I am really exaited for the winter, because where I live it never snows, so this is the first time that I see snow and for me it is a very great experience, it is a very special one that I never will forget.

Today when I woke up and watched the snow and the entire street and cars and trees I had a great feeling, I was so exited that I wanted play in that with the snow. But not everything was ok, because I almost fell down, and I got my pants wet, but it is not really important.

I think that his time will be very funny, because my friends and I can play "snow wars" and many things with the snow, and I know that we are going to have a really good time with a lot of fun!

I don't know how to describe this feeling. It is really great to know new things and experiences and this one with the snow is a really rally good one, and one of many good experiences that I am sure I will have.

It’s a little bit hard trying to describe the last day when I was in my country before I came here to Utah. It was an unforgettable day, because I was with my family and friends in a great party. We were talking about past experiences; I really enjoyed it so much.

My family was preparing a party for my farewell. It was on August 4, 2000, so it felt like the first time when I left my house to go for my mission.

I was filing some important documents about me, such as my university diploma. I was also buying some medicine in the morning, because I thought that here in the U.S.A. they’d be more expensive. I made a tape of my favorite songs and I picked up my favorite music discs. I really felt sad and melancholy.

In the afternoon my father and I went to the bank to change Mexican money to dollars, which was very important. When we came back to our home, some friends called me, and I invited them to come to the farewell party, they accepted and I was excited.

After time, I called my girlfriend and I went to her house to say goodbye. When I was on the way to her house I was sad, because I remembered everything about when we were together. Finally I was with her for a few minutes and I gave her a lot of hugs and kisses. She couldn’t be at my farewell party. I thought that was better for us. Some day I will write the reason for this, but now I just want to write that it was necessary. My last words to her were, “I love you. I‘ll see you soon.” Time flies fast.

After that, I went to my house and I arrived at 8 p.m. When I was in my house I knew my family was worried about me, because They didn’t want me to change my decision about my trip to the U.S.A., and they wanted to be with me for long time the last night in my home.

In fact, it was a good party, my best friends were there. We were taking pictures that were good memories. I really enjoyed it, but I had a problem, I couldn’t sleep that night, I had forgotten to pack my clothes in the suitcase. However a good thing was that my friends helped me to pack my clothes. We got it done faster.

I also want to write that I felt too much love from my mother that night. I think she is the most important person for me in this earth. I love her very much. She is always worried about me; I don’t have words to describe her love for me. She wrote me a letter to tell me about the path I have chosen, and the possible challenges in the future. She always thinks about everything.

I ‘d like to finish by saying that the time arrived when I had to leave my city, Mexico City. I felt the same way that I did when I left my city for my mission. However this time was worse than before, perhaps because my decision wasn’t as strong as my decision to go on a mission.

In conclusion I can say that my last day was fun, but it was sad too.

This weekend I had very nice time. First of all I had my birthday last Friday. On that day we have had a ward luau. Bishop invited professionals from Hawaii and they cooked and served Hawaiian food. After eating we watched Hawaiian dance. That was very entertaining and interesting. Somebody asked me if it was my birthday and when they found out that, somebody run to the stage and they announce to the whole ward about that. Then all the members sing "happy birthday" and congratulated me.

Next day, on Saturday, my friends and family made a big party for me. My sister invited all my relatives and friend to her house to celebrate my Birthday. She cooked very nice dinner at 6:00 p.m. There was a good Mexican dish called "chimichanga", special dish with rice, beans and meat. My friends gave me so many gifts! I have got a very pretty jacket, perfume, different women gadgets. But the most exiting was a model-racing car. I love those collectable racing cars.

My very exiting news that I start dating. Almost a month ago I met a guy named Pavel. He is Russian. We met each other in the church. But he was kind of cold first time and just say "hello". But ten days ago he was opening his car and he notice how I walked across the street. By the way I forgot to mention that he lives one house away from me. I could see him all the time driving to work. I was walking to my friends and he said: "Hi, I keep seeing you around... what is your name?" And after very short conversation he drove away. But this Saturday he offered me a ride back to my house since my sister that drop me off at this Hawaiian party left. After the church party he invited me for an ice-cream.

He took me to Hogi-Yogi. I ordered some kind of crunched cookie ice-cream and he had a strawberry one. We ate an ice-cream in the BYU Park. After that we start dating more often. Yesterday we had lunch together. We wanted to go to restaurant but he was suppose to go to work in one hour and we decided to do the lunch at my home. I cooked him French fries and fish sticks. He loved it and complimented me a lot for my cooking.

Last night I went to my sister house. When I came back home I found 3 roses at my door. I figured that Pavel brought them to me. I loved that. I think he was very sweet to me.

I'm happy because so many new and exiting things happening in my life. I'm very thankful to Heavenly Father because I feel like he sent me here for special reasons. And I feel that one of those reasons is to become truly happy.

