I leave tonight. Wow. It all went so fast, and I cannot beleive that I am actually coming home now. I have been so blessed by my host families and friends these last few days, it's humbling. I don't even know what to say, what to type, what to feel. Its a mixture of everything. I will miss everyone, but I am so excited to be home! Well I arrive monday morning around 11 am if everything goes as planned. Well, I don't know what else to say excpet see you soon,
-Hope
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
9 days more
Well it’s official now, I am leaving the 24th of May to return to CO after 10 months in Brazil. After all this time, I am finally going home. It’s been so long, but it’s gone by so fast. I am so ready to be home. Don't get me wrong, I have had an amazing time here in Brazil. It has been the hardest year of my life, but one of the best ones as well. I have learned so much and have been opened to a whole new way of seeing the world and those around me. I have gone from not saying a word in Portuguese to conversing fluently with Brazilians and other exchange students 10 months later. I have struggled, been torn down, and grown back up stronger. I have been faced with many foundational questions about life and faith, and while I have learned so much, I only come out of it with more questions. This year has pushed me, stretched me, and even though I have fallen down many times, God always builds me back up stronger. It has been a year of laughter, despair, joy, hurt, learning and teaching. I have lived in Brazil, experienced the people, breathed in the culture and learned the language. Now I am ready to go back home. I am ready to start studying, start working, and start the rest of my life. This may be the end of one section of my life, but it is just the beginning of the rest. I am so excited now to go back and apply the things I have learned to the rest of my life.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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
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
Friday, March 27, 2009
I love my family!
Wow its been a long time since I've written...There has just been so much going on! Well I had a wonderful birthday! My family came to visit me and it was one of the best times ever!!!!!!! My mom got here a little early (11th) then my dad and sister Nicole arrived (13th) then Judd and Luke (15th). The afternoon of the 15th I had a big party with all my friends and host families etc. It was a birthday party but the main point of it was for my family to meet all the important people in my life here in Brazil. Well, the party was AMAZING!!!! These people here in Brazil have become very special to me and it was great being able to celebrate with them and my family at the same time! Monday the 16th I showed the fam around my city, Belo Horizonte, a little, and that night we left by buss to travel to Rio de Janeiro! It was an all night trip on a doule decker buss! It was great other then it was freezing cold cuz the AC was blasting so strong! But we finally arrived in Rio and everything was fine. We stayed at a hostle close to Leblen beach which ended up working out great! We sat on the beach and pumeled by huge waves; we went with a tour to visit "The Redemer Christ" (now third on the list of the 7 wonders of the world) and "The Sugar Loaf"; and zoomed up the top of the Rocinha on speedy motorcycles and walked all the way back down. The Rocinha is the largest "Favela" (meaning slum or ghetto) in all of Latin America with a population of almost 200,000 people. It was a very humbling experience for me and my family. There is so much I could say about that Tour...maybe next time I will have time. Well we came back from Rio and had a couple parties here in Belo and then my family all went home on the 22nd. It was one of the bes family vacations I have ever had! It was interesting trying to translate everything for them. At times I would start talking in portuguese with my family and in English with the Brasilians. Luckly many of the Brasilians know english, at least to an extent, so comunication wasn't to durrasticlly hindered. Well this last week I have just been going to school which has been great. The sunday morning I am off agian to travel to the South of Brazil. I am going to Iguçu Falls and varios cities in the south. I will be gone until April 10th, so I probably won't post again until then. Well time for me to get going,
until next time!
-Hope
until next time!
-Hope
Monday, March 9, 2009
Offically an Adult!
Wow! I am officially 18 years old now! As of March 9th 2009, I have become a legal Adult. haha, I don't feel any different at all! Just want to thank you all so much for your prayers, cards, and investments into my life especially since I have been here in Brazil. You are such a blessing to me. I wouldn't have gotten this far in my exchange if it wasn't for your encouragement and the grace of God! Thank you all so much, God bless!
-Hope
-Hope
Saturday, March 7, 2009
They're almost here!!!!!!!!
I am so excited! My birthday is almost here and my family is almost here! Monday March 9th I turn 18 years old and the next Sunday March 15th I am having a birthday party with my whole real family from CO here!!!!!!!! I am so excited! :-D
Well, things are starting to go really well here. I am getting good at the language! (The only time when its still a little hard to understand is when I go out one night with my friends to a loud restaurant and we are trying to talk but everyone around us is talking too! Its hard to understand Portuguese in that setting....) After 7 months, I feel like I am finally LIVING in Brazil. I am getting really involved in a church and an awesome "young singles" type group from the church. It really has been an amazing blessing. The people are so welcoming and really want to talk to me and know what I think etc. It is also great just to be with and converse with people that have the same christian base as me! Its amazing, I can now see how important Church and christian fellowship is in the life of Christians. Well, its late, and I need to sleep! Until next time, I will for sure up-date about my birthday and my family visit! Thanks everyone for your prayers, God is truly answering a lot right now! He is good!
-Hope
Well, things are starting to go really well here. I am getting good at the language! (The only time when its still a little hard to understand is when I go out one night with my friends to a loud restaurant and we are trying to talk but everyone around us is talking too! Its hard to understand Portuguese in that setting....) After 7 months, I feel like I am finally LIVING in Brazil. I am getting really involved in a church and an awesome "young singles" type group from the church. It really has been an amazing blessing. The people are so welcoming and really want to talk to me and know what I think etc. It is also great just to be with and converse with people that have the same christian base as me! Its amazing, I can now see how important Church and christian fellowship is in the life of Christians. Well, its late, and I need to sleep! Until next time, I will for sure up-date about my birthday and my family visit! Thanks everyone for your prayers, God is truly answering a lot right now! He is good!
-Hope
Saturday, February 28, 2009
7 months
Wow, today is my 7 months mark! That is so crazy! Well, last Friday I went to Gracia's families farm a couple hours outside of Belo Horizonte. It was me, Gracia, and Verena and Gracia's family. We stayed there until Wednesday celebrating Carnaval! Normally, Carnaval is a big party all weekend long with people stuffed into streets dancing and singing and drinking, (lots of drinking). Instead of celebrating Carnaval that way, I went to a farm with two of my best friends! It was amazing! We rode horses and went walking early in the morning (during the day it got to a good 90-95 degrees so it wasn't that fun to do things outside during the afternoon. We stayed in the shade for the most part, or inside the house, which also wasn't air-conditioned, ya ok, so it always was hot!) it was absolutely gorgeous! I milked a cow for the first time and helped the workers pick up the large wooden fence polls so they could start planting Cane. There was TONS of bugs, spiders, bees, and whatever you can thing of really, but it was an AMAZING time! Well now I am back in Belo Horizonte, celebrating my 7 months by changing houses. My next family lives close to where I live right now, so that’s good. I don't have to more to the other side of the city again! I am excited, I think it will be a good change. Well lastly, but not least, I am super super excited because my 18th birthday is coming up and also my whole family is coming to visit me here in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! YYAYA! I’m super super excited to see them! And then I have less then three months until I am back in CO. Wow, how fast the time goes! Well I need to finish up packing my things, so until next time,
-Hope
-Hope
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