Portugal? Sim! Bring It!

OK well since I last wrote nothing HUGE has happened. There was Lenni’s birthday, mothers day, and other random things. So the Friday after I last wrote I went to Fado with Ally, Inga, Oda, and Ines. I don’t know if I have mentioned yet, but fado is the national music of Portugal and can only be found in Lisbon, and a little in Coimbra. So I was with my friend having coffee and I lost track of time and was late for leaving. So I was supposed to meet them at 8:30 down town, I didn’t end up getting there till 9:15. They left without me because the table was reserved for 9:30 and they had to walk there. I ran around up and down the steep hills and stairs of the Alfama(literally RAN) looking for it, 20 minutes later I found it, albeit I was about to collapse haha. But when I got in I sat down with the rest of them and we ordered our food. Inga and Ally got fish and the rest of us got Aletejana Pork, which is really good. So then after we finished eating we listened to the singer. The building we were in was a cavernous ex-church that is really small and intimate it was great. At about 1 we left and walked down to Hard Rock Café so Oda, Inga and Ines could meet up with a friend. Then me and ally left for home. The next day I don’t really remember anything major happening, I remember it was fun, but it was probably just me hanging out doing nothing lol. So then the following week of school was boring. I did nothing haha big shock there… then on that Friday night I met up with my friend Marc and we went to El Corte Ingles and we watched the movie, “We own the night” it was great I really liked it. The next day I just ran around the city back and forth pretty much ALL Day, it was exhausting haha. So I when I got home from that at about 5 I laid down and slept for 3 ½ hours. Then when I woke up I ate dinner then met up with Katrine and Lenni at Cais Do Sodre at 11. After that we walked up to Largo do Chiado and met up with Taylor, Alex, Sarah, and Filipa. We then headed up to Barrio Alto and just hung out all night. At about 3:45 I caught a cab and headed home. The next day was had really nice weather and I went and met up with Ally, Ali, Dodo, Neo, Jolene, Annie, and Alyssa at the Vasco De Gama mall and we hung out there and in the area until about 5:30 when everyone headed to their busses and trains to home. I went with Neo and Ali and took them to Campo Grande and put them on their bus to Benevente. After that I just headed home and did nothing. Then on Monday I woke up early and met Ally at Rato at 10:30, and we caught a bus to Belem. Once we got there we went to the giant fountain in front of the monastery and we set up her camera and we shot our Video Postcard for AFS. It took a few trys but we got it. Then after we went to Pasties de Belem, which although I know I already said it it bears repeating they are the best food on earth. So after she came with me to my house and we made a giant salad for lunch and then watched TV and at 2:30 she left and headed to school. Then of COURSE the rest of the day at school was mind-numbingly boring. The next day it POURED the entire day, so I just went straight to school and straight back after it was over. Then today, so in the morning I had gym. We played volleyball, which Portuguese people have NO skill at, so I am the best person in my class. My teacher was talking and chastising everyone and said that the only two people who actually move to the ball and aren’t afraid of it are Joao and Carina, he didn’t even mention me. So the rest of the class I just kept spiking the ball while imagining it was that parvoloto’s head. Then I had Portuguese class, which I got in trouble in for not reading the paper he gave me, well sorry I can’t read medieval Portuguese; I mean medieval ENGLISH is hard enough give me a fricken break.  So then lunch, nothing interesting, then math again nothing interesting. Then I had Portuguese for Forieners and we just did crossword puzzles the entire time it was fun. Then after me, Nikolai, Alex, and Dodo headed to the Saldanha Residencies and had sandwiches and then headed to Baixa Chiado. When we got there we went to the AFS office, because Nikolai had to give them one of his receipts . Then after we went to the mall and just hung out and talked until about 6 and then we headed over to my house and just sat in my room until about 7:15 when they all left. Then I just sat and watched tv. Then when the Manchester vs. Chelsea game came on I watched that. For those of you who don’t know (which is most) Chelsea is the team I cheer for so this was an important game. I sat there and watched all 120 minutes. I ate dinner infront of the tv and everything. After that it was the penalty shoot because it was a tie. It was 2-2 and my host dad came in and told me to go put my plate in the kitchen because by leaving it sitting on the couch I was dirtying the couch. I said just wait a few more minutes the game is almost over, and plus the bottom of the plate is clean, that’s not where I put the food. And then he yelled, “NOW DO WHAT I SAY!” so I did. Then when I was in the kitchen he came up and said, “you do not talk back to me” and I said, “ well im sorry, when I came into this house you told me if I had a problem to speak up, and the ONE time I do I get yelled at” and he said “This isn’t a problem this is just you showing your lack of education and manors.” Ok all of you know that you do NOT say stuff like this to me, I snap. And of course, I snapped, “Oh, so I have the lack of manors well then again I guess anything compared to your darling 16 yearold son is bad manors, so maybe I should start to pee in the toilet and not flush, and fail all my classes, and become a white supremacist just like him. Huh? Is that what you want?” (that white supremacist is a TOTALLY different story and way to long to get into) So he turned a color of red that I have never seen and told me to go to my room so I just laughed and walked out and said, “oh darn, you are making me go to my computer, I am SO sad.” Then I slamed the door to my room. And now I’m writing this, and my team lost. So yah today was actually very fun. I finally talked back to my ass hole, self centered, imbecile, asinine, self righteous bastard of a host father J (pardon my French, or in this case maybe its Portuguese.hehe).

So the previous weekend was a four day weekend. It was supposed to only be 3 but my one class I have on Thursday was canceled, and Friday was the day that celebrates the day that Portugal was freed from the communist rule. So Thursday I just hung out with some friends in the day and had coffee and talked. In the night, about 9, I went and picked up Katrine at the boat station (her hosts drove her to the other side of the river, and she took the boat the rest of the way to Lisboa).There we met Joao and then went with him to his house in the Alfama. He lives in Evora but his family has a house in Lisboa. So when we got there we made our gormet dinner, Tuna and scrambled eggs. At about ten Joao left and walked to the nearest subway station and picked up Ally. Then Katrina got dressed and ready to go out. While we were there Joao mixed up some Vodka and orange drink. I tried it, the first taste wasn’t that bad but the after taste was horrible. So it ended up only being Joao and Katrine drinking it. At midnight we left the house and got on the subway. We split with Ally half way to our destination since she was heading home.  Then we got off at Cais Do Sodre. Katrine wanted to stop really fast at the Copenhagen bar, since she is from there. We walked in. and the waitres came up and asked what we wanted, and Katrina said, “oh im from Copenhagen!” and the lady said,” I don’t care where you are from, what do you want to drink.” Then they started to ask for drinks, and they had like nothing, only vodka straight. So we just left and headed to our destination, Boutique in Santos to meet Joao’s friend. It took along time to get there since Katrina was tipsy and kept stopping. Once we finally got there Joao called his friend to ask where he was. He told us he was back in Barrio Alto, which is where we came from. So we headed back once again. Again it took along time since they kept wanting to stop. Once we finally got there we met up with his friend and just hung out, it was about 3, by that time. At 3:50 I said my good byes and caught a cab home. The I woke up at about 11 and left the house at 12. I caught a bus from Saldanha to the Cais do Sodre train station. I got my ticket and sat down on the next train. I ended up sitting next to a family from PAULSBO, washinton, what a strange coincidence(that’s where my uncle lives). I talked with them for a while and then got off at my stop. Once I got off I headed to Daro’s house and met up with Taylor. Then we went swimming in his pool for a while. About 40 minutes later Annie, Lenni, Alex and Dodo showed up and we headed to the beach. We just went swimming, made some PB&J’s and talked for a while. At 8:30 when the sun finally went down we said goodbye to Annie and Dodo and the rest of us headed to Daro’s house again. We just talked, played playstation, swam and ate all night. And at about 2:30 we went to sleep. The next day I woke up at about 11 and headed to Daro’s room and helped him clean up, and at abou noon we headed again to the beach. When we got there we met up with Ally and Martina. At 6:30 I left and caught the train back to the city. I headed home, changed, took a shower and headed out  to my friends house and we drank some wine, then we headed out to dinner. After dinner we headed out to Barrio Alto, the bar distrct. We just hung out there and talked. At 2:30 I caught a cab with my friend.  Then at last, Sunday. So at about 1 in the afternoon, I left with my host dad and sister and went to my host dad’s colleague’s house  in Salvaterra. When we got there we had a really good lunch then headed down to the pool and went swimming. At about 8 we left the house and headed home. Then the following week was pretty  boring. Then Thursday was a holiday( Labor Day) so I got off school again. So, me and my family headed to Spain to go to the beach. We left at 1 and started on the road. At about 3:45 or 4 we got to our hotel. We put our stuff up in our rooms, ans changed into our swimsuits. Then we headed to the pool and jumped in. it was a really nice pool. After we got out we just laid in the sun for a while. At about 7 we got dressed and headed to the outdoor mall that was next to the hotel. We just wandered through the shops. At about 9 we headed back to the hotel and rested for a while. Then at 10:30 we headed back to the mall and ate at a restaurant there. Then after I went with the other teenagers of our group, Mariana, Maria, Ze, and Duarte. We walked around for a while then just ended up siting on the beach playing cards all night. The next day I woke up at 11 and then headed down to the pool. I went swimming for a while then headed  with the rest of the group to the beach. It sucked. Seriously. Anyways I just sat there and read, and swam intermittently.  Then we headed to eat lunch at the mall. I just got a salad from Burgerking.  Then we went back to the pool AGAIN and the teenagers(now including Elena, and Vasco) played cards. For dinner the parents went out to Huelva to eat, and the children went to the Hotel Buffet, while the teenagers went to the mall and ate ate this really good Italian Restaurant. After dinner we went to the Ice Cream Shop Los Angeles and I had a really good Dolche De Leche ice cream cone. Then we just wandered around the rest of the night, and at about 2:3o we went to sleep. The next day we just laid at the pool until about 4:30. Then we got into the car and headed to Seville. We went to a theme park ther e called Isla Magica. It was really tiny and amuzing. I just laughed at it most of time. God the theme parks in California are SO much better. After riding all the rides there(only took till 9:45) we headed out. I was really excited because my host mom promised that if we went to Seville we could stop at Starbucks. But of course, guess what, WE DIDN’T. I was beyond pissed off. I just sat in the car fuming till we got to the place where we ate dinner. Then I ate in silence and got back in the car. Once we got to the hotel I went with the other teens to the bar next door and sat with them and we played cards till 3 in the morning.  Then today. I woke up had breakfast then went and laid at the pool with everyone else. We just relaxed. At noon we packed all our stuff an put them in the cars and then headed back to the pool. We had lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. Then again by the pool haha. Then at 5 we all got into the car and headed out. Now I’m just sitting in the car, really uncomfortably cuz there is no room, because people in Europe obviously don’t realize there ARE people over 5’10.

