November 14

It is almost 4 months and just now I decided to write something about me, during this different experience that I have been living... 

Well, I don't know about the rest of the group, but I really had a bad "homesick" at first. Those 2 weeks, especially the first day at school, were just terrible. I felt really bad, uncomfortable, wanting to come back.... But like everybody always told me, everything changes with time.... Just learn English! That is the most important key, to have success...

I'm really lucky with my family, because they're helping me with everything that I need, and I learned to see them like my real family..... 

These last couple of months have been really good, because I made friends, I'm getting good grades at school, I can speak and understand almost everything, and plus, I'm having a lot of fun.... I'm anxious about the trips, especially with this nice group of exchange students that we have here... 

I hope this is just the beginning of a wonderful year, and I enjoy it just more and more.....

See you,

Taís

March 7

Seven months, they are gone. I never realized that I'd be here telling everybody that I'm still alive with seven months away from home. But it's true, and everyday I wish it was still the first day, at that moment when I got in the airport....As I think most of the people now already, it was hard the first month, but then after you get it, you get the language, make friends, everything change so much, that you want to live here forever (at least, I do...I wanna stay for college in the U.S., I could be a good Gator...).

Well, last time I think I wrote more about the hard stuff to move here, but today I can talk about the fun!! It's such a good experience to have all the exchange students, and meet then everywhere we go, and people just from everywhere. I got here from Brazil speaking Portuguese and some English, now I know Portuguese, good English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, French...(just kidding, but we definitely exchange some special words in every language when the exchange group get together in our trips..). The holidays were fun, really different from home, it was sad (specially New Year because in Brazil it's a BIG party) but really interesting. I had a trip to Vogel (mountains), GA, with my host parents, in January, and it was really peaceful ,relaxing, and fun (right Mr. Al Kalter?). In February we went to Big Pine Key (Key West) for sea camp, during a long weekend with all our exchange students friends, where we got to snorkeling and learn a lot about sea life (it was a lot of fun, everybody should see the pictures, especially in the dancing party). Spring break is coming and I have lots of plans with family and friends. In April we have New York trip (which I'm really excited for) and we'll go with our group of exchange student friends. I still did not see snow here (I'm upset) but I'm still looking forward that!!!! I still have 5 more months here, and my calendar it's already pretty full. I'm having so much fun and learning so much with all these new people that I've met and all the new and beautiful places that I've visited. I'm just so glad and happy that I had this opportunity that every parent should encourage their kids to have it, because today I can be right here, right now and share with you all how happy I am...

See ya,

 Tais

April 24

Hello everybody!!!!

I HAD THE BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE, last week, at NY. I can't describe with words how happy and excited I am right now. I never been to NY before, so of course I was excited. At first we were not sure if we should go because it was expensive and bla bla bla, but we decided to do it. So last Wednesday we flew from Florida to Pittsburgh, PA, where we got to know a little, and it was really hot. So we went with the bus to NY, 8 hours drive, just excitement and no sleep at all, arriving in NY for breakfast. We were around 80 exchange students from everywhere and some different districts. I don't know why this was the best trip ever, but everybody had so much fun, we were all a big family! We made so much friends...I expected cold weather (of course, I'm from Brazil and I'm in Florida), but it was really hot over there (unfortunately). We did all the famous stuff like statue of liberty, Broadway play, subway, empire state building, the place where the twin tower use to be (it was really sad, it broke my heart), united nation, central park, china town.... 

It's really hard to say what was my favorite thing but I think first of all our hotel place, because our hotel was right there in the middle of Times Square, just perfect to walk around and have fun during the night , but second of all I think the empire state building, it's amazing to see the city that never sleeps at 10 p.m. from the 86th floor!! I'll never forget that picture, it'll never go away from my head and from my album of course (hihihihihi). I went watch Full Monty at Broadway and it was really fun (we saw the full monty, really!!).We had a lot of free time, because we spent like five days there, so it was amazing to share with the other students. THIS IS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE, and the only people that knows exactly what they are saying its us; we'll never forget it!!

Now comes the problems....the time to say goodbye...it was SOO hard!! Many of our friends there, we'll never see again, so it was one of the hardest moments ever, and that shows how hard will be to leave at all back to our country...I don't want to! Well, about the funny part, we suppose to come back to Jacksonville (from Pittsburgh) at 8 something a.m. but we missed the first plane, got another one like 10 something. Stopped at Charlotte, NC, where we suppose to leave at 2 p.m., but the flight had a problem, so after a long time, we went to another gate and finally got in the plane, in which had a problem on the left wing...so there we are (4 of us) sweating and waiting, we got out, we got in again, and finally left around 6:30..but for our luck they forgot 2 people at the airport, so guess what? back to the airport...ehhehe.. anyway...we got at Jacksonville around 8 something, when we suppose to get around 1 p.m. ...Living and learning, that is the way things are!!!!

Taís