Gabriela Franco Manente2013/2014

My Au Pair Life

My name is Gabriela, I am 23 years old and I am from Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.

I study Psychology and I live with my parents, my sister and my little dog. My sister is 10 years old, she is adopted and she came home when she was just 1 year old. So I helped my mother very much with her. She is very smart and lovely.

My friends and my family describe me like responsible, intelligent, calm but energetic, sociable, creative and loving.

I love pets, I have a little dog, a shih-tzu, it name is Lucky, he is the "little king of the house", all in my home is crazy for it.

About me

About

me

I have a big brother too, he is 30 years old, he lives home´s out because he work in another city. He is so smart and hardworking.

In my free time I like reading books, working with handcrafts, surfing the net, traveling, seeing differents places, watching tv, purchasing and resting.

I firmly believe in God, I have a spiritual life without religion, sometimes I go to the catholic church, but I am open to others religions.

I am easy person to handle; I believe a smile can brighten the day.

My parents love me very much, and I love them so much too. They make me feel better when I am sick or sad. They are my best friends. They support me in everything I want and everything I need.

Capital – BrasíliaLargest City – São Paulo

Official Language – PortugueseArea – 8.514.877

Population – 190, 732, 694

Brazilians are friendly and talkative. They love to play soccer, to dance and to party. They also work hard and are very creative.

Has a population of over 190 million people and it is the fifth most populous country in the world, after China, India, the US, and Indonesia.

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half

of

Brazil

South America, the fifth most populous country, and the North fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on Northeast the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi). It is Central bordered on the north by Venezuela, West Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; Southeast on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by

Uruguay. Numerous South archipelagos

are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic

since 1889, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities. Brazil is the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest by purchasing power parity.

Economic reforms have given the country new international projection. It is a founding member of the United Nations and the Union of South American Nations. A predominantly Roman Catholic, Portuguese-speaking, and multiethnic society, Brazil is also home to a diversity of wildlife, natural environments, and Indian of the Amazônia extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.

North

The North region covers 45.27% of the land area of Brazil, but has the lowest number of inhabitants. With the exception of Manaus, which hosts a tax-free industrial zone, and Belém, the biggest metropolitan area of the region, it is fairly unindustrialized and undeveloped. It accommodates most of the Amazon rainforest and many indigenous tribes.

Northeast

The Northeast region is inhabited by about 30% of Brazil's population. It is culturally diverse, with roots set in the Portuguese colonial period and in Amerindian and Afro-Brazilian elements. It is also the poorest region of Brazil, and suffers from long periods of drought. The largest cities are Salvador, Recife, and Fortaleza.

Central-West

Regions

Amazon

Salvador Fortaleza

Amazon

The Central-West region has low demographic density when compared to the other regions, being only more densely populated than the North region. Part of its territory is covered by the world's largest wetland area, the Pantanal as well as a small part of the Amazon Rainforest in the northwest. However, most of the region is covered by the Cerrado, the world's largest savanna. The Central-West region contributes significantly towards the nation's agricultural output.

Southeast

The Southeast region is by far the richest in terms of total economic output, and also the most densely populated region. It has a larger population than any South American country except Brazil itself, and hosts one of the largest megalopolises of the world, extending between the country's two largest cities: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The region is very diverse, including the major business center of São Paulo, the historical cities of Minas Gerais and its capital Belo Horizonte, the third-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and the coast of Espírito Santo.

Brasília

Rio de Janeiro

São Paulo

Pantanal

South

The South region is the wealthiest by GDP per capita and has the highest standard of living among the country's regions. It is also the coldest region of Brazil, with occasional frost and snow in some of the higher-altitude areas. It has been settled mainly by European immigrants, mostly of Italian, German and Portuguese ancestry, being clearly influenced by these cultures.

HOLIDAYS IN BRAZIL

New Year’s Day: January 1st Carnival: Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, although festivities begin in the preceding Friday, in February Ash Wednesday: 44 days before Good Friday (only the morning is considered a holiday), in February Good Friday: April 6 Easter: April 8 Indian’s Day: April 19 Tiradentes: April 21 Labor Day: May 1st Mother’s Day: 2nd Sunday in May Corpus Christi: 62 days after Good Friday, in June Valentine’s Day: June 12 São João fest: June 24 Father’s Day: 2nd Sunday on August Independence Day: September 7 Our Lady Aparecida: October 12 (also celebrated as Children’s Day on the same date) All Souls Day: November 2nd Proclamation of the Republic Day: November 15 Christmas Day: December 25

I live in Araraquara – São Paulo (southeast of Brazil). It is also known as "the abode of the sun," because of its impressive sunset and because of its hazy temperature, especially in summer. More than 208,725 people live in Araraquara. The city was founded in 1817.

