This has probably been one of the most eventful weekends of my exchange. It was my first weekend with my new family and I couldn't have more of a positive outlook for the rest of my time here.
On Friday the weekend was kickstarted by us going to the mall and getting my new carry on for the Amazon trip I have coming up here in April. We stayed there until about 10:30 just talking and eating in the food court after. It was really comforting to be there with them and having actual conversations. Afterwards we just went home and relaxed.
Saturday morning I woke up early to catch the bus to see my exchange friends. I went to the neighboring city to visit a few exchangers from Mexico, Germany, and the Czech Republic. It went really nice. We went to eat lunch and just shop around for a while. I got home at around 6:00pm and directly afterwards we went to eat at their friends house. We all hung out around a fire and made a delicious churrasco. I laid in the hammock and talked with everyone until about 1:00am when we left. I was exhausted. (And stuffed)
We then woke up at 5:30am...5:30AM!!! At 6 we all headed to my host brothers mountain bike competition. It went so well! The weather was perfect until about noon, then it was just unbearable heat. The weather was balanced by the pool at the neighbors house we went to. After the event we went to eat at another friends house. It was so good! They had the cutest puppy and they were just the nicest family, we all talked for a few hours and watched a movie. It was hard to leave that puppy, but at the end of the day it was nice to lay down and sleep.
Monday was a holiday for my city due to it being the anniversary of the establishment of the city itself. No school! That's all I heard when I found out. My friend Fabiano and I decided to make plans for the day because we hadn't seen each other in months. We went to the mall and ate and just had a very relaxed day. We got to catch up and window shop. I missed days like those. Before we caught the bus home we went to a local park which happened to be sponsored by Rotary! It was a beautiful park and many people were there enjoying on the nice 80 degree day.
I had a great weekend and it has boosted my mood so much! I really am grateful for the people here and the opportunity to have this family as I start preparing to leave. I'm sure this entire exchange will end on an amazing note. The harder it is to leave, the better! In my opinion, thats the definition of a successful exchange.
This is my friend Fabiano and I heading home from Blumenau on Monday
This is my brother Thiago at the biking event. He did great!!