Malas: suitcases

Packing

Folding, separating, strategically placing. As I get my suitcases ready to leave Saturday morning I learn what things not to take next time I am here and what to take less of. Next time I come to Florianopólis during the winter I will bring one less summer dress, one less pair of shoes, no tight pants (as I will gain weight and not be able to wear them) and a very selected collection of jewelry. 

Yep, I will be leaving soon, and as I review gifts and purchases I have collected over the past two months I also the review fond memories. Packing is like a little grieving process. I am not grieving, but going over all the memories allows me to feel that bitter sweet emotion that makes it a bit hard to leave. However, as in my last Brazil trip, I feel that the end has come in good timing. I am ready to go back. 

False Security?

I feel as if I will come back. Of course one can never be certain about anything, but this feeling I think is what keeps me from getting drunk, crying and paying 200 dollars to push my flight back a week. This behavior is not uncommon, but don't judge those who go through it! It's hard to get over that culture shock hump get comfortable and then be yanked right back into a reverse culture shock. I am not making up these terms. Look them up.

Events

Sorry self and imaginary fan club that I haven't been keeping up very well with the blog. I spent computer time keeping up a long distance relationship, school stuff and subletting issues. I don't excuse myself, just know that I wasn't idle. This week has been busy and fun. Last night I gave a presentation with my friend from China, my American-Mexican friend, and a fellow simple American for an auditorium of easily one hundred Brazilian college students. My friend from China gave a power point presentation attempting to educate the group about China and attempt to make a small dent in the stereotypes that many Brazilians hold about people from Asia. The rest of the group including myself talked about their own culture, differences, and their experience in Brazil. The crowd was great. Laughed in all the right places:) A good amount of people came up to us after the presentation to take pictures and give complements. Is was an exhilarating experience!

Tonight I will go to a chic churrascaria  in downtown. I plan on eating too much. Tomorrow I plan on going to the best known Mexican restaurant for my host cousins birthday party. Again, I plan on eating too much.

Sustainability
Last weekend I took about a 24 hour trip to the most sustainable city in South America, Curitiba, Parana. It was okay. It reminded me a bit of a less developed Portland, Oregon. Like Portland, Curitiba is also know for being eclectic and theatre oriented.

Brazil 101
-Things like Chinese/Japonese restaurants only strengthen the confusion that I would say the majority of Brazilians have between the two cultures.
-Cupcakes are becoming a phase in Brazil.
-The phrase "to give a banana" means to give someone something useless of nothing at all.

Stray Dogs
There are stray dogs all over. I am sure I noticed this aspect about Brazil during my first stay here, I even remember writing something brief about it, but I am even more impressed by the doggies now than before. I guess I like the idea. Every stray I have come across has been very friendly, and not nearly as smelly or ill as my own childhood dog Bootso. Poor Bootso. I didn't like the idea of all these stray dogs when I first arrived,   I thought it was sad that these pups didn't have owners and I was grateful that there aren't many sad lonely doggies in the US. Then I remembered that the US capture and kills there nomad dogs and said a little prayer that Brazil doesn't ever adopt this tradition of ours.

Travels
I didn't make it to Blumenau, the German colony about an hour away from where I currently live, but I have spoken plans to travel there this weekend with my friend who lived there as an exchange student in 2008. I am curious to see how German this German colony really is.

Relationships
I have gotten really close with my host family's extended family within the past few weeks. Its always refreshing to the soul to encounter people who just understand. All it takes is a look in someone's eye. Sometimes there is something there (recognition, understanding) and sometimes there isn't.  Everyone has recognition and understanding on some level of course, but its not always easy to find. Humor is a good way to explain what I am talking about I suppose. You know when you see something funny and you try and may eye contact with people to see who else noticed what you noticed and thought it was funny. These connections are rare, but kind of easy to access in that they don't require language. On multiple occasions through out my life I have been able to have a connection and a good laugh with someone who's language I didn't speak, or someone I didn't even speak with. Ha.

Travels
This past weekend  I rafted for the first time and enjoyed it. The hot springs at the hotel my ISA group stayed in weren't exactly "hot", but they were warm and enjoyable in the cool weather. Saturday night Americans and Brazilians gathered in the movie room of the hotel to watch the UFC Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen.  Chael Sonnen made himself look like such a jerk that not even the Americans could cheer for him.

This next weekend our group will take a trip to the part of Santa Caterina that was colonized by Germans, Blumenau.  I expect to see German architecture and actually here the language.  Our group is scheduled to visit a beer brewery, whale watch and site see, see sites....sites the see.