So I’ll just continue from before. Well we drove out of the city at like 1 in the afternoon. At about 4 we arrived in Leon. Which is really really nice. We parked the car and walked straight to the cathedral. But when we got there it was closed because of Siesta. So instead we went to this older church that was made by the Romans. It was really cool. Then after we got out it was poring. But we still went to the Cathedral. We went in side. It was amazing, they had some amazing stain glass. After that we headed to a museum to see the largest collection of Da’vinci works in 50 years. It was really cool. Then after that we all went to a café across the street and ate Churros and Hot Chocolate. Oh, and the entire time we were in Leon I had a really bad head ache. So once we were done with that we got into the car and headed to the next city Gijon. Once we got there it was really dark and we just went straight to our hotel and dropped off our stuff in our rooms and then left to find a place to eat. It was a holiday so most places were either packed or closed. So we walked around the city for almost an hour till we found a place. Once we got there I got a really good lamb steak. At about 11 we left the restaurant and headed back. We went to our rooms. And my host siblings were being demons and my headache(which turned out to be a fever) was killing me so I snapped and started to yell at them in Englugese (Portuguese-english) ahaha. Then we went to sleep and woke up at about 10. We then went and had breakfast downstairs. After breakfast we just left since the city wasn’t that interesting. So we then drove to The Picos de Europa (peaks of Europe) and stopped once in a little village built on a really nice river for dinner. The city was beautiful and the very stereotypical European town. After that we kept driving into the mountains and stopped again at the city where Spain was started.  It was really small but really breath taking. There was a really big church built on a cliff that overlooked the valley, and on the other side of the small valley was a big hill with a lot of little waterfalls going down it from all the rain. Then on the side of the valley with the church is another little church built into the cliff and under the cave is a big waterfall that turns into a river in the valley. It was truly awe-inspiring. After we finished there we got back into the car and headed to my favorite city in Spain, Santillana Del Mar. It is a tiny little midevil town in the middle of roling hills. There are no new buildings they are all old and midevil with just modern insides. It was so nice. When we got to our hotel I was amazed. It was an old palace converted. It was really nice. Then everyone was tired so they rested and I got two hours to my self. So I wandered around the city. It was amazing. It is things like that that make me love Europe. That night we ate at a local restaurant. The next morning we all as a group walked around the town, and then went into the chapel and looked around. It had an amazing cloister that was covered in ivy. Then we got into the car and headed to San Sebastian.  After a long drive we finally got there. It is built on a river and our hotel was 5 stars and built right along the river. It was really nice. After we dropped of our baggage we jumped into the car and drove around the city and looked at all the monuments from the car(they were all closed for some holiday). By this time I was fed up with the family, cabin fever is a bitch haha, so I got off at the beach and told them I was going to take some time to walk around the city some. So I just walked around the historical area and walked back up the river to the hotel. It was nice. That entire day my host dad kept saying, “we are going to the 5^th best restaurant in the world tonight” well once I got back to the hotel I found out that by, “we” he ment the adults. While I on the other hand got to take the kids and watch after them and take them to McDonalds. AHHHH I was ready to kill my host mom. I was mad and she was like, “well we cant eat somewhere nice every night. You know. “ and I said” That’s BULL , because obviously YOU can.” So yah, I got to go to my least favorite place, with the brats, while the adults went to FRANCE without me to go eat great food. I was pissed.  So that night I just went with them to mcdonalds, didn’t eat, and brought them back to the hotel and then I went and sat in the lobby and read, so I could get away from the kids. The next morning we woke up at 10 and after breakfast we headed to Bilbao. Once we got there we went to the airport and picked up my host cousin Felipa. Then we drove to the Guggenheim. When we got there I was shocked. It just looked like the Disney Concert Hall, obviously the architect doesn’t have much creativity. But anyways we went in and I got another surprise, the museum is actually only for exhibitions, there are not permanent collections. So the two exhibitions where: Surrealism, and 300 years of American Art and Innovation. So first of all, I have discovered that I HATE surrealism. Its SO bad. Then after the hour of torture of surrealism, I walked around with my hostd ad and explained to him the history behind the pieces of American art they had. Then at about 2 we got out and ate at Subway J. After we finished we said goodbye to the other group we were with, as they were heading straight home. So then we got into the car and headed to our last city, Burgos. At about 5:30 we got there and we drove up to our hotel. I was shocked it was the old royal church converted to the hotel. I was actually quite annoyed, because it just ruined the history. But whatever. We checked in and then headed straight for the city. The main Cathedral was amazing. It was very light(unlike all the other ones, they were all dark) and amazing. Then we wandered around more, but there wasn’t anything extremely amazing.  Then at about 8 we headed out to the main square to see the march of the white robed priests (their robes look just like the KKK). It was really eerie. But the marching music was really cool. After it finally got to the main circle and stopped and the priest started to talk we headed for dinner. Once we ordered me and my host dad went back out to watch the march head out of the main square back to their respective places and I got some amazing pictures. Then we went home. The next day we got in the car and headed back to Portugal. at about 5 in the afternoon we stopped one last town, Careres. It was the type of city that I expected and like of Spain. It is in more of an Arabic style, it was really nice. Then after we finished there we got back and headed back home. So that was my spring break J

Now about last weekend. Well last weekend I went on a four day trip to a part of Portugal called Ribatejo with AFS. I had expected to suck, but infact it was amazing. So I met at the Campo Grande Subway/bus station at 10:30 with all the other exchangers and we got onto the bus to Benevente. On the bus I passed out some brownies, and we played a game called Aldeia (village) it was fun.  Once we go to the city we were met by the AFS volunteers from that city, Maria Joao, Celia, Teresa, and Maria. We put all our stuff into their cars and then we walked to the Middle school. We then sat for two hours and talked about AFS to the 8^th and 9^th graders. It was really boring. After we were done with that we headed to a café and had coffee.  Then we headed to the center of the city and waited for our “families.” I was one of the last 4 to be picked up. But I met my “mom”, Elena, and got into the car and met my “dad”, Joao;  “brother”, Pedro; and my “sister”, Teresa. We then drove to the house. Which was a farm outside of a city called, Salvaterra Dos Magos. It was a really nice house. I put my stuff in my room and then went and talked with my family (all in Portuguese by the way). Then at about 9 my host mom made a local fish recipe for dinner. It was amazing. Then we played monopoly haha. The next day my siblings had school, and I woke up 9 and took a shower, ate breakfast, and at 9:45 we left and drove back to Benevente. She dropped me off at the high school. And we went in and did another presentation about AFS. After though we talked with students and I had a lot of fun. Then after we walked back to the middle school and had lunch. Then after THAT we got on a bus. We then headed to a farm in the middle of no where. It happened to be the farm of the most famous bull fighters of Portugal. So we went to the bull fighting rink and we watched them train. First they all go in the ring and taunt the bull to make it mad. Then once it is they do something called a “peg” or something like that. Which involves 9 people. They line up in a straight line, with one person in front followed by 2 side by side braced together, then 3 more one behind the other, than another two braced together, and then one more behind them. Then the bull charges at the first person and it pushes them through the line and they all try to stop it. After about 8 times. They called on us and asked us if we wanted to do it. So of course, I went out. Along with 6 others. It was SO fun, but also a little painfull haha… after that we went and had a snack. Then we went back to our houses. That night we went to a family friend’s house and sat for a while. Then went back home and had Chili for dinner, it was really good. That night we just watched a movie. The next morning I woke up at 9 again. And this time went with my host siblings to the city. When we got there we went into the Cultural Center and did a bunch of random games, and kicked everyones ass in archery. I got out of 20 shots: 16 yellows, and 4 reds. I was great haha. Then after at about 1 we headed to a really fancy restaurant and had dinner with our families. Then they had a talent show. Me and Martina (an American from NYC) went up and sang a Fado. Then some other people did songs, and some dances. Then after they thanked the parents. After it was done I went with my host brother to meet some of his friends, then we went to mass. It was a mass all for teens. The music was done by them and the reading and everything. It was cool. Then after that we went to a really nice restaurant in the city and had food. Once we finished we met up with the other exchangers (minus like 4 of them). And us 15 went to the local Discoteca.  There was a live band that night and they were AMAZING. At about 3 my host parents picked me up and we headed back home and went to sleep. Then the next day at 11 I woke up and went horse back riding with my host brother. We rode around the farm, then to the near village, then to the local bull fighting ring then back to the house. It was really fun. Then at 2 we headed back to the city and said goodbye to our families. It was sad, my family was great and I learned A LOT of Portuguese that weekend. It was worth the 20 euros I paid!

