Seven months.

Well, it's weird to say it, but I have to start thinking about home. I've got only two months left in Rio (I'm not so sure if I want to think about it right now), and for a large part of May I'll be traveling-- first for the upcoming Fulbright regional conference in Brasilia, then to Manaus to apply my research in a small town in Amazonia, Parintins (exciting!).

I can't believe how different my life is here from when I first arrived. Last night, I met up with some friends, who, ironically, I first met during one of my first weeks in Rio-- and then not again till last night. They couldn't believe how much Portuguese I'd learned, and it was so funny to be able to sit in on their conversations and actually participate. To understand what was going on. I felt like I was slowly integrating into the culture and the city-- it's not the first time this has happened to me, but it's been happening with more frequency these past few months.

Besides the language, it's very satisfying to know that a large part of my project is finished, and I'm in the final stages of piecing together my final article. I presented at a public health conference, and I'll be presenting my work again to my institution-- first as a guest lecturer to the post-graduate students of ICICT, and then again as a formal "palestra" to the whole institution. I'm also getting my article ready to submit to a journal-- nine months isn't a long time to do everything, but I've realized that patience and dedication go a long way in getting things done.

Outside of my research, these past couple months I've really been able to enjoy Rio. I've got to shows, listened to samba and chorinho, have been surfing, traveled a bit more (to the Pantanal), gone to art galleries, and been much more pro-active about my time here. Because I haven't had to go into work every day, and the weather has gotten much more bearable, it's easy for me to move around the city.

I'm anxious to see how the next two months will go. I know it's going to be quick-- and gone before you know it-- but I need to remind myself to take it one day at a time and really enjoy my time here. I started out with a bucket list of things that I want to do-- but I realized that I need to also just let things happen organically. My experience in Rio has been been interesting in that, in a lot of way, I've let the city and the people shape the way I see their culture. I hope that I can continue to do that even during the final stages.