Eddy in Brazil

Hey everyone, just putting this on the blog to let you know that I´ve moved host-family!
The family has a low income, and we share a crowded little house with 6 people. One bedroom and a room that is like a living room with a kitchen in it. Here is a photo of the bedroom window, it takes a little getting used to sleeping with so many people in the same room and the street light flickers at night.. but i guess we get food on most days...

Ok, I know that was kind of bad taste... I haven´t REALLY moved to a favela...

In fact, I´m only a few blocks down from where I lived before! I´m still in centro de Vila Velha. I am staying with the Basos family. Here is my endereço:

Rua Antonio Ataide, 679/ apt. 302
Centro
Vila Velha, ES
Brasil

Homephone: +55 27 3329-4251

Host-family looks a little something like this:

Pães: Lucienne (mãe), Ary (pai)
Irmãos: Nayara (17), Vitor (15), Natalia (9)
Nearly forgot, we have a dog called Biju!

They look Brazilian don´t they... I have known the Basos family since the start of the year, as Louis, one of the other Australians used to live here, so in that sense settling in is made a lot easier; we are not total strangers.

I stayed with Uziel and Daiane for 6 months and a few days. I am very grateful for their hospitality and efforts to give me as many things to try and explore as possible in Brasil. Although I was officialy their host-son, I see them more as my friends, and I was basically a room-mate, in the sense I lived as an equal among them. They have taught me so many things about life, and I have taken away things from them that will stay a part of me. Cheers guys!

I look forward to staying with the Basos family for the remainder of the year. A new family, a different experience, making the exchange even more worthwhile. Ok guys, signing off now!

abraços para todos!

As much as I would like to sit here and type updates. I´m leading a busy and full-filling exchangers life and it would be silly wasting this precious time behind a computer screen.

The 27th of June marked 5 months for me, since I arrived in Brazil, and so I am more or less halfway there. It´s gone so quickly already, but it seems like a long time to go. People, it´s worth every bit of it. Today, I was talking to my host-dad, Uziel and a man from church Alarcon how missing out a year of university (faculdade) is really insignificant when you weigh up the things I´m learning here. Here I´m doing "faculdade da vida", and that´s exactly right, I´m learning about life, in all aspects imaginable. Experiencing a new culture broadens your vision, as now I don´t just see things the Dutch or Australian way, but the Brazilian way!! Remember Jeitinho Brasileiro...

Since the Curitiba trip I have been lucky enough to have traveled two more times. First to the south of this state to a place called Alegre. Here there is an anual music festival, called Festival de Alegre (seems logical). It is one of the biggest in Brazil that goes for four days and houses all the main Brazilian artists, tons of sideshows and sometimes even international appearances. Not long after Alegre, I went to visit Lucy, a friend from school in Adelaide. She is on exchange with Rotary in Bauru (São Paulo), so I stayed with her for a week. I am now back in Vila Velha, and about to turn 18. You can see how things get crowded can´t you.

I wish everyone well and até mais...