Getting Down with the Sickness

Finishing Up at the Beach

My host uncle (future host father) Rodolpho, and his family joined my family at Juquehy for our last couple of nights there. Together we spent the rest of the time similarly, in the ocean on the beach. The very last day was particularly fun for me. I played "Fresco Ball" (the popular beach game I made a reference to in my previous update) with my uncle, impressing the family with my quickly avid skill. :) I spent my final hours on the beach building a sand castle with my host father. I learned from him how to create a really cool affect with the sand, simply by dribbling wet sand on top of previously dribbled sand... It was great, and the process unexplainably relaxing and enjoyable.

Souveniers

I do not much believe in souveniers... In my mind, they are just trinkets that collect dust and take up space (unless of course it's as practical as a shot glass...at least then your using it on a daily basis.....just sarcasm mom) Well...my host parents and I brought home some memorabilia from the beach..that will neither dirty or take up space. For the past couple of days, My host parents and myself have been dealing with some type of stomache virus we picked up there. The first couple of days were the worst with abdomonal pain and angry intestines.

The three of us around the kichen table at lunch and supper time was a hilarious sight. All of us sitting there, quiet, sad faces, trying our hardest to coax our bodies into swallowing soup. I couldn't help but laugh. Now, both my host parents are back to work, and I am almost 100%.

I respect the sickness. When you go into the ocean...it's impossible to play on the waves and not accidently swallow a bit of water. With out these germs and intestinal infections, people wouldn't have a reason to leave the beach... This little souvenier brings the depressed returning vacationers back to reality...reminding them nothings perfect...and giving them a little happiness in the comforts of home.

Independence

My friend brought up an interesting point. With in his exchange he has been learning and relearning the definition of independence and in general with exchange students, this is true. I recently read this scientific article written by Bettina Hansel and Neal Grove, "International Student Exchange Programs-Are the Educational Benefits Real?" This article was based on a study done to compare 15 specific types of personal growth between students who studied abroad and students who did not. The average exchange student rated themselves righer interms of Independence upon their return. So, had I been a part of this study, would I in the future be rating myself higher on the post-test? Though I feel a bit over protected here, I respect the people and the process and I feel again that I have been put into the right place. Whether my parents planned it this way or not, they successfully raised their children to be very independant people and so luckily...this said type of independence is not specifically a life skill that I feel I need to develop on at this point in time. Good job mom and dad.

New News.

Yesterday, I met the new foreigner on the block. Justin Dike, from South Africa. AHhh yes, South Africans speak English (with an excellent accent) ANd they drive on the wrong side of the road (haha) I had thought that was only in the UK.

One reason I love meeting new people is that they always teach you new things. In only a few hours with Justin I learned:

-People from Finland take drivers Ed for three years. Because of this...they are typically good drivers.

-Only 1% of Brazil is Black (African South American?)

-School systems in South Africa are layed back in terms of violence as well as punishments...they do not have metal detectors

-Currency in S.A. is known as the "rand"

-S.A. drive on the opposite side of the road

OSU in ESALQ!

This morning my mother showed me a newspaper article with a picture of OSU students doing some volunteer work here in Piracicaba. The college across the road from my house has a agriculture program that apparently teams up with students from OSU....(My future school!). My host mother made some phone calls (Rotarians have all the connections) and ended up getting in contact with the Brazilian head of this program. SO....tonight...hopefully, if it all works out...I should be meeting up with some buckeyes. Small world....small small world.

Brazil 101

-Funerals take place only hours after the death

-At movie theaters...you chose what seat you want to sit in when you buy the ticket. Its funny where you find pockets of organization here.

-If you return to a store for a refund or trade in...it is actually helpful to yell or threaten to phone the police.

Mitch, you are cool

Juquehy

Juquey


"Que Vida Difícil" my host parents have been saying, or "such a hard life", but they're only joking ofcourse. Juquehy is the name of the beach we arrived at last Saturday and life here on the beach, in the town of Sâo Sabastion is anything but hard. I was here once before with Sergio and Lee last October in the vacation home of Sergios sister. The previous stay here was different. Last time a good part of Sergios family was here, celebrating the 93rd(I think) birthday of his mother. My Portuguese in October wasnt too strong, and I remember not understanding a good part of conversation and having difficulty speaking. This time, I am fluent and have less trouble speaking and it is just my family and my host brother's friend Fernando, who I also know from Liceau, spending the week here in the beach house. Tiago, my 32 year old cousin, who's wedding I attended in Sâo Paulo, was here the first two nights, but had to return to Sao Paulo for work.



Brazilian Family

Tiago, actually reminds me lots of my cousins. He has the whole big framed, sport soul, sweet heart personality that a number of my real cousins and family members share. The first night here Sergio, Lee, Tiago and I played Trunca, a card game not really comparable to any other card game I know, but a good good game with really good company. The second day here was mostly spent in the ocean, and later in the day Tiago taught me how to play...oh man I forget the name of it...a game with wooden rackets and a rubber ball. All you do is volley the ball back and forth. Its a really popular game..every time I have been to beach I have seen numerous people playing it. We were on the beach playing it and it started to rain...but we played in the rain anyway. (I always thought it illogical for people at the beach to leave when its raining)

Tiago mentioned a more than once that he is going to mark a day for me to come and play Texas Hold 'em with him and his family. I mean...really..this guy couldnt be more like real family.



