I miss you so much, but Brazil is a great place. When you come, bring a lot of shorts, tank tops and bathing suits because it is very hot in Brazil. The average tempeture in January is 72°F and the average tempeture in July is 68°F. When you come to Brazil never do the O.K. sign in American. That is when you hold your thumb and first finger together in a circular form and you stick out your last three fingers. Did you know that Brazil is the biggest country in South America? It is 8,511,965 square miles.

The Amazon Rain forest is beautiful. I took a tour down the Amazon River. It was breathtaking. Going on the tour down the Amazon is something not to be missed.

Mom, don't worry about finding a Roman Catholic Church, because 70% of the population is Roman Catholic. I just visited a Roman Catholic Church in Brasilia. The church was beautiful.

You will have to learn a little Portuguese because Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. You should also learn a little bit of Spanish and French. To start you off with a little Portuguese, "Oi" means "Hi" or a greeting.

I think that we should live in Brasilia, which is also the capital of Brazil. The people who live there, live more modern and they live closer to the way we do. They have restaurants and places to work in Brasilia.

The countryside would be very different to the way we live. They don’t have roads or cars or motor cycles. They just have donkeys, horses and cattle. In the countryside, the people don't go to the mall, they have market day. That is a day once or twice a week that people go in to town and trade their things for other things they need or want.

During the world cup soccer tournaments, some schools or jobs close or let out early so the kids can go home and watch the world cup soccer games. Soccer is a major sport in Brazil. Most of the best soccer players are from Brazil. Brazil is usually the most likely team in soccer to win a game. Some other sports and activities that are popular in Brazil are volleyball, boating, fishing, swimming and auto racing.

I don’t think it will be hard to find a school if we move to the city Brasilia because 66% to 81% of the people are educated in school for 8 or more years. Besides I’ve already been to school for more then 8 years already. So you don't have to worry too much.

I am really glad that you chose Brazil to live in next year. With this letter I enclosed a photo album with pictures that I took in Brazil, maybe when friends and family come to visit us we can bring them to places. I hope you like them! I love you! Good by!

Your Daughter,
Maureen