District 7430 Youth Exchange - Rotex

We have hit overflow status already and its only September. New post will be in the overflow section.

i missed you guys alot today.. mostly in the mornings and evenings are when i am sad...or when someone in the house does something that reminds me of home.. like today when santiago made that daffy duck sound to the baby like dad used to do to me.. stuff like that...and i cant eat a thing when i am sad..i feel nausous ( thats soo spelled wrong) .. and i was really sick the past two days with a sore throat, runnynose. headache, and no apitite.. and it sucks when u cant think of the words for ¨i feel like shit and dont wanna go shopping¨ but i am better today.. also we went to the beach the other day and i got to ride/ drive a quad...a HUGE one... esteban..the fiance of my hermana was driving it and let me go too...we went all along hte beach and he explained how to work the gears.. it was sooooo cool and after i got the hang of it i sat in front of him and drove!!! everone here thinks its crazy that u can get your liscence in the states when you are 16.. but i wouldnt want to drive here even if i could... the streets are bad and people drive like crazy..and they dont understand why i wear a seatbelt when i am in the back seat..lol... thanks for the update on everyone..sarah..i hope your dress is great for the fall dance. mom, i wore my new dress today to the baptism of laura...the baby.. and it was soooo short... but it was hot enough that i didnt care.. the baptism was for about 30 babys at once.. diff from the states.. that book the rotary ppl gave me is more helpfull than i thought..i find myself reading it just cause it says exactly the right stuff...

school is going ok too..i have a group of friends..and they are all cool.. i walked home thurs ( didnt go on frii...) with these two guys from my class. all the same ppl in my classes..and they wanted to know all about the other countrys i have been too...and whick i liked best. the rolls ppl in school play are the same... not to be steriotypical but there are the ¨class cloun¨s¨the ones that make the teachers life miisrable.. the ones who like school.. the jocks.. the girls that DO their hair.. its kind of funny..i dont understand everything they say but i get whats going on..

OMG julie.-..!!! ong the first of sept ii opened the first package!!! I LOVE the calling card..i will use it when i can.. and once i get a min by myself without my hermano and sobrina around i will write you.. and thanks too everyone else for the letters..they made getting on the plane soooooo much easier.. sarah...i hung up the picts in my room...same for emily.. and sarah fishman..thanks for the pics of my ¨birthday present ¨from while we were in costa last year.. i had fun tryin to explain that in spanish when i opened it with my hermana... and the glitter is all over my bed...

i love getting your emails.. i can only check past 8:30 here... 1030 in the states.. and not every day..but i miss you all and am looking forward to your call tommorow mom.

Okay, this is going to be short, because it is nearly 10 PM and I have an insane ammount of school tomorrow. my schedule on wednesdays and fridays makes me wish I went to Brazil, where the kids seem to go to school less. Its really like a profession here to be in high school. Tomorrow, I have a non stop day, from 8 AM to 5 PM, not including the hour it takes me to get to and from school. But anyway onto the pictures...

And here, my friends, is where we part. If anyone wants a non-shrunk image or is for some reason intrested in the rest of my pictures, send me an email and I will find a way to send these gigantic files.

After long plane ride to Buenos Ares and then a 9 hour wait for the next flight to Comodoro Rivadavia, I arrived to meet most of my host family and my counselor. Once we arrived at the house I was greeted by friends of my host sister, Casandra. They were all nice, and there was also another student from France, who spoke pretty good castallano(Spanish). I was exhausted and in need of a good shower. After a little time to get change, I went into the kitchen to talk with my parents and counselor, while eating empanadas. After a little while my counselor left and I went upstairs to talk with my host sister and her friends. I finally went to bed at about 1 in the morning, which isn’t that uncommon around here. I slept for a good

13 hours or so. The following day I learned about my family and spoke a little bit with them, and ate asado (meat that is cooked over ashes- usually cow, lamb, and or pig. So for the next two days I didn’t do much besides eat, watch TV, and talk with my parents. On Thursday that week (aug. 25) I had my first day of school. Everyone is pretty friendly, and EVERYONE kisses. I went through most of the day utterly confused, except for math, while the students asked me about the U.S. and me. It was so hard to understand them because they speak really fast and use a lot of slang.

So for the following week until now, I have made plenty of friends and have been asked to go to dances and parties several times. For the first few days I said no because I had just got here and wanted to be more comfortable in the town before I got out to do anything like that. SO I finally agreed that this Friday I would go to one of the girls birthday parties, and then to the dance. Oh and on Wednesday we played soccer, I mean futbol, in gym class, and they thought I was good enough to play in the tournament this Sunday. Wahoo! I mean these kids are so good that at three years of age could’ve schooled any one of the players on my high school team in the USA.

