Volunteering to Beat Karma.

Well, karma is out to get me. I have no idea why, but she's out to get me with her best artillery. Yesterday I fell down the stairs... Today, my back got so sore while I was sitting on the toilet the circulation in my legs cut off. When I got up it felt like I was standing on someone else's legs and I fell over. Guess who's hand just missed the toilet bowl. Thank god. I have some luck left in me!

In other news tomorrow I don't have school! So I'll be going to Cantareia Park to volunteer for the day. I ain't even mad. All the guys I work with there are good looking and really nice people. Here are some photos so far from my volunteering :)

When Life Gives You Lemons.

This book has saved my life over here in Brazil. But in other news I just fell down the stairs. An d no one was home. Thank god I didn't crack my head or anything. Awks bro. But... My ass is in some serious pain.

Carnival & Campos Do Jordao

I know it's a bit late but I thought I would sahre with you some of the things I saw over the Carnival holiday period in Campos Do Jordao and Sao Paulo!

 

 

 Yes, This is a fabulous drag queen.

 After not standing on grass for nearly a month... this was amazing.

Because. Boredom. That's Why.

And this is what happens when you're home having an invisible day. You realise all the pollution in the air is making you break out and is also making your hair fall out. Gonna go bald! Choice bro! So.. What do you do if you don't have a facial mask? TOOTHPASTE FACIAL! I am surprised at how well it actually dries out them tiny mountain ranges living on my face. But I will warn. Don't do it if you have sensitive skin and wear goggles or some s**t because dem fumes sting like a biaatch. You've been warned.....

School Antics

I have to say, school in Brazil is quite different than school in Australia in every way possible. In school, you don't get to choose your subjects, it's just like: Oh this year you are doing 2 math classes, literature, grammatical, English, 2 biology classes, 2 chemistry classes, physics, Spanish, philosophy, sociology and finally physical education. Oh dear lord. The intensity. And they don't have set timetables. At the beginning of the week someone comes around and tells you what classes you will have that week, and it changes every time. GOSH DARN THE CONFUSION.

But, on the upside, the intensity of the niceness of these people is crazy. Even the teachers are really nice, and some are a bit crazy. And, I will have to admit.. Most are good looking as all hell. But, as always, there are some people where you think "Why aren't you in a cave so far underground that light can't reach you?" I mean, I'm not mean but come on.. why would your mothers womb come up with something like that?!

 For example of the craziness I deal with, the Sociology teacher in my first lesson with him said this to me:

"Ashleigh! Do you like Carnival? No I do not like, so much ass. Always ass, too much ass in my face, all the time! No, I don't like"

I could not stop laughing. In the same lesson he wrote on a window because, well, smart boards are way too mainstream. He even taught me how to say 'Ass' in Portuguese. He wouldn't continue teaching the lesson until I said it out loud. I had no choice! Don't be hating yo. In another lesson with him I told him in Australia we don't usually kiss people on the cheek as a greeting. Especially not strangers. My god. His face. Priceless. He looked like he was going to fall off his chair and have a heart attack. So what does he do? He walks up to me and plants a big on on my cheek. OH THE AWKWARDNESS.

He's not the only one. Today, my history teacher asked if Road Runner was from Australia. No, sadly we cannot claim that one :(

BUT, most of all, what really weird me out is that some teachers use microphones to teach their lessons.... in classrooms smaller than in Australia. Yes. I think I can hear you now.

Also, shush about the horrdiness of this horrid photo. It was early in the morning and it's a horrible face for a horrible uniform. Legit. Red and blue, seriously? EWH.

 

Check out mah school yo: http://www.jardimsaopaulo.com.br/site/index.php

Also, I forgot to tell you, the front of my school kind of makes it look like a prison. Iron gates, barbed wire.... security guards. Really instense stuff. Kind of fitting for a school really. They feel like prison, no matter where you are in the world :P

The Beginning of Becoming a Brazilian

How Did I Get Here?

Okay, let's begin. I am a Rotary Exchange Student. Which means a Rotary club in Australia and a Rotary club in Brazil are sponsoring me. My specific clubs are Moranbah Rotary in Queensland, Australia and São Paulo Norte in São Paulo, Brazil. Through Rotary I now have the chance to stay in a foreign country for a year, January 2013 to January 2014. They provide host families and homes, organise your visas and your passport, your plane tickets and everything that you will possibly need. And to better represent Australia, they supply you with blazers and badges, a special little thing Rotary does, so you can swap badges with fellow students from other countries. They even take measures to ensure the safety of every student by providing personal councillors for every student. I would highly recommend doing an exchange through this program!  Now, onto the exciting stuff! 

Also, I will warn, if you are looking forward to my usual potty mouth antics, I am sorry to say that family and family friends are also following this so I must make this family friendly. But... I will make sure to keep it funny as hell and entertaining and informative! ENJOY. 

Life So Far

Seeing I have started this blog a month into my exchange I shall post all that I have done so far in a big fat juicy chunk all at once, and after this, hopefully I should be posting daily or weekly! Also, I'm going to skip over all the boring stuff... Because, well, no body likes to read a crazy lady rambling on about boring stuff. It's quite boring. 

Well, I left Moranbah on the 15th of January and spent the night in Brisbane. It was a good night! We went to Hogs Breath for dinner and were amazed when the smell of a joint drifted through the restaurant. Hmm... Interesting last night. I also got to see my lovely, and most fabulous cousin Christopher before I left, which was nice, I hadn't seen him in ages! 'twas an early night.. Seeing as I had to wake up at 3am the next morning. Egh. Yuck. Only now I realise how amazing that steaks was. I haven't had one since being here! Oh the horror! 

My 16th of January quite literally went for 48 hours. Gosh I was pooped when I finally got here. I left Brisbane at 3am and arrived in São Paulo at about 11pm-ish, with stop overs in Sydney and Santiago, Chile. I also met some really nice people! There are about 28 Australians in Brazil at the moment, dang... We overtaking the joint yo! When I arrived in São Paulo, only my host mother and sister where there to greet me as the other members of the family went home. They to me to a burger place for dinner 'Casa do Hamburger'. I ordered a burger and when it came out I though to myself "Oh.. So I'm just having cholesterol and fat between so buns? That's cool." Swear to god the oiliness thing I've ever seen before. But at that moment I seriously did not give a flying poo, I hadn't eaten a normal meal since leaving Brisbane. FOOD IS AMAZING. 

Monday 21st my host mother Suze took Flor (the short term Argentinian exchange student) and I to a park called Horto Florestal and had a walk around and then took us on the subway  for the first time. All I can say is it turns out I am paranoid as all hell. I was like 'someone gonna steal me!' Haha oh god. Dat paranoia. 

On Wednesady the 23rd, my second host dad (who is currently hosting an America girl, Hannah) came over and asked if Flor and I wanted to go to a football game. No. Not rugby or AFL. Soccer. I went to a soccer game. It was São Paulo vs. Bolivia... São Paulo won. But dang. The referees were escorted on and off the field by none other than the RIOT POLICE. Goddamn riot police people! Haha intense. 

26th January! AUSTRALIA DAY! And... Lauren's 20th birthday. I am a bit peeved off that I missed this fantabulous day. So... T celebrate from afar I woke up and had a Vegemite sandwich. So good. Later that day my host father (that whom shall not be named) took us to Catavento Cultural e Educational centre today. It was kind of like a high school science display, nothing that impressive. But the building? Dat some damn fine architecture.