only in brazil...

do i sweat while doing homework.
It makes me appreciate air condictioning SO much more.

as the end comes near...

With one week left in my first semester here in Brazil, it really has me thinking. Not only has this trip helped my portuguese so much, but has created an environment in which I have learned more about myself. Many times it can be easy to get into a routine with your friends, family, and coworkers in which you think you are doing things for yourself, but really are doing them because it is what other people want or what other people do. With basically nobody who speaks english in salvador (im not kidding guys...) it has been super easy to really think about who I am, and what I want to do. During our final reentry orientation today, one of my program directors told us to always remember to do what we want, do what makes US happy. Do not work or do things for other people. It will leave you miserable and wondering where you are when you are 35. You should be happy with your successful career and family. But your yearing for something else.
Personally this is something I have struggled with for all of my life. I wanted to see other people in my family happy, and in order to do that, I did what THEY wanted. NOT  what I wanted.

I shall leave yall with a song that I think is highly under-rated. Not necessarily for its musical quality, but I do think it is a good, but for the message it gives. Watch it several times. pay close attention to the words, the scenes, and actually digest them. It can be scary sometimes to step out of your safe zone. But I believe when you do, the results you find are much more rewarding.

"Firework" 
ACTUALLY, i am going to close out with this picture of me playing capoeira (brazilian style karate), since ive been doing a lot more ranting than Brazil telling lately. I am right by the beach in front of one of the famous lighthouses (not visable in this photo)

its raining, its pouring...everyone is snoring

So i might have mentioned it before, but i do not feel like looking back though all my posts to see. Plus this is something super true about brazil. When it rains, nobody goes ANYWHERE. It is basically an unplanned holiday. The only reason I left my house today was becasue I thought it was the last day of my class. Just my luck, I still have one more class thursday.

Dirty little secret.

My host mom just got back from a trip to Rio.

When I came in, she was fuming because her daughter had left all of the clean clothes out for 5 days hanging to dry. I decided not to tell her that a couple of days before I came home and half the clothes where on the ground drying becasue there was no more room on the line. I picked them up, washed them again, and folded the clothes that were dry on the line.

there are truly good people in this world...

Igreja do Bomfim (Church of the Good Ending)

Living in a place like Brazil where 9/10th of the guys whistle or hollar at you, or where rich people look down at you because your not rich and poor people hate you because you have money, it can be easy to loose faith in the pure goodness of a person. It is espically difficult for people to treat you as an equal as soon as they find out you are American- there are so many folks here that want to use you, because of the power of my citizenship (yes, I have been "proposed" to, a fake marriage so they can get the american citizenship, and money in exchange). That I felt it necessary to talk about two people. The first ones name is Thiago. That is all I know.

When my friend Jess was here in salvador visiting, we went to the most famous church here, the Church of Bomfim (literally, bomfim= good ending). After a 2 hour long bus ride (that took all of 45 min on the way back, gotta love Salvador traffic) as we were walking to the church, I stubbed my toe. Kinda bad. When I got a better change to look at it, all of the skin was gone. For those of you who know my, I brushed it off, and continued walking, blood gushing and in pain. I figured the sooner we saw the church the sooner I got home, and the quicker i could take care of my toe. Well as it turns out, I am NOT super-woman, and finally caved in to ask a man working at the church where the bathroom was. He told me there was not one (Yay hundreds of year old churchs!) but when I showed him my toe, he told me to wait.

 He ran and got me some water and alchool, and washed my foot off. He then told me and Jess that his shift was over and that if we could wait, he would go to the nearest drugstore to buy band-aids, medicine, ect. He refused to take our money, sawing we could pay him later. (note:this is very uncommon in brazil. generally if people go get you stuff, they want the money upfront. and you are always running the risk of them taking off with said money)
when he arrived, he told us it would be better if we went to his house, where he could wash off my foot and talk better care of it. I balked at that idea. I am no dum-dum. At this point he knew we were americans, AND more importantly, you dont go into strangers homes. He realized how this sounded, and explained as a functionary of the church, he lived in church property. He said he really only wanted to help, and could understand why we were hestitate to accept his help. He said we would only go in the first room, and he would leave both doors open.

