Family

They Meet…

Brazil, City, Cool People, Exchange Students, Exchange year, Family

Now they are all connected! My real Family and my Host Families. They have relationships stronger than I ever expected. I know the connections will continue my entire life. It’s cool to be able to say that my parents flew to Brazil to visit me after 300 days being away. But I’m glad to have these last few weeks of my exchange to spend with my host families and friends before I go back to the U.S.

I was nervous to have to translate everything back in forth because I know I don’t speak perfect Portuguese. There are a lot of words I don’t know how to say. And when it comes to my family, anything could come up at the dining table. But luckily, I wasn’t the only one there willing to translate. At times, I got to sit back and relax when my host siblings were around to translate. That was my favorite part!

It was shocking to see my family at first almost like a dream, but it becomes more real after they left and my host families continue to talk about them. Meeting my family made it more real for my host families and I believe they will come to the US to visit. My exchange friends were very curious to know if my parents noticed any change in my personality. My family thinks I have “stepped it up” and am a more mature young woman. Of course, when I am with friends and family, I am the same old sarcastic person when we stand alone.

It was awkward to see my parents reactions at first when my host families described me with words like calm and quiet, but then they got to see it for themselves and it made a little more sense. I think its normal as an exchange student to change the ways you act with your host family because you can’t express yourself the same way you do at home. Maybe because there’s no translation in your host language or you are just not that comfortable with them for a first impression to go a certain way.

At this point, I can’t wait for my host families to come visit me in the US so I can show them my country, Colorado and my town! Breckenridge!

Touristic Day in Curitiba

Exchange year, Family, Feelings, Stories

Showing “the family” around this world got me thinking that it was up to me to show off this city. No one else in my family had ever been to South America. Brazil is the first place we’ve traveled as a family where my parents didn’t organize, schedule and plan anything to do. It was all up to me to take them to the famous spots in Curitiba but still, give them a local experience. This city, would not be called a tourist destination, but I wanted my family to see all the things I love about it.

Well, we did get some weird looks. Maybe it was the blinding white legs as we entered the bus or how fast we spoke in another language back in forth to each other. I think the weird looks we got were the Brazilians trying to follow along or understand one or two words out of the whole conversation. It could have also been that we were wearing shorts and flip flops like it was summer when actually, it was winter in Curitiba.

After covering every square foot of the city and seeing every location that meant something to me, we had dinner with each host family. Each night a new host family would treat us to a meal I either suggested or just wanted my family to try. They loved the generosity of my host families. The food was a little different then what we eat in the US, but its good my family was willing to try everything. It’s interesting what you get used too!

District Aniversario

Bands, Brazil, Exchange Students, Exchange year, Family

April 7th,

The annual birthday of my district turned out to be a huge deal…. hosted at one of the most famous restaurants in South America known for seating the most people at once. This dinner was fancy and fun to attend. It amazed me how many Rotarians showed up that are a part of a club with nothing to do with an exchange student. But it worked to our advantage! We were responsible for selling a certain amount of raffle tickets for the final surprise that turned out to be a new IPHONE 7!!!

After lots and lots of mingling…. they pulled out that lucky ticket that turned out to be one of the women we sold it to! What a small chance, we sold 50 out of 250 tickets and ours was drawn. Of course, we didn’t win the iPhone but the woman that did came and found us afterward with a huge smile on her face!

After a huge honoring ceremony to introduce all the different clubs that make up with district we sat down for dinner. The restaurant was famous for Italian food, but if you are not aware restaurants here have a different system. With a party like this the buffet would take to long and then the people at the end wouldnt get anything to eat so they organize it so every table gets a family size potion for 6-8 people and when you finish a plate the servers will replace it with a new one. After stuffing our stomachs we took plenty group pictures and danced on the dance floor all night!

Paradise – Paraiso Bahiano

Beach, Brazil, Cool People, Family, Friends, Places, Stories, Tour, Travel

Itacare has the most amazing beach on our trip! Along with the crystal blue water, very green hills, bright red and pink flowers and huge palm trees, we scored with a spot with lounge chairs and shade made from leaves threaded together at Paraiso Bahiano.

