Preparing to Leave Sao Paulo

Ok, I figured how to post on my blog, but I can't transfer pictures directly from my camera to the computers at the internet cafe so I guess no pictures for now until I can figure out a way around that. This is my last week in orientation in Sao Paulo, so there is a lot of work to do to get ready to leave. I have to write 3 1-page reflection papers about places we have visited, and a 3-4 page reflection of the Brazilian culture course. I think I am going to write about our visit to the samba school (Camisa Verde e Branco), the Afro-Brazilian museum we are visiting tomorrow, and the art musuem we are going to on Wednesday. If my papers turn out well, I will post them on here so you guys can read about my experiences here (since I couldn't post to my blog earlier in the trip). And don't worry, we can turn them in in English or Portuguese, so mine will be in English. I probably need to practice writing papers in Portuguese, but they need to be written at an academic level which I know I can't achieve yet in Portuguese. For example, it would probably be like "Our visit to the samba school Camisa Verde e Branco was not how I expected. There were a lot of people there. The music was very loud, and everyone was dancing and signing. There were a lot of drums and dancers in the middle." That's not the kind of writing that is expected from a college senior, and I don't have time to have my teacher and friends help me edit it and rewrite it. And don't blame me for procrastinating (this time), we just found out about these papers last week! Another funny thing is that the students who are staying in Sao Paulo have learned about how to register for courses online, the courses that are available to them, and the schedule. But those of us going to Bahia (the state Salvador is in) have not been told a single thing about our classes. My friend Sarah and I are leaving on Thursday night and staying at a hostel before our orientation begins on Friday. We have a 3 day orientation in Salvador before classes begin, which means when do we register for them?! Good question... On Monday February 13 classes begin and we move in with our new host families. Oh well, I know that everyone else is in the same boat ~~ and from what I hear this isn't suprising about Salvador. Everyone there is much more laid back than the people here in Sao Paulo. Tranquile, Becki, Tudo bom! (chill out, everything's fine!) I think I will like life in Bahia as long as it doesn't drive me crazy first. When I get frustrated, I'll just take my homework to the beach to work on it there! Well, I should probably go so I can work on those papers. I will have to e-mail them to my professor before I leave Sao Paulo, so I will definately be back online before I head to Bahia. Take care everyone! Beijinhos xxx