When we walked in, he set up a mini doctors office, including gloves and sterile cloth. As he was cleaning my wound, he told us how he liked the outdoors, and therefore had taken several classes in first aid, triage, ect. We talked a little about how it was sad that Jess and I had to be so cautious about him helping us. After he bandaged me up, and told me what else I should buy and do to take care of my toe, he told us to come back whenever and visit him and his wife.

On top of that, the next day, a friend of mine on facebook commented on how beautiful I looked in a photo (note, beautiful not sexy). When I later was talking with him, I had to finally say that he wasn't gonna get anything, blah blah blah. And he said, no, he only wanted to be friends with me. He just thinks that people do not appericate beauty in life enough, and that when he think someone looks nice, he tells then.

So these two events have really made me feel better as a person in genearal, and have renewed my faith in mankind. so to speak. I know this was a very long post, but i felt it important to share. I also feel that one of the best ways to thank people like these two is to not thank them, but got out of your way to help another. It is like that movie, Pay it Forward, which is really the first time this idea came into my head.

So, as we get into the Christmas season, do me a favor. Pass it on. Pay it forward. Give a random act of kindness.

fail of a day

I was supposted to go to my friends craft sale. fail
I was supposted to go talk with the director of my program. fail.
I got second-hand sprayed by pepper spray. MAJOR FAIL
I was supposted to chill with Cristal tonight, instead shes not speaking to me know. FML

And now Ive got a bad tummy ache. Guys, I am so ready to go back to the states for a break.

end of semester-itis

Its here.
totally done with all of my papers, just two more easy presentations to go.
YES, i shall be hitting up the clubs this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)

New Week

Gente,
I am feeling awesome today. I woke up early, even before my 8:30 alarm. I have a brazilian breakfast- a small coffee, butter on toast and a banana- and then went on a run from basically campo grande to farol da barra, or for my american friends, I ran about an hour. I believe it is because I finally finished one of my projects for this week. It can seem so daunting when you have all of these projects, and although your working on them, until you complete something, you feel like your getting no where. So one presentation down, one more to go, 3 more papers to write and then I am DONE with this semester!!!! (I gave up on actually reading the Jorge Armado book, it is just to difficult for my level of Portuguese, because it is written in colloquial early 20th century portuguese. To give yall an example, it would be a book that is on the AP Lit test. I saw the movie, and read a 1/4 of the book, so I am gonna spark note it and go from there. I really wanted to read the book correctly, but I just have not had enough time. Meanwhile, its only THREE weeks until I leave. I can not believe it. although I am loving Brazil, I cannot wait to go home and take a break. However I know I will be itching to come back by the end of my break there. Wow. Sorry guys, didnt mean to make this so long. Hopefully today I will finish 3 of my papers (all 3 of which I have already started, yay!) and do some more research for my other presentation.
Remember, nothing is too daunting if you break it up into pieces and put your mind to it! lol, I sound like a self-help book. but its true!

This popped up on my google home page today, I thought it was very fitting. :)

http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/

Soo its the end of the semester...

And everythings adding up. Lots of papers and presentations. But its super weird not being able to go to the school library or sit in my dorm with other studnets who are all in the same boat........

I am thankful for...

In lieu of eating til I am sick with my family, I am going to write down who I am thankful for. I find this may be easier working from today back to one year ago. Don´t feel like you have to read it all. It might get boring.

I am thankful for being able to live and study here in Brazil. Not eveyone has this opportunity. I am thankful that my host family is so amazing, and I cannot wait to live another 6 months with them.

I am thankful for old friends, always, but for new friends I have made here, esp. Brazilian friends. And my new best friend, Cristal (who cant speak english...but ya know its the thought that counts.) então vou dizer que menina, tô com muito sorte porque você é minha melhora amiga.

