Feliz Natal! [Merry X-mas!]

Hello all,
Sorry about the once again very delayed update...once again I can offer no good excuse.
I`m very happy to write that there have been some great changes in my exchange since I last wrote you. The biggest one being of course that school has ended and I am now on summer break until the end of january. This has given me alot of time to pursure new activities and even make some travel plans.
I decided that with all this spare time, I should try to do something really Brazilian outside of the house. And whats more Brazilian than...Capoeira!! For those of you who have no idea what Capoeira is, it can be best discribed as an Martial Art/Dance with it`s own specific style of Music. But actually, the best way to find out what it`s like is to watch videos; there are a lot on youtube, and I am currently trying to add a few that I took to my Facebook.
Taking a Capoeira class also oppened up a unique travel opportunity for me. There will be a Capoeria show Salvador, the capital of Bahia, and a major center of Brazilian culture. My professor is taking another student, and has also offered to bring me along! Salvador has always been the first city that comes to mind when I think about traveling, so this is pretty amazing! We will be able to stay one week, enough time to fall in love with the city and not want to come back, so I`m told hahaha.
However, that good news is preceded by some....rather strange circumstances. I discovered a few weeks ago that I will need to change host familys. Dont worry! It`s nothing I did or they did; everything is fine betwen us. The reason I will have to change familys is because my current host family has a family member who lives in another city, and is in need of a place to stay for a while with thier one-year-old daughter. This is sad because I have only recently begun to feel really comfotable here and started conversing alot more with my family [especially my mom, she`s really nice!]. But I also see this is a good opportunity to get to know more people and places, and perhaps even a new city. After all, who said a student exchange is about being comfortable, right?
Thats about all of the major developments thus far. This week I have been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas; buying presents and such. I went to a Presbyterian church yesterday for a Christmas service, it was very nice, but I really miss the christmas songs we use in the states...and snow! It is SO hot here, and I`m told January gets even hotter! Anywho, thats all for now. Beijos e Abraços!
Patrick