Sins
I spend too much time on facebook. The program I am traveling with told us not to "try and live two lives", meaning..your body is here so bring your mind here.  My mind is not always here. Even though I am in Brazil I am not convinced that the language I am surrounded by is Port ...as I am in school the majority of the day with Americans and then I go home and get on Facebook.

Redemption
In order to be happy with my current self and past self... years down the road, I am creating some standards for myself.
1. less facebook.1 hr per day?
2. try harder to converse with natives.
3. avoid English when possible
4. Put focus in Brazil.

Homework
I was given a homework assignment to research a church of choice in Florianópolis. During a three hour break in my classes, I walked the downtown area until I found an open church. I was hesitant to enter because the door seemed to be blocked stopper, but I made I contact with one of the three people who were in the church and mouthed "can I enter?"  I was given a yes signal and went in. I was quickly approached by the evangelistic pastor who had been talking to person number three, a crying woman.  I told him I was there to do research for a class...and he asked me if I wanted to be blessed.  Hmm..to be honest..no I did not want to be blessed by him...but when abroad and when safe..saying yes to everything is my philosophy. The pastor lead me and the teary lady to the from of the entirely white chapel and asked us to close our eyes. I felt his hand on my head and heard the typical "God enter these bodies and relieve their problems" type speech.  Every time the pastor accented a word or spoke louder his hand would tap/squeeze my skull a bit harder. Towards the end of the blessing he wiped oil on our foreheads and sat us down in the white beach chairs that were arranged in long rows in the church.  Once we sat down he talked a bit more about how money is nothing and God is everything and then tried to sell us a DVD of his travels to Israel for 10 reais. The pastor eventually lead us over to a table that had little clear bags that had colored papers in it.  As the pastor placed both hands on the pile of paper and plastic and mixed the pile, he looked at us and told us to choose a bag to find our "seed of faith".  Immediately I was reminded of fortune cookies.  I choose the plastic bag closest to me.  The past took my bag from me and opened it.  Again I was reminded of fortune cookies...everyone wants to break the cookie and read the fortune.  My cookie of faith was "Your salvation is to wait for the Lord".
The pastor let me interview him a bit after he gave his impromptu presentation and he invited me back to services which was very nice.

Brazil 101
-Brazilain Coca cola is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup.
-One single orange is less than 25 cents.
-One bottle of cheep nail polish remover is about 75 cents.
-Students often receive discounts in movies theaters, concerts and public transportation.

Florianópolis
New city, new stay, new friends, new culture.  Florianópolis is the city in the Southern state of Santa Caterina, Brazil.  The city is primarily made up of a people of primarily European ancestry, especially German and Italian.  Because of this the people look slightly different in colors and clothes. The food is also a bit different and the social behaviors. The city of Florianópolis, aka Florípa, is a huge island extends about 433km or 270 miles.  It has 42 beaches on both lakes and Ocean. The city is truly beautiful and clean.


The past few days I have been going through program's orientation and school began for my group on Tuesday. While I am here I will take a language class, two culture classes and two weeks of conversation class, everything will of course be in Portuguese:)


My university is located in the center of the city.  In the part of the city the buildings are placed tightly together and the streets, which are only for pedestrians, are paved with a mosaic design. Three blocks from the school there is a street market that sells fresh produce and cookies and cakes and breads and what not...It's so nice.

This weekend the program is scheduled to visit a nearby city where we will swim in the natural hot springs and go rafting.  I am excited.  There is lots to write but I am tired.  As I expected the language and the constant stimulation really wears me out...physically and mentally. But! Though I am tired, I am very happy.

More to come!

Malas
Its not the ideal way to spend the last moments of a trip, but alas it is necessary. I have spent the majority of today repacking my "malas" or suitcases.  Tomorrow around one I will take an hour and a half plane rise from Campinas to Florianopolis on the well-known Brazilian airline Azul. I never really unpacked my things in the two weeks I was here.  I figure anything less than 2 weeks stays in the suitcase and anything more than two weeks comes out. Because of this experience I learned a lesson that I hope to remember the next time I travel; put dryer sheets in the suitcase.

Lesson Learned
Last night I went to my host sister's (Ju) friend's birthday party.  I met Ju's high school friends and the birthday girls family friends. I arrived at the party and Ju introduced me as her American friend. As usual there was somebody who assumed I didn't speak Portuguese and decided to give his English skills a workout. My initial reaction is always silent frustration and inward focused anger. I looked at the guy who was speaking English to me and I wanted to slap him.  But I remained silent and let him practice.  Upon encountering him later that night he again spoke to me in English and I decided to respond in Portuguese. He spoke then in Portuguese.  We ended up having an interesting conversation about business between US and Brazil. I felt bad for having angry emotions towards him. I learned from this experience the etiquette that I want to have in this situation from now on. Respond first in English in a charming way and then speak in Portuguese:)

Brazil 101:
-Decent nail polish is significantly less expensive in Brazil than in US.  Price ranges from 1-2 US dollars.