I am thankful for the CIEE staff, who have become my new family and friends here- Flavia, Matteus, Jeferson, Luize and yes even that argentine kid, Rodrigue (i know, killed the spelling. what can i say, its spanish.)

I am thankful that even through my some of my worst experiences here (getting mugged....) I can always look left or right and remember just how much I have.

I am thankful for my loving grandparents, parents, brothers (yes ALL 4 of you) and other relatives. No matter what, I can always look to yall, and know I will have someone to go to.

I am thankful for my health, and that God giving I shall be this healthy to the end of my days.

I am thankful for all of my (old) friends from columbus. It has been dificult living so far apart, but not even time or distance can make us forget how lucky were are to have each other.

I am thankful for all of my tulane/NOLA friends. Yall have only made me grow to love this incredible city even more.

I am thankful for all of our military service men who cannot be their families today. I only know a little bit of that feeling, but trust me, yall are prayed for and loved beyond all you believe. Yall have my utmost respect.

I am thankful for my Roots of Music kids, whom have no idea how inspired they, allison, derrick, or any of the other volunteers have inspired me.

Let me not forget the importants. Dear Lord, I am beyond grateful to have a roof over my head, clothes to wear, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in EVERY day of my life.

Mom and Dad, i don´t think I can express enough just what yall mean to me. You are two of the best parents any kid could have every asked for. I love yall very much, and am SO thankful and grateful. I miss yall every day of my life, and no matter where I go or do, I always shall.

there you have it. kinda a tearjerker at some points, at least it was for me. I LOVE YALL!!!
te amo e feliz dia de agradecimentos.

so that akward moment

when you realize someone you had a crush on in high school 4 years ago is now fat.
even more akward, when you dont even recognize them today.

OH. awesome

So i forget to tell this the other day, but I found the most baller store where everything is R$5!!!! yall thats about 3 US dollars. Bought me some brazilian style pants and a cute dress. Gonna go hit it back up and buy my babies (read, the Bennett Boys, aka my next door neighbors) some clothes. Next up...hit up the store where everything is R$10!!!

Oh yeah, im wearing that dress right now. Its purple. with a jacket that has short sleves (perfect for brazil!) and my purple shoes. I would like to point out that my total outfit cost me $7 US dollars! I guess with xmas coming up, and all the black friday sales, I am getting really excited over saving money. :)

sooo its the last day of my class

Its the last day of my history of brasilian dance class, and would you believe its 730 (class starts at 7, yes 7AM!!!) and I am still the only student here. OH brazil.
on the bright side, I only have to go to 2 more classes from now on. :)

interesting day...

I went to Pelô. Meet up with my Cristal and Jully there and we did some shopping. On our way there though, I passed two elderly american women totally lost. Although Cristal HATES it when I talk to foreigners, I stopped, and I am sure glad I did. These 60-something old women did not talk any portuguese and were heading in the wrong direction and a not so nice area of town. It turns out they are from the Catskills in New York, which is just a hop skip and a jump from where my mother grew up. I am also very glad I sent them in the direction I did, because as the 3 of us headed for Baixa dos Sapateiros, I got to see a man convulsing and the die. REALLY glad I sent those ladies in the right direction.

Oh yeah, had my presentation this morning, it went really well. Now only 2 more presentations and 2 more tests to go.....

In Salvador

So I you ever want to cross the street here in Bahia, (where people drive craizer than Boston, no lie) I have found that there are basically three ways to acomplish this.

Be really old and fragile
Have big boobs
Or run for your life between cars

How lucky am I not to have to run. :) lol

But no seriousally, I have to run across the street, and have almost been hit by a bus once. Like it hit me, but barely on my hand. Oh Brazil

my first and last grade....

