We boarded the plane the day after Christmas in Newark, New Jersey and the weather was extremely cold and gray. We disembarked from the plane 10 hours later and were almost blinded by the heat and beauty of Sao Paulo. All in all, we waited in line for two hours in customs and immigration.

Claudio and Renato, our drivers, met us at the food court and bought us Coke and pao de queijo, which is cheese inside a bread ball. For two long hours, my brothers Shane, Hugh, and I sat in the car and observed the totally different surroundings in Brazil compared to Tarrytown. The houses looked shabby, made of things you would find in a junkyard. There were palm trees along the highway and it was 95 degrees out.

We arrived at our friends’ orange farm. After we unpacked, we devoured a delectable appetizer of assorted meats. We were surprised to find out that that was only an appetizer, as the portion was so huge and lunch was still to come. After lunch, we played in the pool with our friends’ dogs, Otis and Ruby. They always barked and nipped at us when we jumped into the pool. When we emerged from the water, we would splash water in the dogs’ faces and they would try to eat it.

The following day, we left at 6 am to travel to Gipoia, an island close to Rio de Janeiro, and this tedious drive lasted 7 hours. That day most of our hosts’ relatives gathered there and we all made new friends. We stayed at an old farmhouse from the 1700’s where they used to grow coffee and had kept slaves. There were three buildings - the main house where we ate and some people slept and two small guest houses. Many people worked at the island and they catered to our every need, which was great.

The most fantastic thing we did was celebrate New Year’s Eve. For dinner we ate a suckling pig with juicy fruits such as golden pineapples (abacaxi in Portuguese), passion fruit, grapes, pears, and other fruits encircling it. After this delectable meal, we went outside and danced since there was a DJ and a guitar player. At 12 o’clock we strolled down to the beach and jumped seven waves for good luck and to praise the sea goddess. We wore all white to start off the New Year with peace. When we returned from the beach, we lit off fireworks, which looked vibrant from up close. We danced until long after midnight and fell asleep exhausted.

We also had a blast riding the banana boat, which is an inflated tube that we sat on while we were towed behind a motor boat. As we sped up to approximately 20 miles per hour, the waves would rise and the banana boat would be tossed up in the water with us on top of it. Most of the time we were able to withstand these bounces, which only happened when the banana boat soared three feet or more off the water.

I enjoyed an abundance of food that I’ve never tasted before on this trip. I really savored the passion fruit, which has yellow skin, an orange colored liquid inside and black seeds that you’re not supposed to chew. Passion fruit is supposed to relax you and if you eat too much you fall asleep. I also drank Swiss lemonade, which is a delicious lime drink. In addition, I consumed much rice, beans and meat. The only food that I really disliked was the roast pig, because it was fatty and tasted like undercooked chicken.  

 It was fascinating that the people we hung out with could speak both Portuguese and English. This motivated me to learn Portuguese, which is a beautiful language. It’s similar to Spanish and many Portuguese-speaking people understand you if you speak Spanish. When we left Brazil, I was the one in my family who learned the most Portuguese.

On my trip in Brazil I had many phenomenal experiences and I have stated some of them in this essay. I hope to share these incredible highlights of my trip with all who read my story. 

The only problem is that my grandparent’s house is over 5 hours away from my home!! I sat in the car, bored to tears. We were driving about two hours of non-stop driving; my mom and I reached Albany, with only 3 hours left toward our destination. It was there that we met my mother’s friend at “Friday’s” diner. After lunch, we were ready to continue our journey.

At last, 3 hours later, we reached our destination - my grandparent’s house! My grandparent’s live in an old, tiny farmhouse. It was decorated in the holiday spirit. Neon-flashing lights surrounded the roof. Their compact Christmas tree resembled the tree that Charlie Brown owned, except it was twice as large and lush with leaves. I also observed that perched upon a huge table, was a picture shrine of my mom and me as children. I know my grandparents appreciate it when we send them pictures.