Last weekend we (my host mom, sister, Carolina, and I) went to the town near by called Rada Tilly (where the kid from France lives) and walked on the beach. Then after a little, we decided to go up into the mountains that are right next to the beach. Or should I say, that surround the beach. The view from that high up is amazing. I could look out onto the ocean and down onto both of the towns... I love it here so far, hey I don’t even have to do chores or house work!!

i went to my first full day of school and it was terrifying! first off, i went yesterday with my hermana melina and met everyone...i am in 10-3 because here school starts in feb and ends in dec... lets see how that translates into CR north transcripts...so i will graduate from 10th grade...and be a seinor here in 11th..they only have 11 grades. i went to the math class yesterday and had to stand up in front of the class and tell them about myself in spanish..its kind of nice not speaking the language cause i understand enough to get bye but not enough to worry about the small stuff..its hard to explane..and if you thought i spelled poorly before i went..now i am doing spanish and english..so just wait..lol. so today was good in school.. i went and this guy who i met yeterday met me at the entrance and we went to class together..OMG i have a uniforme!!!!!!!!! its a blue button down shirt and navy blue pants... with navy socks and black MARY JANE SHOES!!!!!! i havent worn them since i was five!!!!! but everyone else wears them too.. i didnt understand alot in my first class but then i had physics and i got more of that.. i think we have done some of it b4.. and i have bio AGAIN!!!! i was trying to explane in spanish that my favorite class is bio but i dont think i got it across..and they have enlgish class too.. best class ever! after school this girl roxy asked me to come to her house to go out dancing? and i went but i didnt understand that with the 7 other ppl there they were learing a dance for a perfomance... they couldnt pick a song so they got jlo ¨lets get loud¨from my ipod.. and i learned the dance.. havent done that since i was 5 also.. it took me forever to learn the dance but when i did they asked me if i wanted to perform with them on friday..!!! this friday!!! at a show! i am all for doing new things and reaching out..but i was reaching out just goin to the firls house.. i was so exausted from school..omg you have no idea how hard it is to translate EVERYTHING all day long..and then to get up and have someone WAKE YOU in spanish and be like ¨what?! omg i cant even have a min in enlgish.. no one understands me...¨but its ok ..i am learning soooooo much here...i am make myself understood almost all the time and undertand most things.. i have to miss class on fri to go to the aiirport with melina and will miss class... but in viernes there are only classes in the morning... so i wont miss much..it was that or go sleep over one of the english girls houses... i´d rather miss school.

o and kati there are lizards all over the place ...and parrots and monkeys.. no joke

WOW!
It took me a long time to post. I haven't had the internet.. so... that's my excuse for now. And everything here is absolutelz beautiful! So much freedom and beauty... I can go from wandering around the woods in Frohnau to shopping in Tegel with only 2.10 E and fifteen minutes. It's a beautiful thing. I ride my bike everywhere, and it's pretty cool, a really old red bike with a leather seat.. it has so much character! Right now I'm struggling with this key board because the y and the z are switched, and all the symbols are in different places. Which makes for slow typing. But I'll try to get it all out. So. Here goes:
I left the airport on the fifteenth, after leaking a few tears and being hugged endlessly but thankfully by my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, and my best friend. plus the hugging of p granny (in da hiz-ouse! woot, woot, raise the roof!) which was also good. Then I sat next to a complete stranger for seven-ish hours, while fighting tears of excitement and fear, you know, that bittersweet type thing. I ran through the airport in Amsterdam to catch my flight to berlin, while the airline was busy losing my luggage. (thanks, klm!) phew. So then I took a little puddlejumper-type thing to berlin where i stood at the luggage claim for a good half hour wishing that my luggage would magically appear. When I finally decided to go and try to find my host family, they were all looking for me, except Christoph and Momo (the dog.) So, I'm standing there wishing I had someone who knew what was going on when Christoph comes up to me and says "em... Christine?" (SAVED!) So then we went through and got to the lost baggage thing and they sent my bags to the house by the end of that day. Which was good. So, then I found that I have my own little apartment downstairs where I have my own desk, a good stereo system, my own bathroom and shower (which is good... very good. right dad?) and I was supposed to have my own computer but there was a problem with the internet connection and so I'm using my host dad's laptop. and, hmm. hilights...
I've been going to a lot of rotary meetings which are interesting considering that they were my first german public speaking experience... so i got to hear other people speak as well as introduce myself (kind of) and meet Ashleigh, the other American exchange student from Iowa.
On the first weekend I was here, we went to a concert in Potsdam called Schlossernacht (Castle Night). It was a classical concert among all of these beautiful old palaces and.. simply gorgeous. and there was a lovely firework display that was set to music and it was all just absolutely lovely. (though nothing compares to setting off firecrackers with dad, alyssa, alex, billy, and the lansangs.)
Then that same weekend.. er.. was it last weekend? I don't quite remember. No, it must have been the first. but anyway, christoph took me to a house party that was a lot of fun and people were very interested to know if we americans all owned cattle farms and ate nothing but mc donalds. and, of course, they wanted to know what I thought of Bush.. (oh.. dear...) But it all turned out good. And no, I haven't been drinking too much... it would have been bad to come home drunk. very, very bad. So, yeah.
and then this last weekend I went clubbing with Ashleigh and the girl who is living with her, Claudia, who is in college and needed a place to stay for some reason.. I dunno the details. So that was fun except I was inadvertently burned by someone's cigarette. but even that wasn't bad, I can't even see the mark anymore. but yeah.. they smoke pretty much everywhere here. except my host family doesn't.
And... hmm... I started school, technically last week, though I only went two days due to an array of different circumstances and only one of those days consisted of not following Christoph around to his classes. and now I'm taking a lot of English and Art and Gym. plus german classes and such.. and soon I'll be starting extra German classes to improve my not so good German skills. soo.. there's that. and I'll be taking some extra art lessons too, because that's just fun. And right now I can't really think of anything more to say, probably because my fingers are hurting from this keyboard... the y and the z are switched and the symbols are all over the place. but.. meh. it doesn't matter because I'm in GERMANY! AND I'M ALIVE!!! AND IT'S AMAZING! so.. yeah. comments, letters, etc... greatly appreciated. life is good when one gets a letter from friends or family.
Much love from the land of sauerkraut and wiener schnitzel! (which, incidentally, i have only eaten once, and it was last night, and it was absolutely delicious! mm.)
Christine