Ok so its been a REALLY long time since I last wrote. But I will try and continue from where I left off, but I don’t remember the dates everything happened so ill just try my best to have it make sense. So when I got home it was like I never left. I just walked in and they just said hi and acted like nothing happened. I was kinda annoyed. So I just brought my stuff upstairs and went back downstairs and watched news. So then the next day Lenni came over and we went through all the crap I had in my bag. So then after we emptied out my bag, we went downstairs and made pancakes with my bisquick. So then some things I don’t remember happened on the days up till new years. So on new years eve, Dodo, Alex, Elise, Lenni, Juan, and I met up and went to Largo Chiado. Once we met up we went down to Baixa Chiado and the Praça de Comercio. We listened to some live music in the square.  Then we started to count down the minute before new years. The second it got to midnight they shot fireworks in synchronization from the Square we were in, Montijo (a city across the river), the bridge that crosses the river, and Expo. It was amazing. Then the fireworks went on for another  10 minutes or so. It was really cool. Then after we headed to Barrio Alto (the bar district) along with EVERYONE else  that was in the square. So the rest of the night pretty much included them drinking, people randomly making out, and then an expensive taxi ride home at 5 in the morning. So then the next day (the 2^nd) I met up with Elise and Alex and we went to Expo and hung out for Elise’s birthday. Then I don’t remember anything really important after that. I started school on the Thursday after New Years. So I think it was the night of Elise’s birthday that my host mom told me Rita was coming over after dinner. So after we ate dinner Rita got there and me and her sat down. She asked me how things were going with the family and I told her the truth, that I felt that I wasn’t really welcomed, that I was just a burden. And she said that she had actually talked to my host mom on new years and she had said things weren’t really going well at the house. So then after that my host mom came over with my host dad and set down tea and then they both sat down. They then told me that I was going to be switching host families. It wasn’t my fault it was because my host parents where having financial, and relationship problems. So I was kinda happy. So then the next week I went to Rita’s house and had dinner. After dinner we talked for alittle then her friends came over. They were really nice, and they talked in Portuguese with me most of the time so I got to try and get better. Then two weeks or so later I got told by Rita that I would be moving on Thursday the 24^th of Jan ( I think that was it) to Lisbon. So the day before we went to my last dinner with that family at the pizzeria.  So that Thursday I went to school and told everyone I would be moving to the Saldanha area of Lisbon, and that was all that I knew.  I told them I would come to school the next day and tell them whether or not I would continue at that school. So then at 7:30 p.m. Rita came and picked me up. Then as we headed to Lisbon she told me about the new family. She told me that I have 4 host siblings. 3 brothers, 1 host sister. The host brothers are 17,16, and 12. The 17 yearold is in Houston with AFS… I’ll finish the rest when I can…

So to continue. We drove in and parked next to the embassy of Argentina. And she tells me ok  here we are. I was a little confused then realized that the building above the Argentinian embassy was an apartment building. So we rang the doorbell and Rita said her name and the door opened. After alittle trouble trying to shove my luggage into the elevator we pressed the button for #5 and started the accent to my new home. Once up there the door opened and a short little black lady opened the door and said, “OLÁ!” Then my a sorta blondish sandy haired lady’s head poked through the door and said hi. So then Candida (the lady who opened the door, the maid) grabbed my bags and put them in my room. So then a little boy in pajamas and a bath robe walked in with a little girl and they sat down on the couch in the living room. So then Rita, my host mom(the sandy haired lady), and I walked in to the living room, and sat with a young woman who was also there (she was my host-cousin Felipa who was living in the house). We talked for a while and after ten minutes Rita had to leave. So after she said goodbye I walked into my room and started to unpack. The maid helped me and she folded all my clothes and put them in to my closet. Then I was called to dinner and we all sat down. The four of us began  dinner (my siblings, host mom, and cousin) and about halfway through my host dad came home. Then at about 11 my host brother that I shared a room with came back from water polo practice. 

So I am in the car on my way back from spain right now. Ill just continue from where I left off and just try and do the highlights then I’ll talk about spring break. So then for the following 2 weeks I just sat at home and did pretty much nothing because I wasn’t inrolled in my new school. Then on a Wednesday  I went with my host mom to the school and sighned all the papers and they told me to come the next day at dez pas dez. Which I translated as 10 past 10, but in reality it means 10 before 10. So I was actually 20 minutes late to my first day of school. So I walked into Camoes(the name of the school) and met my Portuguese teacher and she took me to my class. We walked in and she introduced me to the class. After she finished the teacher of the class, the normal Portuguese teacher, told me that they were taking a test so I could just go home and have an extra long lunch (3 hours or so). So then I came back and had my first class with my new classmates. It was math. The first thing I noticed when I walked into my class, yes I actually am that shallow, is that not one of the people in the class was cute. I was kinda sad, my other class was the opposite. So then I sat next to Raquel and we just started class and I got to go through all the questions again. So now at school I just hang out with the drugies and the slackers of my class because the other people in my class are so into their books that they never do ANYTHING else but study. I also hang out with Alex (a german from Hamburg) and her friends. They are really nice. So, highlites. Well about  a month and a half ago me and Ally started to plan a trip to Greece. Pretty much all of it was roughly planned. Then about 2 weeks ago me and Ally went over to Daro’s house for a party with a bunch of AFS kids. Alex, Lenni, Juan, Taylor, Annie, Dodo, and Tomas(Daro’s host brother) were there. Well, lets just say Ally drank a lot. At 1 Annie, Dodo, Alex, Ally, and I headed to the Carcavelos train station and got on the 1:30 train. Well at the Alges stop Dodo, and Annie got off so it just left Ally, Alex and I. Ally was sleeping, or so we thought. Right after we stopped at Santos. She just sits up. Puts her head down and barfs. All over her self, in the middle of the train (thank god we were the only other people in that train). So at the next stop, we got off and hailed a cab. We put her in and gave the cabbie her address. After they headed off I called her host sister and asked her to wait for Ally and make sure she gets in ok and stuff. So then with all that settled me and Alex headed up the hill to Barrio Alto and met up with 3 of the new Americans and the one new Costa Rican. At 3 Alex, Martina(the American from New York) and I got into a cab and headed home. The next day I get a call from Ally. So while her host sister waited up for her she was watching T.V. which happened to wake up her host mom. Her host mom walked in and asked why she was still awake. So she explained. Then all Ally remembers is stumbling home and seeing her host mom waiting  with her arms crossed. And to make it worse Ally says that she remembers puking in the cab and being kicked out. She doesn’t know how she got home, whether she walked or got another cab. She just knows that she fell getting out, and she only knows that because her pants were ripped. So needless to say, we weren’t allowed to go to Greece. Three days later she went to the AFS office and had a meeting with Eunice. She thought she was going to be sent home. But all that happened was a brief warning and then they just talked. I went with her to the office dropped her off, then headed to a café and sat down ordered a coffee and prepared to sit and write postcards for an hour or two. But after about 30-45 minutes she called me asking where I was, I only got 3 of those postcards finished. Also I started going to a gym, Holmes Place. Its really nice I really like it. As of now in the time since I came to Portugal I have lost 17 kilos or 38 lbs. On the 13^th of March I went to Sintra  with my PPP class( Portuguese por strangieros, Portuguese for foreigners) which includes Dodo, Alex, me, and since the day before Nikolai. We went with Lydia’s(our teacher) class. We went to the main square and just walked around. Then we headed up a road to a palace(there are A LOT of them in that city). Our teacher started talking to her class about the history of it, and we just talked by ourselves about other things. Then we walked to a waterfall and sat for 30 minutes while the bio teacher explained something. Then we went to two more palaces. Then after that we got 1 hour to wander around alone. So us 4 went straight to the pastrie place in the city and stuffed ourselves with the local pastries. Then after we just sat on the steps of the Palacio Nacional de Sintra. When our hour was up we just got on the bus and headed back to the school. So when we got back us for just went straight to the Picoas subway stop and got on and headed to Baixa. There we met up with Taylor and had coffee. We just sat out in the sun for like 30 minutes. Then Cacau (our Brazilian friend) came and sat down. Than 45 minutes after that Ally finally got there and we got up. Then Taylor and Alex and Dodo and Cacau left and headed home and Ally, Nikolai, and me headed to the AFS office. After we were done there we went and had lunch. I had subway and Nikolai had McDonalds(I know SO Portuguese), Ally had already ate. Then Ally left and headed home. And me and Nikolai headed to my house. We watched a movie then he went home. The next day I didn’t have school so I just met up with Alex, Dodo, and Nikolai at the Vasco Da Gama mall for lunch. While there we met up with Elise, who was there having lunch with her class, who were on a field trip from Pombal (in the North where she lives).  Then Ben( the new American boy from NC) came.  After about 30 minuets Elise left and headed back to the north. Then the rest of us 5 just headed to my home and started to watch a movie. Well they watched a movie. I dug through the package my mom sent to me that I got that day. Then about 15 minutes after we got there Ally came and watched with us. Then an hour later Martina, got there. After the movie ended we all went into the kitchen and started to play poker.  Then at 9 they all left and headed to dinner at their houses. At 10 I left the house and met up with Nikolai and Martina and we walked and talked for about 2 hours then I went home and slept. And now to spring break. So the next day at about 2 my family packed all our luggage into the back of our car. We got in and drove to the other side of town. We dropped Duarte(the 16 yearold) off at my host grandma’s because he wasn’t coming with us because he had water polo games all week. Then we all got comfortable(well they did, at 6’4 that’s kinda hard for me to do in a car). And we started our trek. After 3 ½ hours we got to Spain. That was a real trip for me, three and a half hours and I was in an entirely different country, Europe is too damn small. We stopped off at a little town named San Pedro(what a coincidence) and had coffee. Then filled our gas the next town, Santa Clarita. Then met up with the other car we were going with in Santa Ana. It was kinda strange for me. It looked like home(the landscape), with the same names of the towns. Then we drove for another hour and we arrived in Santiago de Compostella. It was a beautiful city. We pulled up to our hotel and my host sister started crying, REAL CRYING, because the hotel only had 2 stars. All I could hear was,” SO TRES ESTRELAS?!?!?!? SOU? OH MEU DEUS! QUE NOJO!!!” I was ready to smack her. Spoiled brats (all of my host siblings are).  We put our stuff in the room then headed to the city center. We walked to the giant church. Then after looking at it for a while we headed to a Vinoteca(a wine bar) and met up with some friends of my family that lived in the city. After we had a glass of wine we headed to dinner. By this time it was 10 at night, and for Spain that’s considered EARLY for dinner. I had a good lamb steak. Then we went back to the hotel. I was sharing a room with my host brother and sister. There were only two beds, so they had to share. There was no way in hell I was sharing with them. I need my space. And to make it better my host sister is afraid of the dark, SHES 10! So we had to leave one of the lights on. It was so hard to sleep. Then the next morning, after taking showers and eating breakfast we all headed to a modern art museum. I hated it. I really do not like modern art.  Then we walked around the city. At 11 my host family, and the other family we were with all headed to the Church for mass. So i just got an hour to wander around the city my self, which truth be told, I sorely needed. My family was driving me insane. They think they are right about everything. My host dad was trying to argue with me earlier that day about chocolate. He said that they had cacao in Africa and that chocolate was originally from there. Well anyone that knows me, knows that I like my facts, I like my history, and I like my chocolate. So put all three together. I told him that that was BS, it was from Central America. It was used by the Aztects for a drink. Cortez found it and brought it back to Spain and from there it was spread among the elite of Europe. And then the Portuguese and Spanish took the bean to Africa to grow it in the tropic climate there. But the idiot was convinced that I was wrong. Then I found a museum of chocolate in the city and proved it to him. So anyways after that we had lunch. Then we got into the car and drove. After a while we got to our next city, Astorga. It was a small town but it had an amazing cathedral and a palace made by Goudi. At around that time from what I had seen of Spain I was wondering why the hell I didn’t pick it instead of Portugal. Then we went and had dinner, and I remembered, I hate the language it is so ugly. But I fell in love with one thing in Spain when I was that city: The tapas. They were amazing. The next day we went to the cathedral and to a museum there. Then we left the city.

