May 5, 2007

Hello all!

Realizing that I now have less than a month left I thought of all of you, and figured I should send out one more group email before the end, if only to let you know how excited I am to see you soon. This year, apart from the first hard months, has just flown by. It's both scary and exciting going home, knowing I am a very different person, or at least have a very different perspective. Wooster will have never seemed smaller, but at the same time more precious, having been so far away for so long. I've gotten so much, personally, out of this experience. I've learned a lot about myself, the world, and what I want, and gained so many friends and experiences that I will never forget. I've also managed to have a pretty good time, which doesn't hurt. It will be hard to leave these things behind forever, at least I always knew I would see you all again, but the unpredictable future regarding my new close friends, who have been my family here, is frightening and sad. The thing that keeps me from getting too down- the fact I will be seeing you all shortly. I miss you so much!

But enough with that… I think it's been quite some time since I last wrote. I really can't remember if it was before or after my family came to visit from the states at the beginning of April. If I'm repeating myself, forgive me. My mom, dad, and Amy all met me in Rio. It was so good to see them, and we had an awesome time seeing the sights in Rio. It is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the mountains, and ocean, and city buildings all colliding. Then we went to the Iguaco Falls in the south. There were phenomenal, so natural and gorgeous and awe-inspiring. We spent sometime hiking there, and Amy and I did a boat ride into the falls on the Argentinean side. It was cool to be in a Spanish speaking country, if only for the afternoon. The best part, however, was showing my family my city, Londrina, which was our last stop. They got to see where I've been living, and more importantly got to meet both my host families and my host counselor at a dinner party my family threw. It was very surreal having my two worlds and families together, with the only common denominator being me. It was also really cool combining my family cultures and personalities. I was kept very busy translating, though we ultimately found that a lot could be said without words.

I also traveled to my friend's small city in my state in mid-April. We had a surprising amount of fun, considering the size of the town, which can only be attributed to the people there. I went with three of my best friends here and we got to meet a lot of really nice people there. We had some good bbqs, and everyone was really friendly. The purpose of our trip was rather sad though, as she left to return to Mexico right after. It was really hard as she was the first of our group, the oldies now, to leave.

So, the future? As I probably already said, I will be home June 4, provided nothing goes awry with the plane schedule which is all too common here! This summer I will be working and traveling with my family. I also plan on spending a lot of time with my friends and just appreciate being home for a few months. In August I will go to DePauw University. I look forward to seeing you all soon. Thanks for all the emails, mail, and love and support this year. I couldn't have gotten through without them, and it's nice to know I have people who love and are thinking about me to return to. Love and kisses from Brasil!

xoxo, Erin