanging out at my host parent's supermarket. A couple people my age work there so I have made some new friends and the customers are sometimes quiet intersting. And my host grandpa comes there a lot so we get to talk to. I have already learned two super-hard Portuguese word from one of the girls that works there. etiquetadora (eh-chee-kay-ta-door-uh), which is "price-gun" and paralelepípedo (pah-dhah-lay-lay-pee-pay-doh), which is some sort of geometric figure. And lots of Brazilians say, one of the hardest words to say. It's sort of a tongue twister.

I cannot believe its only eight days until Christmas! Christmas just isn't very "strong" in Brazil-most people don't decorate, say Merry Chirstmas, or anything like that. And its getting hot. It just isn't Christmas without snow. But, to celebrate, my host dad's nine brothers and sisters are all coming to my house. So if I can be sure of anything, its that on Christmas I will not be lonely. And I think for New Years I am traveling to Franka, a city in São Paulo. It will be my first time in another state in Brazil! Eba!

And then on January 4th, I leave for the Northeast! I'm so excited!

Well, I guess that's all that's new with me-just hanging out and enjoying my summer-in December. How wierd.

Tchau.

Ultimo Dia de Aula (Last Day of School)

me and Cintia

almost my enitre class. one girl is missing.

does this look like the face of someone who is learning?

ahhh. who did her hair? hehe

My last day of actual class was the last Friday of November. On which, we didn't actually have class. It was kind of a sad day. Now, everyone is taking the vestibular and preparing to move away! :(

Lots of people have already taken two, actually. And, three or four of my friends passed the first one. So, in order to celebrate, we are going to throw a party. But we don't have any money. So, what do we do? Well, in Brazil, we throw smelly food on the people who passed, then, go stand by a stop light, and ask for money from the people in the cars when the light turns red! It's called trote (troh-chee). It was so much fun! We did it for about four hours and got almost 500 reais! That's almost $250! And all we did was simply ask! Sometimes, peoples' windows weren't rolled down, and so we would knock, and they would just look and slowly shake their head "no". And sometimes people would see us before they got to the stop light, and would stop way far back just so we wouldn't ask. But lots of people were happy to give their spare change for the people who passed the vestibular. And now, we can have parties until it's time to go back to school! And this was such a blast and so effective, I think I might try this when I get home in order to raise money for college. Jefferson City has a lot more stop lights than Sao Gotarrdo. Hmmm.

Well, Christmas is approaching. Although, it doesn't quite feel like it. I have seen like two strings of Christmas lights, four Christmas trees, and heard one Christmas song. I haven't had a single cup of hot chocolate, eaten a single chocolate-covered-pretzle, wrapped a single present, or done anything that feels remotely Christmas-y to me. I think this Christmas will be mostly just sad for me. But, its just one out of the many I will have. And it will be interesting to see how another family celebrates Christmas.

My Northeast trip is coming! I leave January 4th! Whoo hoo! I love the beach and promise to take tons of pictures and only put about five on here. :)

Tchau.
Um beijo.
Ate mais.

Missa, Churrasco, e Formatura :)

watch my "homenagem" in very bad portuguese :)

Titi, Me, Mariana America

My two host dads

Cecilia and Me

Mariana America, Me, and Leticia Yasmin. And let me just say, I look like a box.

My entire class at the churrasco

This is such a cute picture. And look at Titt´s face. It makes me laugh every time. We were singing "Rebaixei" when I took the picture.

Mariana America's sister. She's so cute! And she loves me so much. Haha.

She hates this picture.

Me and Cecilia.

I graduated on Saturday! Woo hoo!

To start of the celebration, we had mass on Thursday. And after we ate dinner at a resteruant.

On Friday, we all rode a bus the one of my classmate's farm where we had the churrasco. I ate way to much and danced a little. It was so much fun, too! I love my classmates!

And then, on Saturday, we had the grand, unforgettable, incredibly fun Formatura. It's like graduation and prom put together in one night. Only, it was very different from my graduation. First of all, you don't wear a cap and gown, you wear whatever you are going to wear to the prom. And it didn't even start until nine o'clock at night. And lots of my classmates gave little speeches about the students, teachers, and parents. And then the dance started. And the had appatizers and drinks while we waited for dinner. And then around eleven dinner was served, but I didn't eat so I do not know what it consisted of. However, I heard it was very good. And, since I live in Brazil, the most shocking difference, is that at a school function, there was open bar all night. And people walked around serving beer to people-they even squeezed their way through the packed dance floor to see if anyone wanted more. And there was a band called Nova York. They performed other artists songs, both Brazilian and American. It was so incredibly fun! I danced almost the entire time! I even danced forro-a type of Brazilian dance. I don't really know how to describe it. I didn't dance it incredibly well, but I did dance it.  In fact, I danced until 5:30 in the morning! By the time four o'clock rolled around, I was running around telling all my friends, "OMG! It's four o'clock! I've never been out this late before!"