So then after I finished downloading the cd’s onto my itunes me and Lenni went upstairs. So then at about 12 I packed my luggage. It took about 10 minutes over all. I just had lenni open the suitcase and then I opened my drawers and just randomly threw stuff into the suitcase. Then after all the clothes I needed were in there I got all the presents and started to try and get them in there. My host parents gave me some things to give my mom and my grandma. So I rapped the two wine bottles in shirts then in jeans. The Bolo Rei (a cake) I placed in all the socks. The other things like the tiles were just placed randomly between clothes. And then I shoved the thing of truffles in my backpack. So then me and Lenni just sat listened to music, and played a game on my computer. At about 1:30 in the morning he left to go home. I said by then just sat in my room on my computer. At 2:30 I went downstairs and called my mom and my dad. Then after, I printed out my ticket. Then I just sat on my computer and waited. At about 3:15 my volunteer showed up and I just pulled my stuff outside and put it in her car. The house was silent. And I just left. So then me and Rita just drove to the airport. Once we got there we walked to the British Airways desk and we checked in my bag. After that we had some coffee. Then she said goodbye and I headed through security. So It was about 4 at that time and I just had to sit there in the lobby for 2 hours. I was the first person there but after about 5 minutes another lady sat down. I started talking to her and I found out she was in the air force and worked in the Azores. So we just talked until they opened the sitting area infront of the gate. Once they did we both walked in and fell asleep on the benches in the waiting room. At about 5:30 they started to board. Once they opened the plane I just got on and got into my seat. I ended up sitting next to a British couple. So the flight was pretty uneventful. Once we landed, at about 8:30, I just headed from our gate to the security. That’s where everything went wrong. So I put all my stuff through the security belt thing and then when it came out I put my passport and boarding pass on the security table so that I could put on my jacket. But once I got my jacket and my scarf on I looked up, and it was gone. So I alerted the security and the looked all over the area. So by that time I’m not freaking out I’m just in that unattached phase that you get in when something bad happens. So I talk to the American Airlines desk and tell them. They tell me to wait there and that some officers from the Heathrow Police will be by to take a report. Once they come over I tell them what happened. They said that because of the reasons I’m going back I should be able to get back in to the states. But if I wasn’t going back for an emergency I would probably have had to sit in the American Embassy in Heathrow for 2 days.  Everyone was being really helpful and nice and the British accents on everyone helps you calm down too haha. So then the American Airline lady calls me over and tells me that one of the American Immigration Agents will meet me in Terminal 3 (I was in Terminal One) and that he would try to get me onto the flight. So then I go down to the place where the terminal buses are and I catch the one to terminal 3. On the ride I figure out that I still have free texting to tmn so I start texting people and I have Lenni text my mom and tell her what happened. So then once I got to terminal 3 I waited for the guy and he came over and introduced himself. He was actually from San Pedro! But he had a Long Island accent from living there. So he talked with the American Airlines desk in that terminal and they got me a new boarding pass. Then he cleared me through without my passport. So then I ran to my gate (I had 5 minutes before they closed the doors.). Once I got there I explained that I didn’t have my passport and they let me through. So I sat down and thank god there was no one in front of me so the chair was up and I could put my feet under without being afraid of kicking their feet J. So I was sitted next to a British family headed to San Diego for vacation. I just spent most of the flight watching movies, I watched Stardust and Daddy Day Camp (the latter was TERRIBLE). I didn’t really sleep on the plane because I was still WAY too wound up with the whole passport thing. So after a really really long flight we finally flew into L.A. it was really strange seeing it again so soon. So I just got off and went and walked to Immigration with everyone else. Once I got up to the desk I had to explain what happened and they brought me to the Secondary screening room. Then I explained again there and showed them my California I.D., thank god I had it or things would have been a lot harder to get through. So then they stamped my paper and I got my luggage and went into the line for Customs. Customs was easy, even though I didn’t bring my passport and I got through fine. I was shocked it was so easy to get through. So as im walking out I see my mom and I go to her and then we walk to the car.

