AHHHH FIRST POST IN FOREVER!!!

Sorry it's been so long...our internet fried and I just haven't had time to write everything out...here I will try. But I warn you, it will be long...





1st Monday of break: Got up. Was supposed to meet Johannes at 10, so about 10:40 he showed up at Trindade, way to go punctuality. We hopped on the metro, and in the middle of a sentence he yanked me off the train proclaiming "this is the stop!", practically as the doors were closing. Yea, thanks for the warning! We were supposed to meet his sister and her boyfriend to help them switch hotels, but Johannes didn't know where the hotel was. 45 minutes later of wandering up and down the street we finally find the hotel (the first one we'd seen) and meet up with them in a café. I do have to admit their room was awful, purple walls with floral curtains. We spent the next hour searching hotels (and I had a very nice conversation with Freun, Jo's sister's boyfriend about a lot of stuff, thankfully they all speak basically fluent english) until we finally found one near Casa da Musica. We trekked over in the rain to find this very nice hotel. It's funny, Sosannah (the sis) is JUST like Johannes with the cravings, only instead of Chocolate Cake, it's Burberry. We had a lunch at a foodcourt place, then went shopping and basically just wandered Porto (it always ends like this...). I heard some very funny stories about Johannes being spoiled as a kid - and as a teenager too apparently =P - thank god for siblings! So then I had to leave, and met my host-cousin on the metro on the way back. This country is so full of those kinds of coincidences.



Tuesday: Morning was relaxed, then in the afternoon Elif came to visit me in Vila do Conde! She's actually my first friend (besides kip) to come here! We walked up to the mosteiro, then walked along the beach and took about 1000 photos of us trying to jump for the picture, but they all basically failed =P. We got pastries at a pastelaria and talked for a long time. She finally had to leave though, which was quite sad.

Wednesday: Met with Johannes his sister and her boyfriend. We had lunch at this really nice outdoor cafe on the river then went to the coves to see how they make wine. Very interesting day, filled with huge barrels of wine...

Thursday: This day was awesome!!! Well...for the most part. We were all supposed to meet at 12 (raven told johannes 11:45 so he wouldn't be too late). I was the only one actually on time...Raven and Elif showed up about 12:40 and we met with Johannes around 1:15. Another amazing display of punctuality! =P We went to have some mochachocs and then walked across the bridge to this garden in Maia where we just hung out in the grass...rolled down the hill...talked and sang. It was so fun...then Johannes figured out he lost his phone. We looked everywhere in the garden, retraced our steps to mochachoc and the cafe we met him in...but it was nowhere to be found, so we finally just had to get another sim card for him. We actually accidentally asked for free massages instead of free messages though, the guy looked at us like we were crazy...Then we had some mcdonalds and I had to go. =(

Friday: I did nothing basically all day. Didn't even get out of my pjs until 5, but I got an email from Kip saying he would be staying the weekend in Porto! Yay!

Saturday: Met with Kip in Porto, took FOREVER trying to find his hotel. We walked all up and down the city looking for it, finally turned up in the end but yeah, Kip's blog has a better account of this day if you'd like. We had lunch in Gaia with the crazy old woman who kept trying to feed us things and saying she could talk with anyone...then we went to the coves as well, not as good a tour as Wednesday but the same idea. (seriously, check kip's blog it's so much better!)

Sunday: Easter!!! I dressed up and Kip came for the day to our house. We had an amazingly huge lunch and afterwards I gave my family an easter basket and Kip and I watched LOST episodes to catch up at least part of the way. Kip, Inês, Frederico, and I went out for a dinner of francesinhas. When we got home Kip and I attempted to make apple pie, which severely failed. Kip had to go...and it's weird to think the next time I see him we'll both be back in the US...

Monday: The internet fried *NOOOOOOOO!*. It was terrible. I stayed at home most of the day, then went in search of an internet cafe, which I did ultimately find but didn't have enough time to post an entry. My host family and I went to this birthday party that night which was pretty fun, though I only knew like 2 people besides my host family.

Tuesday: Martina came to porto and we met with Johannes, then Brittany and Raven came later...a lot happened that day...but I don't think I'm going to talk about it here. When I come home in June ask me I can tell you then...just not ready to say anything yet.

Wednesday: Martina and I went to Porto...had mochachocs and got on the internet (we were with Johannes). We made cookies when we got home and watched Across the Universe...

Thursday: Martina left...(there is a reason there aren't a lot of details with...some having to do with just...stuff that happened I wish hadn't. Whatever...it's in the past now and one day I may say but just don't push me now, some sore memories. Let's just say things don't always go the way you want them too, with host family and friends and everything. Things are a lot better now but it's still very fresh)

Friday: Johannes came to vila do conde! We walked on the beach...had lunch...and yes, we are officially going out if anyone cares =). It was so sweet...he just said "so...do you want to be together now?" me: uhhh yea! him: ok now that that's settled...very cute. I saw two videos him and his friends in Faroes made of doing backstreet boys and baywatch. It was funny stuff. I have a very funny boyfriend XD (oh my god, I'm actually allowed to say that?!?! no way!) We tried to get on the internet but the "internet cafe" didn't have internet! What crap! Kind of ironic...

Saturday: Met with this volunteer Ana to talk about "things" that had happened over break, but she thought that they weren't as bad as I thought they were...I guess she's right. After I had lunch with Raven and his girlfriend who'd come to porto (Johannes was still in bed...grr! =P). I got home then Fernanda, Fernando, and I took a trip to the very north of Portugal, I even saw spain on the other side of the river!

Sunday: I spent the whole day with family. We had lunch, then Inês, Fernanda, and I took a walk in Vila do Conde, then we drove to Vila Chã for launche with the extended family.

Monday: Returned to school...blegh! But it was really good to see friends I hadn't seen over break. And they all said they thought my Portuguese had gotten a lot better over break (which is a bit strange because I spent a lot of it with English speakers...) Not really a lot to say. We had a sort of Physical Fitness testing day...I thought I'd escaped that last year!!!

Tuesday: Got on the internet for a bit...went to school...nothing interesting. Road the metro with manana which was fun.

Wednesday: Missed the expresso metro but somehow wasn't late to school...? Awesome anyways. Had German and Math in the morning. Johannes and I met for lunch in McDonalds...it sucks I only get to see him 2 or 3 times a week. Just talked with Theresa some after lunch...had history, PE (Theresa, Catarina, Mafalda, and Rita and I hung out outside for a lot of it, the weather here is absolutely gorgeous now!) and English. On the metro back I talked some with Inês and Manana, but we were all tired. I had a latin dance class at night, then watched some TV but I was so exhausted i basically fell asleep on the couch.

Today: FINALLY!!! I am ALMOST done with this update!!!! I had a portuguese lesson in the morning, I'm almost finished with the first level book, and the material is even pretty easy where I am. I had history and the teacher made me read out loud from the book which was very scary, but everyone said I'm doing really well so that was cool. I talked with Maria over the break, it's so cool I'm actually beginning to have real conversations in Portuguese, and I can understand most of what's said to me. I had MACs (math) last period...but the teacher was just dictating examples the students were supposed to write down, but it was a bit fast for me, so that was really boring...and now I'm sitting here in the computer lab...it's taken me over an hour to finish this! So if you actually read everything (if anyone even still reads this after 3 weeks of nothing...) don't give up! I'm going to try harder to post more...I even think we're going to have working internet soon! Anywho...até logo! Comment please so I know someone's still reading...or shoot an email. =) have a nice day...