Ashley’s Journals

February 20, 2026

A Dream I'm Still Living

Six months have passed, and it suddenly hit me. I've already been here a little over half a year. It’s crazy how time seems to slip away so quickly, every month filled with new memories that pile up and before I know it my exchange is already halfway done.

Over the month of January, I've made so many new friends and visited so many new places. During the trip, we relaxed on many beautiful beaches and beach towns, and I got to be immersed in the culture fully, learning how to dance samba, to surf, taking boat rides, and scuba diving. I feel like this month has truly been one of the best of my life, and I'm truly so grateful for the Northeast trip being possible for us exchange students. Most importantly I got to learn the history of each town and city we went to. It feels like the longer I stay in Brazil, the more I fall in love with the culture, and the beauty of this country. Over these six months, I've picked up new gestures and new ways of living that have been incorporated into my own life, such as a cheek kiss and a hug as a greeting, or the slang words that the teens here use, and the coffee I find myself drinking every morning even though I never was a coffee person in the U.S. Little habits that I've picked up with me and I will surely carry all the way back home. As I come to appreciate this country, I’ve realized that I will miss a lot of things, such as being able to buy an açai on the beach, eating a pastel at a feirinha, and being able to hop on the metro or bus to explore the city. Now that I have a little under 4 months left here, I'll be sure to savour every moment, every outing, and every day that I get to spend in Brazil even more now.

I don't want to  think of leaving yet, instead I want to focus on some of my favorite memories of these past weeks. Starting with the Dream trip, my favorite memory was our early Carnaval celebration in Recife. It was so fun to dress up in glitter and gems and parade around the city with music and dance. I’ll never forget it. I also loved being able to walk around the cities and shop at the artisanal fairs and look at the beautiful handmaid crafts and jewelry being sold. The food was also great, I loved eating tapioca, and drinking coconut water on the beach. The traditional northeast food was also quite good. I also enjoyed our boat ride, buggy ride, and being able to ride a horse! Of course, I also loved swimming at the beautiful beaches of the northeast. Every single day was so hot and so sunny, sunscreen is a must!

I was also able to go see Christ the Redeemer in Rio. It was so cool to see one of the 7 wonders, but getting pictures there was very hard. There were lots of people and sometimes, the clouds would cover the statue. Rio de Janeiro was our last stop before the end of the trip and on the last day we actually got rained on at the beach for almost 40 minutes while waiting for our bus. It was definitely a memorable way to end the trip. I guess I never knew that in Rio it rains so much in the summer. 

 When I got back from the trip, I had a week of school before Carnaval actually began. After school ended, me and my friends went to see a movie together, and afterwards we went for ice cream. I was really happy, and it felt really rewarding that I could go out with my friends and be able to understand them and converse with them in Portuguese. For me, the most fulfilling part of learning the language is being able to speak to locals, being able to order food, and ask for directions, all while speaking a non native language is such a surreal experience. Anyways, while school was off, my host family took me to a bloquinho and it was definitely a very different experience. At the first one, there were so many people, the music was so loud, and it was so hot. At the second one, it was more chill, and a more traditional type of Carnaval which I preferred. There were lots of games, dances, and the streets were filled with color.

That's it for now! I'm excited to see what the upcoming months will bring.

Thank you for reading!!