That day there was not a cloud in the sky. The sun shined all day long and kept heating up the sand causing us to sprint on our tippy toes just to get to the ocean. The boys attempted at making a sandcastle, but it was washed away by the high tide. Meanwhile, all the girls walked down the beach to have a photoshoot. If you stand in the right spot you could see hot rocks, crashing waves, the sky, and the palm trees all in one picture. This place had everything, I am coming back again soon!

Make a Wish!

Chruch, Cool People, Exchange Students, Family, Places, Salvador, Tour, Travel, Uncategorized

In Salvador, they are famous for sharing good vibes. This town reminded me of my neighborhood back in the US… every building is a different color. Salvador has a lot to offer, one day we spent getting a city tour about all the history and the next day we were riding a boat out to an island. Salvador is full of very friendly locals. With every purchase, you get a bracelet to tie around your wrist for someone, you are traveling with.

There’s is a place in this city that is covering in these bracelets and it’s on a fence right in front of a Catholic church. There they sell these bracelets in a bunches of 10-20 for very cheap. The idea is that you purchase enough bracelets to add a few to the fence and share amongst your friends. These bracelets aren’t anything high quality, but they all have personal meaning. You cannot tie the bracelet on yourself. A friend ties the bracelet on your wrist and with each knot, you make 3 wishes. When the bracelet eventually falls off those wishes come true!!

FOFO… meaning “Cute” in Portuguese

Brazil, City, Cool People, Exchange year, Family, Rotary

This morning I went and interacted with children that came to the eye doctors on a school field trip. As a part of this Rotary club, it was our project to volunteer to show these kids where to go for an eye test and entertain them while waiting for the rest to finish up. As teenagers, some of the adults just left that part up to us because the little kids were so drawn to our attention. All the kids that showed up today live in a poor area of Curitiba and most families can’t afford to visit the eye doctor for an exam to determine whether their child needed glasses or not. So we took care of 107 different children all different ages Rotary sign , from 2 different schools and it turns out 60% needed glasses. The barrier of the language was not a problem. We helped them pick out glasses, paint their faces and took a couple pictures. The picture on the left is Zsofi (Hungarian inbound) and I next to our Rotarian banner. The picture on the right is a young girl wearing her school uniform choosing what color glasses she wants. They had all kinds of styles in every color for these kids to choose from. This was the end of the boring/most important things that had to be done.

After about half the kids got through the eye exams we brought out the face paint and they all lined up boys in one line and girls in another. All the girls asked for was a butterfly, a heart, a mermaid or a flower and all the boys just wanted a skull. I think the little girl’s masks are “masterpieces” because they drew them themselves so I simply just copied their ideas!

Only spending a couple of hours with these kids went by fast. It also wasn’t enough because they influenced my life and at the same time I inspired them. Today got me thinking about everything I have and got me second guessing everything I want. Today I got to connect with little kids that have never imagined doing what I am here for this year. Because for them, a well spent typical day is playing with their friends around their villages inventing games and what they want to be in when they grow up. I inspired them today because they helped me with a little Portuguese while I taught them English. And now they want to travel the world because we showed them where we are from.

Zsofi and I are two of many in bounders apart of this exact Rotary district. Here in Curitiba, there are at least 30 different Rotary clubs. For those of you, that are not familiar with Rotary clubs… It’s basically the group you connect with and they do all kinds of life changing projects. These projects keep you involved with the community or culture. The members of the club can also be your mentors while you are here. You don’t have to see them all the time but they meet once a week to plan more projects or reflect about previous ones. They are always there for you to reach if you need anything so it’s comforting to keep in touch with what they are doing so you get to know them too. My first Host dad is the president of this club so that’s how I get to be a part of these activities. You do not have to be apart of the club to attend these activities its just how I am offered to be apart as well.