Now it was time to let my grandparents open the gifts we brought to them. The first gift was a gift card to my grandparent’s favorite restaurant, “Olive Garden”! It was in a mirrored box, which reflected off the living room light creating an illuminating neon color with a beautiful pattern. My mom started to tell embarrassing stories about me and in order to change the subject; I decided to suggest sledding before the snow melted. My mom told me that I could not go sledding until the following day, because she was quite exhausted from all of the driving she had done. That evening, we savored a dinner of mouth-watering food at one of the best diners in town.
The next day was at least twice as enjoyable as the previous day; that was the day I sled down my grandparent’s hill! It was spellbinding as we “flew” down the steep white hill and I had a head-over-heels spin into the pile of soft, fluffy snow. Thank goodness it was as soft as a pillow!! Lethargic from sledding, I decided to take a walk. The pine trees smelled splendidly. I walked around to observe the vibrant forest where my grandparents reside. The stream quietly flowed while I walked. I noticed the lush wildlife, from a chocolate colored chipmunk to a black and brown deer. The snow was crisp and untouched. The gray sky stood out in a white snow wonderland. The pond were I first learned to fish was frozen solid and had a faint glow. The only sound was my own breathing. I sat on a black rock, and thought about this amazing trip. I decided to stroll back to my grandparent’s house. A few long runs down the hill with my sled were all I needed to rejuvenate me.

The following day, we were ready for another tedious drive home. The part of this car ride that made it all worthwhile was the fact that I spent quality time talking to my mom. Upon arrival, I realized that the expression “there is no place like home” is true as I truly appreciate my house.

My grandparents mean the world to me and I will always remember this phenomenal trip.

I slide down the railing expecting to hear my mom cooking breakfast or Kristen watching T.V. (My dad was working on his brief). However, it was as silent as a summer night in Vermont until my gigantic dog, Soprano purrs like a tame tiger when I stroke his snow white mane. After petting Soprano for several minutes, I drift over to my shoes…. no point wearing heavy snow boots when it’s “ice world” outside.

I staggered out my back door with Soprano by my side. He trudges down the steps and pounces onto the lawn. I start slipping like someone wearing socks on a polished wooden floor. The air was slick. The sun was blinding me with the reflection of it on the snow. I just balance myself until I hop up onto the trampoline that was shinier than ever. I slip off my shoes, and then I pull myself over the ledge onto the trampoline. I become curious wondering if I throw this ice chunk in the ice filled pool, will it break? I absolutely wham it at the stubborn pool. It blistered through the air and smashed! However, the pool didn’t give any sign of budging. It had been frozen since Halloween, which was months ago!
I observe the oak tree that looms over my head and notice how barren and bleak it is. Soprano starts scratching the door and he’s ready to go into the house. I climb up the stairs and through the back door smelling the sensationally delightful scent of freshly baked waffles with maple syrup smothered all over the tantalizing waffle. Some ice cream on it never hurt. My mom and I made a bet that whoever wins 3 ping pong games gets to eat the waffle.

The first game was a loss for me. It was no contest; it was a brutal, 12 to 21. The second game I was determined to win, so to my delight, I totally owned her 21 to 10. The third game started as best as it could be for me. It was 9 to 6 by the end of the third serve. After Mom’s serve she had the momentum at an even game of 10 up (up means tied). It was closing in on the end and I was in the abyss. It was 16 to 19. She was steady coming into her serve and served a nasty shot to my right, countered it and she couldn’t return. I crept closer to tying the odds. The next two serves were a repeat of the last one. The game was tied 19 to 19. I had the advantage; she served it as hard as she could. I saw the ball far to my right; she was looking to crush the momentum out of my soul but my waffle senses were tingling and I was ravenous with hunger. It bounced and I ran over and leaped forward in the air and crushed it back to the other side; the ball was crippled after the strike. The next serve was way off and I didn’t even have to return that shot; the game was over, I came back to score five points in a row and take the game 21 to 19.