Today

I woke up around seven this moring in the beach house living room. Although there existed a bedroom for me to sleep in I chose to sleep in the "sala" with the fans. Even with the fans, this morning was very warm and I couldnt seem to go back to sleep. So I took five or six short steps into the kitchen...opened up a bag of pistacios and poured myself a cup of pear juice. Shortly after I slept again. Around nine, I ate a small breakfast with my host parents and then we slathered ourselves in sunscreen (a process taken very seriously) and went to the beach.



Beach

The beach here is long. I would say it stretches at least a mile. Unlike the lake beaches I am accustomed to in Ohio, the sand here is real and white and clean. From the beach, maybe another mile out into the ocean exists about 6 or seven islands .....these random tiny mountains sticking up out of the water...giving everyone on on the beach a focus point so not to get lost in the eternity of the ocean. From the water, looking at the beach you can the homes directly beyond the sand, but beyond the homes you see green mountains, varying in size and shape. It really is beautiful.



Today cont.

After spending a few hours of the moring and a few more hours of the afternoon at the beach...I walked the unpaved road back home, only a short and safe distance away. Being here, I've lost a great deal of my independence. I cannot drive, I rarely have the opportunity to cook for myself, I do not go placed unaccompanied....so little instances like this...just walking by myself a little ways becomes something special to me....something worth writing about.

Upon returning home I moved my things from the bedroom downstairs to the upstairs room that Tiago had been using. I made a trip to a grocery store with my host father, twice...because the first time he forgot his wallet (a characteristic of his..hehehe). Later checked my emails, ate a good lunch with my family, napped, made brownies minus recipe. Looked up real recipe online afterwards. Began writing my blog and then was told to leave with my brother and Fernando. Walked with the two of them into town, watched them ironically eat American food and then walked back and now am writing this.



Pets

Listing the things I've done today makes it seem like I did lots. But my days lack accomplishments. I understand here, while I am on vacation at the beach there is not much I can do, but I have an idea, a goal, that when I return back to Piracicaba I will find a task, a mission to accomplish. I need something. This thought often comes to my mind; that I am a pet. I am like the family dog in that the funny things I do are good for conversation , I have a few tricks, and the family loves me and takes care of me. But in the end I am not a golden retriever and having some real tasks would make me really happy.



Last Wednesday

Last wednesday night I went to a barzinha with the group of people that I met through a boy from my school before he left for Switzerland. This group of people is perfect. They are my age, into theatre, hilarious, smart. When it happens, it is just really nice to find people you click with.



Brazil 101

-The current president of Brazil, Lula, currently has a movie in theatres about his life story....

-It is common and delicious to cook eggplant on the grill.

-Brazilians do not have powdered sugar. They have something with the translation of powdered sugar...but it is not the same

New Years

Acknowlegment
Most of the time, before writing a new update, I read my previous blog, always discovering grammar and spelling errors. In my defense, the spell check tool in this program is set in Português and I am not always thinking in English. I do not expect this aspect, the quality of my writing, to change as I am unwilling to spend more time than nescessary on this website but, I offer my apologies to the author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".

Feliz Ano Novo
This new year at midnight I stood on a dining room chair and ate three spoonfuls of lentils. Imediatly after, I ate fruit from nine seeds of the brazillian fruit homá, wrapped the seeds themselves in a dollar and stashed it in my wallet. Brazil has lots of tradition...and superstition..and symbolism and the New Year here just brings that all into the spot light.
Brazilians wear white for news years to sybolize a clean slate for the in coming year. I mentioned before that the color of new underwear they wear symbolizes what they hope to gain. For example..I wore my new white calcinhas...which I hope to bring me peace in 2010.
I watched on TV the millions of people who traveled to ocean beaches and threw flowers in the water and danced in the water....everyone dressed in white. Yes yes....lots of tradition here. Its beautiful...it brings everyone together. The lentils I ate while standing on a chair were so that I wont go hungry in 2010 and the nine seeds were three seeds for each of the three kings in Bethlehem.
The new year was spent in the vacation home of my now...host uncle...but furture host father, Rodolpho. There his family, and my family, and the grandparents spent our time eating and playing in the river/lake and just having a good time. 2010 has already given me my first ride on a jet ski (very exciting). I also spent time boating. The idea of being in the hot sun in January is just nice in itself. The sceneary on the lake/river was stunning. Across the river were these green picture perfect hills...scattered with palm trees and bush....the green highlighted in color in company with the blue and white sky.
I met some other boys who had houses on this lake/river...the ones who owned the jet skis. New Years day, a boy named Bruno drove me....and a boy named Caiio drove my cousin...down the rived away from the beaches to a bend in the river. There, were a herd of white cows (cows here have the same clueless faces...but they are different. They are all white and they have humps) grazing right next to the water. There we swam in the river alone in the hot afternoon, just us four, the jet skis and the cows. Then before leaving Bruno and Caiio use the jet skis to splash the cows...freaking them out and making them stampede away.

Days After
I arrived back in Piracicaba today. It was a great time there...but theres nothing like the comforts of home (temporary home).
I spent a lot of time this new years thinking about where I was the same time last year. Last year I spent the holliday with my brother and sister...and the memories of us together really made me miss my family. I am hoping now with the holidays over and the sentiments of love and family starting to fade from focus I'll be able to banish this sort of haze it has created.

Brazil 101
- Brazilian women like to control
-Brazilians have many superstitions.
-Kissing is part of social life for people of my generation.