pantanal/bonito: the condensed version

things I did:

waterfall/water-war rafting
zip lines into the river
swimming in six or seven waterfalls (lost count)
safari in the Pantanal wilderness
ate alligator meat
horseback racing
clear-water snorkeling
quasi-spelunking (not really I just love that word)
tree climbing
so much hammocking
bird spotting
night-time capybara/alligator adventure
wilderness walking
piranha fishing

and that's just what I can remember
my brain is slightly addled from all that dicking around we did in Belo Horizonte waiting for our plane.

also:
I was published! check it out! http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/10/23/coverstory3.html (guess I was wrong Ian; Eugene is small enough to care about one exchange student...though Bandon takes the proverbial cake still...)

I have a stupid tanktop sunburn

I got bit by a mysterious black bug which hurt like the dickens and my leg swelled up

I have cuts all over my legs from tree climbing and horseback riding

I caught nine piranhas while fishing

I danced YMCA, Eye of the Tiger, and Best Days of My Life with a bunch of exchange students (along with Créu and Piriguete but that's obvious)

held an alligator's tail

I found out cigarettes are apparently not counted as drugs amongst Terra Brasil folk, I guess cause Europeans love their smokes

I watched five movies on the bus ride to Belo (1408, the Illusionist, Love and Other Disasters, Shrek the Third and Blood Diamond... all pretty crappy movies but who cares?) also watched Crash, School of Rock and American Pie: Beta Version

learned a few words: 'mit sahne' in German, 'hygge' in Danish, 'ti wu don don' in Taiwanese, 'du er fiks' in Danish ('with cream', 'comfy/familiar', 'suck my balls' and 'you are cute')

I sang parts of 'Colors of the Wind' from Pocahontas in English and Spanish (with Becca and Andrea, the American and Mexican girls)

Tried roasted açaí ice cream

bought gifts for people

got insesently teased about being American (by two Canadians no less)

we had kids from Germany (seven), Denmark (eight), Canada (five), the States (four), Taiwan (two), Thailand (one), Finland (one), France (four), Mexico (one), Australia (two), Belgium (one), Hungary (two), making 38 in total.

held a tarantula and 'sapão' (big frog)

I have so many pictures it's ridiculous

hoje

I have too much I can do. Today I don't have school, but I could go to Rotary, capoeira, bible study with Marcus, and a show tonight with Larah. I can only do one... the show or the others. I also need to go to a bank. Friday I have pretty much free, but Saturday I have to be at the airport by 3 at the latest, then by 11 I'll be in Belo (after a stop over in Rio).

Pica Pau (Woody the Woodpecker), Tom and Jerry in Portuguese, the debates in Portuguese and Brazilian soaps (which seem to just be makeout sessions on beaches and couches for the most part). I also watched Ocean's Eleven (Onze Homems e Um segredo - 11 men and a secret, translated...why it couldn't just be 'o onze do Ocean' is beyond me), Johnny e June, and the Pursuit of Happyness are the only movies I've watched so far. So there's the media update.

Rotary update: Last weekend was the Rotary club Interact Forum meeting, which started out pretty tedious (sitting around sweaty in plastic chairs wondering what the hell was going on) but then we had the festa brega, it's a party (obviously), and 'brega' is a brazilian word for things that are not often used, kind of retro, except not cool... kind of an obnoxious dress party. I know, but it was cooler than it sounds. it was pretty sweet (pics soon... it should be noted that Brazilians love to gather for giant group pictures so there's tons of those now). they are all on orkut though (orkut is basically a Brazilian facebook), so I'll see about getting 'em up here. We have two boys from Canadá (Macall and Greg), several Americans (Zoe, Sherise, Kelsey, me, Cambria, Kyle, Alexember), lots of Germans (Sandra, Kevin, Sven, Michael, Leonie, Anna, Marieke), some danes (Sofi and Mathilde), one Taiwanese girl (Ivy) and one Bermudan (Capri).
we had another American, but she got sent home.

Also I'm changing host families on the 29th (Sandra will be moving to the Rochas). As such, soon my address will be invalid.. I'm sure Paulo will forward mail to my next family though, so no worries.

Happy birthday again Sky!

I will put more pictures up when I get back on the other computer.

Clacilda Souza Moura Andrade - Praia da Armação 40 QA10 - Res. 3379-7805 / 3379-0824 Tel. Com.3249-9284 / 3249-3507
that's my new host family
:)

oh and dad if you read this, yesterday was "Dia dos Professores" (Teacher's Day).. tô com saudades de você, pai...

escutei na música se chama 'pai e filha' de novo (Father and Daughter, from Wild Thornberrys). it made me want to cry. :( miss you (you too mom and evan and jade)

and I just figured out where Marcelo put all the music he gave me. about 500 songs, all of them in Portuguese. gonna have fun going through that lot...

"tchau, I have to go now" (those are the lyrics of a song here, and for some people their english is limited to that and 'the book is on the table' <-- hahahaha)

-- m

eu fiz...coisas

piercing the old rabbit ears (old picture)
pedro and me at Itacimirim

In the next few weeks: I am going to an Interact forum from the 10th to the 12th, then on the 15th I am taking a PSAT test at "Escola PanAmericana". The 18th is the beginning of the Pantanal/Bonito trip, which goes until the 27th... then on the 1st of November I am going to a big concert just outside of Salvador.

Portuguese update: I still have no Portuguese class but no one seems to care... I am functionally able to communicate difficult concepts to my host parents (peanut butter was a bit of a challenge without an example), and I can carry on conversations in Portuguese (mostly by the good grace of those who have to put up with me).

I am watching TV in Portuguese, and trying to keep up with the USA elections. I hope things are going great, you guys better elect Obama or I'm going to have a tough last half-year here...

you know what's really good? coconut popsicles. they are always out of 'amendoim' (peanut) but I will try it! castanho is good too. I have a long list of things I love here, too many for right now... later.

Que saudades Lara!! Tô c/ muito tristeza sem você...cê precisa visitar aos Estados Unidos...especificamente ao Oregon!!! o próximo ano, certo? Tá bom??

--tchau galera

-- m

ps. mom and dad, you should visit when you're allowed to. I want you guys to meet Pedro, Paulo and Rosa. :)