I devoured that mouth-watering waffle and decided to run upstairs and log in on AIM. Christina and Adam H. were also logged in. I chatted with them for awhile about everything that had happened so far on break. I logged of sometime after a couple of hours of constant “IM-ing” and decided to visit my Aunt Barbara Griswold who puts lights all over her house except the side of the house. She invited me to watch T.V. and I politely accepted her offer.

An hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I knew it would be one of my cousins so I opened the door and greeted my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Carol. To the right of them were two of my favorite older cousins. I was the youngest in the family and the youngest first cousin I have is 16. However, I’m the second youngest when it comes to third cousins, Alex and Carly. Alex is an awesome guitarist and could play by sound while Carly (who is about 24) loves to tell jokes. I sprung up the stairs after I said “Hello”, to “IM” my friends again.

An hour later, I was summoned by my cousins to open presents. Everyone was gathered in the living room by the heated fireplace. We all had presents to exchange, give, and receive. I was presented with Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii that I was going to receive the next day. I hugged my Aunt Helena. I was yet to know what my favorite gift would be when I received it. When they gave it to me, I could tell what it was - it was Guitar Hero 3! I almost screamed; however, I was resistant and managed to keep my cool for awhile. Alex wasn’t supposed to get the game until Christmas, yet he was already playing on “Expert” difficulty. We were allowed to leave the house for an hour and play Guitar Hero. I was enthusiastic to the idea and we fled over to my house with him and my sister. We played that for an hour. It was addicting like candy! Once I played it, I wanted to play it for hours.

A couple of minutes later, we arrived back at my aunt’s house and observed a delectable dinner on the table - mouth watering roast beef and thick gravy. I grabbed a lot of the bread and brought it back to the youth table so Kristen, Alex, and I could have crispy swirling bread rolls. We were talking silently when the grown ups started bolstering their assertiveness and became contentious with each other about politics. The night went on like this until midnight where people were drinking wine except for the children and several adults, two of them being my mom and dad. It was time to leave and when I arrived home, I passed out in my bed ready for any challenge that would await me tomorrow.

Welcome to Mrs. Osnow’s Class Blog! The sixth grade language arts students have been diligently writing wonderful stories all year and are eager to share their most recent essays with you. Enjoy!

 When my sister and I ascended the stairs, we drank the chocolatiest hot cocoa in the world with marshmallows. My uncle, Tio Kenny, put his hands around me to warm me up, as we watched our vibrantly colored tree light up in the living room. It was midnight and I asked my mother and uncles to open their presents while we opened ours with my cousin,Anessa. My cousin and I each received a stunning diamond watch, mine was pink and hers was red.  My sister, Veronica, received a bear that you could color with markers.  The best thing about her gift was you that you could wash the colors off and color it again.  After we opened our presents, we felt lethargic, yet we managed to stay awake until two o’clock in the morning.       

The next morning, we woke up at ten o’clock, , ran down stairs and observed the extravagant presents under the huge Christmas tree. We tore open the presents as we laughed with joy. We continued opening presents for another hour. My mother descended the stairs and was extremely angry because she is a meticulous person and the house was a mess.       

Later that day, my cousin and I decided to have a snowball fight.  I felt remorseful when I hit her in the face with a hard snowball; then she chased me all over the parking lot. She was out of breath and had painful cramps. She gave up and went into my mother’s car to warm up. I collapsed on the cold, hard ground. I started to make snow angels and the cold snow froze in my pants. My cousin started to laugh at me so I pulled her out of the car, jumped on top of her and threw snow down her shirt. I ran upstairs to my warm house while Anessa locked up the car and shook the cold snow off the inside of her snow-drenched shirt.       

This concludes my most fantastic, Christmas ever, with a whole assortment of wonderful presents, and the most beautiful diamond watch that I will always cherish from my grandma.   

