Graduation - Intensive English Program

Our English course has ended last Friday and now we are ready to handle our next experience. Our academic program will start, and with it new responsibilities and more study! The experience has been amazing, many new subjects, new places, new people.

The sensation is indescribable, I just feel like at home, with friends and the place is such a home for me. Some things keep annoying but it`ll get better! 

This post is to thanks all my TWO professors that I had this semester, and classmates. Maggie and Harold. Thanks for all the support, the classes, the help and the funny stuffs we had this semester! I`m pretty sure that my writing, listening, speaking and reading are improved as well as my culture within this crazy country!
Thanks to my classmates that I had a great time, great life lessons and cultures absorbed. You all are great people and I`m already missing you! Have a good experience and lets keep and touch, and who knows, we meet again later?

All the best to my classmates and professors, without you this experience couldn`t be the same! 

Some photos from the week !

North Beach

Picking Up blueberries

Bike Polo, near Lake Champlain

Lucas in Arabic

Skateboarding in Burlington (and around)

Since I arrived I`ve been searching for some places do skate here. If you live on campus you can skateboard on Tennis Courts and there is good to flat tricks, if you don`t, you can go to Winooski, Burlington (I don`t have photos), Williston (Talent Skatepark - don`t have photo too).

Last Wednesday I went to Winooski Falls and took some pictures of the falls (the river forms kind of a fall, its amazing, good energy).
After taking photos, one guy stopped me and said:
- "I moved to Vermont this week and the cops, in Massachusetts took my skateboard off, can I make some tricks on yours?"

I said yes, and we started chatting and he told me that there were a skatepark in Winooski. I became happy and went there, learned other places in Winooski (the train rail, the church, baseball field, etc).

The skatepark isn`t the best, but is better than the tennis court.

I tried to talk with the Americans but it`s hard, they are more closed. It will get better! :D

Winooski Falls

Train  Trail

Physical Exercise and Healthy Life

It`s well-known that practicing sports can give a much better quality of life for all. There are researches proving that practicing exercises helps to prevent some diseases, like: heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and others! But it`s not about physical exercises, we need to have healthy and balanced diet, which have been a great challenge here in the United States.

Since I arrived in the US I`ve been observing the habits of eating FAT food and drinking Soda.It`s obvious that if you just have fat food to eat, you are going to eat as well. But everybody knows that it can become a big problem in the future, so that`s why, since my arriving, I started practicing exercises almost everyday and started to think "What is the most healthy option that I can eat today?". It doesn`t happen all the time, but I`m trying to balance my habit, for example, if I have a desert on lunch, I won`t have it on dinner.





Healthy Food!

 



Not healthy food!

  

I`ve created the habit of drinking water! This is the most important liquid on earth, it`s not simple, but if you have soda and water, choose water, do you a favor.

The exercises that I`ve been played are:

 

Skateboard, my precious! :)

  

Since I arrived I`ve been searching a store that sales skateboards, and finally I find! So happy!


 






Soccer. I`m brazilian, huh?

 



Just like each Brazilian. Soccer, a national passion, but it`s not the kind I like, just for health and fun! :)







Working out. I just went once, but I`ll more time. I swear!

Pumpin` Irons!



That`s it, I`m trying to balance and have a better life here at The Uncle San Land. Prepare yourself when coming here, because the food is different from anywhere you come!

Classes and activities

The first week has gone. During this time I learned and had a lot of fun!

The classes here are so different from Brazil, and the teachers are closer and more open to questions than in my university. This is one of my spectating. The classes have fewer students, so it makes the  learning process more comfortable. We don`t have classes where the teacher talks all the time, so we can sit near the professor and interact. We spent a lot of time doing homework, but it`s part of the learning process.

On the other hand, we had a lot of fun, went downtown (again), Ben & Jerry`s factory, to the top of the mountain (that I forgot the name, but it`s amazing!), played tennis, soccer, pumped some irons and other activities! I bought some clothes, shoes, skateboard, drunk some beer (I was waiting this moment!).

This experience is being amazing!

Special thanks to my teachers that have been the best I have ever had!

Top of the mountain! 

Ben & Jerry`s factory, amazing! 

Maggie is in control! 

Skateboard, my passion! 

Expectations

My expectations are the better ever! I can imagine that this 1-year program will be the difference in my life. I always wanted to know about the North America culture, and living here for a while showed me that I`ll love to live here for a LONG.

In my country (Brazil) there are so many differences that I can`t count in my fingers. The more expressive is the treatment. Maybe this is the only one (except missing my family) that I really thing is the worst. Here the people are cold and there is a hole between them. I can`t simply enter in a conversation, just like in Brazil. But for the rest, there are so many good points, like: Things here are so clean, so organized, so technological, so cheap! I can`t find this in Brazil, except on the south cost of the country.

For now, I can only say that I`m so happy for all the receptive of the teachers and friends that I made here and enjoy all United States and Saint Michael`s College can give to me.