While on the vineyard, I played with their grandchildren who were 5,6,8 and 9. We played on mopeds and with remote controlled cars. I was caught off guard when the youngest kid, Paul, asked me with complete seriousness <> And there went my cover! All I could respond with was <>
Yesterday, I got picked up by Sylvie and Michèl Piqueral...my first real hostfamily. He is a neurologist and she works with the handicapped. They live right in the city of Bourges, in a beautiful old house. Unfortunately, I am having a lot of trouble understanding their French because they speak so quietly and fast, but I am learning! I am actually pretty comfortable with my French, if I really pay attention I can pretty much understand what is going on and reply somewhat intelligently.

Bourges itself is so cool. It is like the stereotypical French movie set. The streets are old, narrow and cobblestone. The humongous cathedral is stunning. There are bakeries and cute little stores everywhere! I have yet to go exploring much, but I can't wait!

A cool French Fact of the Day: In France, instead of calling police pigs (as some do in the US), they call police Les Poulets  (chickens).

Well I must go now and register with the prefecture of police and buy an electricity adapter...

Write back! Although I can't promise I'll respond, I will try! If you have any questions, ask, and I will answer them in my next letter.

-Zach

8/25/06 from Aishah

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of my arrival here in Teresina, Piaui, Brasil. Over the past month I have been to 3 different cities and have traveled to two different beaches. I truly love it here! I feel very blessed to have been sent to such a wonderful family. They have made me feel very much at home and very comfortable in my new surroundings.

Since my arrival, i have made a ton of new friends, who are so nice and fun to hang out with. My favorite person here has to be my brother Lucas though because he has introduced me to so many people who have become my friends and he always takes me with him on the weekends. At the beginning of August I began College where I study law. I really like it because I am taking Sociology (which I love). I understand what the teachers write but it is difficult to understand them because they speak very fast. The kids in my class (48 in total) are really nice to me and have made me feel very welcome. They always ask me to do things with them on the weekends as well as work with them on projects. On my one month anniversary they all took me out for ice cream during our break! It was soo much fun. My schedule here is very relaxed and so i have felt a bit lazy, but now i have started to build up a schedule for myself. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I attend Capoeira class which is a dance-like martial art. I love it and feel very in tune with what i am learning. My teacher says that my flexibility will help me move up quickly and this week i will recieve my uniform. I have to work very hard to learn the moves and to earn my belts, but i am looking forward to the challenge. I also enrolled in a gym and will go there 3 times a week with my sister and then 2 times a week i will attend yoga class. This week i will also begin private portuguese lessons. I will attend them every Monday and Wednesday. I can´t wait to start. The language is so beautiful but it is very difficult to speak because the conjugations are much more difficult. However, with the help of a teacher I will be able to say more shortly. For now I can have a small conversation and I know lots of vocabulary. From August 16-21st I attended my first Rotary Conference in Recife, Pernambuco. It took 17 hours by bus to arrive there. The first night I stayed with a host family with 2 other exchange students. I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend Raissa Vianna at Pizza Hut. She was an exchange student in my District last year. I was also able to meet up with one of my best friends Ashleigh, also from my host district. We spent the weekend with 40 other exchange students at a beach called Maragogi. It was absolutely gorgeous! We stayed in little bungalows right in front of the beach. Students came from the USA, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Canada. We had an orientation and also enjoyed walking on coral reefs, seeing a Capoeira presentation, watching folkloric dancing, and learning to samba and forro ( a traditional dance for our region). Some of the highlights from the past month include: Seeing 2 concerts, Ivette Sangalo and Armandhio; Going to Super8 and The Club, two popular discotechs; being featured in the paper with my friend Ivan for our fashion sense; My host mom bought me a cell phone and plan; I went to Maragogi and Luis Corrhea beach; I made pancakes (thanks Goatie) and they love them! Here are some answers to some of your questions.>What stores do we have? We dont have any of the stores we have but most of the products are similar and they carry many american items.What fruits do you have? We have all the same but several others that we dont in the USA. Here it is much fresher and I actually like the fruit alot.What restaurant chains do we have? We have a McDonald´s but that is the only chain we have here. In Recife they also had Pizza Hut (it was really good!) Interesting things: Hello Kitty is really big here. Women pretty much wear heels 24:7. Even though its really hott,we wear pants or jeans all the time. Teachers are called by their first names only. My wash gets sent out every 2 weeks (so it was good i brought so much clothing lol). Instead of Myspace they use Orkut. Everyone in my city likes to study...alot! Maybe I will adopt this habit for next year. When you buy something it can be broken down into payments no matter what the product is. We have all the movies we see in the USA but it takes a little longer to get them, but when we do they are in English with Portuguese subtitles. My family has directTV so i can still watch some of the shows from back home. Other than that if you have any questions just ask, i will answer them in the next newsletter and i am still working on the pictures so be patient.I wish everyone a great month and goodluck with highschool, college, and life in general. Hope all is well. I love you all!

