Upbeat Update

The weekend went well, and I am now well into my second week with my host family. On Sunday we at lunch with my host mom's sister's family. We then went as a group to the city of Ponte de Lima (literally: the Lima Bridge, the Lima is a river in Northern Portugal). It was a very pretty city, but apparently it is prone to flooding. They have commemorated the depth of various floods with little placks marking how high the water reached. When we got home I skyped with family and friends for the first time. The first picture is of the ancient bridge, built by the Romans I believe. The second is me and my host family, along with my host cousin (she is the shortest one second from the right). I am a little taller than the rest of my family.

My second week at school is going well. In P.E. on Monday we swam. My running fitness did not help me swim well, at all. I have taken a few tests and they have been difficult, due to the fact that they are in Portuguese and I arrived in the middle of the trimester. I have been getting along well with my classmates and have befriended one who also happens to be new at the school (he moved here two weeks ago from another part of Portugal). Early in the week, my P.E. teacher informed me that there was to be a race on the 28th of January and asked if I wanted to participate. I eagerly agreed to run. The race was very enjoyable, and I managed to win handily. Apparantly, I qualified to participate in a District race next week. If I do well there, I can go to Nationals. I am excited to see how this turns out.

Running in general is going very well. My host family is very tolerant of my desire to run. I have a very good route that takes me up to the Santa Luzia Church (follow the link to see what it looks like). From the Church I can see the whole town, as well as the beach, ocean, Lima River and, in the evening, the sunset.

My Portuguese is coming along very well. I can understand, speak and write more each day. I can really tell that my comprehension is much better than it was just two weeks ago. I can communicate with my host family pretty easily now.

It is hard to believe I have already been gone for two weeks. The five months are going to be over before I know it.

The Trip

I have arrived in Portugal, met and began my life with my host family and started school since the last time I wrote on my Blog.

The camps in New York and Portugal were a little dull at times. The leaders/teachers tended to repeat a lot of information we already knew. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to meet some really nice people who are also in Portugal with AFS and going through experiences similar to mine.
My host family is very nice. They speak little english, try their best to help me learn Portuguese and live about 10 miles outside of Viana do Castelo. My host sisters are easy to get along with and enjoy playing UNO (that was one of the gifts I gave them). My host mom works downtown in Viana do Castelo and my host father works in another town nearby.
My favorite part so far is the food! It is good, especially the pastries. There are countless cafes all around town with insanely good, and cheap (less than $1) pastries. Even the cafeteria (cantina) food is good. For lunch (about $2) you get bread, soup, a main course, a side and dessert. Its not nasty pre-fabricated, recently thawed out food like in the U.S. cafeterias.
On to the topic of starting school. I was really nervous about starting school on the first day. I was worried it would be difficult to communicate, make friends and find my way around. I sat with a group of people at lunch that invited me to tag along to get ice cream with the extra time during lunch.

Quick Explanation of How School Works (at least at my school) in Portugal:
You have a set schedule for every day of the week, and you get out of school at varying times of the day. On thursday and friday (quinta feira and sexta feira in Portuguese) I get out a little after one. On the other hand, I have classes until 6:15 on Tuesday. I start class at 8:30 every day. I get more than an hour for lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Monday I get about 45 minutes. On Thursday and Friday I do not have a set lunch because I get out a little after one. I attend all my classes with people that are in the same track and term as me. I am doing Science and Technology. Therefore, the same 20 or 30 people are in all of my classes.

Back to the narrative- Those people were very helpful. After lunch I started my science classes and made friends with most of my term mates. They are all very easy to get along with, invite me along with them during snack breaks and help me find my way around school. During the 10-15 minute breaks you can get coffee or pastries at the in-School "Bar" or go to one of the cafes near the school for a snack. I love the pastries here!
So far there has been no homework, and I am very happy about that. It is difficult to understand what is going on in most of my classes. Spanish and math are the exceptions because in Spanish class only Spanish is spoken and math is pretty universal (plus I am way ahead of them as the teacher said).
One teacher is going to tutor me in Portuguese, which is going to start in about 10 minutes. I am afraid that is all for now, but more details and pictures are coming soon.
Tchau!

Really Ready

My last day in San Antonio has been fun, hectic, a little sad and exciting. I am looking forward to getting to New York and meeting all of the other exchange students. From New York I fly to London, and I finally arrive in Lisbon on Friday.

I have my host family, and I spoke with my host father briefly today (on the phone). They seem very nice, and athletic. Hopefully they will allow me to run while I am there, I think my chances are good.

I'm sad to leave San Antonio, but excited at the same time. I have a suspicion that I will feel the same when leaving Portugal. It seems so far away, but that day will be here sooner than I think.