Yesterday my friend called at her work and said that her car was broken, She asked if I could pick her up in Spanish Fork, I couldn’t say no. It was snowing but when I came back with her I didn’t see anything in the road. It was almost 12:00. It was so dark. I felt afraid because I didn’t know the way to return home. I decided to stop, I went to the off ramp and turned on the alert lights. I stayed there for almost twenty minutes waiting to help me. I was freighting I didn’t know what to do. Finally I saw the car in front of stopped. The man came to us and asked what happened, I explained to him that I couldn’t see the road and I don’t have experience in snow driving. The man was so genteelly. He drove slowly with his alarm lights connected, and I followed him so we could come back home.

When I see the snow in the street I think that it’s beautiful but It’s dangerous when you need to drive in the road specially if it’s at night. I had the bad experience last night. I thought that I was going to die. Last night I prayed thankfully for not having anything bad happening to us.

When I arrived in USA I was very sad because I would be alone and far away from my family, but when my classes started I met a good person, her name is Ariane we became very good friends, she is very helpful girl.

Ariane and I had good times together here. we used to travel around Utah, mainly to Park City and Salt Lake, almost twice per month. We made other friends. It was wonderful because we always were together.

Ariane was like my older sister she cared about me I am sure that I am going to miss her and I am going to be alone again, because she went back to Brazil last Friday. I was very sad when she told me that she needed to go back to Brazil, she told me that was happing because her Dad was very sick in a hospital and the needed see her.

I am sad, but I know that she made a good choice, I hope she is feeling better in Brazil near her family and mainly near her Dad.

In conclusion, I think she will be back next semester because she left many things here. I know that she needs come back to U.S.A to study English because in her future she is going to work with English in Brazil, she needs improve her English here in ELC.

When I was in Brazil I always thought about to see the snow I thought, "The snow seems to be beautiful and very fun to play with." The snow is beautiful but now I think that the snow is sad maybe because all things on the street are white there isn't color or because I always thought to see the snow in first time with my family and play together with them. I hope that I can feel better in the future with the snow because now I just think about my family, my country, the summer of Brazil. I can't feel good with snow in this moment. For the snow is sad. When I will get accustomed with snow maybe I will feel better, the snow only makes me feel tired. I hope in future I can do everything well and happy. I think could be happy when I will go back to Brazil.

I am very impressed about the winter in Utah, it's so cold and beautiful to see the snow but I am a little bit sad, because I am far away the summer of Brazil. Here is winter and in Brazil is summer now. I love summer, because I can go to the beach, to swim in the swimming pool, I don't need a lot of clothes and I think It's happier than winter. I never had seen the snow before. It's so beautiful. It's so different for me. Maybe I am crazy, but I think that winter is sad, I don't know why maybe the weather in Brazil is hot. I miss Brazil's summer a lot, mainly because my city is a wonderful tropical place and all the summer we have a lot of parties and fun things to do, especially when we go to the beach.

In the last to weeks, I had many different experiences in my life. These experiences are embarrassing, funny, frustrating, and spiritual. I want to tell you about my frustrated day.

On my first day working at BYU, I had troubles with the buses. The buses changed their schedule, but I didn't know about it.

The troubles started on the bus stop. I stayed waiting for the bus for about an hour. The bus didn't come. Then, I decided go back home, and to ask for a ride to my friend. She drove me to BYU. When I got there I thought the problem with the buses was over. I was wrong. It was just the begging the problem.

On my first day, I didn't understand anything that my supervisor told me. In the dish room was noise. Then, I could not hear what he spoke. Anyway, I worked hard. I tried to work as fast as possible. At 6:00, I was so tired. My only desire was to get home as fast as possible. At this time, I didn't kwon that my travel would be for about 2 or 3 hours, between waiting and walking.

Once more, I went to the bus stop. I asked for the bus driver about which bus I should take to get at the Transit Center, so I took the right bus. At the Transit Center, I needed take another one. When I got there, I asked for many people for information about which bus I needed take. Nobody knew the answer. They were lost like me.

I asked for a bus driver. He told me that I would take the 811 North. He said, " The bus doesn't go there, but goes near. You need to walk about two blocks."

I took the bus, but a voice in my mind was telling me that something wasn't right. I decided for the bus driver to tell me the last bus stop before the freeway. He stopped the bus and said, " It's here." I couldn't believe that it was true. I told him that it was impossible. Then, he closed the door and said, " It is your choice. The next bus stop is in the next city. You can go to the next city, or you can get off here." I got off the bus quickly.

I got the bus in front of UVSC, which is about 15 minutes by car away from my house. To get home from there, I would need to walk for one hour. I thought to call come. Then, I remembered nobody was at home.

I started to walk on my way home. It began to be dark. I don't like to walk in darkness. Darkness scares me.