Tchau! (bye)

Aishah B.H. McNeil

8/24/06 from Alexandra Nally in Italy

hello everyone!

It is around 1115 here now... I arrived in Milan this morning and it has been quite a long day. I flew over with 6 other exchange students from the east coast-- they were all very nice. One of them is in Milan and another one is right outside of the city. Speaking of the city, its rather dead right now. Apparently, EVERYONE in Milan goes on vacation in august. Even most of the stores are closed. It is very pretty here though, a lot prettier than i expected. my host familys apartment is gorgeous... every room as a balcony and there is a courtyard with a huge garden. Tomorrow Im going to St Moritz, Switzerland with my hostfamily... that is where they spend the summer. My host family is SO nice. My host mothers name is Alessandra and my father is Lucca. I have a 15 year old sister named Beatrice. They are all so funny... theyre speaking English to me for my first day, but after that they are going to switch to Italian. What everyone says about Italians forcing their guest to eat is completely true. I arrived at the house and was fed right away-- and they do have wine with every meal. after lunch i took a nap, and when i woke up my host mother made me espresso. that stuff is so strong. then we went out for gelato, aka heaven. when we got back home i unpacked and then we had dinner. i just realized that a large portion of the email is about food, so ill save you the details. im sorry for the lack of apostrophes, i cant find them on the keyboard. i hope everyone is well and i will write again as soon as i can!

alexandra

ps im not sure if i got everyones email address... forward it to anyone i missed!

8/23/06 From Elizabeth Johnson in Ecuador

Hi John!  I hopefully will have more access to internet from now on.

I{m doing well in Ecuador!  I arrived without a hitch and my family met me
safely.  They took the time to show me the city I arrived in, Gwayaquil, and
then the areas surrounding my host city, Portoviejo.  My family and I get
along REALLY well which is great and a relief.  The food is totally
different and I{ve had some stomach problems recently but I^am acclamating.
I don{t eat huge quantities of meat and chicken frequently so my stomach has
just not been happy-- and im pretthy sure i just ingested a bag bug
somewhere.  At meals I ask for smaller portions and an apple for a snack and
both my family and I are content.  I like everything but I can{t eat it in
the quantities they do.  My spanish speaking skills are far worse than one
would think after many years of study but my reading, writing, and
especially comprehension are much better than I thought.  My speaking is
improving quickly.  Currently im at the home of my counselors, Patricia and
Gustavo Solorzano  using their internet.  They are just like the Rotarians
there so I know i can go to them about anything and that{s what brought me
there today.  >I stopped by randomly to talk about my switching schools and
they were totally fine with that and we talked.  I{m switching from teh
Military school to one that{s less disciplinary and more sports oriented.
It{s called Manabi Tecnologico.  My counselors live really close by to me
which is great.

My host family has totally adopted me as another daughter.  The older
daughter of the two, MariaElisa(18), is leaving for Belgium on Sunday.  My
younger sister(8) is happy to have me around and I like her too.  I haven{t
met many people outside the family and their relatives but I know I will
soon.  The only big issues for me so far have been the food and changing
schools.

I{m starting school in September and I have my first Rotary meeting tonight.
  I{ll be presented along with the others so I have to speak a little bit
about myself.  Ecuador is much less developed and about as little developed
as I expected it to be.  I guess this is sort of how I pictured Cuba would
be like.  It deffinately helped that I{d seen movies like The Motorcycle
Diaries etc. in order to have a picture of what the area and aspect of
modernization is like.  (The ecuadorians themselves like to describe the
cities in Ecuador in terms of "modern" or not "modern".) This is my first
trip to South America-- latin america in general--  and without a previous
exposure of some sort I would have been shocked I think--not shocked as in I
couldn{t funtion--shocked as in I might have required more time for
everything to sink in.  OK so moral of the story being that any type of
beforehand exposure students have to the country/area they{re going to will
help-- even just watching movies.