So we walked to the car in the rain and then when we got in she told me to call the AFS lady so that she knew that I got through ok and everything. So then after I left a message we drove to the hospital do go visit grandpa. So we just talked on the way there. When we got there he was asleep so we just sat for a while till he woke up. Since it was later in the day he wasn’t really alert so it kinda freaked me out. So then after we said hi, we said bye and we left and headed home. So once we got home I took my crap upstairs and then went back down stairs and I sat on the couch watching TV. So then at about 7, Rachel got home from work. So after she changed out of her work clothes we got into moms car and we all headed to Pronto’s so I could have some good Mexican food. So I got the El Padrino burrito and some ice tea and we just sat and ate and talked. So after we just went home and we watched TV till about ten when both me and mom went upstairs.  I don’t remember when I woke up, but after I did I went with Bonnie to Costco so I could go get my passport pictures done. After we finished up with that we went to the hospital  to say hi to grandpa. We went but he didn’t wake up the entire time we were there so we just left. Then she dropped me off at Erik’s house. So me and him just hung out and played WII for a while. Then later we decided to walk over to the Starbucks by the school. SO on the way there we decided we would stop off at Symone’s house on the way( I didn’t tell anyone I was coming other than Rachel). So when we walked up her sister was just driving up and she said, “Wait aren’t you supposed to be In Europe or something, OH you are going to surprise her? THAT’S SO SWEET!” So we knocked on the door and Symone yelled “Make me get up for you! Did you forget your key again?” (I guess she thought we were her sister.)So I just said “well you better get up to come say hi to me,” and she just screamed. So then we hung ou tin her room for a while and then we walked up to the Starbucks and I got my first Starbucks since being back. It was really really good. So then after that me and Erik walked back to his house.  So then his mom drove me home. And then HE drove back to his house. Yes, that’s right, Erik can DRIVE. So then the next day I don’t really remember anything except that mom called and said I need to go to the hospital with Bonnie to go say hi to Grandpa. So we drove over there and then we sat and talked with him and I showed him some of my pictures from Portugal. I think he enjoyed that, even if they were mainly just pictures of the million churches in Evora. So then at like… um 1 I think the Radiology Guy, John, came in and got grandpa so we left. Bonnie took me to Panda Express for lunch because I was saying that I was craving it earlier. So I called Rachel, asked her what she wanted then we got to the place and we ordered. I got double orange chicken and half chow-mien and half fried rice, and a chicken egg roll. Amazing. So then we went home and ate. So then the rest of the time I don’t really remember what we did or what not, Well other than what we ate (don’t remember the days we ate it but just that we did) and then of course the important days like Christmas and stuff. So one day Bonnie, Mom, and I went to the Macaroni Grill and had dinner. It was amazing. I miss American food so much, its not that Portugal doesn’t have good food its just that after a while all their “unique dishes” start to taste the same. They all have the same base meals: Some meat (usually beef or fish, and sometimes a sausage that the call corizo)pasta or rice or potatoes (or sometimes 2 of those), salad or tomatoes with olive oil, abobora soup (pumpkin) or, in the summer kale soup, and then fruit for desert. It just all tastes the same after a while. I miss the way that at American meals one day we can have like Mexican food, and then the next meal have Chinese, something with just a totally different taste.  Anyways, so at the restaurant I got this dish with like a sample of the three most popular dishes which were: Chicken Parmagian( how do you spell that?), Lasagna, and then something else I don’t remember, but they were all amazing. So three days before Christmas,  Brittany, Brittany’s boyfriend, and his best friend spent the night and then the next day (the 23^rd) they went to Disneyland with Brittany. That night they spent the night.  Then on Christmas Eve Victoria and I went to the P.V. mall and we went and saw, “I am Legend.” I thought it was good but Victoria HATED it. So then after we met up with her mom in the Borders under the movie theater and after she got some books we headed back home. For Christmas Victoria and her mom made me a big plate of cookies (they were really good). I would have bought books at Borders but I had already bought 4 books at Barnes & Nobels the day before.  Then at about 6 Grandpa came home on hospice and we put him on the medical bed in the Dining Room.So then that night nothing overly interesting happened other than Nana, Rachel, and I found the NORAD Santa tracker and started laughing hysterically because Santa was like flying around like he was on crack, he went from being in Detroit to Vermont, then to Georgia then to Rhode Island. It was hilarious. So we decided that we would wake up at 8 to do presents, because Rachel had to start to get ready for work at 9:30 (yes she WORKED on Christmas morning, she finished at 2 though). So we went down stairs and started exchanging presents, I got a lot of candy (Nerds, Ghiradelle, Fruit by the Foot, Altoids, Tic-Tacs) and I was happy with that, then I got Itunes cards from, almost, EVERYONE (Rachel{friend}, Mom, Nana, Erik, Sheri) In the end of the break there I think I had about $160 in Itunes cards. Bonnie got me Ratatui(yah I know I spelled it wrong, I just know that way because that’s how they put it in Portuguese) and Harry Potter #4. So then I gave out my presents, To mom I gave a bottle of Port and some bon-bons (from my hostparents) and then a shirt from Hard Rock Café; To Rachel I gave a shirt, some stickers, and a poster from the NOFX concert in Carcavelos; to nana I gave a Mariza (a fado singer) CD its very good; to Bonnie I gave a Lisboa Guitar Pin from Hard Rock Café; and to grandpa I gave a Lisbon Calendar. So then after that we just had our normal cinnamon rolls. The rest of the day was random cooking. At about 2 I started to make my brushetta. Then we had our Christmas dinner and it was amazing. Did I mention I love food in America? Haha I think I gained 4 pounds when I was home. So then Christmas night nothing overly exciting happened. The next day Cheri picked me up at 1 and drove me over to her house in Manhattan Beach. Then Mike, Matt, and I headed to Best Buy to go waste our Christmas money J.I ended up getting computer games (what a shock) and a $15 Itunes card(an even bigger shock :p)  with my money. Then at about 5 Cheri drove me home.  At around 6 Rachel showed up. I said hi to her parents and they welcomed me back. Then they left to go to their hotel (they were staying in Pedro for the night so that Rachel could spend the night and then see me off at the airport in the morning.) So after me and Rachel ate dinner with my family we headed to Starbucks and we grabbed some coffee then walked to Coldstone and Rachel got some icecream. Then we just went back home and hung out. At 9 I started to repack. I finished at 10:30. Then we took all my stuff downstairs and we went to sleep. At 5 we woke up and I went to go take a shower. Then we left the house at 6:15 a.m. and headed to Denny’s . When we got there there I called my host parents house to wish MatilDUH happy birthday, but they didn’t answer. Then I called the Dane, Katrina to wish her happy birthday. Then I called ally to let her know I was heading back. So I got the American Slam and then we left at about 6:45 and headed to Long Beach Airport. On the way there I found out about Bhutto’s assassination. I checked in as soon as I got there and then said goodbye to Rachel and mom. Then I headed through security. My plane left at about 8 I think. I was actually sitting next to a Pakistani Couple who were heading home, so I explained what happened because they didn’t know. And they actually decided to get on a plane in Boston and head back to California and wait out the riots. So I landed in Boston at 4:25 local time and got of the plane and got a Starbucks. Then I headed to go check in my luggage so I could go spend my 6 hour layover in the city. So the stupid people who desighned the airport decided not to connect the domestic terminal and the international so I had to WALK in the snowy slush, dragging along my 44lb bag for five minutes so I could get to my terminal. Then when I got there I found out that the SATA desk didn’t open till 7 or 8 so unless I wanted to drag around my luggage with me in Boston I would have to stay at the airport. So I just sat and waited for the desk to open. So I ended up spending an hour talking on a payphone to mom and Symone. Then I sat down again and ended up talking to the lady next to me. It turns out we were both heading on the same plane to the Azores. She was a New England Native but owned a house on one of the Islands. We ended up talking the rest of the time, then her husband came and starting asking me questions about the program and stuff ( I guess he went for a year in college to Coimbra to study). They were really nice. At about 7:45 they opened the desk and I checked in my luggage and then went through security. Then I went and got a slice of pizza at Sabarro (again AMAZING) and ANOTHER white mocha at Starbucks it was my 6^th that day (5^th just in that airport.) Then I just read my book that I started on the first plane from Long Beach. Then we boarded the plane, and to my luck the person who had the seat next to me didn’t show up so I got to spread out and sleep. So I just turned on Jack Johnson and read for a while. About 3 hours into the flight I tried to sleep (didn’t work), and I didn’t actually go to sleep till the last 20 minutes of the flight. When we landed 7 a.m. local time we had to walk from our plane to the customs place. I showed them my passport and walked straight through. So I had 8 hours there and I just got a taxi and had them drive me straight to Ponta Delgada (the biggest city in the Azores). But the fact that it was the biggest didn’t mean much. I was done walking around the entire city in 2 hours. So I just decided I would rather sit in the warm airport that in the rainy city center so I went and bought some ice tea at the grocery store and then got another taxi back to the airport. It was 6 euros. So then I just sat down at a table and slept.  An hour and a half before my flight I checked in and then went to the waiting area and went to sleep again. Then I boarded the plane and ened up sitting next to a little kid, which wasn’t that bad because since his feet barely made it to the end of the seat I got more leg room J.  Then we landed in Lisboa after a 2 hour flight. It was 6 when we landed. I didn’t have to go through immigration because I had already done it in the Azores so I went straight to get my bags. Normally it would have been really easy but the brilliant minds at the airport decided to book THREE different flights on the same baggage claim. There was a flight from L.A., Paris, and then us from Ponta Delgada. So I ended up not getting out of the Baggage claim at 7. So then I met up with my host dad and we got into the car and headed back to the house.

