Living.

Last week I went to Acre with my school. It was an amazing trip because we managed to understand better how the seringueiros live. It is a trip that I would never have done if the school hadn't initiated it. It is an experience that I will never forget, especially becuase the lifestyles in Acre are completely different from the ones in Sao Paulo. Throughout the whole trip I was constantly reminding people that I am a "city girl". It was tough for me to get used to the whole setting. The difficulties that I had throughout the trip only made it even better, since I had the chance to see how their lives are extremely hard. I was amazed by how the people in Acre were so patriotic and felt proud of their own territory. It is something that I do not commonly see in São Paulo, excpet for whenever there's a soccer game on.
This trip made me realize how there are different ways of thinking and living. During school, we are constnatly debating about the political and social issues in the Amazon, however, it is nothing compared to actually experiencing it.

What are you goals?

These past few days have been extremely hectic. Final exams are coming up and all of the teachers and students are freaking out because they have so much to do in a short period of time. However, it has been very stressful for the seniors because they have to do college applications and study for the vestibular. I know that I am staying in Brazil for sure, since my parents don't want me to study abroad. I have been doing the vestibular for different universities, which is something extremely stressful. I am aware that I am only practicing, however, once you get out of the test, you literally feel mentally exhausted.
The main reason the vestibular makes me feel a little bit nervous is that I'm not sure of what I want to do. In the US you have some sort of flexibility to choose your courses, however, here in Brazil it is completely different. You do not have any choices of changing your course without having to pass through the vestibular again.
What are my goals? I have no idea what are my goals! HELP ME.

Dreams

Dreams can be very powerful. They can point out certain things that we don't normally think about whenever we are awake. We don't normally pay attention to our dreams, since a lot of times we end up forgetting them throughout the day. However, it is extremely interesting whenever it becomes an extremely vivid memory that we will never be able to forget. There are some specific dreams that I have never forgotten. Most of them were whenever I was still 5 years old, making it even more amzing because it is very normal for us to forget how life was back when we were still very naiive and small.
There is one specific dream that I will never forget. It is probably one of the most beautiful memories that I have. I remember that I was in the middle of this huge field filled with flowers and I was holding my mother's hand. It was one of the most serene moments that I ever had (even though it was only a dream). It was a very simple, yet beautiful dream. We were simply holding hands and walking towards the rest of my family.
I have no idea why I have never been able to forget this dream. However, I am very thankful that I can keep this as a memory, for it can make me feel better in moments of stress. It also shows how much I care about my family.

What are some dreams that you remember?

Helping Someone Out

I think that one of the biggest accomplishments that a person can have is whenever they manage to significantly help another person out. Being a teacher is probably one of the most rewarding professions because you literally feel that you are helping a student. Yesterday one of the most amazing things happened. Since it was a very sunny day I decided to go to the pool. A group of little kids suddenly appeared and I immediately thought that they would be a bit annoying. However, I was completely wrong. I noticed that there was one little kid that was left out because he didn't know how to swim and was afraid of the water. He managed to get into the water by himself, however, he was still afraid of letting go off of the edges so that he could try to swim. I started laughing at one moment because he just looked so adorable. I went inside the pool and taught him how to swim. It was a pretty awesome moment :)
The look on his face whenever he managed to let go off the edges is something that I will never forget. He looked so happy and proud of himself. It reminded me of the first time I learned how to swim.
When was the last time you felt that way?

The friend that makes you laugh

We all have friends that have different personalities. I am sure that each one of us has met at least one hysterical person: the person that makes you laugh all the time. Our friends can all be equally important to us, however, it is inevitable that we see different good traits in each one of them. The funny friend is a person that can make you feel better at any moment of the day. Normally it is a person that is always in a good humor, has a lot of energy, and is always willing to help other people. They always have something goofy to say in the most random moments of someone's day. I always tend to look up to the people that make me laugh, for they have a completely different energy than I do. Sometimes I look at them and I just wish that I had the same amount of energy and charisma that each one of them does.
What about you? Do you have a friend like that?

Sick

I am sick. :(
I have been feeling awful for the whole past two weeks. It sucks because I have been waking up in the middle of the night coughing really bad, making me feel exhausted and freaking tired throughout the day. However, one of the things that I love about feeling sick is that people tend to be more nice and attentive with you. I love it whenever I miss school and I get to spend the day watching TV while people serve you food and make you feel comfortable. It is pretty awesome to miss school for one day, however, it sucks whenever you have to make up for the work lost.
Getting sick makes you realize how much people around you really love you. They show how much they care for you so that you can get better soon! Getting sick is pretty sucky, however, we can still think of the positive sides of it.
Dont you just love it whenever you stay at home under your covers while you know that everyone else is suffering at school? It is pretty evil but its absolutely true!
Next time you get sick, think about the people that show that they genuinely care about you and dont forget to thank them :)

Family Meals

This is probably one of the few things that we do almost everyday and we always end up overlooking it. This is one of those moments in which we all stop and talk to our family about our lives. I think that we are always so busy doing things that we forget to talk to the ones that really matter. I think that it is extremely important for a family to be able to have their dinner time, for it is the moment in which they share their experiences and bond. It is essential to be able to do so because it is a time of the day in which everyone stops to relax and talk.
Having these small moments in our lives and being able to cherish them is something that can change our lives. It is important to give importance to these small actions, because if we build them all up, we'll realize how happy we all are.