So i have a presentation tomorrow in my history of dance class about modern dance in São Paulo. I don.t know anything about modern dance in english, let alone in portuguese. GRRRRRRRRRRRR
I am really starting to get tired of having to learn in another language. Plus I still have to tell my host mom that her cell phone was robbed. Seriousally I could use a thanksgiving break right about now. Looks like imma have to keep trucking until xmas though...or at least until classes are over.
Não acredito meu sorte. Só quero ficar com você. Gente, tô com saudades dos Estados Unidos. Para meus amigos, minha família, e meus vizinhos. Meu português é mil vezes melhor, mas ainda é díficil de falar e comunicar. Preciso feriado AGORA!!!!

real life brazil

talking to one of my friends on facebook. around 5 am.
this is what he told me,
"just walked in on my host mom peeing in the kitchen. it was kinda weird"

me-haha, you mean the bathroom in the kitchen?
i mean, i would hope shes not peeing IN the kitchen........

"no it was in the kitchen"

me-wtf...like, on the floor?!

"i went to the bathroom and after went to get a cup of water. when i walked in she said dont turn on the light im peeing in here bc you were in the bathroom. i think it was in the kitchen sink or the sink next to the washer. i didint see just bolted for my room"

SERIOUSALLY REALLY!!!!!

today...

well today was the last day of portuguese. one class down, 3 more to go! It was kinda sad, just because it means that my time this semester is soon coming to an end.
HOWEVER i was quickly amused by the ONE ´"Occupy Salvador" protester in the streets. Amazing how quickly culture spreads when it comes from the US........I know people look up the the US a lot, but sometimes I wonder if it is a good idea or bad idea.
I also ate a mango that I picked myself yesterday! I love mangos SOOO much, and eat so many of them here.
love in random ramblings, e sempre fique com Deus!

It's official

I have now joined the group of Americans here who have gotten their cell phone stolen/robbed/pickpocketed. AWESOME. So I have to go buy a new phone and sim card. Which means my cell phone number will get changed. Which means anyone who has my old number will not be able to reach me. Which also means I have none of their numbers, cause my phone is gone. So basically if I dont see people on a daily basis, or am not friends with them on facebook, im SOL.

To TOP is off, I met my future husband earlier in the same day. Really. And now im never going to see him again. BEYOND sad.
its cool though, i mean, i know one girl that has had her phone stolen 5 times. So really, im lucky to have made it this far.

everybody but me...

so it kinda sucks being able to see everyone talking about going home for thanksgiving. this is the first thanksgiving in my entire life that I will not spend with my family, and im not gonna lie, it does make me miss them. however, there are some many awesome things here that I never would have experienced had I not studied abroad

PS- I miss air conditioning. right about now. it is close to 30° C and im burning up.

missing...

im really missing some things right now. like american chinese food. I made some stir-fried rice last night.
and real napkins. the ones they have in brazil are like waxed paper.
and halloween. it doesnt exist here.
and waffle house. spent the morning making hashbrowns. however brazilians have never heard of fry pans. lets just say they didnt turn out too well.

by the way. my camera is dead. I dropped it in the sand on the copacabana beach during the gay pride parade. I am REALLY missing that.
amor e paz meus queridos

PS, do I even need to bring up football season?! Trying not to think about it makes the pain go away....sometimes.

frustrado

some of the culture differences are really getting in the way of friendships here with brazilians. it can be so frustrating because I do not mean to do anything offensive. then again, i do a lot of offensive stuff in the US that I dont realize........
but anyways. i know it is one of those things that comes with time, but it is still hard to deal with. help a sista out and do something to make me smile. :)

so i have...

...these little red dots all over my body. well, actually ant bites. See it seems like brazilian ants cant just leave me along while im sleeping, they gotta mess with me. I blame the past three weeks of rain. normally these guys would bunk outside and not in my bed. :(

turning jap...er brazilian?

So (warning men, if girl stuff bothers you, stop reading) brazilians dont shave the top half of their legs. If they shave their legs at all. And I havent shaved the top half of my legs in a while. Its weird, I would NEVER go out in the US with even a little bit of hair on my legs. But I feel totally comfortable going out like that here. Maybe its cause its too freaking hot to not wear shorts here. anyways. i swear when I get a good bit of time ill talk about Rio and my last weekend on the fazenda (farm). beijos gente!

you know you want to listen....

