so there really is no excuse...

Yes I have been very busy...but I am also just plan lazy and don't want to write anything in my blog. I could say that I will write later because I have to get all these other things done, or that I have to study, or do something else productive, but it would all be a lie. I don't feel like tying right now, but probably once I get into it I won't beable to stop...i'll try to give at least a little up date.

As of right now, I have exactly 44 days left in Brazil. May 29th is the date of my return home. That is, if the flights look good on that day. If not, it could be a day or two earlier. I have to come home at this time because on the 1st of June I am starting a few online courses as well as a Nurse Aid Certificate course at Front Range CC. Soon after I will start at the University of Northern Colorado to earn a double major in Nursing and Dietetics. I am so, SO excited about this next part of my life! I can't wait to study and have dead lines and get credit! I know it sounds weird. But I'm the type of person that needs dead lines, goals, and then grades in the end. I work well under preasure, and I need stucture. For that reason, I know I would never be good as my own boss; I would never get anything done...Kinda like how I feel I don't get anything done here. Although that is probably just pure laziness. I go to school, but I don't take tests or do home work or anything. Sometimes I do some of the exercizes, but even then I'm not motivated to do them super well, because I know they don't count for anything. Good thing I'll have this summer to get back into the habit of studying...

I wish I could say that I am loving school and doing all the work and studying for the tests just beacuse its so interesting and I want to! I do like school a lot. And I do like learning these things. But not when it implises that I have to put efort into it too. This is one of the ways my very selfish/lazy human nature manifests itself.

All said and done, I am excited to come home and get back into my schedualed, goal setted life. However it also saddens me. Not because I am leaving Brazil, but because I will be leaving some of the best friends I have ever had. I can for sure come back and visit all the Brazilians, but I don't when or if there will ever be another time that the exchange students will all be together again. With me in CO, Morgan in Alaska, Gracia in Mexico, Verena in Germany and Sophie in France, we may never all be in the same spot at the same time together. All I know is that one day in the following years, I will go to each one of thier houses!!!! (Speaking of that, I am planning on spending summer of 2010 in Mexico living with Gracia and studying Spanish!) However, in the end, no distance can take away the love I have for these girls. They will always have a special place in my heart and I know that even if after 30 or 40 years we loose complete contact, we will always remeber all the amazing memories of our year in Brazil together.

Well I sound like I making a going away speach...I still have over a month here! I need to stop constantly thinking about it!

On another note, I just got back from an amazing trip to the south of Brazil. First we went to Iguaçu Falls which sits on the border of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Wow, it was so beautiful! There were some of the most amazing waterfalls I have ever seen in my life! After that, our buss full of 32 exchange students from around the world headed on to Curitiba, and after to Florionopolis. These two cities were great! Curitiba is an older city that has many preserved antique buildings. It is also very clean and has many parks streaching with feilds of grass and beautiful gardens! Florionopolis has amazing beaches! Being an island slightly off the coast, Florionopolis has 100 beaches. 100 of some of the most beautiful beaches at that! Unfortunatly, we didn't get to spend a lot of time there. But we did have enough time to each amazing freshly caught shrimp at a local resurant, practice our riding skills with our Sand Boards on the rolling dunes, chill out on the warm beaches and swim in the clean and cold waves. We then made our way to Gramado and Canela, two of the most amazing towns I have ever been too. The thing about the south of Brazil is that it doesn't even seam like Brazil at all. It is compleetly different! There are whole communities in southern Brazil populated with Germans that still speak German, have German houses, eat German food and live as if they were in Germany. Gramado, was very influenced by that German culture. From what I experienced, Gramado is a mixture of Germany and Ground Country, stired in with a twist of Brazil. Rather then being filled with tall appartment buildings, the horizon is covered with deep green forests, and bright colored sun sets. White houses borded with darm brown wood line the streets just like I remember seeing in Swizterland so many years ago. Gramado also is a town filled with rafting, rock climbing, rapelling, camping, bike riding and all other sorts of outdoor activities. And to top it all off, it gets COLD there and even has SNOW sometimes! Unfortunatly we were not there during the coldest winter month (July) so I didn't get to see snow, but at least the tempature dropped to a good 40-45 degrees at night! I albsolutly loved it there! After traveling for almost two weeks I caught a plane back to Belo Horizonte. The only hard thing about the trip was being completely surounded by worldly teenagers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I got very pulled down and discouraged at times. Its great to be back and be able to go to church on Sunday and cell group during the week!

Ok, well I think I've officially written way to much...what did I say, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop after I started. Well thats it for now. I try to get in a couple more posts before I come home. I cannot wait to see everyone back home again! So soon, yet so far away!

-Hope