(this weekend was also the weekend where president obama came to brasil. this was a REALLLY big deal here, all over the news, from his life story, to first lady, michelle and her fashionable style, to all the secruity procedures brasil was willing to go through to make sure "the most important man" was kept safe. Obama wants to strengthen relations with the brasilian government, because brasil has a new president, Dilma, and brasil is on the raise as a international superpower.)
the weekend began at the ungodly hour of 6am where we would all gather at the bus station to travel 3hours or so to a historical city, Tirandentes.
there were 40exchange students, or "exchangers" as i like to call them.
20brasilianns that are going to leave on exchange this summer and
20 "gringos" (foreigners) that have already been here for some time now
i hadnt met the brasilians yet so i was bursting with excitement for them: "where are you going?!" "do you know what city?!" "have you beeen studying the language?!" "i just cant tell you how happy i am that your adventure is just STARTING, this is such an amazing thing!!"
and i hadnt seen half of my "gringos" since september so i was bursting with excitement to see everyone, to have a litttle family reunion, although we were missing four of the "old" aussies that left in janeiro to be replaced with the four "new-young-baby" aussies. i felt like the coool older sister, translating for them since they havent mastered português yet, asking them how everything is and telling little anecedotes about my exchange here and there to let them know, babies, you are not alone and crazy in this world.
so my crazy girl obnoxious annoying laugh was heard from 6am and didnt stop until we alll hugged and kissed gooodbye the following afternooon.
saturday morning, after we arrived and got setttled into the CUTEST litttle "hostel/hotel" we did some rotary stufff, talked about our lives, if we had any problems, liking your family, going out with friends from school, that kinda stufff. afterwards, we had freee time of "adventuring" this litttle town of Tiradentes. this town is spilling with tourism, cobblestone roads, houses of all shapes and colors of the rainbow, and the most curb appeal ive ever seen. just fell in love.
there was a group of us wondering the streets of Tiradentes, some american, some aussies, some brasilians, a german, a danish, a mexican. alll friends.
it was the perfect time of day, before the sun descends over the mountains of minas but after the humid air lifts from your shoulders, allowing you to breathe easier. just perfect.
we didnt do that much, after i think about it. we took millions of photos, of the city and of each other, had millions of litttle conversations at once, in languages and accents all different from what we have always known. we walked up and down millions of little roads, admiring the charm and character of this historical town. walked on millions of litttle cooblestone, history under my feeet, more history than they teach you in school.
i walked into another church, yet ANOTHER chruch that took my breathe away ..where i just wanted to BREATH ..and take it all in. take in every moment that i have here. not digging into the past or poking into the future, but be present. right here, right now, with who i am with, and try to remember every detail of every moment. (amen)
later that night, everyone came back to this church which had one of the best views of the city, where we sat and listened to the guitar being strung, the laughter of our peeers, and the exchange of cultures being made.
the moon was full that night (as a "mineria" (people from minas gerias) we said that the moon looked like cheese, a full beauitful chesse. we love our cheese here in minas.)
if i learn anything from exchange, its that we are all the same. wherever you come from, whichever language your tongue speaks, whatever corner of the world youre from, we are the same. we all laugh at the same stupid jokes, have a common ground of boys, think that this world is wayy too beauitful and mysterious not to see every inch of it, and have the same desire to find love, excitement, and meaning in this life.
the following morning, everyone wake up, tired, and had to practice for our presentation. the next meeting, in april, we have to present for our district. so we start off with typical brasilian dancing: samba, forro, axé etc and finish with funk ..a dance that is for the nightclubes. you would think that the brasilians would take center stage for this one, since they are masters of this dance.
nope, ariana, americana, broke it down, dropped it like it was hottttt, did the stanky leg, everything! all.by.herself. ..thinking that MANY people where behind me.
embarrassing.
we left after lunch, already missing eachother, missing this city, and excited for the next and probably the last time we would all be together..