And now after this week finishes, I only have one more week of school. Which, very surprisingly, I'm bummed about. When I start back to school in February, I'm going to have a new class. Vou morrer de saudades! And the video you just watched or are going to watch, is me giving my "homanagem". Which I guess is like a little good-bye, thanks-for-everything speech. It has a word in English but it escapes me at the moment. And my Portuguese is very bad. Note how many times my class bursts out laughing. And I was so nervous. Queria sumir! But, I did make one person cry and Cintia said, "Que linda!" "How beautiful!". So, I guess, over all, it went decently. But I can't wait until I get even better! And not to seem big-headed, but I think my Portuguese is better than what you see in this video. The pressure of everyone looking only at me didn´t really make the speech any easier.

Until next time.
Tchau.
Beijao.

Mudei as Casas! (I Changed Houses!)

back row: my host brother, his girlfriend, my host sister´s boyfriend´s mom and dad, and my host dad. front row: my host sister´s boyfriend, my host sister, my host mom, me.

Two Mondays ago I finally gave my presentation about Missouri and myself to my host Rotary club. Please, feel free to note how many people are sitting in this particular meeting. There is usually like twelve of us.

Me, some past exchange students(the one in purple is my new neighbor), a future exchange student, and some officials in my club.

The view from my new room. Look! There´s grass!

Tons of it!

My parents will like this one. I live across the street from an Assembly of God church. And if you have nice vision, and you can see the church steeple in the background, my old house is really close to that.

My new room.

A different angle. Haha. I wake up to that little boy mooning me every single morning.

This is funny. It says I only drink after ten. Its hanging where you come into my house.

You may be thinking, why did she put this picture on here? But, if you notice, it says `ta chuvando. I sent this to a friend after a bet about whether it would rain or not, and so when it started to rain, I sent it. It means, ´`it´s raining". Only the thing is, it should actually be, "ta chovendo". But the noun, rain, is "chuva", so logically, I assumed the verb form would be "chuvar", but it´s not, it´s "chover". And so the friend I sent this to teaches and English class and used me as an example and now everyone in this stinkin city knows about it. And everyone laughs and when I tell them to stop laughing they´re like, "Ah, but it´s so cute!" So this is not just any text, is the most famous text in Sao Gotardo and a hard lesson learned for me. :)

My class. We threw a birthday class for the director of our school! And got to miss two classes! Eba!

Faz Tres Meses que...(It's Been Three Months Since...)

As I have almost been in Brazil for three months now, there are some things I have come to realize I haven't done in quite some time. Things that I did very regularly in the United States. And now, I would like to share them. Here goes. In three months I haven't...

1. eaten a single thing off the McDonald's menu. (or any other fast food restuarant for that matter)
2. stepped foot inside a single Wal-Mart store. (or any other chain super-center)
3. watched a movie in the movie theater.
4. purchased one song from iTunes.
5. worked a single day of paid-labor.
6. driven.
7. bought a single tube of Chapstick. (which may seem like nothing, unless you really know me! hehe)
8. been to a Pentecostal church service..
9. watched a single episode of Chuck, The Office, or The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
10. been in the same room with a single member of my family or friend from the United States.

And surprisingly, I am well, happy, and still thriving! Its amazing! The things I never thought I could do! However, I know I will not got the entire time here without buying a song off iTunes, and I will eventually run out of Chapstick. But three months is a long time.
Generally, everything is going well. Graduation/prom is approaching! I'm so incredibly excited! And this time I will take pictures to share! School is getting better. I am understanding more but I still think its kind of a drag. But, honestly, I felt the same, if not worse, about school in the United States. And on the every-Thursday-quiz two weeks ago, I was the only to answer one of the math questions right! EBA! YAY!

On Saturday I have to change families. Which I'm pretty much dreading. But my wonderful host mom assured me that this would be my house the same way and I could stop by whenever I wanted or go to Matutina with them to vistit my host grandma. And my nest family is really excited about me staying with them, which I hope correlates with being welcoming and kind. Whatever happens, I will make it work! POSITIVENESS!