Ferroviária is the local football (soccer) team of the city. The club plays home matches at Estádio Fonte Luminosa, which has a maximum capacity of 27,000 people.

My Home

Curitiba

Iguaçu Falls

Araraquara

The city downtown is filled with bars, especially around colleges, as it has a high flux of students from nearby cities. The name of the city comes from the Tupi-Guarani language and is believed to mean either "abode of the macaws" or "abode of the sun"

Carnival

The festival of Carnival, with its spectacular street parades and vibrant

music, has become one of the most potent images of Brazil; an annual celebration held forty days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. The joy of Brazilian is contagious regardless

of their origin. It calls on everyone to move their feet, let their arms loose, let their eyes shine and fully participate in this feast. Be it in Samba schools, on Avenida Marques de Sapucaí, or in the street blocks, the order is one: FUN.

June Feasts

The June feasts began as small celebrations in countryside towns, which celebrated Saint Peter, Saint Anthony and Saint John, greatly devoted to by Brazilian. Over the years, however, they began to grow until they became mega events, gathering millions of visitors in June and July.

Cultu

Bumba-meu-boi of Maranhão

The party happens on Maranhão – one of the most traditional merriments of Brazil, Bumba-Meu-Boi is a vehicle staging a combination of theater, dance, music and circus. It is a very popular feast in São Luís, capital of the State of Maranhão, also taking place in June.

Soccer

It is said that here in Brazil, every city has a church, a square and a soccer field. The sport is a national passion and is played on all corners of the country by all age groups. It does not matter the place – grass, sand, mud, asphalt - , all one needs is a ball to score a goal. The country’s main competition is the Brazilian Cup, from April to December, with games on almost all weekends. Other state cups, national and South American tournaments take place at the same time. To follow the games of the National Team, mainly during the World Cup, also provides be a show on its own. Fans fill bars, friends’ homes, staying in front of the TV to watch the matches. In case of victory, the streets become small for so much

commemoration. There are countless options for those who wish to learn a little about the soccer art of a five-time world champion. Many clubs offer schools for kids and interchange programs for foreign players.

Traditi

Caipirinha

Tradition Caipirinha is Brazil´s national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime.

Cachaça is Brazil´s most common distilled alcoholic beverage. Like rum, it is made from sugarcane. Cachaça is made from sugarcane alcohol, obtained from the fermentation of sugarcane juice which is afterwards distilled. The caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil, and is enjoyed in restaurants, bars, and many households throughout the country. Once almost unknown outside Brazil, the drink has become more popular and more widely available in recent years, in large part due to the rising availability of first-rate brands of cachaça outside Brazil.

Feijoada

Ingredients:1 lb of varied pork sausages (prefer smoked sausages)

1 lb of pork tenderloinSome slices of bacon1 can of black beans (15.5Oz)2 tbs vegetable oilsalt, garlic, chopped onions and bay leaves (bay leaves give a special taste to feijoada)

Prepare: Feijoada is made with black beans and pork meats. You can use a can of beans already cooked or learn how to cook dried beans. Add black beans to a medium-sized pot with 2 tbs oil, salt, garlic,

chopped onions and about 6 bay leaves. Cook for about 15 minutes in med heat and set aside. In a separated panfry, cook cubes of pork tenderloin and slices of bacon with salt, garlic. Add all the sausages sliced and stir medium-heat until dry all the water. Add the cooked meat to the pan with the black beans and your feijoada is ready! Cook your feijoada more 10 minutes to meat soak in the black beans. You can add some pepper sauce to your feijoada at this point. Hint: to make the feijoada creamy, liquefy 1/2 cup of black beans in the blender and add to the feijoada.