#reallifebahia

went to go eat lunch today. opened up the chicken in my fridge. thought it was fully of shrivled little kids hands. only realized after a bit that it was chicken feet.

#truelife

you realize how bad your grammar is in your own language from learning the grammar in another.
Im pretty sure after brazil, i will speak portuguese more correctly than english.
:)

JUST FYI

for those of you wondering why im about to have a billion posts in like 2 days, its because I am attempting to catch up. soooo this is alll crap that happened the past couple of weeks. peace, love and procrastination.

only in brazil.....

so I was walking home one day from the historic center when I encountered these people.....
some sort of modern art? no idea. but it looks pretty coooool.

party!

So before I went to Rio, it was my friends sons birthday. It was really interesting to see how a normal activity like a birthday is different and similar to the US. Birthdays there are really a big deal, so matter what the age. They all have themes, lots of decorations, TONS of food, games, party favors and basically the entire neighborhood comes. I will be updating facebook soon with all of the photos that I have taken within the past couple of weeks, so keep looking for them. Illl prob also update this post.
I helped Cristal with the preperations for the party. We literally spent two weeks cleaning up the house and patio area outside getting ready. we spent two days buying party favors, food and decorations. after that we spend another two days making the food. And in true brazilian fashion, the actually part started 4 hours after it was supposted tooo...........
For about 50 people, they served a full brazilian meal called Carurú, had a HUGE cake, and TONS of sweets. Not gonna lie, im about to brag. I made ALL the sweets BY MYSELF!!!! over 500 little balls of sugar, chocolate, coconut and more. considering it was only the third time in my life making bridagerios, I would like to say it was a success. And I shall be making them for xmas dinner. :)

toooo long

so i got lazy for a while and then was in RIO! so i havent been able to post for a while. so imma gonna try and catch up now. kinda.

In case you didnt know, cause i didnt...

Im married. or according to my bank I am. but the real question is, to whom?

lazy days...

So with it raining all day yesterday, ive kinda been in that "i dont wanna leave my room" mood. So I went and bought myself a beer and chocolate yesterday and did some studying. And then today I decided to stay home, relax and I cleaned up my room cause it was killing me not only how dirty it was, but it was getting unorganized (sp?). I prob should take some fotos to show yall, but im really feeling lazy.

*update*

My shelves...

got my lazy butt up and took some pictures. I am also going for Carurú again tonight, so im gonna have to eventually get up...

My closet

My desk

Rule 9

Do not be suprised by anything. Like a man pulling an umbrella out of his croch.

So once again...

I seem to get sick and not post on here. To be fair, my internet wasnt working for several days either. que preguiça! However after drinking some AMAZING garlic tea (eck) I was feeling better and headed out for carurú. Basically like a Bahian Bar-b-que. There was chicken, rice, beans, okra, fried bread and more. It was DELICIOUS and I love spending time with brazilians. Not that I dont love spending time with my american friends here, but it is just an entirely different experience. I have also noticed that on days when I only speak Portuguese, by the end of the day I feel like I am speaking more fluently. More updates to follow, I am starting to write down thoughts in a notebook so I dont forget something important. Like almost getting run over by a bus. Or should I say not gettting run over...
love yall!
amor meus amigos e até!

Carurú com minhas amigas. (Ignore our bluging tummies from the food....haha)

SHOOOOOW

So first I would like to point out that I actually started writing this blog in portuguese, not even thinking. haha. So I went to this free show the past two nights, and it was SUPER awesome. I mean, first off, its free. But there was some REALLY good music. plus I met a couple of brazilians there who I hit it off really well with, and I feel im gonna get to be good friends with them. You know when you meet a group of people, and just feel like you known them all your life? Like just after knowing them for one day, I was calling them crazy and joking around. And that makes me super happy. Just because its so hard for americans to make friends in brazil. Well for me at least. The language difference is hard, because communication is the way people get along, learn about each other, and grow in friendship. :)

Rule 8

So not only do people run redlights all the time, but its actually LEGAL after 10pm at night.