Please contact me at this email from now on because >I am having trouble
accessing the other email address. I have to be quick b-c internet is by the
minute but I{ll talk again soon. (You can post this on the Rotary website if
you want.)
Chao!

Elizabeth

8/23/06 from Mike Libor

Oi Amigos,

Wow, already 1 month. Time flies down here in Brasil.

Well, to update on everything thats been going on the past few weeks.

First, school is still easy. Im understanding alot more which I think is pretty good. Today in history i took my first test and for every question i put Eu não sei (I dont know). Im pretty sure im going to get an A. All my friends from school are still intrested in teaching me the bad words. #!##!, X!#X!#X!,XXXXX!..just to name a few.

After school I still play basketball at the club and soccer on my brothers team. Speaking of soccer, yesterday was our first game and we won. I played goalie and only let in 3 goals. They were all cheap..every single one, the man was offside. But w/e..we still won.

Other than all that, my lifes been pretty good. Every day i see something that reminds me of someone back in the States...that really sucks.

Well, hope everyone is have fun like i am..and dont miss me too much!

Chao,

Mike

8/23/06 from Jen Linehan In Costa Rica

so i am in my new house with my ¨family¨they are really nice and the

house is HUGE and beautiful..there are two schools here and they want

me to choose which one i go to..i have no idea..one is the private

school and it is REALLY small.. but cool..and then there is one smaller

than coucil rock but its still good.. my mama dosent want me to go to

the public school a little because there are alot of drugs there and

the teachers dont have much control i think thats what she said... so

they want me to choose.. the smaller one has about 8 kids in a gradeadn

they think i might get a little bord with that stuff there.. and it

costs $.. and the publis school has deportes muy bien. i met some of

the kids from the public school at a baskitball game ( I CANT WRITE IN

ENGLISH ANY MORE!!!) asand they are really nice. this one guy

especally, his name is serhio and my family likes him so he will make a

good friend. we sat for about an hour on the buss ride home fro mthe

game talking about music in spanish. they have good taist in music

here. and food!!! omg rice nad beans at all meals! i love it!" and in

the manana they make 4 big pots of food and thats waht you eat for the

rest of the day.. just like in lebanon jill!

they although my house is really pretty they dont have hot water here..

i dont mind cause i take showers in the morning and it wakes you up

better than anything else! lol ..freezing cold water ..lol.. my family

is SOOOOO nice.. they speak mas despasio so that i can understand and it helps alot.

i have one sister (melina) and another (melissa) and alvaro is the

fathers name and hte brothers too.. they had a party for me when i first got here.

it was in the garage which is really pretty..its blue tiles..the whole

house is. there were alot of people there and mostly chicos. i met this

one guy gustabo who is super nice and speaks english and spanish. he

spoke in spanish and when i didnt understand a word he said it in

english.. there are alot of other guys here that went on exchanges to

america and they speak a little enlgish but not enough that they speak it alot..

so now muy brain hurts from thinking in english..love you all

jenn ( i mightn ot write that much because i am trying not to.)

8/17/2006 from Alyssa Cole

Well first of all, hello to everyone! Your all either my friends, fellow exchange students, John, or Frau, but either way, You are on my quick list for my Swiss updates

Well, I^ve been here for dazs now and it is prettz awesome, except for the kezboards, which obviouslz have the Z and Y buttons switched. I just can`t get used to it.

I have pictures, but I haven`t had the will to install my picture loading program thing. Yesterday, I went to Luzcern, which was beautiful, but I was only in teh über touristy part with all the watches, tshirts, and swiss army knives. Another time for the rest.

So far, I think Baden is the most awesome place, there`s not a bunch of touristy stuff, it has an awesome shoppping area, and lots of cultural stuff going on. for example a blue grass concert on the 16th-and I thought I had escaped American country, but it is literally everywhere, especially on Radio. They play songs I`ve never heard before and probably will not (and hope not) to hear again.

I lived with my counsoller for a few days after comming here, my family was in Nicaragua paying a visit to relatives. It was really neat actually. His family is extremely nice. I basically colored with his two year old daughter for 4 days. Maule was pretty much the only thing she said that I could understand, that and Hundli and Katzli, which are puppy and kitty respectively. We went to Castle Lenzburg, which was really beautiful and impressive.

On I think the second day I was here, my counsellor`s wife took me to her neice`s birthday party. It turns out her brother translates plays for his wifes (?) acting school. April 16th is guess what? Arsenic And Old Lace!!!!! In Swiss German, which I do not quite yet understand. He said last year, they did Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Forum. It is amazing that I keep meeting such nice and intresting people.

