October 1
Being an exchange student; what does it feel like? Maybe the
right answer is to feel alone, or extremely happy, or sometimes sad, or
confused, or excited, or frustrated, or maybe it's impossible to have a right
answer, because there are so many feelings together.
I've been here for 2 months and my feelings seem to be
confused. When I'm in my bed, alone, I start to think about my country, my
family. And I think about the people who came into my life, maybe for no reason,
but it's not without reason that they stayed. I call them FRIENDS.
On the other hand, I've been living a new life. I had never
realized before, how important it is when someone just says: "hi man, are
you ok?" or "hey Brazilian, you're cool" or "hey man, do you
want to go to the movies with us?"
In 2 months a lot of things have changed. Now, I feel much
more comfortable with my host family and at my school.
One of the hardest things is, of course, the language, but my
English is getting better here. And it helps me to make new friends. I've never
met so many cool people. And the neat point is that they are not only Americans,
but from all over the world.
Last week I sent e-mail to my dad in Brazil and I said:
"when I am with the other exchange students, it seems that I'm in
paradise". That's true, it's possible, because I'm living this adventure,
which gives me the incredible opportunity to meet new people, know another
culture, and LEARN, not only about United States, but also about my own country
and about myself.
January 6
 Hey
guys!
It has been a long time that I haven’t stopped for awhile to
write about what is going on in my life. In my opinion, it’s because after 5
months, I have so many friends and so many activities going on that it is hard
to find time to write.
I’ve been playing soccer at school and in December I was in
the school’s newspaper as the Athlete of the Month. I thought it was really
nice and I also feel that I’m getting more and more popular at school. When I
first started school, I was looking at some tables and wondering if I would ever
sit on that popular table at lunch time. P.S.: They’re all my friends now. Isn’t
it neat?
Talking about how I feel about my family and friends back in
Brazil, well, I just passed through Christmas and New Year and I can tell you,
it’s not easy to have a Christmas without your family, but on the other hand,
I have a wonderful American family that helped me to have a MERRY Christmas and
a HAPPY New Year.
In the beginning of December, I went to Disney World with all
the exchange students from Florida, I think we had total of 31 students. That
was a magic weekend, maybe the best four days of my whole life. When I came back
home on Sunday night and laid down on my bed, I realized that the magic weekend
was over. I was trying to hold my tears and not to cry. I got it, now; I’m
looking forward to see all of them again in the end of January in a trip to Key
West. And I’m sure that we’re going to have a lot of fun again together.
May 2
Hey
there guys!
I cannot believe that I took almost 5 months to write
again and tell y’all about the adventures that I had been having
here.
I changed families in the beginning of January. It was a
different experience for me. I had to go through the process of adapting
to a new situation again. But my second host family is amazing and I
settled down really fast, and in a few days I was already feeling very
comfortable at their house. And, of course, I can’t forget to mention my
host brother, Brandon. He helped me so much. He introduced me to all his
friends. Brandon has been like the brother I never had back in Brazil.
Dude, I almost forgot to talk about the most incredible
night of my life, PROM NIGHT. I had so much fun, that it is hard to
describe. First of all, I had to experience the thrill of asking a girl to
be my prom date, and I can tell you that it is not very easy. But I guess
I did a good job. Did I, Jackie? (Jackie Longo was my prom date). I was
extremely nervous when I was going to pick her up. I finally got at her
house and, Oh Man! She was looking sooooooooo beautiful. We took some
pictures at her house and then headed towards mine. My friends and I
rented a limousine to take us to dinner and then to the prom. The whole
night, an incredible evening, I will never forget.
We are already in May, almost time for me to go back
home. It’s hard to say if I am happy or sad, because my emotions are
mixed. The whole situation is bittersweet. It will be good to be back home
and see my family and friends in Brazil, but to be honest with you, It’s
gonna be EXTREMELY painful to say good bye to the people that have been a
part of my life here, my AMERICAN FRIENDS… |