:)

Made a new brazilian friend last night at the concert. #awesome #score #onedownamillionmoretogo

Un fine settimana incredibile...Um fim de semana incrível...One awesome weekend!

Sorry this is so long, but I had a lot to say about the weekend! :)

So this past weekend was jam packed with fun stuff.
 First on Friday I dropped a class that my professora had never showed up to (at least the 2 times I went). It was four hours on a friday morning, and I really like having 4 day weekends. Not gonna lie. Then that afternoon I went to the local beach here in Salvador, Porta da Barra. Got some sun, ran into the ex-boyfriend of my ex-host mother, (foi interessante...) and just relaxed. Then I went with Crystal, Nora, and Sharee to Doces Sonhos to get some cake. Since we were all still hungy, we went to McDs for the first time in Brasil. Everything tasted the same as McDonalds in the states. It was just 5 times more expensive.

Saturday I went to Praia do Flamango for the first time. It is this beach right outside of Salvador that is very peaceful and beautiful. def worth the R$5 and 3 hour round trip. We ended up meeting some Italians who were traveling/working here right now. Ended up talking to them for a while and I invited them to a bar that I was going to later that night. Went to Santeira for Luize's birthday. Again, another place vale a pena (worth the money). It was only R$5 cover, had a great live band and best of all the view of the bay was breathtaking. My Italians ended up showing up, and we all went to São Jorge (its a club bar resteraunte place that has awesome live samba every Saturday night. Best of all, the Italian guys were soo sweet and payed for me. Hopefully I see them next time they come back to Salvador!

Then Sunday I slept in until like 3, since I had been up until 4 am the night before. Johnny called me and asked if I wanted to go to the gay parade with him. I decided to check it out, and boy was I overwhelemed. Think mardi gras, but way more people, louder music, the streets were so crowed sometimes I couldnt move. It was interesting, because there were just as many straight people as gay people. Everyone just wanted to have a good time.  It was a lot of fun thought. That is the kinda stuff I like, to just get out and dance in the streets. However it took a lot of willpower of mine not to start a fight with half the people out there. Men in Brasil are a lot more forward with women, and I literally had every bodypart of mine touched or grabbed or slapped. The first couple of times I would elbow or slap back, until I saw some other girls do this, and a couple of guys starting beating her up. no joke. However it was a good experience for me, because Simonique told me that this was exactly the same as Carnival. So now I know what to expect. It was too dangerous to take a camera with me, so I went on the internet to find a picture to show yall...and this is exactly what it looked like. And yes, when I say dangerous, I mean pickpocketers. Three of my friends got robbed within a couple of hours. And I felt people putting their hands in my pockets looking for stuff. Good thing I got a lot of area in my chest for that kinda stuff. hahaha.

And I was in the middle of all this....

Just Dropped a Class....

The Professor hadnt shown up for a while and I missed two classes (excused folks!) that she might have been there. So down to a wonderful 4 classes and  4 day weekends again. :)

blah blah blah

Couldn´t sleep last night. Don´t know why. But I am pretty excited for the weekend. Going to see Kid Abelha with Catarina and her friends. Yay for making brazilian friends! oh and I also made friends with a girl in my Art History class. It seems to be difficult to break into their existing groups/connotations about foreigners. But once you do, its seems that all of a sudden, all of that one persons friends are suddenly yours now. Oh and my host family is friends with a bahian designer. They´re gonna take me to meet her at some point. nbd. hahaha Super excited, her clothes are awesome! Check it out here.
Kinda random rambling. I really want to stay up and watch my novela and then the saints game, but I literally didnt sleep at all last night, and I am exhusted....plus 4 hour class tomorrow morning....yucks.

4th of July...er i mean 7 de setembro....