Well I guess according to the previous entry I had a good weekend. I don’t remember any of it at all… All I remember is that, that Friday was the Greve Geral protest. My math and my philosophy teacher didn’t come. My first class was English and we just talked. Then since my math teacher didn’t show we all just went outside and played volleyball for the rest of the period. Then Portuguese was just some more book report presentations. Then I got to go home because the Philosophy teacher wasn’t there. So yah… Well I haven’t written in almost a month. And its because I have been really muito busy. So I don’t remember exactly what happened over the elapsed time but I will try to put everything I DO remember. The week I wrote last, was the last week of school before the winter break. That Friday was really fun up until the last period. Then I was just fuming. So first I had English class, which pretty much consisted of the teacher checking the kids notebooks then she gave us some Belgian Chocolate wished us a merry Christmas and then we got out with an hour left of class. So me and Diana just went and watched the volleyball tournament that was happening in the gym. It was pretty interesting. Then when the next class started we headed there. It was math, and again the teacher just checked our notebooks said merry Christmas and then we left with about an hour left. Me and Diana went to the Library and went on the computer and ended up talking to one of her friends the entire time. He was really cool. Then Portuguese Class, again we got out early. This time I headed to Apopo (the café near the school) got a quejo fresco com pão, which literally means fresh cheese with bread (its just a really good sandwich. Then Diana headed home and I met up with Bomb and we walked to Pingo Doce. I got 3 bags of chips and some Belgian chocolate and I headed back to school. Then  I just spent the rest of the lunch period ( an hour and a half) with my friends and played some volleyball. Then for the last class, philosophy, we had a farewell party for Lilliana because she was moving to Toronto over the break. So I put the chips I bought on the table with the rest of the snacks and gave the chocolates to her for a present. Then we just hooked up Diogo’s mp3 to the computer and we listened to music, ate, and talked the rest of the time.  Then when the bell rang we all left. Raquel, Joao, and I walked back together. As we were walking towards home I got hit by 2 eggs. They got all over my new jacket and scarf. I was pissed. I took off my jacket and my scarf and walked with Raquel to Solinca (the gym by Lenni’s house) and then met up with Lenni so I could give him the 20 Euros I had because dad’s travelers check didn’t go through yet, and since he was the one with the account I checked it on he needed the money for Porto. So then AFTER that I get home and the packaged I had been waiting for, for a week and a half still wasn’t there. I just went up stairs put my music on and laid there for a few hours. Then at about 11 at night I was talking to mom and she told me that Grandpa wasn’t doing well at all and that I was going to be coming home the next Tuesday. So that was pretty much the topping on the worst day of my exchange. So that weekend was the Porto AFS Almoço de Natal. So on Saturday I woke up at 8. I left at 8:15 from the house and walked to the Oeiras trainstation and picked up Ally. We stopped at one of the 10 cafes that are on the way home and I got a coffee and if I remember right she got a Mango Compal (a fruit juice) So then we got home and shoved our stuff into the car and we headed off. So we listened to some Jack Johnson and drove off. So the drive it self was pretty uneventful. We just listened to music and slept on and off. Once we got into Porto it was only a short 5 minute drive to our hotel, the same on e that the lunch was at. So me and Ally walked in and said hi to everyone then we walked with my host mom to  the check in desk and we got our key. Then we went to our floor (3^rd) and went to our room 312. We went down and after spending 5 minutes trying to open the door, we realized that we were trying the wrong door. So then when we turned to the left we saw our door and opened it up. It was a pretty nice sized room and we put our stuff in and left. So we went to the lobby and just hung out with the rest of the group until they let us go sit in for lunch. Once they opened up the room I just went and sat with Elise, Alex, Bomb, and the rest of the German Girls. I wasn’t really hungry, so all I got was a big salad for lunch. While I was up getting my salad I met Julia, the other American that came late with Brittany. Then after I ate I went and sat with Melody, Sarah, and Jolene. We talked about how hard the damn Portuguese language is.  Then they did some stupid awards that no one had any idea what they where, I think Alonso (the Mexican) was the only student who got an award. And of course Matildiablo was making noise and making me have evil thoughts. I swear you could put a Buddhist monk in a room with her and Antonio and he would turn murderous. Seriously, if the U.S. wants to worry about weapons of mass destruction they should look to them. You throw them into any country and they will all just go crazy. So then after the lunch. It was just everyone standing outside in the lobby talking. At about 4 a big group of us all got up and headed to the center of the city. I stayed behind to get Julia (who was talking with someone) and then me and her walked to catch up. So me and her just started talking and we didn’t finish until she left about 6 hours later. So we dropped off half the group at the train station so they could go back to Lisbon because they couldn’t spend the night. Then it was just Me, Julia, Ally, Brittany, Johannes, Lili, the other Hungarian, Alonso, and Raven. Then we went and saw the tree light up in the city square, it was amazing. It was the biggest Christmas tree in Europe. Then Lili, Alonso, Johannes, Raven and the other Hungarian went home really fast so they could change and what not. So we decided to meet them at 8 at Casa de Musica.  So the remaining four just went to Café di Roma and had some good Italian hot chocolate. So at about 7:30 we went to the subway and headed to casa de musica. After meeting up with the other group, and now with Jolene we headed to the industrial zone and ate dinner. At about 10 Julia left. Then we headed back to the center and dropped off Jolene at her hotel. Then we headed to the river and ended up spending the rest of the night in a grotto/bar drinking wine. So at about 2 in the morning me and Ally got a cab and headed back to the hotel. We just went in to our room got into our beds and turned on the t.v. Some stupid movie from when Tom Cruise was a little kid was on. We just talked till 4, and then we fell asleep. At 10 we woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast. After eating we got into the car and headed back. We stopped at 12 at my host grandparents house in Mealhada and had Lunch. Then we got back into the car and at about 4 we stopped at a family friends house in Tomar. And we had some really amazing cake, and some good cheese, then we had some sandwiches and we left. Then the next day (Monday) I met up with Lenni at 11 and me, him and my host mom headed to Loures to go pick up my package. Once we got there and talked to the guy at the place for and hour he told us it wasn’t there, but if we came back at 6 p.m. he would have it. So my host mom went and dropped us off in Belem. Me and Lenni walked to the Pastrie shop and we got some Pasties de Belem and café. Then we met up with Juan, Elise, Alex, Annie, and Dodo and we went to a Chinese restaurant next to the elevator in Lisbon. After that I went shopping for everyone back home’s Christmas presents. After using a lot of money I was done and then I headed home at about 5. At 7 my host parents arrived home and they gave me my package. I opened it and I found some chex mix, some cds from Rachel, Matilda’s games, and then  itunes cards from Bonnie. Then Lenni came at about 9:45 and we just hung out and listen to songs like “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus” and “ I farted on Santa’s Lap”. Yes we are just that amazing.

