Hello, lovely blog.
I just found out that I have a follower! Count 'em! One!
But now I feel guilty that I haven't written for said follower since I moved to my new host family. Well, I've been doing the same things; reading and writing, hanging out with the Brazilians.. ect. ect.
I also got involved in the music program at David and Fatima's church; I have permission to practice piano/voice there whenever I want. I joined the choir there, and this Thursday is a recital- people are also performing solos. I'm going to be singing the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's the Magic Flute.
Hells yeah. Anyway, a lot of major events have happened since I last wrote. I'll just take you through them:
Major Life Changing Event Number 1:In November, shortly before the school year finished up, I attended an Anime Convention!!!!!! I'd always wanted to go to one of these events. It takes place every year right here in Itabuna. I met Hellen and Guilherme, another friend from school, and together we plunged into the great abyss of anime geeks and manga addicts.
It was one of those lifelong experiences that you absolutely
never forget. There were games, music, food, one of those dance pad things, a 'Mangateca' (manga biblioteca
), and KARAOKE. That's right. I didn't join in the fun, but Hellen spent most of her time singing the greatest hits from Naruto and Bleach.
But I must say, the most trippy aspect of this whole day had to have been the costumes. My group wasn't dressed up, but we got to witness a lot of people in the anime crowd who took their business very seriously.
Ruffy, from One Piece (Hellen's favorite Anime. I swear she was frothing at the mouth when she saw how many One Piece fans were here)
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, which I never really considered an anime as it aired on Cartoon Network when we were kids..
Rukia, from Bleach, and "Chubby Kid from Naruto (whose name I don't remember)"
Me and Hellen with
Ulqiorra, from Bleach!!!!!!!!! I know you're just jealous.
Me and Guilherme with sweet Bleach masks
Major Life Changing Event Number 2:
School got out for summer vacation in the middle of November. The last two days were spent partying in class. Remember in elementary school, when school got out for winter break, every kid was responsible for bringing something to eat? And then the class would go wild, singing and dancing and chowing down?
That's what Brazilian school is like. An elementary school winter break party. My class spent two days dancing to Brazilian versions of American music (instead of Rihanna's "Umbrella Ella Ella" it's "Amo, amo voce e" which means I love love you oo). We also have a strangely upbeat version of "Big Girls Don't Cry", and some James Blunt song that I would prefer not to remember.
Here's an attractive photo of yours truly on the last day of school (see? my hair's growing!):
Evellyn left yesterday for a mini exchange in Vancouver. She'll be studying the English language there until February, when the new school year starts. I miss her terribly.
Major Life Changing Event Number 3:
In the middle of November, the time came to switch to our second host families. All three exchange students in Itabuna were both excited, morose, anxious, and absolutely terrified. I came to love David and Fatima like my own family, and even though I definitely had my differences with them, we bonded; I really do miss living with them.
This is a picture of the flag that they met me at the airport with. I left it at my old host family's house because there isn't much of a way I can take it home with me.
Bem Vinda means Welcome.
The drive to my new host family (Luan and Hellen, and their parents, Paolo and Sandra Carvalho)'s house was at night. And driving through the center of the town that I had grown so familiar with, it felt like I was arriving in Itabuna for the first time; like I had only landed in Brazil a few hours ago, and my exchange year was just beginning. And that's when I got nausious and nervous and overcome with the familiar dread of "what if they don't like me?"
But we got to their house and I got to my room (I thought I would be sharing a room with Hellen, but this entire time, Luan had been secretly preparing a room on the third story of the house- the roof, so Hellen kept her room and I took Luan's old room while Luan managed to successfully isolate himself from the rest of the family XD), and I saw that they had adorned my room with a welcome sign, flowers (I love flowers), a big American flag, and a huge Brazilian one.
The American flag hangs over the window, and the Brazilian flag takes up the entire wall.
Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate pictures on the family computer.
Life in the Carvalho house is pretty crazy. There's always something going on. Hellen works in the morning with her dad at his workplace, and Sandra goes to her elementary school in the mornings and the afternoons (she teaches a third grade class).
I'm the fifth exchange student this family has had. They've hosted a Swedish girl named Senna that Hellen absolutely adored (Senna this, Senna that), a Mexican girl that I've heard almost nothing about (apparently she didn't want to learn Portuguese and didn't bond very well with the family), an American kid from Illinois named David that has come back to visit them many times, and of course, Kyle.
Luan and Hellen also have an older brother, Marcel, who goes to university in Sao Paolo. They talk about him all the time.
People are always over at our house. Friends of Hellen, friends of Luan, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, Kyle..
Breno, a cousin from Salvador, has been staying with us since only a week after I got here. He's cool. He's been spending his days watching Naruto downstairs on the couch, in front of the enormous big screen TV that I still can't figure out how to turn on.
These are a few kids from our class, along with Song, a Thai exchange student that has befriended Hellen. She spends most of her days here watching anime with Hellen and Breno. I try to take part, but then my brain starts to melt out of my ears a little bit and I have to get up and read a book.
Song has a stuffed elephant.
Wubba makes a friend
I wasn't exagerating though, about how much family this family has. Right now it's 6 people living in this house (Breno is sharing Hellen's room). But Marcel is coming home on Thursday, and David is coming to visit on the 24th, and they say that Senna is coming to visit in January.
Breno's parents, Sandra's sister, is coming for Christmas as well, and Paolo's family is going to be spending their days at our house, too.
Hellen and I counted it up, and I forget the exact number, but by christmas, there will be more than ten people sleeping in this house! And that number doesn't count how many people will be here during the day.
I can't imagine how my host family manages to pull this off every year- 6 people is enough! This is a picture of weekly groceries as it is:
If this is what it takes to feed six people, what will it take to feed 10+?
This is bound to be the most exciting Christmas I've ever had. I'm thrilled to be a part of it, and I can't wait to see Brazilian and Carvalho traditions in action.
Ate Mais,
Zoe
once upon a time at an interact meeting
at Itacare- Hellen, Luan, me, and Kyle
Me wearing Sven's ridiculously large rain jacket
me and a cousin.. whose name is (ready?) Dorris Day.
The Carvalho Brazilian christmas tree
Dorris' mom with baby Anton (not her baby, but the only one in the whole family, so he gets passed around and doted over)
Carol, my "amiga secreta", e Rafael, her fiancee
Tasty Brazilian food