School Spain Trip

beach soccer, Cool People, Family, Host family, Places, Spain, Stories, Travel

This year’s winter break was one to remember. All those years being apart in the dual language program since kindergarten finally paid off. On February 19th, in 2016 I arrived in Valencia to meet my host family at the train station.

My first full day in Valencia we went to the beach with a huge group of friends. It was crazy to be walking around on the beach absolutely fully clothed because it was 50-60 degrees out. Thats warm for the Summit kids but for our host siblings it was still cold so it was unusual to be at the beach in February. They were all bundled up in puffy jackets and scarfs still shivering while some of us dipped our toes in the ocean and collected seashells. As the day went on we rented a soccer ball so we could play soccer in the sand. Splitting up into teams (Valencia vs Summit), we battled to see which team would be the first to score 5 goals. We were expecting to get destroyed right way since fútbol is their main sport. But surprisingly, Summit was the first to score! Valencia unfortunately scored shortly after and continued to score 3 consist goals. We only scored once that match so we decided to have a little tournament (best out of 3). The Spaniards won the first and last match and we only won the second match. So we took the winners out for a treat, some ice cream at Burger King.

Another special day was a school trip to another town called Sagunto, Spain. My teacher that hooked us up with all these cool connections actually grew up there. If you were to have looked Sagunto up its a town famous for the castle built on the hillside. We did not have enough time to walk up to the castle but we did get to visit a theater that was built around the same time as the castle, where they still hold performances to this day. On the bus ride back to school “American Football” was mentioned because they have never officially played before. So they challenged us in a football match in the sand again. So in return we agreed after the football match we all go swimming in the ocean. so this time everyone brought their bathing suits, luckily that day was way hotter then the first time so swimming wasn’t so bad. The water was still super cold but now we can say we’ve swam in Mediterranean Sea with our Spaniards (brothers and sisters) .

Our last night together we had a dinner party then walked to a park to take pictures and enjoy the city lights and stars. We talked about possibly planning a trip for them to come out and visit us next year but its going to be difficult if they come as a school trip because some of the host siblings are older then the others and they move on to anther school next year. We were willing to start funding to help pay for them to come but we still aren’t sure if it could work. That night was not the end of our friendship or even the last time ill get to see them but I am still going to miss them!

When I have the money to afford a trip back to Spain I will make it happen. You would think spending 6 days with random locals wouldn’t be enough time to get attached. Well your wrong, 6 days is not enough days to enjoy your time with new friends in a new place. The morning we all had to get on that train back to Madrid had us all balling our eyes out. You don’t have to be related to be family or have a hard time saying goodbye. Spain has always been a dream of mine to visit and obviously Valencia is not the only city. So I clearly am going to return but that was a well spent FIRST time to Spain. Meeting all those amazing people got me hooked on the idea of finishing school (college) out in Spain. Ive heard the universities here have programs where you attend their school for 2 years then you transfer to one out in Europe. If I am forced to go to college that is something I defiently will be looking into. At this point I want to become a photographer or masseuse for a living so finding a school in Spain wouldn’t be so bad. Valencia will always be in my heart as close as a second family so I know we will reunite again some time soon!

Tanote in Koh Tao, Thailand

Beach, Family, koh tao, motorbikes, Places, tanote bay, Thailand, Travel

Jumping on the back of a motor scooter my sister was driving and listening to her say how she has had a little experience on one of these. I really didn’t have experience driving one at all. Coming down one of the alleys following my mom and her boyfriend, I noticed they took a sharp turn up the hill towards a gas station. My sister guns it a little to much and we head toward a pancake stand on the corner scaring two thai ladies who were running the stand and all there customers. They remembered us every time we drove by and they probably shared looks of warning as they saw us approach.