An Innocent Smile

I love children. Spending time with children brings me joy and happiness. Today I spent some time with my two year old cousin. I consider her to be my little angel.
Yesterday, I was feeling pretty down. After a week of stress and lack of sleep, I felt physically and mentally exhausted. However, today I woke up feeling that it wouldn't be such a bad day, since I would be seeing my cousin.
I think that the reasons I love children so much is because they are so innocent and they can make me smile at any moment of the day. The moment my cousin looked at me, she immediately recognized me and said "PAMPAM!". I felt really surprised because she hadn't seen me for 6 months and the last time I saw her she barely knew who I was. She had the most beautiful and innocent smile on her face, making me feel A LOT better. I think that this is one of those priceless moments that you will never forget. She made me realize how there were still positive things that I could count on.
Keep your heads up :)

That one song....

Do you have that special song that you share with someone? The one that you always listen to whenever you are sad or down? The one that suits every moment of your life, independent of whether you have a huge smile or tears falling down your face. Some people underestimate the value and the power of a simple song. A lot of times its about the lyrics that make you glow inside... or the rhythm that makes your heart flutter nonstop.
There is something about music that captivates everyone's attention. Independent of who you are, people cannot resist it. It is a way of expressing your emotions and personalities... There is so much freedom in music that in the end everyone can identify with at least one genre.
The next time you listen to that special song.. Think about it. Think about the way it affects your day and your mood.

Birthdays!

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and I thought that it would be something very fun to write about. Some people see birthdays as merely another day. A lot of people don't care about it and think that celebrating their birthday is something unnecessary and boring. I am a person that loves traditions. I think that birthdays are really special and they SHOULD be celebrated. It is one of those days in which you see all of the people that you care about. A lot of times it is also a day in which we see people that are close to us but we rarely have the time or occasion to actually see them. I think that a lot of emotions are shared through birthdays, especially because it is something that brings people together so that they can show how much they care about the birthday person. Last year my birthday was a huge disaster. I spent most of my day crying and it was for such a stupid reason. Now that I think of it, it makes me want to go back so that I could change everything and enjoy it.
Don't underestimate the joy and happiness that a birthday can bring to a person. My mom once asked me: Do you really care that much about your birthday?!
My answer was.. Hell yes!

Thrill and excitement!

Today we have a special soccer game: Brazil X Argentina! Even though Argentina is close to losing their spot in the World Cup, I think that no one from Brazil willing to miss out on this game. This is huge classic. I just love it whenever I feel all excited about something, even though it might sound a bit geeky. It is something that you can look forward to.
Another amazing that that just happened to me was whenever I noticed that the supermarket next to my house had everything that I wanted! Isnt that just awesome?! Hahahah. It is pretty rare for them to have everything that I'm craving for. The worst things that can happen to a person is to crave for something and realize that you can't get it anywhere! All of this thrill and excitement for the game is probably just bringing a lot of luck!
When was the last time you felt this way?

I finally finished it...

Hello everyone!
Today I am going to talk about the pleasure that you feel whenever you finish a major project and you actually feel proud of it. I decided to write a post about this because recently I have been having a lot of major works for the IB. Whenever you are enrolled in a program that demands a lot of effort and work, many times you don't stop to appreciate what you have done because you are always stressed about the next project or assignment that you have to do. This is the moment in which you should stop and think about all of the things that you have done throughout this past week. Be proud of yourself!

Btw, I can't wait till this year ends and I'll be able to say... I survived and finished IB!

Nicknames

I think that the title of this blog is pretty self explanatory. People are too busy to realize how small things can make life special. I have always been a person that has given value to small gestures, for they seem like they are the most special ones.

The first wonder that I am going to talk about are nicknames. Have you ever had a very close friend that has given you a special nickname? I am one of those people that love giving random nicknames to people. I feel that it creates a special bond between people, and it shows how much I care for someone. I think that many people underestimate the value of a nickname. Whenever a person calls me a name that is not the usual name that he uses to call me it feels like something is missing. Some people might think that I am just being paranoid and picky, however, I always get the impression that the person is mad at me whenever they fail to use the right name. This is one of the small things that I think people should pay more attention to. Every time that person uses that special name, enjoy it and feel extra special.