Kestral Johnston - Two weeks!

Hey Everyone!
So I have now been here about two weeks, and wow, time goes by fast! I've experienced many things, such as my first week of school, futebol (soccer), and a waterfall. My first week of school was very different than what I am used to. Here, I have all of the subjects, and you can't choose your classes. The teachers are the ones that move rooms, while the students have their own classroom. I have 12 meninos (boys) and 4 meninas (girls) in my class including me. And let me say, it does get very, very loud! The teachers here seem fine with the noise at times, and it's very laid back here. They have also been very patient with me and my slowly progressing Portuguese. Whenever I need help, I can ask the teacher or another classmate to explain to me, which is very nice. I have about 14 classes, but some classes are the same subject, just divided.  For example, Portuguese language is divided up into literature, grammar, and writing. School only goes until 1 PM here, so after it ends I go home and eat lunch. Lunch is the big meal of the day here, similar to dinner in the USA.

On Sunday, I went to a waterfall about three hours from where I live. The river that creates the falls is called Rio Piracicaba. It flows through the state of Sao Paulo into the Tiete River. This is the river that flows through both Campinas and Sao Paulo, both are cities of over a million people.

I started soccer this week with my school, and I hope to be able to attend many practices. I tend to be very busy, especially because my host sister, Livia, is leaving soon for her exchange in Turkey. We are going to Belo Horizonte on Thursday. It is located in another state to the east of Sao Paulo called Minas Gerais.

The language is getting easier as I am being completely surrounded by it everyday. I'm trying to learn just something small or basic each day, and I believe that is helping a lot. It's much easier to focus on one small task than a million at once.

I have also gone to two Rotary meetings. The city here has two clubs much like Steamboat, one on Tuesday and the other Wednesday. In true South American fashion, the meetings start at about 9 PM and go until 11:30 PM! All the people have been very friendly, and I even met an exchange-student-to-be and a rebound (one that just came back. That's all for now! Tchau