I started school yesterday. So far I have been to a Geography, French, English, Math, Wirtschaft und Recht, Music, Theater (apparently I am an actress now), and histroy classes. I have yet to go to Chinese, Sport, Biology, Chemistry, or Aksentfach. Going to school here is like having a full time job. It takes me about 40 minutes with the bus to get there and about the same back, when you add in homework, the time is really crazy. I learned I could sing in music today. The school I go to is an old monestary, so the rooms all echo a lot. I could actually hear myself sing during music. I am not half bad.

The food here is amazing, but they eat about 30 times (slight exageration) what I eat at home. I swear that I politely refuse food half the day.

tonight, my older host sister has a going away party, she leaves for a year in California tomorrow. People donot really seem to have huge parties here, which I really like. It is always just entertaining one or two people for an evening. Also, the polite thing seems to be to kiss another persons cheeks 3 times, but they dont really impose it on foreigners. Of course teenagers do not really do it either.

Everything is really expensive here. I went to go buy a folder for school that I could get for a dollar at home and it was 2.50 francs at the cheapest. I heard some canadians at the rotary meeting saying coke costs 5 fancs\dollars, but I have not bought one honestly. For one, coke tastes different around the world, for two, the water here is so good. I cannot explain it, but it is. So I drink that and some really good white tea.

Thats all for now, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them, no matter how stupid, cause I have time to answer. Seriously, ask about the toilets and door locks for all I care (both are different)

With love from Switzerland,

Alyssa

08/17/06 from Ashleigh in Brazil(or is that Brasil)

haha john thanks for putting the picture up on the news letter. At first i thought the red jackets were a little much but in the airport everyone new that me aishia and mike were exchange student because we stood out in the crowd of other exchange students. Everyone asked if we were from Canada, i guess everyone from canada has the red jackets haha, we all had to explain why we had the red jackets, aishia said that you blamed her for them, everyone thought it was funny!

8/8/06 from Jen Johnson in Peru

Subject: Whee! Updateeee

Okay, it took me a while to remember all the email addresses, so the email itself is going to be a bit rushed.

I apologize now for the over use of "haha" in the last email. It was an excitement thing.

Now! About Peru!

I think I'm going to come back with a permanent lip print on my cheek.

Everyone kisses. And coming from America where people are a bit closed, it really makes me feel welcome. Every house in Peru has some sort of courtyard. Because it never really rains in Lima, they're usually just right in the house. Taxi's and buses are cheap AND convenient. However, they're not in great condition for the most part. And it's a experience to put 6 and 7 teenagers in one taxi. Yes, I've done it. 2 people on laps one

in the back where cargo would go. No where ever checks I.D.'s...EVER. We went into a casino looking for my host mom while we were in the Chinese part

of Lima and no one said a word.

I start school tomorrow...there's something about an interview with the director of the school. Eeeep.

I've been all over! We went to San Francisco's Cathedral and went into the catacombs..we went to Government Palace. I went to El Museo de la Nacion.

They had an exhibit on the terrorists that were in Peru from 1980 until 2000. It was pretty sobering.

Oh jeez, I had this all planned out and I've forgotten most of what I was going to say...

I haven't gotten homesick yet. Instead I'm getting understanding sick.

Like, going from being articulate and understood to not knowing what ANYONE is saying or how to say what you want to say is tiring and frustrating. I can't wait until I can speak fluently.

I've been invited to my family's houses! It's pretty awesome. Anyway, there's alot to say, but I'm out of time. Seeeeeeee ya!

Love always,

Jen

8/6/06 from Mike Libor in Brazil

Oi everybody,

Wow, its already been 2 weeks and im having a great time.

First Day: I arrived in Brasil around 9:00 AM on Sunday July 23rd after a very long time sitting on a plane. I was so excited to actually be in a different country all by myself. Boy would that change..quickly!  After I picked up all my luggage, I said chao to all my Rotary friends from the plane and than I went to go find the people who were supposed to pick me up. They were waiting for me right outside of customs so it wasnt to hard. After we got to know each other a little bit, we took of to the local bus station because to get to my city we had to take a 6 hr. bus ride there. About half-way, we stopped to get something to eat. Thats when it hit me...im with people I dont know very well and im in a foreign country. I started to miss my family and friends very, very deeply. The rest of the bus ride I held&nb sp;all the tears that I wanted to let out. At around 6:30 PM, I finally arrived in my city..Sao Jose Do Rio Preto. There to meet was my Rotary chairperson here in Brasil, Tania, another exchange student from Germany, Julie, and some of here friends. Everyone was so friendly! Than we went to get something to eat. Food is different, but it is muito bom. Finally, I got to go to my new casa. I arrived a few hours after they arrived from vacation in Argentina. I took my luggage up to my room and that when it happened...I started to cry like a little baby. My host mae let me phone my mom in the United States..thats when the crying ended. After that call, I talked with my host parents for a little and than I went to sleep because I didnt get alot through the plane ride and the bus ride.< /STRONG>

Second Day: Woke up around 8:30 and went to get breakfast. My house is pretty big and I like it alot. My family is so nice and they help me with everything. Once my two brothers, Tulio (11) and Enrique (15), wake up, we talk about what we want to do today. We decided to go play a game called Bache. Very fun game and I am good at it which is good.  At around 1:00, lunch is served by the maid Grassa. She is so nce but she dosent speak and English like the rest of my family. Lunch today is rice, black beans, salad, and some tasty beef. I never knew I liked beans so much. After lunch I go unpack my stuff.  Than we go to the mall with my brother and his friend. The mall is nice and nothing like the one in Willow Grove. By the time were done at the mall, I am beat. I get home and than I go wa tch TV or play PS2 until dinner is ready. I forget what was for dinner but at that time, I learned that school starts in a week...UH-OH!

