Ashley’s Journals
Nascer do sol
End Polio Run
With my new family on Christmas Eve
Beach at night
Parque Villa Lobos
São Paulo
Me and my host sister
Rotex Halloween
Me and my friend on New Year
Samba School with Rotex
January 6, 2026
Growing Into It
Hi, it's been a while, let me update you on some things that have changed.
Starting off, at the end of November school ended and I switched families for the first time. Thank you to my Rotary club for making the transition easy. My new family consists of a host mom and dad, and three host siblings, the oldest one who has went on exchange a couple years ago.
The last few days of school were a blur, we had something called interclasse which is kind of like field day here in the U.S. and the week prior we took our finals. When school ended, I realized I needed to start getting out the house more since there was nothing else for me to do. So during November and December, I went to a lot a places including, museums, malls, parks and restaurants. The metro became my best friend because it's a fast way of transportation and something I can take by myself to travel around São Paulo. Walking to places and taking public transport makes me wish Georgia could also be as easy to access. I would love to walk to to the mall or take a bus to watch a movie back at home, instead of always relying on a car.
During Christmas season, I spent Christmas day with my first host family and Christmas eve with my second. On Christmas Eve, when the clock hit midnight, everyone hugged each other and said "Feliz Natal" to one another, and then we ate a big meal consisting of many different meats, rice and salad. After that we went to the family of my host mom and did a secret Santa gift exchange. Christmas day was more relaxed, I had lunch with my first host family's house and spent time to talk with them.
After Christmas, I went on vacation with my first family and my exchange student friend they are hosting now. We went to the beach and watched fireworks on New Year's Eve. While at the beach my host mom told me to jump 7 waves and make 7 wishes for the new year. Everyone also wears a colour correlating to what they would like to fulfill in the upcoming year. The most popular color is white.
The following day, we met up with some exchange students living in Santos one last time before leaving to go on the Dream trip. During the Dream trip, we will explore the northeast of Brasil, visit the beaches and learn the culture. As I'm writing this journal, I'm currently on the plane to Fortaleza!
These days, I'm finding that I've really changed a lot, physically and mentally. I'm happy to become a new me, and I'm learning to embrace and accept the challenges that arise and to understand some things are just out of my control. Learning to stay calm and keep my peace is what feels right. Figuring out what parts of me to keep and which parts to rewrite. As much as it may be challenging it's equally rewarding. That's all!
Thank you for reading and happy 2026,
Beijos!