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.