Brigadeiro

Ingredients:

Tipical foods

The slaves in the colonial Brazil created the “Feijoada”. They started cooking the pork meats that Farmland owners discarded such as ear, tails, feet in a big pot with black beans. This dish became traditional all over the country. Since then, the dish was incremented with pork sirloin and sausages that transformed the menu in a famous entrée that

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk1 tablespoon margarine3 tablespoon cocoa powder

Prepare:Cook over medium-low heat, stir vigorously the sweetened condensed milk, margarine and cocoa powder. Cook the mixture until it thickens enough to show the pan bottom during stirring. Pour the mixture in a greased dish and let it cool to room temperature. Take small amounts of the mixture with a teaspoon and make 1 ½ inch balls. Roll the balls over chocolate granules to decorate.

ChurrascoIngredients:One entire piece of picanhaRock saltGarlic Paste

Prepare:Cut the picanha into 2 inch-thick beefs. Leave the fat layer on it (just remove after

grilling). Rub the rock salt on the meat alone or with garlic paste. Arrange the meat in skewers or directly over the grill. Cook the meat to your preference.

Hosts: James and Michelle Jowdy. They are physician in the US Navy. They love being active and being outdoors; they love to go jogging, biking and hiking. They also enjoy going to the movies, museums and local concerts or just taking a nice walk. Family is important to them. They are very close to them parents siblings and extended family (Michelle 2 brothers; James 2 sisters). James and Michelle are Catholic and attend church on Sunday's.

Kid: Maxwell (Max) Jowdy

He is 1 year old. He is a very active but sweet and good natured little boy. He is beautiful. He loves someone who reading books to him.

Capital – Washington

Largest City – New York City

Area – 9.826.630 km

My host family

United States of

Population – 308.745.538

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The

country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait, and the state of Hawaii is in the mid-Pacific. The United States also possesses several territories, or insular areas, that are scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.

The development of the culture of the United States of America—music, movies, dance, architecture, literature, poetry and the visual arts—has been marked by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European sophistication and domestic originality. Frequently, the best American artists have managed to harness both sources. American culture has a large influence on the rest of the world, especially the Western world. American music is heard all over the world, American movies and television shows can be seen almost anywhere. This is in stark contrast to the early days of the American republic, when the country was generally seen as an agricultural backwater with little to offer the culturally advanced world centers of Europe and Asia. Nearing the end of its third century, nearly every major American city offers classical and popular music; historical, scientific and art research centers and museums; dance performances, musicals and plays;

outdoor art projects and internationally significant architecture. This development is a result of both contributions by private philanthropists and government funding.

American culture also exhibits a tendency to hybridize pop culture and so-called high culture, and generally questions normative standards for artistic output. This is likely an effect of the country's egalitarian tradition, and the nation's history of constitutionally protected freedom of speech and expression, as enshrined in the First Amendment

HOLIDAYS IN USA

New Year’s Day: January 1st Martin Luther King Day: 3rd Monday in January Belly Laugh Day: January 24 Groundhog Day: February 2nd Lincoln’s Birthday: February 12 St. Valentine’s Day: February 14 President’s Day: 3rd Monday in February St. Patrick’s Day: March 17

April Fool’s Day: April 1st Easter Sunday: April 8 Memorial Day: last Monday in May Flag Day: June 14

Independence Day: July 4th Parent’s Day: 4th Sunday in July Labor Day: 1st Monday in September Columbus Day: 2nd Monday in October Halloween: October 31 Veteran’s Day: November 11 Thanksgiving Day: 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day: December 25

Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States located north of Oregon, west of Idaho and south of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Washington was 6,830,038 on July 1, 2011.

Washington is the 18th most extensive and the 13th most populous of the 50 United States. Approximately 60 percent of Washington's residents live in the Seattle metropolitan area, the center of transportation, business, and industry along the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea, an inlet of the Pacific consisting of numerous islands, deep fjords, and bays

carved out by glaciers. The remainder of the state consists of deep rainforests in the west, mountain ranges in the west, center, northeast and far southeast, and a semi-arid eastern basin given over to intensive agriculture. Washington is the second most populous state on the west coast and in the western United States after California.

The state is often called "Washington state" to distinguish it from Washington, D.C. Another nickname is "the Evergreen State". Its largest city is Seattle and its capital is Olympia.

My host family currently live in Port Orchard WA. It is a beautiful area about 1 hour from Seattle, WA. There were 11,144 people. The neighborhood is called McCormick Woods and is located on the Kitsap Peninsula at the heart of Puget Sound. Situated between the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges the Peninsula offers 350 miles of saltwater shoreline for beachcombing, swimming, boating, kayaking and sailing. Not only is the neighborhood set in a scenic wooded area but it is also very family and kid oriented. There are tall trees ponds parks and trails throughout. There is also shopping in nearby Silverdale and downtown Seattle is only a 30 minute ferry ride away.

