Show & Tell Day

I wish I could fully describe these pictures without boring ya'll to tears. As hard as I try to take pictures, there are so many memories and moments that aren't captured. The beauty of this country is only half way reflected in pictures. Despite that, I hope you enjoy, and I hope it helps you paint a clearer image of what my life is like here in Brasil!

Crepes on campus.

Chris is really good about taking pictures when we make new friends.

With Ruth, the director of Unilinguas, Unisinos' language department.

 GMoney has done a really good job with surprising me with different people over Skype. I love talking to my family, don't get me wrong. I just was so excited to see these three beautiful faces. 

My first time talking to sweet baby Kamryn.

My favorite boys in the whole world.

The traditional Gaucho drink, chimarrão.

Our weekly team meeting at Chris and Melody's house.

This whale replica on Unisinos' campus.

Ulbra is a different university. The first time the Hannah's and I went to explore the campus, we walked away with many, many, many memories.  

One of the most beautiful chapels the Hannah's and
I found while exploring Ulbra.

The walls were stain glass.

The picture does no justice to how large the organ was.

Hannah West touching things she probably shouldn't have.

The ceiling. 

We had a mini photo shoot.

 There are no words to describe the moment captured in the next five pictures. This was after a loooonnnggggg bus ride on the wrong bus, trying to get from Ulbra to the train station. We learned that "choo choo" is universal for "train." We learned not to get on the green bus. We were hot. We were giddy. On the train ride back to Sao Leopoldo, we couldn't stop laughing.

Trying to look uninterested. 

One of many faces from Hannah West.

Daniel, Stewart, Hannah Morrison, me and Hannah West.

Where there is food, there you will also find this group of Hands On.

I love this picture.

We had a two hour drive up the "mountain" with this as our view the entire way.

"How do the sorority girls do it?"

"No, not like that." 

Nothing says "I'm not from here" like stopping on
the side of the road to take pictures.

Hail Southern.
All the way from Brasil.

After everyone completed the maze. 

Storm clouds on the walk to campus. 

During Carnival, my host family took me to the beach and Gramado. The beach was nicknamed "Big Chocolate," and Gramado 

is the home of chocolate. 

Marcos, the boys and I rode paddle boats while Fabi took our pictures. 

The view from one of Gramado's highways.

We ate lunch at this family owned cafe before hiking to see the water falls. 

Tales and Denis.
My Brasilian brothers.

Right before going into Mundo do Gelo in Gramado. 

An ice Cristo Redentor.

A bed of ice.

Facetiming on the way to school. 

Helping paint banners on campus. 

Futebol. Brasil revolves around it. Here in Rio Grande do Sul, we revolve around two teams. Internacional and Grêmio. A long lasting rivalry between Red and Blue. The "way" it works is many years ago, your great, great, great, great grandfather picked a team, and since then, that's who your family has cheered for. My host family is in Inter family. 

We went to a second string game one, hot, Sunday afternoon. Seeing a real futebol game is still one of my most memorable moments in Brasil. There's no way to describe the energy or devotion found at this type of event.

Trying to find shade under our flag.

VIVO INTER!!!

The Thursday after my Internacional game, I was invited to go to a Grêmio game. I was so scared to tell my host mom and dad that I was going. 

Inter fans don't go to Grêmio games.

They never stop. This goes on for two hours. One word: ENERGY

Blue and only blue. 

My favorite part of any game.
The players walking out of the tunnel and their national anthems.

When I got home from the game, it was one in the morning, and everyone in my house was asleep. I was quietly making my way through the dark. I go to walk in my room, but my door was shut. This was weird because I never shut my door when I leave. When I turn on my flash light, 

I see this and bust out laughing. 

I was contaminated after going to that "other team's" arena and watching them play. 

Sunsets here in Brasil are no joke.

 You probably won't find the following picture funny. It's okay, you had to be there. One night, I was hanging out with friends. I got home after everyone was already asleep. I let myself in the gate with one key, and into the house with another. But that's as far as I got. We have a door from our laundry room to the rest of the house that somehow got locked. So... I was locked out of my house, only I was inside my house. After the initial shock, I had to figure out how to get in. Both parent's phones were down stairs; I could see them ringing right in front of me. I either had to get creative or sleep outside with the dogs. So... I wormed my way through a window that was too small to worm my way through. When I was half way through the window, I caught a fit of the giggles and almost busted my face. I couldn't help but think of what would happen if I made too much noise and my parents came down stairs to see me stuck in a window. The next morning, Fabi said sorry for not answering my call and asked if everything was alright. When I told her and Marcos what happened, we all cracked up. Over all, this was one of the funniest things to ever happen to me in Brasil. I only wish that someone would have been with me so we could laugh together. 

It was extremely difficult to worm through that middle window.

Hannah got a little overwhelmed in our Portuguese class. 

Selfies in Happy Station, our favorite snack place on campus.

My Brasilian grandmothers busy finding me a Gaucho husband.

I SAW CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!!! This is the only picture I took before the show because
I wasn't going to risk getting thrown out for breaking the rules I didn't understand. 

Brasilian Bus Besties.

Morrison wanted a picture of Stew's arm hair. 

So happy I got to Skype with Granny Dot and Grandpa.
Even though he tortured me with the "offer" of Chick-fil-A. 

Kamryn slept through her first volleyball tournament.

My favorite rat.
She didn't look this old when I left.

BayBay, the defense specialist with a baller's braid. 

Selfies before pasta! 

I got to see my Brasilian mom swim (and win) at her tournament yesterday.

Denis did his own swimming.

 I've never had a Show & Tell quite like this before. 

Stained glass chapels, night time breaking and entering through a window, futebol, German food, train ride giggles. 

And probably never will again.

Thank You, God, for the ever changing, ever surprising 

life I live here in Brasil.

Click, click, click

Taylor Lea

And he said to the people of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know, 'Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.'

Joshua 4:21-22