First Day of School: Well, school is alot different than the ones in America. I go to a private, Catholic school which means I go to bible class and church on somedays. School started at 7:30 and goes to 12:00. YAY...only 5 hours. The first day I dont do much excpet pretend to listen. All my classmates are very friendly and always crowded my desk to try and get to know me. Today I made my first friends in Brasil. When I get home, I dont do much yet.

Week Two: Typical day: School, basketball, and soccer. I play basketball at my local country club and I play soccer ony my brothers team. They call me The American Gringo. Very fun week.

The food in Brasil is very different from America. Every lunch there is rice and salad. The carne here is amazing and the fruit is fresh to def yo! This week will be my 3rd week in Brasil and I hope to continue my fun times here. I will keep in touch.

Chao,

Mike Libor

8/3/06 from Ashleigh Cook in Brazil

hello everyone!

i just wanted to inform everyone how i was doing! Brasil is the most amazing place i love it here! the people are so nice and they love exchange students, i thought that just because i am from the united states people would think that i am just another person,, well not here i am the only one in my entire school i mean entier school that has naurally blond hair ( now say i dont stick our like a sore thumb, but its okay i am different). My family consists of my mom( christina) my dad(wilson) my older sister ( Sofia) my younger sister ( raquel) my younger brother ( vitor) the maid ( lennie) and the two cats. When i first arrived i didnt know what to think i was tired from LONG plane rides ( yes rides i had to take four planes to get here!) i was scared, hungry but most of all nervous ( i really hoped my family would like me) but then i kept thinking to myself well who wouldnt like me i am Ashleigh Cook! ( hah just kidding) When i arrived at the airport my family was waiting with a little sing that had my name written on it. we hugged took pictures then we were on our way home. My new home for the next year! On our way home i noticed that no one stopped for read lights, i was thinking to myself well its after 1 am maybe its the law noone needs to stop for red lights! thats awesome they should have that law in the us! the real reason was ( mother i am not coming home i dont care if you are scared for me, cuz i am not haha) that in the city of Recife there is a lot of crime on the streets at night especially after midnight, so no one stops at the lights so they do not get robbed ( my sister has been robbed 5 times). so i dont think i will be leaving the house after 12. Anyway, the next day i woke up at 7 at night i had slept for 15 hours!! what is interesting here is that people take their time off of work and school to sit down with their families and eat a meal together ( just twice a day), i have noticed that it brings their families together, a lot closer! The second night i was here my host sister took my out with her friends, i had so much fun i felt like it fit in right away!

The food,, oh my god the food here is so good ( i can admit half the time i have no idea what i am eatting it could be bugs for all i know but everything i have tried i loved) haha candy i could not see you eatting the food here you are so picky about the chunks in your tomato sauce haha i love you though!

I started school today the 2ng of august! it is a small private school,, oh and the uniforms that we have to wear are not cathloic school girl uniforms ( thank god) they are just jeans and collared shirt that has the school logo on it. I am in the 2ns year on the high school here which is like me going back to junior year, yeah i am the oldest one! but i dont mind. One of the student ( i forget his name) he was a former exchange student in the us and he showed me around the school and sat next to me in all of my classes and tried to explain what the teachers were talking about i just sat there took notes and pretended i knew what he was saying but i had no idea, the class rooms stay the same all day but the teachers move to the students, so he was introducing me to all of his friends ( i am noticing that i am making friends really fast.) which is a good thing because i am not homesick yet and dont get me wrong i miss everyone at home but i love it here and i dont think i will have a big issue with homesickness! ( the was the one thing i was worried about when i was getting ready to leave) I am not on the computer that much only to write e mails and other than this one i make them pretty short.

I have found a club here where i will be swimming , eaither by myslef or with a small team i havent decided. As much as i hated swimming this winter ( let me refrase that i hated swimming for you know who mr. graham) i am wanting to get in the water and do a hard practice. I feel like i am gaining weight so i just want to swim in an ourdoor olympic size pool!

So all in all it is beautiful here, i am already having the time of my life and its only my first week!! i am anxous to see what the rest of the year has in store. i love and miss everyone i will keep you posted through out the year!! i want to send a group e mail at least once a month if not twice!

so tchau from brasil!!