Musicas Brasilieras (Brazilian Songs)

Now that my Portguese is somewhat decent, I am FINALLY learning some songs in Portuguese! I love the music here! In Minas, the sort of mid-west of Brazil, sertenejo, country is very popular. But its nothing like the country in the United States. Well, not nothing, but its much, much better! I have copied some links to some of the songs I know that I found on YouTube. All of them are sertenejo, except Do Lado de Ca. And don't be fooled, I can only sing the choruses entirely, and a few lines in some songs sprinkled througout the versuses. I also so Parabens para Voce, the Brazilian version of Happy Birthday. Which has lots of versuses and is way more fun to sing than it is in English. Brazilian young people are really in touch with American pop culture and I know people who speak like ten English words but could sing an entire Lady Gaga song! And lots of times, on the radio, for every three Brazilian songs played, one in English is played, too. So I still hear of a lot of the music I did in the United States. And I brought my iPod because I couldn't bear to be away from John (John Mayer, that is, for those of you who don't know me very well, I'm madly in love with not only the music he creates, but also the creator. Ai, que lindo!) for almost a whole year! So, don't just read this and say "Mmmm, how cool, she likes the music". Since I took the time to find the page, copy, and paste, you can take the time to listen. Besides, its good music, so its more like a treat and less like a chore. Enjoy! Tchauzinho!

Eu Amo Noite e Dia
Estrela
Chora Me Liga
Do Lado de Ca

Fotos Demais...

dia de jeca! its a day to make fun of the Brazilians who live on the interior... :)

titi. she makes me laugh every day.

my school uniform!

welcome to cursinho!

where third year students spend four out of five week nights, including friday.

in order to prepare for the vestibular.

look! see, brazilian teenagers really arent that different from the american ones! they text in class, too,

while some of us study...

some of us dont. 

actually, most of us dont.

but after...we go out!

i love my brazilian friends

the cool thing about this old guy is that he was the dj at this party and i asked him to play a song, which he couldnt find. and when i went to this other party in another city, he was the dj there too! and he found the song, rememebered, because i was introduced as "an american", and he played it

Its been a long time since I have posted and a lot has happened!

First of all, I celebrated the city's birthday! It was a holiday, of course, and there was a party, of course. There was a show in the evening in the praca. It was this group of performers who were impersonating famous American artists. I saw, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Shakira, and more. While the dancing and costumes were lovely, the lyrics were another story. Sometimes, especially in the Lady Gaga songs, the singer would go for several lines without ever saying an actual real English word. It was a little funny. And just makes me wonder why they didn't just stick to Brazilian artists, since, after all, we are in Brazil.

I also attended the district youth exchange confrence in Belo Horizonte. It was lots of fun! And no, I didn't take a single picture. I hate pictures, with my entire heart! ODEIO! We spent the night together and did lots of activities. There are forty-eight exchange students in my dristict. I learned about the rules and the trips available. And we got to swim and see some cappoeira. Which is very cool. Its like a dance-martial-arts-type-thing. It was developed by Africans to train for battle and focuses on offense, rather than defense. And then it was practiced by the slaves, I'm not sure, but I think just as a passtime. And then, I don't know why, but it was made illegal by the Brazilian government. And because of its history, some people thought it was a poor people's dance. But now, it is no longer illegal and more people are practicing it. Its super cool. At the confrence, I met kids from all over the whole world. It was super cool. And, not surprisingly, EVERYONE spoke English. It was lots of fun.

This week, I have no school. Its called saco cheio. It basically means I'm tired of doing things and I just want to rest. And yesterday was Dia das Criancas, Kids' Day. It's very widely celebrated here. All the toy stores have big promotions the week before and lots of kids get a present.

Monday or Tuesday, I'm not sure which, I saw a soccer player from the team I cheer for, GALO! It was sooo cool! He was shopping in the super market, wearing these very cool glasses and a hat. He was with another guy. And almost every single person in the store was looking at him! My host mom told me is a very good and important player. So, when he was leaving, I just had to give a little wave. Although, sadly, he didn't return the simple gesture. I found it very exciting though, even if he didn't wave!

And I think that is about it. Tchau gente!

A Day in the Life of Megan in Brazil

I've been in Brazil for about six weeks now and I'm starting to develop somewhat of a routine. I'm convinced none of my devoted followers will enjoy reading today's post, and some may even abandon me for such a lame excuse for a post, but some people, and by "some people" I am refering to soley my parents, are positive people would enjoy reading what I do on a daily basis. So, I will share it with you now. WARNING: THE POST YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ CONTAINS VERY MUNDANE CONTENT. NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THOSE WHO ARE SLEEPY, BORED, OR SIMPLY HAVE BETTER THINGS THEY SHOULD BE DOING AT THIS TIME.

