Oi,
Tudo Bem.
Since I last updated, I met my father Miguel. He is very nice. I had my first day of school this past Tuesday. My school, Liceau, is very cool. Like most places here, the school building was built to be open. In the middle of the building is the Cantina, where during any of the three breaks we have, students can go and buy whatever they want. In this same area, there in no roof. Theres patio furniture and ping pong tables all in this court yard. I believe on Thursday, during lunch students on the second level were thowing chalk at the students in the courtyard, Cantina area. There were no teachers to stop them, they didnt really care. haha..this are so layed back. Eventual, a janitor/hall monitor person came and told them to stop, but no one got into trouble.
High school is structured differently here is comparison to the states. Here, there are three grade levels of high school. They are called grades 1, 2, and 3. I am in the second grade at the begining of 2010 I will be starting a new year in the third grade. My class is made if up kids who are 15 and 16. Really, they do not look so young. Most of the guys already have facial hair, something that did not develop for most of the boys in Monroeville until Senior year. My class mates are very nice. I made friends with a boy named Ettore who will be leaving on Monday for boarding(spelling?) school in Switzerland on Monday...his choice. Ettore is fluent in English and in Samba. This past week I spent much time with him. He took me to his dance class where I learned how to Samba.(this was actually my second dance class of the week, the first class I learned how to Foha...not sure of spelling...another traditional brazilian dance) Apparenltly I was born to dance hahaha I picked up very quickly on the steps. Ettore introduced me to many of his friends...my age, who he happend to know through his english class. Language classes are not through schools here. Many students pick up languages as extracurriculars at language schools. Very cool. Most people here know at least a little bit on english as well as some other foreign language. I am so excited to be learing Portugues. Anyway, with these friends I went to a bar, and then a dance club. Both places were so much fun. Yesterday with these same friends I went to a birthday party of a girl named Jesica. This girl, along with most of the people I have come to know, has an awesome house. Her downstairs was also part of her outdoors and only half had a ceiling. The food their was amazing, it was actually a fondu party. Mmmm....i am going to be fat.
There seems to always be something to do here. Everyone you see is happy. Brazilians know how to live. Piracicaba is also a very romantic place. It reminds me very much of Italy in that respect. Roads are not very smooth here, but there is business every where you turn unlike towns like Monroeville and Bellevue and Norwalk or Sandusky and Toledo where it is easy to find an empty building. Something like Walmart would ruin Piracicaba. I hope it never comes here....
Well, the weather is getting warmer. For a while I regretted not bringing my favorite sweater, but now I believe it was right of me to leave her at home.
