I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to write and after veiwing your list of emails about reports I know that it has not gone unnoticed. The thing is that I was unable to gain access to a computer and when one was avaible I was not because I was travelling I do however a sure you that my reports will be on time from now on.
Now what I am going to do is give you a condenced three month report in one.
In October all of the exchange students in my district got together for a weekend at a beer fest, don't orry it was na offical Rotary function. It was lots of fun. All of the exchange students in my district are really cool with one or two exceptions. During this weekend I learnt about some of the other countries and made lots of cool friends. Then at the close of the Festival we (the exchange students) were invited to take part in parade. Each country had a banner with the name of the country on it. For some reason every was thinking that i was from South Africa. So I got home and my town was still the same. The next thing was the trip to Pantanal. This was the first official trip of my exchange year I was all too excited. It was an Eco-tourism trip for ten days. There were two bus loads of students and I was the only on from the Bahamas. During the trip we did camping, rafting, fishing, snorkling, scuba diving, and lots of other cool stuff. The best part of the trip was when all of the exchange students got together and sang songs. The first thing that everyone want me to sing was of course Bob Marley. For some reason they all were confusing the Bahamas with Jamica. There were also lots of parties during this trip. At one of them the guides held a dance contest and you know of course who won. I mean there was no
real competition. Okay there was this one guy from Peru who had made me a little scared but I just had to teach him a lesson for doing that. The trip was a blast, and ended in early November. I made some of my best friends
here in Brasil during this trip and I am in costant contact with them.
Yet I still did not return home I got permmission from my Rotary to stay at a friend's for a week. Man it was so cool because are like 9 exchange students staying in this one city and every is a friend of everyone else. So we were always together, at the end of the week my district held a conference. All of the exchange students in my district were there and even so of my friends from other districts came as well. It was awesome. We had to perform a talent from our country so My best friend, a student from Finland and I got together and came up with na act. He composed a song and I did the lyrics and we performed it for everyone. It was he first time
that I did anything like that, and everyone liked it.
When I got home I herd the news of my grand mother's death. This was very hard for me, because my family is very close and I couldn't be there. I was in constant contact with my family during this time of depression. The thing that made it easier was the my mother a I had a nice long conversation about this before I left so I was as prepared as one can be for such a thing.
In December I switched families and it was harder than I thought it would be, but I had a party. I don't know if the party was a going away party of if it was a "Yes, Ethan is going away!" party. My new host family is great,
I have two sisters and one brother ages 19, 16, and 11 respectively. I was not in my new home for two weeks yet and the told me that they were taking me on vacation with them to the beach. It was really a shock to me. So I
went and it was awesome, there were like five different families in one group. It kind of reminded me of how it is when my entire family travel together CRAZY! Honestly the holidays didn't do me too bad I didn't even
feel it. I woke up one morning was getting ready to go on the beach and my host mother tells me Merry Christmas. New years was crazy the streets were crowed and load. I did have fun though. Thats about all I have to report.
Sorry I'm like three months late but better late that never !
I will be going on a one month trip to the North East of Brazil on the 9th of Jan, so the next time you here from me will be whenI get back.
God Bless! Tchau!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Man I can't believe that its the year 2000!
Ethan R. L. Quant
OUTBOUND
ROATRY YOUTH EXCHANGE STUDENT
1999-2000
ARAPOTI, PARANA, BR.