On weekdays, I normally wake up around 6:15 in the morning. Around 7:00, I walk to school with two of my classmates. In school, I have six classes, of which I understand next to nothing in all of them. After the third class, there is about a twenty minute break to get something to eat at the school cafe, use the restroom and talk. The last class ends at 12:20 and I usually arrive home around 12:30. When I arrive, my parents are waiting to eat lunch. One of my favorite parts of the day! After, I usually take a nap or get on the computer for about an hour. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I have natacao, swimming, at the gym near my house. I walk there and have class for about an hour. Then from about 3:00 to 6:00, I do pretty much whatever my little heart desires. Sometimes I go out with friends, sometimes I read, sometimes I sleep more, sometimes I run errands with my host mom. It kinda just depends on the day. Around 3:00 or 4:00, I usually tomo cafe, eat a little something. Normally, its some sort of bread, maybe some fruit, cake, whatever we happen to have. But it's not something you prepare. Its just a little something. But I almost always have coffee at this time. At 6:00 the novelas start! First, I watch Escrito nas Estrelas, Written in the Stars, and then Tititi, which doesn't translate. I'm not sure but I think it's a name. And some days I also watch Passione. Then, around nine or so, I usually head to bed. On the weekends, I have a very different schedule that varies a lot. But usually on Friday and Saturday nights I got out with my friends. Sometimes to a resturant where we eat and talk forever, sometimes to watch a movie at someones house, sometimes to a party. It just depends. On Sundays, sometimes my family and I got to Mantutina to visit my host mom's mom. Its an even smaller city than Sao Gotardo about twenty minutes from here. And so in a paragraph, thats pretty much my life here in Brazil. Goin' to school, hangin' out, eatin' pastel. And don't get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I THINK IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER! I just think reading about it is far less exciting than actually doing it. And I don't know how many times I have already and will say this, but for me, truly, the most exciting part is that I do it all in Portuguese! Well, not all of it, but most of it!

Another thing, now that I'm getting somewhat familiar with my city, some may tell you otherwise because I'm absolutely horrible with direction, I am starting to notice some differences. Some you may find interesting, others, just plain shocking. And I'm sure I will probably leave out about one hundred but these are the most obvious ones, and also the ones I thought my readers would appreciate most.

1. There is hardly any grass. I mean, seriously, you would think I live in New York City or something.
2. Resturants are usually open air. That is, you sort of just walk in through a breezeway and sit down, theres no doors that remain closed during business hours.
3. There is absolutely no air conditioning. If its hot, you open the windows. If its cold, you close the windows. It's much cheaper that way.
4. In every house I have been in, a gas stove is used. I have not seen a single electric stove yet.
5. Everyone here drives either a stick shift or a motorcycle.
6. There are no posted speed limit signs in the city. Roads just have randomly placed speed bumps so that drivers are forced to slow down.
7. No one has carpeted floors.
8. Television has far fewer and frequent commercials. It's fantastic.
9. I'm not sure on this one, but I think some places don't charge tax.
10. It's almost election time and so cars drive around with these huge speakers roped to the roof of the car or the trunk playing songs to promote certain candidates. Lots of times, they take already famous songs and change the words. They are often very repetative and catchy. Its at times very annoying because your sitting outside with your friends enjoying some pastel, trying to partake in intellectual, mentally stimulating conversation, and all the sudden you hear this song playing you already heard a million times. It starts of quite, then gets louder, and before you know it, its all you can here! I can't wait until election day!

Ate mais! Tchau!

O Vestibular

minha convite! my invitation!

almost the entire third year in my school!

the older guy is the dj and i was the first american he ever met!

my best brazilian friend!

i actually know all their names.

In Brazil, you can attend college for free! IF, you take this test called the vestibular and your scores qualify. However, every november, there are millions of graduates throughout Brazil competing for the same few spots you are. Its a much bigger deal than the ACT or SAT because the vestibular is what determines if you get in or not. At most you can take ten. Only one per university and you have to choose which curso, course, you are going to study. It's sort of like declaring a major, but more strict. If during your course of study, you decide you would like to change your course, you have to take the vestibular again! Everyone takes the same vestibular, no matter what course you want to study. In order to get ready for this monster of a test, you take o cursinho. Litterally, it means "little course". And that's exactly what it is. Its during the evenings, and for one year you attend classes covering all subjects. My school offers o cursinho. And to celebrate everyone's hard work, they threw a party! This was actually some time ago but I took so many pictures I was dreading putting them on here because the uploader demora, muito! It is very slow! And after lots of time fighting with it, I decided to only put a few on here. It was a great party! One of the first few I went to and at the end, my brain was very tired. And at this party, a friend, a few actually, tried to teach me this type of dance. It was nearly impossible for me. After, I was conviced God accidentally gave me two left feet instead of one right and one left. Dreadful dancing aside, it was a good time.

Today marks the day that I have been in Brazil for ONE MONTH! I can't believe it! Time has flown by! I only have nine more of these left! And in honor of my one month anniversary, I have made myself a promise to speak less English! Porque sou brasiliera, vou comecar falando so portgues. Nada mais de ingles. Entao, acho que voces vai ter que aprender portugues! Hehe. Just kidding. I will make one exception to speak English in this blog and with my non-Portuguese speaking friends and family. But if anyone wants to learn, it's a very cool language! But you might want to wait until I come back to ask me for help. Because right now, o meu portugues ainda e muito ruim! My Portuguese is still very bad!

Thats everything for this post! Tchau! Um beijo!