Chuva: noun. rain.       Chover: verb. to rain.

It has been raining for more than a week in Piracicaba according to my host father. The day I arrived the central area of San Paulo, the state, was spared from the generally constant downpour, but ever since chuva chuva and more chuva.  When the northern hemisphere is in its summer (Ohio), the southern hemisphere (San Paulo) is in winter and vice versa, so right now I am in the mist of a much less thought of wintry Brazil.  The weather is a chilly 18 Celsius or 64 degrees and the sun rarely finds its way out from behind the clouds. Just know that it happens.

I neglected in my first return blog post to credit the reason I have returned to Brasil. I applied through the Center of Latin American Studies at the Ohio State University for a Summer FLAS scholarship.  I was awarded the scholarship and decided to use said award for a six week program in Florianópolis, Santa Caterina, Brazil.  I arrived two weeks early in Brazil to visit my friends and host families from my 2009-2010 Rotary exchange, and will leave Piracicaba for Florianópolis on the 30th (in 8 days).

In the past week I have attended two Rotary events.  I have another scheduled for today and another for Monday. The past two Rotary events have taken place in the Casa de Amizade in Piracicaba, where the roof leaks and the floors are a naked cement, but the rotarians dress in suits and jewels.  Rotarians arrive and park in a parking lot that is closed-in with fence, gates and 12 foot walls. While this type of architecture in common in the city, but it is also scattered with modern architecture, often times neighboring the old.

Brazil 101
-Parking meters arrived about a year ago in Piracicaba.

Just Like Old Times

Because I think I should:


After some brief seconds of shallow thought I do not find any reason not to add to my old blog, although I must admit it feels strange and almost sacrilegious.  I am adding to poorly written deep thoughts and emotions because I find myself in the same foreign country in the same lovely house as I was two years ago.   I arrived in Piracicaba, Brazil on Friday the 15th on June.  My old host parents, Li and Sérgio picked me up from the airport in São Paulo and took me to my Brazilian home. I offered ahead of time to take a bus from the big city to Piracicaba so they wouldn't have to make the long trip with the crazy (crazy to the point of being comical) traffic, but they insisted. They are great.

The city of Pira now has a big iron jumping fish in front of it that welcomes incomers, like the green wooden signs just outside of the village limits in Monroeville, my home town.  I asked my host mother if it was new and she laughed and said it was, later making fun of it and wondering why a more aesthetic piece of art couldn't welcome people instead.  I haven't been about the city much since I arrived but in what I have seen I notice lots of improvements. Roads do not seem as bumpy as I remember, the mall is more developed, the jumping fish.

Sérgio's family seems to be closer as a result of two big events.  One of his daughters moved back into the house and another one had a baby girl, who is now a year old.  Sérgio and Li make great grandparents.

Since I've been gone, my host brother started college and now lives 3 hours away, but I did get to spend time with him and his girlfriend at his birthday party that was held Saturday.  Saturday I was quickly thrown back into the Brazilian culture with a very typical churrasco, or BBQ in honor of my host brother's birthday. Just like old times I ate too much but enjoyed every second.  The event was especially cool because it took place on a part of Sérgios property that I had never seen before, even though it's located on the side of his house.  For very sad and dramatic reasons that I have no right to go into detail about, that part of his property which includes a pool, two bathrooms, a living room and a outdoor kitchen was closed off for over two years and opened only days before for my host brother's party.

Exploring this new piece of old real-estate was much like a reoccurring dream I have. I have dreamed multiple times that my abode had rooms that I did not know about previously.  In the dreams I would go and explore them and find cool nick-nacks.  I suppose my experience wasn't exactly like this, since I knew that property was there, and because I didn't discover any hidden nick-nacks....

I arrived recently but I already feel the anxiety of being idle and I believe this to be the main reason I am compelled to return to my blog. I hope to use this space to record my thoughts and memories and well as use it as a still frame to which I can later compare the thoughts, goals and accomplishments.  


Brazil 101:
-Brazilian meat is so good because the flavor it with tons of salt.
-It is common for a Brazilian to ask anther Brazilian who is traveling to the states to buy them a list of goods because those same goods in Brazil cost more than twice as much as in the USA...for example a laptop or a talking Elmo.
- 1 dollar is currently worth about 2.05 reais.


P.s.  I cannot figure out how to take off the highlight for the last two paragraphs. It appeared like that by itself . Apologies.