The day I went to Águas de Lindóia

What type of day would it be? A kind of with the exchange students… my favorite kind of day!

 It has been a while since I had spent time with all the exchange students together so obviously I was excited, when I received the e-mail from rotex saying there was a new project I didn’t even read what we were doing, I just said that I was going. Once I had actually read the email I found out that the exchange students would be going on a buggy ride up a mountain in a city called Águas de Lindóia.

 The day of the project came around and I woke up excited. Unfortunately some of my fellow exchange students who went with me on the northeast wasn’t going to the rotex project so I was a little sad. I was especially sad because my best friend from Denmark called Stine wasn’t going to be there either seeing as she was going to Argentina to look at the waterfalls. However my other best friends from the states were going to be coming with me and I was ecstatic to see them! The meeting point was at a bus station in a city called Campinas. The city was about two hours away so it meant YET another early morning. I arrived on time at the bus station seeing as we were told if we were late the bus would leave without us. But in true Brazilian style the bus was over an hour late. That gave all the exchange students who met up in Campinas to wander around the shops and catch up with each other. Oh just a little thing that happened in the shopping Centre that day. The day of the project was March 17^th which was St Patrick’s Day! Brazilians don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but me being from the UK, I’m used to having some sort of St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I also found out that the American exchange students that I was with all also celebrated at Patrick’s day. There was a store in the bus station that was giving out free bracelets; to promote its store, and they had green ones! So all the exchange students picked green bracelets to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

campinis crew!

 When the bus finally arrived I couldn’t hold in my excitement, there were exchange students on that bus that I hadn’t seen since December!  All the exchange students who were waiting in Campinas ran towards the bus and pilled on. It was finally time to get to our actual destination. The bus ride was about an hour and a half but it flew by. I don’t think I actually sat down on the way there; I was too busy walking up and down the bus catching up with the old exchange students and getting to know the new ones. Once we had arrived there was a little surprise for all the exchange students who went on the northeast. One of the exchange students from Mexico was waiting for us! It was truly a surprise because I thought I was never going to see her again! After saying hello to her it was time to pick our cars, well I say pick but my friends picked for me, I just followed haha! I ended up in a us with my two best friends Camille and Wyatt from the states as well as exchange students from Canada, Mexico, Australia and India so I was happy :’)

representing, UK, US, India, Canada and Brazil

 It turns out the guy who was driving out bus was tour guide of the whole group and knew the area better than anyone so we got a more detailed tour as we rode up the mountain. We were shown a country club at the side of the mountain that offered a beautiful view of the city below. We then drove to the peak of the mountain. It has to be one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen of Brazil so far. After many picture taking it was time to descend back down the mountain.


all the exchange students!

On the way down we drove past a river and by this river there were these animals. I don’t even know how to describe I t, they weren’t like anything I have ever seen in my life! They looked like little pigs, but they were brown and furrier and had longer noses. I personally didn’t want to go anywhere near them but our driver promised that they were harmless. And I must admit, looking back they were quite cute >.<

the "cute" animals!

We made it back to the bottom of the mountain and thanked the drivers. We then walked over to a massive grassy area to have our picnic, all exchange students were asked to bring some type of food to share with all of the exchange students. I brought mini hot dogs :D we spend the rest of the afternoon eating each other’s food and just talking. We ended up in a massive huddle lying on each other, just cause that’s what exchange students do. >.< all too soon it was time to get back on the bus home and head home. As various exchange students got off at various stops I became more and more sad. I’m happiest when I’m with other exchange students and I was rather unwilling to leave them. However all good things must come to an end and I knew there would be a new rotex project net month so I had that to look forward too. So with that thought in my mind, I smiled and hugged my fellow exchange student’s goodbye with a smile on my face.