We rented motorbikes so we were able to go to multiple bays in one day. We went to about 7 to 8 bays for the amount of time we spent on that island. My favorite bay was Tanote. Tanote had so much to do, we spent the most time there. The first thing we did was jump off a rock out in the deep water. The way to get up there was to shuffle your hands up a rope. The rock was about a 60 meter foot jump. Climbing up was easy, but jumping off was harder then I thought after peeking over the side. I was up there tripping about jumping off incorrectly long enough my sister told me I didn’t have to pay her back for what I owed her and my mom would give me money to get a temporary tattoo or my hair braided with beads at the end. I finally got the nerve to jump off and not be a looser and climb back down the way I got up there. Now I can say I jumped off a 60 meter rock in Koh Tao,Thailand. The advice I give you today, is jump off the rock at Tanote Bay. Plus your only in the air with butterflies flying all over in your stomach for 5 seconds and it gives you something to brag about to your friends. Just know climbing up there means you have to jump off in order to get down.

Another activity we did at the same bay was snorkeling. This island is known for scuba diving but my mom is the only one PADI certified. That was the first time we went snorkeling on our own for this trip. I enjoy snorkeling for about 15 minute at a time. Every time I have gone the mask doesn’t fit very well and I am the type of person that breaths out of my nose not the mouth. So to breath out of my mouth for a long period of time is challenging. The fish were very interesting and colorful, the coral was coming back to life so there were spots of purple, pink and green. Coming up for the last adjustment of my mask, out of the corner of my eye I noticed there was a beach volleyball court, net and ball. Nudging my sister asking if she wanted to go play. Both of us were sick of seeing to same fish over and over so we swam back in to play volleyball. Don’t get me wrong, coming from winter wonder land (Breckenridge Colorado) where I live, swimming in the ocean looking at all the fish is amazing but after a while you get bored.

Finally getting to the volleyball court, we passed the ball back and forth. Not being used to it, our arms turned out to be red as the celebrity red carpet. After my mom and her boyfriend returned the rented snorkeling masks they joined us for a 2 on 2 adults against kids game. For sure the kids obviously won. This bay has so many activities to do for so many different types of people I recommend going there in a heart beat. Check my “How i see it” page for more photos.

Spicy, Tuk Tuk and The Grand Palace

Bangkok, Family, Thai People, Thailand

Hungry! We found some SPICY food just down the street. On a humid hot day, spicy food is not good. We got through it by drinking lots of Fanta and water. Kenady had the spiciest Tom Yum seafood soup. It blew her head off it was so spicy. She was sweating and not from the warm temperature. She made an effort to eat it because she was so hungry.

We hit the sky subway shortly after that on our way to the National Stadium and 6 story MBK Mall. The MBK Mall was cool to walk thru as a tourist, but there was so much going on on every floor it was overwhelming. We left pretty quickly.

Leaving the MBK we found a tuk tuk that transported us to the Grand Palace. A tuk tuk is a motorbike with a carriage on the side or back. It was the best transportation experience ever. There is no such think as lanes in this country, so it was like a video game in real life. It was super crazy in a good way.

The Grand Palace is known for the Leaning Buddha and temples. We got there at dusk so the crowd was gone, the sun was reflecting off the gold & details of the temples and buildings. So that was cool too. So much detail. (see photos on the “how i see it” page). As we got to the Grand Temple that shimmered with gold everywhere. We had to remove our shoes and cover our shoulders and legs as a show of respect for the Buddha. A little “monk in training” helped us with clothing to cover up. He was a cute little guy. We tipped him one US dollar. See his photo in my “how i see it” gallery.

Our final stop of the day was the famous Khao San Road where all the packbackers hang out. That road I didn’t like very much because the food smelled awful and every foot along the way, the vendors yelled at you to buy something. Maybe I was just over it because it was a long busy day in Bangkok.

Once we sat down to relax and have drinks, It was interesting to people watch. At last we crammed into on last tuk tuk to get to the subway station and then back to the hotel. Seeing the Bangkok skyline in the subway at night was way cooler then during the day.

At the hotel, I passed out in record time.

The best part of the day was going to Grand Palace and meeting the little Monk. If you ever get the chance to go to Bangkok, Thailand I recommend seeing the Grand Palace.