Pressure is on: Grandma Deanne said she checks my blog EVERYDAY to see if there´s something new. And here I am, trying to space ´em out so that you all will be on edge with anticipation :-P. Sorry Grandma, I´ll try to stay more on top of it.

Although I havent completely ridden my homesickness (let´s face it, home is great...), I have discovered the best way to cope: Get Busy!! This, of course, is far from difficult since being related to Deanne Lange and Scott Peltin, I genetically like being busy. I like to feel accomplished, check things off my lists (so many lists!). And even though in my dark "I miss my mommy" moods, when 6 weeks feels like a lifetime, lately I started making plans with friends and realized: Aaah, I only have 6 weeks left! Turns out, I might be squeezing things in :-). Hopefully, in this case, I´ll be enjoying it until the end!

So the schedule goes:

• Macaé, is another place in the same state but 2 hours north. A student of mine invited me to go visit his family´s farm. Scheduled for next weekend.
• Ilha Grande, kind of touristy but respectably so, it´s an island off the beach which supposedly is beautiful and honeymoon-worthy. Scheduled to go with Fanny and a group of friends probably the first weekend of Novemer.
• Baile Funk, if you havent heard of this please google it. It´s famous here in Rio. Baile Funks are dance parties, usually in a favela and in the past were famous for the danger because it´s all the traffickers and druggies from the favelas partying with booze and guns. The one we´re going to (my friends and I ) is being held at a samba school, basically a clean version with the same music. Scheduled for this Saturday.
• Corcovado (Jesus on a mountaintop!)- Im sure you´ve all seen the postcards and my facebook pictures, I still have yet to climb that sucker! This Wednesday is a holiday, so a few of us plan to go then. Hopefully the weather permits because lately it´s been grey and rainy.
• Halloween, they dont celebrate it TOO MUCH here but a lot of young people have been influenced by American TV that they know all about it. At one of the schools I teach at, they have a party and also a student might have one at her place. Should be fun, I want to be Olive Oil and Ricardo be Popeye!
• Soccer Game, it´s been on my list since before I arrived. Brazil is the craziest (and best) soccer place. These people are dedicated more to their team than to their own children. Here, Flamengo is one of the most popular local teams (along with Fluminese, Botafogo and Vasco). Wednesday the 19th, Flamengo will play University of Chile. Sooo, Im sure you guessed: me and Fanny are very excited and we plan on meeting some other Chileans there.
• Latino Festival, my Colombian student told me that on Sunday the 23rd there will be a big Latino Festival (Panama, Colombia, Peru, etc.) with food and music. She is going to have a table, selling Colombian food and invited me. She said not to bring money, because I dont need to pay :-). I cant wait to eat Colombian food and see salsa dancers!
• Churrascaria, there are many here in Rio. They are basically restaurants that specialize in meats, mainly on the grill. Theyre specifically Brazilian, and I must go to one before I leave this country.
• Last but not least, WORK! Which Ive already talked enough about. That truly keeps me busy. I have classes Monday-Saturday and most days Im spending at least an hour or two creating games, looking up good songs, planning activities, etc. One of my basic beginner students said "Whatever" the other day... I felt so proud. My other student, Yuri, we did tongue twisters to practice pronunciation. I told him if he can recite "Fuzzy Wuzzy" before I leave, I will feel that my job here is complete.
• Sidenote: my plane leaves from Sao Paulo so I need to find a way to get there (it´s NOT close). And while Im there, I plan to give myself one day so that I can visit my Great Uncle Al´s (Grandma Dee´s brother) Catholic school (one of many) that he created for poor kids. Im very excited because my Grandma has been to Korea and the Phillipines but never to Latin America so I will be very proud to see something that my own family created to help kids get off the street and get an education and have a home.

I know I COULD probably begin that silly little job-search thing that people are struggling with at home, but... but... maybe later? As of now, I will return to San Diego but I need December to visit everyone, go to Arizona for Chirstmas and everything. This just isnt the time to job search haha. Plus, depending on different things, going to Colorado just for the winter season (January until maybe April more or less) with Ricardo is not far-fetched. I could work at a hotel or Starbucks there, see a new place, experience snow (not sure how I feel about that) and be with Ricardo.

Quote of the Day: Go with the flow because Life flows on within you and without you.