In my school there is the Awards Day, they award all the good students who have been doing well. At the awards day ceremony I was encouraged to make a short speech about my stay in the Bahamas, to present at the welcome for the awards day. I was very, very nervous and anxious, but I did a good job, people liked it. I said some words in Portuguese people were like what????

On mid-term brake, my family, friends and I went camping at Barbary Beach. It was simply amazing. We had a very good time; we swam a lot at the beach and canal, we fished, we ate a lot, cooked around the fire and told scary stories. We talked and laughed a lot and then we slept very close to the sea to try not to get mosquito bites, but I got plenty anyway, lol. This program was very relaxing, feeling the breeze at night, looking at the sky, the sunset and sunrise, and, listening to the sea's sounds, oh yea!

31st October! Halloween! We made up our faces like vampires and witches. We got a pot and started going to the neighbors doors saying TRICK OR TREAT, we got many candies lol it was funny!

My Interact Club went to the Interact Introduction at St. Georges’ where we met the Governor of the Rotary, Jim Norton, we gave him some gifts. We knew all the others school that have interact club, and trust me, we ate a lot that day!

I had an event organized by Rotary Club of Lucaya, at the beach, GUY FAWKES, which is a festival that they celebrate every year, where each rotary and interact prepare a dummy, like a doll, to burn to throw in the fire. But first they choose the best dummy and my school won! We got a cell phone as a prize. We had dinner at the beach and that day I met many new people from others schools, I made new friends it was really cool.

With the GGYA (Governor General Youth Award) group we went to Taino Beach to support the CONCH MAN TRIATHELON COMPETITION, as a community service, to get some hours of service for my graduation. Me and some friends, we stayed by a spot in the middle of the trail to give water cups for the runners. After that we went to Max's (The exchange student from Germany) host home, which is only across the street from the beach, we swam, played volleyball, ate coconuts and barbecue outside by the canal at Max’s host home. It was all very nice!

OH MY GOD! That tropical storm, NOEL was coming over Grand Bahama. I was really scared and worried because in Brazil we don’t have natural disasters, so we stayed at home for about a week and did not go outside, the weather was windy and strong for about two days. The days before, everyone on the island were busy shopping for last minute hurricane supplies and preparing their homes for the anticipate hurricane attack. My host mom went to the grocery store to fill up the house with food and snacks, but the hurricane did not reach over here, it curved off to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I really was thankful for it. That was a good relief!

GGYA day arrived! After school everyone got together, each one in their groups. My group started walking very excitedly, but after miles and miles walking with really heavy back bags upon our shoulders we got extremely tired! Lol. We walked from my school to Fortune Bay Beach, but the important thing is we enjoyed it a lot!!! We had to pitch our tents, make fire to cook. We fried burgers and chicken on the grill and ate plenty snacks. We went to support another triathlon competition, by giving water and food provided by one of our teachers. Then we went to another beach in Williams Town next to a graveyard. Again we pitched our tent and made a fire and danced around the bon fire at talent show time! That weekend time passed like an eye blink!

Charles, Cj's daddy, took me to the bazaar to eat conch fritters, a Bahamian typical food. It was so tasty! Since I got here in the Bahamas I started losing body weight. I don’t know how I'm loosing weight, because, trust me, I am eating too much. lol. Maybe because I'm still practicing volleyball and I joined in a fitness centre to get fit!

I am doing very well in school. I got many A's and B's. Now I'm studying harder because the final exams are upcoming. For me they are more soon because I am going sit my exams before everyone because I am going on a trip to Disney World on the 5^th of December With the Rotary Club, which is the same week as the exam schedule. I had to rearrange my exam schedule so that I would not miss any exams. I have to get good grades because next year I'm taking BGCSE and SAT for my education curriculum, I want to try for scholarships in the United States.

Last weekend Cj, Bj and I went to my school’s gym to see the STEP SHOW competition and the CHEERLEADERS. All the students and us screamed a lot: WILDCATS, WILDCATS and they did such a good presentation, but we got 2nd place, it was not fair the judges cheated because we did way better than Freeport High School but anyhow... our Cheerleaders girls were very pretty. lol!!

On last Sunday I went to church and by myself to the College Fair in St. Georges’ School to get some information about some universities in the USA, as I said I want to study Medical or Film & Television over there. It helped me in some doubts.

Yesterday was Chas’, my host mom, birthday she turned 37 years, very young yet. lol. Cj and I woke up very early to clean her car as a surprise, and then I wrote a letter for her and left it under her key on the dining table. After school I went downtown, my host aunt dropped me off. I bought a gift for my host mom. She liked it, she wore it that night! Guess what? She sprained her ankle on her birthday, and was limping for the next few days. I could tell it was painful! But she had a great day in spite of that.

Last Tuesday, I went to Rotary meeting at lunch time, I had lunch there. I enjoy going there once a month, those Rotarians are very nice. I met my next host family. I'm changing early January. Next meeting, which is in December I'll have to do a presentation about my country, I'm excited let's see...

This week on Friday I have a thanksgiving party to go by my host parents' friend, it sounds cool! As well, Disney trip is getting closer and I'm getting more excited to know this famous place that everybody say is enjoyable! I have never been to Disney World. After Disney about December 13th if everything goes right I and my host bro are going to Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas, with the Junkanoo Group, to parade over there. It is a big event that happens every year. Junkanoo is a Bahamian culture where people dance and play instruments. Big party yeah!

As you all see I'm just enjoying myself like I've never done before, learning new things each day I spend here, living with such a great family and I don’t have any claims. In addition, my English is being improved each day, now I'm better than I was almost 3 months ago, actually one of my goals is to speak English fluently and I'm almost there, I guess.

Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH ROTARY FOR THE BEST OPPORTUNITY THAT A PERSON CAN HAVE. I GOT IT AND IT WAS WORTH EVERY SINGLE MINUTE!

Take care and see yall soon...

Enrico.