Well I’ll continue with the chain of events. So that morning we woke up and we took showers and then at 1 my host mom took us to Pizza Na Braza. We finished at 2:30 and Chelsea had to catch the boat at Cais do Sodre at 3. So my host mom drove to Alges and dropped her off there and she was supposed to take a rain from there to Cais do Sodre. Well she got to the boat station 10 minutes late so she missed that boat and had to take the other one at 5. Well the weekend after the orientation I have absolutely no idea what I did… it must not have been memorable.  But the Wednesday after that was Halloween. And the Thursday  was All Saints Day so we got school off. So on Wednesday I left school at 3 and got to Baixa Chiado at 3:30 and had lunch with Brittany. At 4:30 I got on the subway and headed to Campo Grande to meet up with Sarah and Ellen. I got there and got yelled at by them for being late. So we bought our tickets and then we got on the bus and spent the bus ride snacking on the Halloween candy that my mom had sent me that day.  When we got to the bus station in Torres Vedras we got a call from Lana saying that her friend Katarina would be picking us up and we would be staying at her house for about thirty minutes. So Katarina came and got us and we crossed the street and went into her house. We took the elevator up to the 8^th floor and went inside her house. As I was walking up the stairs to her 2^nd floor I hit my head on the ceiling because Portugal was not meant for tall people. So after watching some terrible music videos on MTV she told us that her dad was going to give us a ride to Lana’s house which was 15 minutes away from the city center of Torres Vedras. So we got into her dad’s carand we headed to Lana’s place. We told Lana we had gotten on the wrong bus and when we got to her house we freaked her out because she didn’t know that we were coming because she thought we were headed the opposite way. When she opened the door there were like 7 others at the door all saying hi. I didn’t know that there were going to be more people Lana had made it sound like it would just be us. It was cool though her friends are nice. So we went up stairs and we talked to each other about problems with our families.  Then Lana’s sister had called her and started to yell at her and tell her random stuff about how she can’t leave the house without permission from AFS. It was really stupid. SO then we went down stairs to her not so interesting party. The music was bad the decorations were quite… interesting. We had some pizza and then we went and talked some more. As we were going back into the house someone yelled for us that someone was at the door for us so we went out side and then people started to ghost sounds and stuff. Me and Ellen were just saying stuff like “What the hell, that’s so stupid. “ We walked out to see who was behind the wall and it actually ended up being Her host mom, sister, and then 4 of her friends from school. They decided to come over and do something for Ellen before they went to Barrio Alto to party. The ended up staying for a while and they made the party a whole lot more fun.  After they left Lana and Sarah and Ellen just went up stairs and at about 1:30 they fell asleep and I went and hung out with her friends. Her friends are so funny. These two guys were stoned and drunk and asleep so I taught them the things to do to people that fall asleep first. So we took flour, hair mousse, and toothpaste and made a work of art with their hair.  At about 4:45 we all decided to go to sleep and then all of us, except the other Americans, woke up again at 9:45. So in total there were 17 kids that spent the night. Then at about 12:30 Ellen’s parents came and picked me and her up and drove me to the bus station in Torres Vedras and I bought my ticket to Lisboa. They said goodbye and then they drove off to Coimbra, where they were going for vacation. The next day I finished school at 4:45 and left immediately with Juan and Lenni and headed to Lisboa. Once we got to Cais do Sodre we got onto the subway. At the Baixa Chiado stop I said goodbye and switched to the blue line and headed to Sete Rios while they headed to Campo Grande to go pick up Ingvild. When I got to Sete Rios Katrine was already there. We talked for a while and at 5:30 Brittany got there. At 6:10 Inga called me and I went and got her from her bus and brought her to where Katrine and Brittany were. Then Henning called at 6:30 and I went and picked him up from the other side of the station.  Then at 6:45 Brittany left and got August from the Jardim Zoological subway station. Then finally at 7:30 Maud called me and I got her. Then we all got onto the subway and headed home. When we got home we went and ate dinner and at 8:30 we left the house. I walked the group to the point where my street and Lenni’s street conjoin and I told them to wait. Then I ran all the way to the train station and picked up Nikoli, Nikoli’s host brother, and his friend. Then we walked back to the group. We ended up getting to the beach hour and a half after the party started. But that didn’t matter because we were the main group so it didn’t really start till we got there. So when we got there Lenni lit the bonfire and broke open the beers. Of course again the only two people not drinking were me and Nikoli. Lenni had forgotten to buy soda so me and Katrine headed to the Riviera Mall that was 20 minutes away. Once we got there we found out that the Pingo Doce was closed so we couldn’t get soda. We decided that we didn’t want to walk all the way back so we went to the Riviera Hotel and had them call us a cab. We got into the cab and told him to drive us to Carcavelos Beach. Once we got there he was really rude about the payment. We gave him money and he wouldn’t give us change so we both gave him the finger and got out.  Once we got back to the beach we told them it was closed and everyone was sad because they supposedly cant drink Vodka without coke.   That is when the drama started. So it turns out that Brittany came with out finding out where she was spending the night. She thought she was staying at Ally’s house but she never told Ally that. And Ally thought she was staying at mine. But there were already 5 other people staying the night. So we spend the next 2 hours where she was going to be staying. She ended up going to Ally’s house and Ally was not very happy about it. So we left the beach at 1. We were actually supposed to be at home at one but with all the Drama we didn’t get home till 1:30. We then went down stairs and talked. Me and Inga and Katrine went up to the kitchen and we talked for a while. At like 3 or 4 I went up stairs to sleep. We woke up at about noon and we ate breakfast. After we finished eating I got a call from Brittany and she wanted me to bring her stuff from my house and take the train to Cascais and give it to her. I was like there is no way in hell I’m going to waste my money and go all the way there. So my mom was being amazing, and she somehow paid for Brittany’s ticket from the Oeiras station. So we waited. FOR 2 ½ freaking hours.  Everyone was pissed off at her. So we all went to the train station. We took the train to Cais do Sodre. Brittany and August got off at the Santos stop and went to August’s  house. Once we got there we walked to Baixa Chiado and took some pictures. They were actually filming a 19^th or early 20^th century movie in the square. After that we walked up the Rua de Augusta and they all went and looked at the booths and looked for things to buy. Maud and Inga had decided to get their ears pierced. So when they were doing that, I went and picked up Argmand (the Turkish Boy) from the subway station. After that we went and sat and talked while the girls shopped. Henning and Lenni left right after and went to go pick up Juan from Cais do Sodre.  Once they got back we all walked to Rossio and decided that we wanted to go eat dinner. We picked a street that was between Rossio and Resteradoures. We found this little restaurant and went to go eat.  It was pretty crappy service though. Henning had finished his meal before me or Inga even GOT ours. The menu said service included, but the waiter tried to trick us and say it wasn’t included so we left 10 cents and wrote you suck on the paper tablecloth. After that we walked to Resteradoures and took a cab from there to Santos. Once there we went to this really high-tech and sheik bar named Rehab. They all got random drinks and I got the best pineapple juice I have ever drank. He actually just threw ice and a half pineapple into a blender it was amazing. After that we went to the Crazy Cow bar and they got a few shots. After that we caught the train and went home. That night we all just went to sleep. The next day we woke up ate breakfast said thank you to my mom and we just walked to the train station and I dropped them off. The only important thing that happened the next week was that on Wednesday I started rugby in Belenenses. Its really fun. The next weekend I was supposed to spend the Saturday talking to Chelsea in Baixa Chiado but her Nazi dad wouldn’t let her. That day I just spent at the house. I found out about Grandpa’s brain cancer that day also. The next day I was supposed to go to St. Julian’s to watch the rugby game but instead I went to Cascaisshopping and bought some books.  Then it is this week. Monday I missed the first hour of biology because I was on the phone with my mom at home. Tuesday I was just on time. Wednesday I missed biology because my alarm didn’t go off. Then Thursday I was late 20 minutes to math class because my alarm went off an hour late. Then today, I was on time, but low and behold my English teacher didn’t show up so we had a sub. So since it was a sub I just played on my laptop. So finally I am up to date. Today after school I’m going to head to Lisboa to pick up Katrine from Sete Rios. Then tomorrow Aysen (from turkey) is spending the night because tomorrow is Lieze’s goodbye party, she’s only 3 months. So yah I typed the first half of this in English and right now I am finishing it in math… Tchau

So since I last wrote nothing particularly interesting has happened. That’s not really surprising because it has only been Portuguese and lunch between there and now. During Portuguese I just played on my laptop and listened to the book report presentations that were being given. And at lunch I ate with Rita Diaz, Raquel Maia, and the other Rita. It was just fish and potatoes, and salad, and soup, and yogurt. After we ate we went and went to C1 and our math teacher talked to the class for the last 30 minutes of lunch. She just wanted to know what people thought of the teachers and blah blah blah. Everyone mainly just said that the Chemistry teacher talks way to damn much. So now I am in Philosophy and they are watching the movie “Wild Child” which is an American movie, but they are watching it in French with Portuguese sub-titles. So That’s all I really had to write and so yah...

So Its been 5 days have passed since I last wrote and some interesting things have happened. So the night that I got out of school at 4:45 and went to the train station and headed to Lisboa to pick up Katrina from Sete Rios. I really am the nicest exchange student, If anyone who doesn’t live in Lisboa needs a place to stay its usually at my house, and even when they aren’t staying AT my house I usually still am the one that picks them up from the train or bus or boat station. In this case Katrine WASN’T staying at my house but at Ally’s. I got there and said hi to Katrine and we headed out to the subway. When we were in the station I got a call from Brittany asking if had just been at Sete Rios, I said yah and she said that as we were walking down the stairs of the station her bus was pulling in and she saw us. Then she asked about August’s phone and I said that I didn’t have it that it was in my backpack which was at Lenni’s house. She was annoyed and I just hung up on her. So then me and Katrine got to Oeiras and we then went to Lenni’s house. I had pulled a muscle in my thigh and I didn’t feel up to going to Rugby so I just hid out at Lenni’s house so I wouldn’t get lectured about how I should have gone to practice still. All three of us ate at Lenni’s house and had some good food. At about 8 Ally and Lieze got to the Oeiras station so while Katrine and Lenni were cleaning up I went and got them. We went  back to Lenni’s house and we just sat and talked until 9:30 when we headed over to my house. No one was at my house when we got there so we just went into the basement and watched this American movie that Lenni had called, “How High”. It was probably one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. When it was over I said goodbye to them and Lenni went and took them to the train station. The next day I woke up, ate breakfast, and was in Lisboa at 10. I picked up David from the Hard Rock Café and we walked to the Cais do Sodre train station. We then took the train to Belem. We walked from the train station past the “Pink House” and to the Torre de Belem. We went through the 6 different floors and marveled at the Manuline style of Architecture. We talked about random things and about my exchange and his travel and stuff. After the tower we walked to the Monastery de Geronimos.  We walked through the main chapel and the cloister and the choir. After that we went and had lunch in a restaurant across from Pasties de Belem. I had hamburger com ovo (hamburger with an egg on it), and he had Bachalau a Braz (dried codfish with rice).  After that we went to Pasties de Belem and had the famous Pasties de Nata. I had 3 and he had 2. And we both took one café. After that we walked back to the train station I said goodbye to him and I took the train back to Oeiras while he took his back to Lisboa. I went home grabbed August’s phone and headed back to Lisboa. I got to Lisboa at about 5:40 and waited for Aysen and Argmand ( One of the girl Turks, and one of the boy ones). After we got there we just sat and talked for an hour waiting for Lieze, Lenni, Ally, and Katrine to come from their train. At 7:00 we get a call asking where we are and we say at  the train station and they said that they were at Baixa already. They had just gone straight through the train station without grabbing us. We weren’t happy. But what ever. Once we got to Baixa we walked to a restaurant named “Orange Bar” and we ate. We were there until ten when we left. We went to the Ben & Jerry’s down the street. Even though I had no money since my credit card wasn’t working I still managed to find enough change in my wallet to get one coffee, a scoop of ice cream and still have money to get home.  So I got fossil fuel (which let me tell you MADE MY DAY) it was amazing. Then after that we went to the Baixa Subway station and waited for the rest of the people that were coming to say goodbye to Lieze. After that we walked to the train station and picked up 2 Thai girls and the Iceland boy and girl. Then we walked to Santos and they found a bar. At 1 everyone that had to leave by train left and we took the train home. The next day me and Aysen woke up at 10 and we left the house at 11. We got Lisboa at about noon. We then went to the Se and  watched a Mass. Then we walked to the mall at Baixa Chiado and we ate and talked. At about 3 Aysen’s host mom came and I said goodbye and then I sat in Fnac and read a book. At 4 I left and walked from Baixa Chiado to Marques de Pombal and I then got on the subway and ate dinner with a friend and then i got on the train at 10 from Cais do Sodre. At 10:30 I got of the train and I got home and I got money then I headed to the NOFX concert. It was really good.  Well I’m at my grandma’s house right now so I’ll finish this tomorrow.

