Hey, so, I thought it must be about blogging time again. I got back yesterday from a rather loooong 4 days of more sitting in buses than anything else. Actually it was the AFS orientation in Porto Alegre, but the buses have consumed all of my head space so I can't think about anything else. There's only so much bus one person can take, and 17 hours over one weekend is a wee little bit too much. Brazil is a big place, with terrible roads...

So anyway, orientation. It was just so nice to have the opportunity to chat with other exchange students. In english... The orientation sessions themselves were nothing to write home about, but oh how wonderful it is to be able to talk and be understood and understand people and ah, sigh. I've missed that. Also helpful for my self esteem was that when people spoke Portuguese they mostly talked slowly and simply, so I understood everything. I begin to think maybe this learning Portuguese thing isn't impossible after all. (Though my newfound confidence was somewhat shattered by eing asked to write about the history of New Zealand today, and realising I don't know the past tense. So I wrote history in present tense. Very badly)

Look at the pretty!

I think going to Porto Alegre was a reminder that I needed that Frederico does not represent the whole of Brazil. Just like I would hope we wouldn't judge New Zealand based on a month spent living in Levin. There's a whole lot more to Brazil than the tiny sliver I have experienced. Also I didn't realise how much I missed the sea until I saw it again. New Zealand is a beautiful place... But so is Brazil. 

I'm sure I had way more that I wanted to blog about, but now it's all vamooshed from my head. It's amazing how normal this life in Brazil is becoming. Blah, I have no idea what I wanted to say. So I will just post this anyway. Enjoy the nothing, my lovelies