Monday, April 25, 2011

My nautical experience..I'M ON A BOAT

Well, those who are keepin up a good stalk would know that last weekend I went on a bit of a cruise. Bit of a 4-day all expenses paid cruise to Rio and Buzios with around 25 other crazy amazing exchange students! When we all arrived at the terminal thing we were all jumping around wildly, taking photos, wearing weird rotary hats and singing the "i'm on a boat" song. Actually, that pretty much sums up the whole cruise (except for the hats thing..we took them off pretty quick haha)

So pretty much we have a floating hotel..massive pool area, restaurants, bars everywhere, but the cabins were like smaller than a standard bedroom..to fit 4 people and all their bags..haha but it was all good because we had a flexible room. Ie. two of us had done ballet and the other two did gymnastics, so we managed!

Our days were basically filled with poolside chills, sun baking, so SO much dancing, not nearly enough sleep, extreme over-eating (we're talking at least 4 meals per day..20 desserts in 3 days) , staying up to watch the sunrise...then watching it set on the same day on the very top of the boat..getting in trouble for being on the very top of the boat..Aussie reppin..(one of the other aussies tied up a flag amongst alll the white rotary ones haha such a win)..getting off at Buzios and jumping off the pier with the locals (a gorgeous little island with cute boutiques, cobblestone roads and the cruisiest vibe) playing that -never have I ever- game in over-crowded spas..going to night cabaret shows...constantly singing the on a boat song and stating what one was doing and always finishing with..on a boat...

hilarious 5 course dinners..being too poor to pay $2 for water at the fancy restaurants so just eating the ice out of wineglasses...become absolute besties with our waitress Jackeline (she gave us all of the 3 desserts each night when you can only order one)..gettin dowwwn at the balada (word for clubs) with mexicans..actually just gettin dowwn with people from every country..saying REOW suggestively with a cat like hand movement...waking up at midday in Rio to lunch and a crazy samba carneval-style presentation...volunteering myself to shimmey with the sambistas in front of everyone on da boat...pumping up the sweet tunes of happiness from cat empire with the other aussie under the burning sun..winning keyrings in arvo soccer games..hanging pajama pants in the cracks of the ceiling just cause I can..toooo many laughs... befriending the cutest six year old girl at the tropical party night and just dancing and jumping around crazily with her and the exchangies under the stars..(when we left she was crying so her parents took her to the club to find us and dance with us again!! Hahha ohhh brazil....you really don't care about rules do you...) ...spontaneous first aid missions ..and yeah just generally being woken up too early, regretting not sleeping more the night before but staying up late again anyway..

All in all...a really fun time that went WAY too quickly! I don't know how I can ever ever thank Rotary for giving us this amazing opportunity, most of us had never been on a cruise and yeah it was just truly amazing. Such a brilliant way to spend my final days of being 17. Photos are up on facey!

X

Sunday, April 10, 2011

April livin'

Oiiiiii gente

Quick update, well what's been happening in the last week...pretty much general school life. Which is thoroughly enjoyable. I've actually gotten to the point where I am waking up at 6.17 every day leaping out of bed to go to school because 1) I don't have to do ANYTHING 2) All my friends are there and 3) my class is ridiiiculously fun and nice and just generally full of great people! It's kinda a ding dang because some of them have been there together since they were like 2 years old and everything is done in the sammeee class samee people and they know each other inside out so they have this whole family type thing goin' on. Which is nice! But could have been awks to shimmey into you know what I mean?

But it's actually not like this at ALL everyone is tooo beautifully welcoming and I have nuzzled into their warm embrace with glee. We actually get up to so much ridiculous shit and right now Imma take full responsibility for anyone not passing their university entrance tests...

Ok portugese...so every day is a new day with it..por ejemplo..tuesday we had double geography and I actually understood the whole thing! It was such a beautiful epiphany like I just wiped all the water of the windscreen and could see everything clearly, and then we went down for recess and I couldn't understand anything my friends were saying. And then yesterday I met a guy whose mum works at my building (he is literally the guy version of me..nothing is better) and we talked for 3 hours straight only in porto like SUPER fast about 3947 different subjects and it was awesome! And then some days I can't be fucked and just say it in english...so you know..getting there slowly!

On Saturday my Rotary district had this nations fair, where all the exchange students get together and have a table with stuff from their country to help next years exchange students choose where to go. We had fairy bread (yes people this is australian I didn't know this..?) ANZAC biscuits..and we WERE going to have a pav and lamingtons but 20 eggs and a failure oven later we had nothing. But we did have heaps of cute little trinkets and people were easily impressed when we told them I had kangaroos at my house. So pretty much, we would talk to someone and they be wantin to go to like germany or canada or something and without failure five minutes of our ridiculously enthusiastic blabbering later they had changed their minds :)

I didn't realise the little things I loved about Aus until I had to persuade people to go there! And anyway it was basically just a day of wearing the flag as a cape and jumping around spontaneously with the other exchange students.

NOW FOR THE EXCITING NEWS
This Thursday, we all have to go to a rotary district conference where old men talk about rotary programs etc. boring right? WRONG. YOU ARE SO WRONG. It is actualllllly a free 4 day cruise to Rio de Janeiro!

WE BE ON A BOAT!

So obviously, really really looking forward to that. I got my flippy floppies. And it's all you can eat so you know, generally, my paradise! The other day I ate porkchops till I was in crippling pain and today I had 5 different desserts with lunch..sooo off to the gym for a nice 3 hours tomorrow I'm thinking haha.

Beijos a todos! XXXX

(also, if you haven't tried longboarding before...get to it. It's like surfing but on a skate board type thing...just the cruisest thing ever..especially around my sussa little seaside city!)