So then on Monday nothing interesting happened AT ALL… Tuesday was supposed to be rugby but I went to eat dinner at Rita’s (my volunteer) House instead. So I left right after school and headed to get Ally from Cascais. I got there at 7:00 and I went into CascaisVilla and met her up in the food court. We talked for a while and then caught the train at 7:43. We took the train to Sao Joao and then got off and took a train from there to Parede. When we got off we wandered for a while trying to find the house. Once we found it we went inside and had dinner. Me and Rita ate pasta with beef and then Ally ate pasta with salmon because she is semi-vegetarian and only eats fish. Then we just talked and at about 10 we left her house and she drove us home. First we dropped off Ally in Cascais, then she drove me to my home and I just went straight up stairs to sleep. Well since it has been a while since I wrote I don’t remember everything that has happened since so I’ll just do what I remember. Well on Thanksgiving (the 22^nd of November) I met up with Alex(the German girl from Hamburg who lives in Lisboa) and with Elise (the Texan who lives in Lisboa). We met up at Baixa Chiado subway station then we went and ate at Hard Rock Café. They had a thanksgiving dinner special but we didn’t see it till after we ordered. So all 3 of us had burgers, and then for desert we had pumpkin pie. Then we walked to the Chiado Mall and walked to Fnac but it was closed. So then we just went to a café had a snack and then walked to the train station. I didn’t get home till about midnight. And when I got home I just called home (the U.S. one lol) and talked to my family as they were getting ready for thanksgiving. On Friday Lenni and I got a ride from my mae and we went to Oeiras Parque because I wanted to go to Fnac and buy 2 books. Well first we walked to Carefour and we bought some cheese and some fideo. Then since we realized there is no Fnac in Oeiras Parque we got on SATU (A monorail that goes from Oeiras Parque to the Paço D’Arcos train station. We got there and then took the train to Lisboa. When we got there we walked to the Chiado Mall and went to Fnac and bought my two books. Then we ran back to the train station took the train back, and me and Lenni ate the cheese at his house and I ate at his house. Then on Saturday nothing really happened until about 4 when Ally got to Oeiras. I picked her up from the station and then we walked to Pingo Doce (the grocery store) and got some stuff.  Then we walked home and started cooking. We got like 30 potatoes (there were 30 people coming that night) and we started to peel them and get them ready for cooking. We started cooking at five. It consisted of random music, mashing potatoes, making pilaf, and screwing up on the stuffing. It was SO fun. Everyone (the 10 I invited) started getting there at like 7 or 8 and they went up stairs and talked. There was Daro, Elise, Alex, Lenni, Juan, Bomb, and Annie. Ally and I finally stopped cooking at 8:45 then we all sat down and ate. Everyone LOVED the pilaf (thanks mom) and the dinner was a success. We did have a huge amount of left over mashed potatoes though. So then everyone who had to take the train left at midnight. Daro left at 12:30 and then it was just me and Juan and Lenni until about 2 when Juan got a ride from a friend of my host moms who was at the part who lives in Santo Amaro also and Lenni just walked home. The next day I was on the train at 10 and I got into Lisboa at about 10:30 and I got to Marques de Pomabal at about 10:45. At 11:20 Alex and Elise showed up and we then walked to Elise’s house. We got there at about 11:45. We just talked for about 15 minutes and at noon we started to eat Mexican food that Elise made. It was amazing. We had tacos (although she makes them the Texan way L ). Then at about 12:30 or 12:45 we left and took the subway to Baixa. We walked around, went to this café near the castle then just walked to the Chiado Mall. We then spent about an hour in Fnac looking at cds. Alex bought two but I didn’t like either, and then Elise bought a Vanessa de Mata cd (she’s Brazilian) and I burned it off her. Then we took the train to my house and we spent the night listening to music and eating the leftover mashed potatoes from the previous night. At about 11 I walked them to the train station and then I walked back home and went to sleep. So lets see… that Tuesday for Portuguese lessons we went to the grocery store and our teacher gave each of us a list of things to get in Portuguese and we had to find it. I was lucky since that was the grocery store I go to so I already knew where everything was. Then on Wednesday for Portuguese we went to the BCC ( Belem Cultural Center). It was really nice and it stood out because it was so modern and everything around it is from the 14^th century. We went in and saw some good paintings and painters and some not so good ones, I still do not understand modern art I think its ugly and pointless but whatever. We saw a Picasso, Pollock, Dali, Paula Rego, and more..  That Saturday I was supposed to be going to the airport to say goodbye to Lieze and Jolien but they ended up getting to the airport 5 hours earlier than planned so it never happened. So instead Juan, Lenni, and I went to Oeiras Parque and saw American Gangster. It was really good I liked it.  Then we just took the bus home and slept. The next day I got on to the train at 1 and met up with Alex and Elise. We took the train to Cascais and met up with Ally there. We took the bus from there to Cascaisshopping. When we got there we went straight to the food court to eat. Alex and Elise both had sushi, and me and Ally had Pasta. When we finished eating Lenni got there. He had to come later since every Sunday his family has a big lunch together. After that we went shopping! Our first (and our most successful) stop was H&M I got 2 shirts and a jacket from there. Ally got 2 shirts, Alex got a shirt, and Elise got some socks. Then we walked all around the mall looking at shops. They only bought things at two other stores, Zara, and some other one that I don’t remember. Then we left at about 6 and took the bus back to Cascais and then the train back to Oeiras. Then this week at school WELL its been pretty um yah interesting. Well on Monday it was boring because it always is on Mondays. On Tuesday I missed math because my alarm didn’t go off because the power went out so it reset then in Portuguese lessons we just studied. In gym on Tuesday I had a written test and I actually did pretty good, my gym teacher helped me with it (she speaks NO English). On Tuesday everything was normal. For Portuguese class we went to Belem and we went to Pasties de Belem (YAY!!!) I had to pastries and 1 café. Then we went and walked around the Monastery. They were doing major repairs and stuff so the courtyard was covered by a huge tarp and it was really strange to see it like that. Then at 4 me and Juan had the Portuguese teacher drop us off at the Alges train station and we caught the same train as Brittany and we went to Cascais. In Cascais we hung out with Ally for an hour or two then we said goodbye to Ally and us three headed to Lisboa. Once in Lisboa we went to Baixa and waited for Taylor and August to show up. Once they got there we headed to the restaurant and ate dinner. After some serious drama we headed to the train station. And lets just say I’m happy that was the last time I ever saw her. I am glad she left. Oh I didn’t mention, that was her goodbye dinner. She left the next day at 4 on a train to Paris to meet up with her dad. I hate her and I will forever, And all because she was being stupid… so then me and Brittany got home at midnight and I was feeling sick. I called mom at 1 just to say hi. And then after we got off the phone with her we called Brittany’s mom. At 2 we went to sleep. I woke up at 7 and wasn’t feel good so I “called in” sick. I went back to sleep and at 11 I woke back up. Brittany said goodbye and she headed to Cascais to hangout with Ally. So I just sat on my laptop and watched TV all day. At 4:15 Brittany came back, got her stuff, I said goodbye and then she left back home. Then at like 8 me and my host mom put up the tree (fake by the way L). So now today, I woke up at about 7:15, took a shower, ate breakfast and left at 8:15 like always. I met up with Lenni and we walked to school. In English they had a test and I started writing this. Now I am in math. Well that’s pretty much it so yah.

So this isn't going to be that nice just because it was the truth and how i felt at the time...

Well A lot has happened since I wrote last time: Evora, Benevente, Lisboa, and a lot more but those are the highlights. So first the Friday after I wrote last I went to Evora with Ally. She called me at about 5 and said she was at the Parede Trainstop and I was only by Lenni’s house so I started to run to get to the Oeiras station. I got there in just enough time to buy a ticket and get on the train. So it was full so I just stood next to her seat and we talked. Once we got to Cais do Sodre we ran down to the metro and bought our tickets. We went to board the subway and we couldn’t make it on because it was too packed so we just waited for the next one. Once we got on to the subway (the green line) we sat down. We got of at the next stop Baixa Chiado and switched to the Blue line. We sat there for about 10-15 minutes  and then once we got to the Jardim Zoological stop we got off. We exited the station and walked to Sete Rios. When we got there we took the escalator to the bus terminal. We bought our tickets for the 7:00 bus to Evora. After spending half an hour just sitting waiting for the bus to get there we put our luggage in the bus and we boarded.  We talked until we got across the bridge then it started to get dark and both of us just put our music on. We got into Evora at around 8:30-9:00 at night. Brittany met us at the bus station and after we drank some café at the café we left and walked to her house. We stopped once more on the way to her house to get some café. We walked to her house and met her mom. Her mom is one of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met. She is amazing. So we had dinner and then we sat and ate ice cream. We just talked and watched Tv. Until her mom went to sleep at midnight. At 1 we left and walked to