Port Orchard Marina

Port Orchard

Activitie

To child with 1 year old

Growing IndependenceAs your child is learning to do more things for herself, you may

notice a change in her attitude and your own. She is no longer

the small baby that longed to be held in your arms for an

indeterminate amount of time; she is now on the move and only has time for

cuddles when it is on her terms.

Music from the kitchenMake fun instruments from up-turned pots and pans with

wooden spoons, or two saucepan lids for cymbals. Use your instruments to explore different concepts such as loud and

soft, fast and slow.

Water funA great summer activity! Fill a low, wide container with a few

centimeters of water and place it on the ground. Float small objects such as flowers or corks in the water and let your baby reach and

splash. Always supervise children when playing with water.

Toys overboardUsing elastic, tie small soft toys to the top of your baby's high-chair. Show them how you drop the toys and pull them back up

again.

Reading funSit your baby on your lap and read stories with simple action words and pictures. Stories with repetitive phrases are fun, like 'Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread man!

Hide and SeekShow your baby a toy, then hide it under a towel or small blanket

and help them find it.

Outside funTake your baby into the back yard or to the park. Let your baby feel different surfaces, let them sit and crawl on the grass, feel stones and leaves with supervision - some objects can look like

a tasty treat.

She is pushing herself to do even more things with her

body and at times becomes impatient if you do it for her.

But she also still wants 100 percent of your attention. You may not

want to rush to her every time she calls out. This is a good opportunity for her to

learn that you have things to do as well, and sometimes she'll have to

wait. Patience is one of life's hardest lessons.

Limit Setting

Part of your child's job is to explore and discover new

things in his world. Sometimes, this can lead to dangerous

situations and get him into trouble. Consistency in

setting limits is a crucial part of parenting.

Setting limits ultimately keeps your child safe; he

must learn that within the outside world there are hazards that he must learn to

avoid. Also, setting limits teaches him the skills to interact considerately and

respectfully with others. In short, he can't always get his way.

Instead of telling him what he cannot do in a situation, try to steer him to an

alternative—something that is safer and acceptable for him to explore. Or, give him

a few activity choices so he can feel more in control of his actions.

Transitional ObjectsDo you have a Linus in your family? Many of us fondly remember our special

"lovies", the items we clung to as youngsters to help us through difficult

situations. These lovies can take the form of a blanket, doll, stuffed animal, or

maybe something else—as long as it holds special meaning and is soothing to your

child.

Experts use the term "transitional object" to refer to lovies because they

support children going through transitions, such as having a new babysitter or going

to a new 

childcare setting. They remind the child of the safety, security, and love of home

and loving parents.

This is probably not the best time to start separating your child from his

transitional object, as many children are peaking in stranger and separation anxiety

about now. But, you may be tired of watching your child drag her blanket across the

room, the yard—around town. There are strategies that parents use to prevent this

from happening.

One of the most successful tactics includes setting specific times for when the

special object is to be used. Encourage these

as appropriate "lovey" times:

bedtime

when saying goodbye to Mommy and Daddy

when Baby's sad

after taking a tumble

Other times during the day, keep the

blanket in a specific spot so your child can

access it if needed. Some parents have

made a small swatch of the blanket for their child to hold and carry with her. Or, you

may not mind Baby dragging the blanket. Whatever you decide, be consistent.

Music and Learning Scientific research on the neurological and developmental effects of music has

fascinated educators and parents with the possibility of children's learning

enhancement. Compared to the long history of research on language, our scientific understanding of music is new. Fortunately for parents, enriching our children's lives with music can be easily and pleasantly accomplished. From soft music in the nursery to musical toys and dance lessons, encouraging music involvement in a fun way strengthens children's educational, physical, and emotional development.

Does Music Make My Child Smarter? Yes, of course it does. When learning a song, a musical instrument, or a dance step, your child experiences the unique integration of body and mind that music provides. Sensory integration is a crucial factor in children's learning readiness for school subjects such as reading, writing, and

math. Music improves spatial-temporal reasoning, a neurological process needed to understand mathematics. The best way to enhance your child's learning with music is to encourage listening to and learning music throughout the child's developmental years. Do it in a variety of ways that are enjoyable and fun, then let your child's own interest and aptitudes guide your choices of lessons and activities.