Brasil

my flight
Well im not really sure where to start. it was a long 2 days, but definately worth it!
After spending a night in chicago with my family monday i left for atlanta, my first layover. my flight to atlanta got delayed which made my layover in atlanta about 20 mins until i had to be on my next plane for sao paulo. thank god ali and pedro were there to help me! i give them a lot of credit for me being here, if it wasnt for them id probably be crying, alone in an airport because i missed my flight!
anyways, my flight to sao paulo is where i met alex. shes from north carolina and shes an exchange student who lives in the same town as me. shes another person i give credit to. we had a 6 hour layover in sao paulo, she made it a lot more enjoyable than it would have been if i was alone and the 11 hour and 4 hour flights! so after finally landing in recife and getting my 293856 pounds of luggage i met my amazing host family for the first time! they were holding signs that had my name on them and they all had the biggest most welcoming smiles! garanhuns is about 3 hours away from recife so packed up my stuff (which barely fit in the car, rai, my host dad tried putting all my bags in 3 different ways before they finally fit) the ride home was hmmm.. ill go with quiet. since my host family doesnt speak english and i dont speak portuguese communicating was a little difficult, but we found ways around it.

a little bit about my host family
my dad, rai, does work with computers for a soft drinks company and is also a pastor for a religious group. he has definately helped to make me feel like part of the family! we've spent alot of time so far working on my portuguese. "thank god for google translate" he constantly uses that phrase when we finally reach an understanding of what were trying to tell eachother!
my mom, patty, works from home as a chef i guess you could say. i dont know the exact name. she has also been a huge help! She has such a huge heart and is always making sure i feel at home. and even though we dont understand eachother at times, we still find a way to get our point across. Shes showed me around so many places already and is helping me get more comfotable here!
my brother, thomas, is 5! hes so adorable! hes been helping me with my portuguese ALOT! weve been studying flashcards and listening to justin beiber, since thats his favorite! hes always singing and dancing "baby baby baby ohhhh" you cant help but love him!
my brother, noah, he is 2.. and just like thomas you cant help but love him! hes soooo cute! hes muito timido, in other words hes very shy.. we love to watch go diego go! just like any other two year old, hes full of energy! :) thomas and noah get along so good, they are very close with eachother!
my sister, karis, is 16 and currently lives in denmark! she is an exchange student also.. she has been soo helpful since before i even got here! shes given me great advice and gives me all the information i need to know about brasil! karis is allowing me to stay in her room while im here and i couldnt be more greatful to her for that!

day 1
When i woke up patty made me breakfast. it was hot bread with cream cheese and melted cheese in the middle.. sort of like a grilled cheese. Then neri (a family friend/maid) made pineapple juice.. straight from a pineapple sitting on the kitchen counter! it was amazing! after breakfast we skyped with karis. she was the "translator" alot of the time for me and her mom! after skyping we had lunch. lunch was chicken, rice, beans, and salad. another great meal! rai came home for lunch and after lunch we spent some time talking and going over some things in portuguese.. a little later patty thomas and i went to casa cafe and got some drinks and a snack. the drink was called ariano suassuna. it was sort of like a milkshake or sundae with chocolate and whipped cream. but it had a different taste that i loved! then we went to the gym to go do some pilates. i got to meet alot of very nice/friendly people there! after that we came home and i made some portuguese/english flashcards with thomas and noah.. and since i finally got some time to unpack after i got all my stuff put away i decided to write a blog.. so i hope you enjoy it! if you have any questions you can write them somewhere below this entry. but its 12am here and i have my first day of school in the morning, so im going to get some sleep! ill post something soon to let you know how school goes!
boa noite e beijos :*