Nine Days of Praying
  Before my joyful holiday vacation, I, and my closest Ecuadorian family and friends prayed for one to two hours for nine days for the coming birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Eve. As you can see, my family is very religious. During these nine sacred days I became closer to my Lord, Jesus Christ, and learned that Christmas isn’t just about outstanding, breathtaking presents, but the birth of our Savior.
Finally, Christmas Eve!
  After the nine spiritually religious days, I woke up to the bright sun, realizing it was the holiest day of the year, Christmas Eve. I jumped out of bed and got ready to go “last minute shopping” for presents. We drove to the Galleria Mall in our shiny blue minivan which blended with the color of the sky. On the way to the mall I stared into the clouds and daydreamed how the day was going to ensue. We shopped for almost two endless hours. Sometime during those tedious two hours I spotted an Ecuadorian stand where they were selling momentos from Ecuador. There I bought myself a bracelet and my mother a golden necklace with green emeralds. When we arrived home, we roasted a pig’s leg in preparation for our holiday dinner. While we were distracted by a funny movie, the pig’s leg was burning in the oven, turning black and crispy! We fixed the disaster by removing the skin and making it edible and delectable. After dinner, we got dressed and headed to my Aunt Glenda’s house, who lives only a few blocks away from my family, to celebrate Christmas. At 12:00am we ate a deliciously prepared meal until 12:30am. After the appetizing meal, we eagerly opened our presents because that’s our family tradition. I received great gifts from my family. The best present I was given was a Visa gift certificate for 50 dollars that I can spend anywhere at any time. After everyone opened their presents, we had the most moist, mouth-watering chocolate cake.

New Year’s Eve
  That morning I woke up realizing that it was the last day of 2007. Later that day, our family visited my Uncle Freddy’s house in Brooklyn. He has a huge basement and that’s where everyone was gathering to wait for the shiny ball to drop on T.V. As 12:00 approached, we followed a family tradition, which is to eat one grape every minute for twelve minutes while making twelve resolutions before midnight. Once the ball dropped, we hugged each other and said “Happy New Year!!!” We then rushed outside and participated in another Ecuadorian tradition which is to burn a “dummy” that represents 2007 with a highly flammable substance. We continued the festivities inside the house.

This holiday was phenomenal and I am looking forward to the next one!

Even though our shopping experience is not always that great, I still look forward to spending quality time with my dad since I do not get to see him that often. My father’s “presence” is more important than his “presents”.

My father and I usually have this annual wrestling match where we would wrestle each other and pin each other to the count of three but there’s a catch to it. When you pin the person, both shoulders must be touching the floor. The rules are pretty simple; there is no hitting in the face, no punching or kicking, and bragging is not allowed if you win. They usually make me wrestle my nine year old brother because they think I would get hurt if I wrestled my older brother or my father. After we wrestle, we would have a boxing tournament with the two people who won the wrestling tournament. Most of the time it would be me versus my brother but in the rules of this championship tournament, you cannot hit the minor in the face. The older person has to use soft white pillows that we purchase every year. The best matches are between my brother and me because we hate losing and are extremely aggressive, yet not afraid of each other.

After that comes the dinner, a potato salad with rice and turkey, “mmmm”, how delectable this tasty chicken dish is with potato salad on the side and a warm hot chocolate drink. Suddenly, a white substance is falling down from the sky looking like white rain and out of nowhere my sister tells me it’s snowing. As soon as the snow hits the ground, I launched out of my seat, as if I were a rocket that had blasted off the ground or a fire cracker that had been lit up into the air. I rushed into my room to get ready to play outside with everybody I know on the block, including my friends. We just threw snowballs at each other creating a snow war with snowballs flying back and forth across the snowman we created and named him “Mr. Snowyfrost”. Unfortunately, I threw a snowball and accidentally knocked his head off.

To top off the perfect day, I made more hot chocolate and took a steaming hot shower. The hot shower felt great because it reminded me of being in a Jacuzzi filled with hot water. Then I went to my bed and laid down on the warm soft mattress with a thick soft pillow and a silk blanket. I watched my television until I became exhausted and fell fast asleep.