Ashleigh

on and my portuguese is really not getting any better it is better for me to listen than it is for me to speak, my mom quizzes me everynight after dinner so i pretty much know all of the food and utensils and stuff but i am learning slowly.

8/1/06 from Jen Johnson in Peru

I´ve only been here a day and I´m loving it!!! Minus the keyboard being

REALLY different. I left yesterday at 7:30 in the morning and didn´t get

through Lima´s airport until about 12 or 1 am. But everyone was there!! It

was awesome. Some people from the district came and greeted me along with

my family. I took pictures and all five of us, (mi hermanas, madre, padre,

y yo) woah..sorry. haha (my sisters, mother, father, and I) piled into a

taxi. They are THE craziest drivers, EVER. haha. The city is AWESOME. I

met my brother and dog when I got to the house. They made me chicken con

abrasa and french fries. Jeez, I keep wanting to say the words I know in

Spanish. : D

By the way, you haven´t lived until you´ve watched The Simpsons in Spanish.

Haha. The voices are NOTHING like they are in the States..that..and it´s in

Spanish..duh.

Today we didn´t wake up until 1:30 Pm. Haha. They eat like 4 meals a day.

I´ve got to say, if I eat something else I´m going to explode. Even the

milk tastes different. Haha.

I live near the "centro-commercial" or the business area. There's a (haha I

found the ' key..YAY!) department store near me. I'm not allowed to leave

the house without someone with me though. It is pretty obvious why. Haha,

I exchanged my money in the airport. There's something about giving some

money and getting more back.

I start school on...August 10 I think. They're on vacation now.

The Rotary meetings are on Wednesdays at 9 pm. I am going to go to them

with Katty because she is part of Rotary.

Oi! I'm loving it! I cannot wait until I can actually converse with my

family enough to not be going "Que?" all the time. Haha. Katty speaks to

me in English and I answer her in Spanish and "slowly" doesn't exist! : P

Well, I am at an "Internet house" because their computer is being fixed at

the moment and I have to go. Everything is so cheap! Haha <3

Love,

Jen

7/25/06 from Aishah In Brazil

Hi everyone! Today is my first day in Teresina. After flying for 20hours i was very excited to be met with my entire family and;my counselor and a rotarian at the

Teresina Airport. The beginning of my trip started with Ashleigh and i checking in and meeting up with our friend Mike and two other Rotary girls named Jenna and Leah. Our flight got delayed for an hour but then took off and then the D.C. airport closed all incoming flight because of the storm but then we finally landed and were met with thirty other rotary exchange brasil bound students. Then we boarded the plane and flew for the next 10 hours and chatted and had an awesome time. Once we arrived in Sao Paulo it was beautiful but very very crowded and the buses were too full for

us so we had to hurry and pay for another bus. Then we drove an hour to the next airport where we stood in line 3 hours for our luggage to get checked in and then we went to lunch with rotary members who gave us hamburgers, fries, and the best brasilian soda ever! Then Leah and i spent 3 hours waitin for our next flight because it got very very delayed. Then she left me and i flew again. At the next airport,in Brasilia though, the delay caused me to almost miss my flight so they had to rush by van to my next plane. Once on board i felt so excited because in just 2 hours i was going to arrive in Teresina. Once i got off the plane my whole family was there and it was sooo exciting. However only one of my bags made it that night and today i got the other one. My family is sooo nice and they are very relaxed and basically we live in a mansion. My room is huge and i have a really big closet and a big bed and desk and everything. The house is absolutely gorgeous my bathroom is glass inside and i share it with my sister Ana Teresa. Today i woke up

at 12 pm haha and i got a shower and then rodrigo and lianna and tons of other family members and the food was sooo awesome. Then we talked for awhile. My house is behind huge walls and so we have a large back yard with lots of mango trees and palms and a large pattio and a very large pool. My host mom, Ana, she designed the house and my room is next to hers. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and fun. I´m having a great time so far and learning alot. Yesterday i got to go to the mall and to the Supermarket. The city is beautiful but, all the houses have to be behind large walls for security. They are trying to find me a portuguese teacher and we are looking for classes for me to take during the day so i don´t have to sit at home. You cannot use the buses here or walk because it is dangerous, so they drive me to the places that i need to go to. Last night Iulna (grandmother) she came over and we did our questionaire, and she also is fixing my necklace that broke while at the mall. Here, they do not eat breakfast so i eat cereal alone because everyone is at work and the brothers sleep very late. But at lunch which is at 1 pm everyone comes home and eates together for a long time and it is very nice. The food is very good and the drinks, but they think i do not eat much but it is only because i am still adjusting and i promised i would eat more. There are lots of fruits, especially ones that we don´t have in America and they are really really good. The maids don´t talk ever. lol and we have a dog that has to stay outside and two parrots that never stop talking and they are so beautiful and funny.

We have high speed internet at my house so i will be able to check my

email more often. I hope all is well back home.

Aishah B.H. McNeil