Lots to talk about.

Yes yes lots and lots to talk about.
For starters, last night I changed houses. I am now living with Sergio(Father), Lee (Mother) and Rodrigo (brother). The change is a typical rotary change. Through out the year exchange students are required to live among three different families and these changes take place about every three months. Wow, time flies. We're told (exchange students) that changing houses can be difficult and what not, but I have known this family since my first day in Brazil. If you recall from my earlier posts, I have traveled with them a couple times before once for my first Brazilian wedding in Sâo Paulo and also my first trip to Guaruja. My things are not yet put away, but I am already feeling a comfort within my new home. As for the Valdrighis, they were a perfect beginning family and I feel like I will miss them. But there are already plans for them to be at my future wedding and I will be seeing them often, especially Lucy, through out the rest of my stay here.

So, with in this past month, it was impossible to keep a routine. Between Palavras Crusadas (the play) and Guaruja and just typical "intercambista" things, the almost usual routine of dance classes, and Portuguese classes was ignored. Last Thursday I returned to my Samba class after atleast three weeks of missing it. The class ended a little bit early and more people started showing up to practice for a performance they will be giving on the 12th of this month. I had known about the performance before hand, and was invited to participate but declined the offer because I knew I would not be able to participate in all of the practices. Well I waited behind to catch a glimpse of what my fellow dancers would be performing and to my suprise my name was called by my teacher and I was directed to a spot on the dance floor. Honestly I did not really have a grip of what was going on. I was thinking that for some reason he just randomly put me in the show. Life here as an intercambista is all about embracing randomness and ignorance so like always I just went with the flow, not attempting to ask questions in my broken Portuguese that would be sure to cause confusion among the Brazilian dancers. I practiced with them, easily using the steps that I had learned before and putting them to a new sequence, impressing many...possibly discouraging a few. The practice ended and Lucy was there, so I asked her if she could ask someone what was going on. In ended up being that I was just filling in so that one of the dancers could have a partner...but then it happened that the dance teacher asked me to be in the show. He asked me to attened a practice on Sunday...with the thought of paying for costume I gave him an indefinate answer and left. I decided later that night that I wanted to participate and so on Sunday attended another dance practice and then attended to on Monday. The early practice on monday was a private lesson with my dance teacher. He decided that I would be dancing the Foha..(I would have preferred samba or waltz). After the lesson, when Lucy came to pick me up she mentioned to him, as she mentions to almost everyone we meet, that I sing. With just the right amount of cohersion I sang for them Oh Holy Night. After hearing me sing he pulled up the programs for the show on his computer and asked if I would sing for free or if I required payment. Ofcourse I told him for free...hoping in the back of my mind for some free dance classes...and he got all excited and wrote me into the program making for an international show. Yay. So I will be singing, Once Upon a December from the movie Anastasia for the performance..and on top of all this excitement is the location. All of this is going to take place in an old(leaks when it rains), but beautiful Ball room theatre. The first time I saw this theatre I said to myself that I wanted to perform there...and now I get too. I am very very happy about this...very happy.

The third big news..well the above definatly takes the cake, but I find it worth mentioning that school is over for me until Feburary. I am very happy about this as well. I am excited for Christmas here....and I am hoping to go see my sister in Peru during Christmas time as well.

Lots and Lots of things..

Thinking of my loves back in the states.


Things that I have Noticed
-I am beginning to forget how Americans dress
-Brazil does not really have a film or tv industry...TV here consists of US made movies..US based series and about 4 or 5 Brazilian soaps...with ofcourse Local News