The next day, upon awakening, I entered my father’s bedroom jumping on his bed and telling him to wake up because Santa was here. I picked him up, dragged him out of bed and said, “Come on, Santa gave us presents to open, the least we could do is open them, enjoying this Christmas.” First, I want pancakes and I asked his wife if she could make me some. Then I counted all my presents. I had about 15-20 presents and it was everything I wanted, Xbox, Play Station 2, Game Cube, Dream Cast, Game Boy SP, and video games for all of my consoles.

I think this is a Christmas that I will never forget. Hopefully, next year will be the same or even better. As long as I get to spend time with my family, it’s going to be all right and maybe if I believe enough, all of my wishes will come true.

           When we landed in Miami, the pilot said, “People who are going to Miami, get off the plane and people who are going to St. Thomas stay on the plane or get off, walk around and come back in 20 minutes.” My parents decided that we would get off the plane, walk around and get some lunch because they were not serving very tasty food on the plane. For lunch my brother and I had pizza and my parents had a salad. We got back on the plane for another 2-hour ride (very boring).       

          When the plane landed in St. Thomas, I jumped out of my seat, half because I had been sitting down for so long and half because I could not wait to get a glimpse of the clear water. To get to the ferry (which would take us to St. John) we had to take another taxi. The taxis in the U.S. Virgin Islands are different; they look like a pick-up truck; however, they have seats in the back and have an awning on the top. Most of them are spray painted with a sunset or dolphins jumping out of the water, something with a tropical scene. We arrived at the dock as people were just starting to load their belongings on the ferry. When we were all sitting down on the ship the ferry started and we laughed until it started to rain. The rain was not a light drizzle, it was hard and it hit you with a great amount of force making you wish you had an umbrella. After the rain subsided, we could detect a faint rainbow somewhere off in the distant sky. As the boat docked, people disembarked, gathered their belongings and boarded a taxi. We shared the taxi with one other family and drove off onto the long winding road. The ride was tedious but entertaining with all of the tight turns and all the trucks coasting by us. We dropped the other family off at a place called Cinnamon Bay. When we arrived at Maho Bay we thanked the driver and walked over to the front desk and asked where our cabin was located. The lady replied, “Your cabin is down those stairs, make a left at the sign to the beach and keep on walking until you see the cabin labeled A31. We hiked our way over to our cabin and went inside. My dad and I started unpacking the suitcases when my mom said that we should go up to the pavilion for dinner because we were ravenously hungry. Since it was Christmas that day, they were serving roasted turkey with mashed potatoes. For dessert we had a choice of pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie. I chose pumpkin pie because I love how tasty it is in my mouth when I take a bite. When our delectable dinner was over, we walked back to the cabin and got ready for bed. My mom told me that I should try to get some sleep but I knew that would be a challenge.       

          I woke up to the sound of tree frogs and soft rain tapping on the top of the cabin (it was made out of canvas). I looked out of the cabin window and saw rain pouring down it and in the mountains a bright rainbow saying to me “The rain will stop and you will be able to go snorkeling today. I woke up my parents and told them to start making breakfast because I wanted to be the first person on the beach. For breakfast, I ate oatmeal and a piece of toast (I had this everyday). We decided to go to Little Maho because there was a path there from the campsite. At Little Maho we observed millions of Silver Sides, which are tiny fish that are the size of a paper clip. I saw a 4-Eyed Butterfly Fish and a Cow Fish. That evening, we dined to a restaurant called The Fish Trap, where I ate Mahi-Mahi fish sticks.After dinner, we sprinted to the area with glass blowing. The glass they used was recycled glass bottles. Most of the days were exactly the same.       

          The seventh day there we toured Francis Bay; Francis Bay is where we viewed the sea turtles. There were four of them, two of them were Hawksbill and the other two were Greens. When my dad brought me out into the water I did not realize that I was going to see sea turtles, so it was quite a surprise.       

          One of the things I liked most about my trip was The Baths, located in Virgin Gorda. The Baths are huge boulders the size of houses that have somehow appeared in three random places in the world. I think this is important because I was able to experience one of them.

          In addition, I had a phenomenal time at St. John and I would love to go back there next year to continue exploring this magnificent island.