It is January 3rd, and I am on my way back from a small city called Luz where I spent New Years. This is a very animated day in Brazil. Everyone dresses in white and goes to extravagant parties, filled with several bands, snacks, and a vast amount of alcohol. I was reluctant to go with my family, because I knew I'd be missing the celebrations that my friends would be going to. I've always been a stubborn person and think I know what will work best for me. But after considering it, I decided to go in order to be respectful to my host family. They had made arrangements for me and were anxious to have me go. And of course, I had an amazing time. We stayed with the grandparents in a beautiful house with a pool. There was some other family there too who I loved talking to and enjoying the super hot weather with. New Year's Eve was one of the best experiences I've had here. My family and I danced all night, while the band played a mix of Brazilian music and american music like Bon Jovi. I was given an opportunity to meet new people, experience something different, and I am so glad I wasn't an idiot and did it.
It brings up the idea of being mature, and being flexible. I forget sometimes that these people aren't my real family, and they aren't obligated to provide for me, let alone go out of their way to show me a great time. There isn't enough days in this rapid year for me to be wasting it on Facebook alone in my room and not increasing my knowledge, relationships, and Portuguese. Not everyone will necessarily go as I want it to, and that's starting to become okay with me. I am learning and enjoying this year so much more as I continue to be more appreciative and flexible. I just am hoping I keep this in mind for the rest of the year, I'm already halfway done!
Also, I have been majorly slacking on my blog posts, which is a problem because so much has been changing recently. Sometimes I wonder if people really read these besides my mom, and if people really want to know how I'm feeling, instead of what they can see me doing in my Facebook statuses and Instagram posts. But I figure the purpose of this page is more so so I can reflect, remember the heartaches, the frustration, and the discoveries. I want to remember the points where I missed home, felt judged, felt loved, and was simply too busy and having too much fun to even write a new post. I'm going to make an effort to write more here and record the easy to forget details about this gift of an experience.
