Down south

Hey Y'all,
   I'm officially here in Brazil! It's amazing! The plane ride down was long but I made friends with several of the other AFS students and that helped to pass the time. Immediately after I got here I was picked up by my family. It was so confusing and overwhelming. I was running on almost 2 days no sleep and suddenly I was with a new family and had no clue what was going on. My first act as host daughter once we got to the house was to break down and sob. Not the best start. On Saturday my counselor came by which led to more crying. Homesickness is a very real thing which is manifesting in the form of extreme tiredness and no appetite. Before I got here I was naive and didn't think I'd be homesick. I was so wrong! All the exchange students I  talked to said the first few months were some of the worst of their lives but after that it was amazing. Some days I'm so homesick I would cut of my right hand for a plane ticket home. It's tough because I speak so little Portuguese so often I have no clue what's going on. I'm slowly starting to understand more Portuguese. My family is incredibly sweet! My host mom Sandra is diligent in teaching me Portuguese and my sister Iza helps translate when I don't understand which is often. Everyone I've met in Brazil is unbelievably nice. They're very friendly and curious. They ask questions like, "have I been to Hollywood? What is my favorite animal? What American football teams do I like? and Do I like Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato?"
       Sunday was father's day. We went to Sandra's brothers house to celebrate. We barbecued food and two of my cousins played Samba music. Iza taught me to dance Samba! They played a little bit of soccer and I played with the youngest cousin who is 5 years old. She's so adorable! She likes to jump up in your lap and babble in Portuguese. She told me I look like Cinderella. It was so much fun and a great way to spend the day.

Iza, Iago, and I playing with Marley.

A new Brazilian friend I met on Saturday.

Fathers day!

Today I started school. Everyone was very nice and willing to help me when I didn't understand. When I said I was from San Antonio they would reply, "Go Spurs!" Then ask about the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers. The school is different from American schools in that it is K-high school. I and the other three exchange students (from Hungary, Germany, and Italy) were led to each classroom to be introduced. The little kids were especially excited to try their english out on us. Class was confusing because I don't understand a lot of Portuguese. I have no clue how to do my homework so for the most part I just worked on my Portuguese during class. On Mondays and Wednesdays school is from 7-5:30! But on the other days it is only 7-12:40. I already made some new friends and was invited to do something for the weekend. Overall, not a bad first day, even if it did last forever. I hope everyone back home is doing well. Tchau!