During my walk, I was feeling angry. Then I started to complain about my situation. I don't have a car here. I don't have money to buy one. I felt like everyone has a car here except me. I have my own car in Brazil, but it can't help me now. I walked for about an hour. I was tired. When I got near my house, I stopped complaining. Now, I was happy to get there. I couldn't believe that I was getting there. I began to feel embarrassing, because all the time I just complained, and I remembered to pray only when I made it. I prayed to say thanks.

I compared this experience with my life. When I make a wrong choice, it is like taking the wrong "bus". It takes me far from my goal. When it happens, it is hard to reach your goal.

Now, I have the new bus schedule. I know the routes and time. I will always remember this frustrating experience, and I hope no one will have the same experience as mine.

Fall semester at ELC is almost ending, and I am moving to another house. I remember my essay where I talked about moving to a new place. In it, I listed hospital, job, school, store, and number of rooms as the things that I thought would be the most important to me when I need to choose a new place to live. I realized that my list wasn’t true at all, because I didn’t think about many things that I listed in that essay. I didn’t care if I have any store or hospital near the house, or about the number of rooms. I just thought about my school and my job. Anyway, I found a house that I think I can make like a home to me.

The new house is near to BYU. I have been in this house before, and I already know three of my four new roommates. I didn’t pay attention to how this house looks on the outside yet. I just know how it is inside. It has a living room, a kitchen, and three bedrooms. I’m going to share my bedroom with someone else, “a strange” thing for me. My relief is that I have a bathroom in my room, which will make it less hard for me to live with five more girls. I won’t need to wait for a long time to go in the bathroom.

Now, I’m moving in to the new house. The feeling that I have now is the same that I had when I left my family and my house in Brazil to come here. When I was packing my stuff, I did exactly like I did in Brazil. I didn’t want my family to see me doing it then, so I did it at night. Here, I felt the same that it would be sad for the children that I live with to see me packing my stuff, so I did it at night.

Tonight, I took my stuff to the new house. I confessed that the house looked very strange to me. It was like putting my things in someone else’s house. I didn’t feel like it will be my new home. So, I left my things there, and came back to the Bergeson’s house. Tonight is my last night here. Tomorrow, it will be my old home. I feel really strange, I’m like leaving something important behind.

My bedroom is empty. I’m taking a look around. I can’t see my clothes. The clothed is completely empty. I just have with me some clothes to go to school tomorrow morning, and that is all. I can’t sleep. To be awake is like making this last moment in this bedroom last a little longer.

In all my life, I just have moved once to come to the U.S. I thought that my second move would be going back to Brazil, but it is not. It is like going to a new adventure. Also, I’m worried about it. Now, I need to be more responsible than ever in my life. I can’t live like a teenager anymore. I need to have control of my desire of going out with friends all the time, then, I can reach my goal. I can’t think just about having fun and going out with friends. I can’t disappoint my family, friends, and myself.

Anyway, I hope this will be an excellent experience for me, and I can become more mature with the opportunity that life is giving me at this time.

Today, I woke up at 8:30. I felt very tired. I called my friend Mary and said, "Today I feel tired; I donít want go to church." After that, I went back to bed again. However, I wasn't able to sleep again. I got up again, and ate some food. I remembered that on Monday I have a Reading and a Grammar test. I was going to study, but I couldnít concentrate on my book. My mind was in another world. . . . I couldnít stop thinking about sitting in the church, or my friends saying to me, "We have a wonderful time in church. Why don't you come with us?" I felt very strange. I told myself, "You have tests tomorrow. You have to study." I did a while exercise used the cold water wash my face, but I still couldn't concentrate on my book. I felt upset. "Why didn't I go to church?" I asked myself. I understood church is very important. I have to go to church next Sunday.

At 4:00 p.m., my friend Marcie came and took me to her apartment. We had a party at her apartment. Mary and some other friends had already come. We prepared the dinner together. Marcie is an American girl; she lived in China for two years when she was a teenager. She went on a mission for one and a half years in Taiwan. Thus, she loves Chinese food very much, and she can speak good Chinese. Mary is an American girl, too. She taught English in Taiwan for three months last summer. She can speak some Chinese, and also she likes Chinese food. There were also two brothers there named Ben and Jon; they are half-Chinese and half-American. Our other friends were all American. In total we had eight people together. We had a very interesting dinner. We ate Chinese food and used chopsticks. Some of them had never used chopsticks before.

After dinner, Mary played the guitar and sang songs. She has a beautiful voice. We enjoyed it. At 7:00 p.m., we sat together to watch Youth Fireside TV. President Gordon B. Hinckley had a wonderful speech. He told us, "Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, and be prayerful." Everybody felt their hearts burn. I felt my heart become full during his speech.

I had a wonderful night at my friendís apartment. Today is both a bad day and a wonderful day for me.