So I was lovingly woken up by the Brasilian government at 8 this morning. I live on the street called 7 de setembro, which is the day of Brasilian independence. So of course that is where they have the parade and anyone associated with the government was in the parade. Or maybe just eveyone in Salvador, cause it was super long! Sure you got your army guys. But then they also had lifeguards, beekeepers, miners, ect. And of course anything else those people might use. Like BOATS! Oh, and huge pictures of Dilma's face. Im putting up pictures right now on facebook (I think if I have a lot of pictures to put up, imma start doign it on fb and attaching the link.  Which should be fine, since my profile is public. Oh, a unit of dogs and then calvary went by. Followed by a unit on bikes? It was quite interesting, and def way different than anything we do in the states on independence day.
PS, sorry the pictures arnt so good. I was too lazy to come down from my apt and take pictures at ground level....
Check out the pics here

Snowballs....in BRASIL???

So I have been meaning to post for a while about the church that I go to here. As most of you know I am "very" Catholic. (Cant remember at right now whos the one that always says that about me. lol) But I have actually been going to an Evangelical Church here that two of my Brazilian friends introduced me to. I really like it because one, its a Christian church. And theres not that many differences among Christians. Two, the congergation is all young, my age. It is great for making friends and getting to know other Brazilians with the same morals as me.
Services are AWESOME! We start out with praise time in the beginning, singing for like 2 hours. Then comes the service, which I still have some problems understanding....and then fellowship time afterwards.
Then on Monday nights I go to a Bible study group in English.
Heres the funny part. The name of the church translates to Snowball Church. Many people here also call it the "surfer" church because the church uses extreme sports (mainly surfing) to keep kids out of trouble and to help adults overcome other issues.
I took some pictures, so take a look. YES the altar is a surfboard. radical man. hahaha
Unfortunally, the church recently moved locations for the expanding congergation, and I didnt get pictures of the old place which was BEAUTIFUL. People are still working on the new church, and I am sure in time it will look just as awesome.
Sorry that was so much, guess I just had a lot to say today!

Paster with the surfboard altar

Church. Yes the music is rock.

Amor e Paz

Rule 7

Your english will get better. Not just your portuguese.
esteiras= dunnage= WHAT THE HECK IS DUNNAGE?
After a quick dictionary.com
dunnage= personal effects, such as small baggage

gatinhos!

So this is what I used to do im my free time at my old house....play with kitties!

They are two cute furballs, and I thought the way they drink water was too funny.
Sorry its sideways, I dont know how to change it! :/

NEW CASA!

So some things were not working out in my old house, so I decided to move.
I LOVE my new house and family. I have a mother and a 26 year old sister. Pictures to follow!

long time...jammin'

So i know I havnt written in forever.
i know, excuses excuses.
but I was sick, and then my internet broke. and then I got lazy.
So ill just talk about this past weekend. because there is no way i can remember everything/write it all down. plus that would be a lot of stuff to read. and nobody wants to read.thats boring.
então, didnt do too much this past weekend, but I did go to JAMNOMAM (read Jam no MAM, or in english, jazz at the museum of modern art) check it out here- JAM no MAM
and it was AWESOME. I really had been having saudades for NOLA with all of the talk about the new semester starting, and some fresh live jazz really made me feel a lot better. but the first couple of sets had more of a caribbean vibe, which was different and didnt make me miss NOLA more, but made me appreciate the culture that bahia has to offer. And then the last set was an entire orchestra! it played several numbers, and then had a "duel" with the jazz combo. Most def one of the most interesting musical experiences. and for all about $1.50 US. :) even better
ps, still not fully into classes and its offically the 4th week of school. One teacher just showed up for the first time today, and i have a class friday that the teacher has YET to show  up.....oh brazil....

Que Saudades...

So, Ive kinda hit that spot where im starting to actually miss things from the states. Not miss as in i wish i could go buy taco belll right now (although i DO miss me some taco bell) but as in the lifestyle there. Im not really in a routine yet, but everything isnt new either. Especially with eveyone talking about going back to Tulane now or very soon, it has actually occurred to me that I will not be there this year. I am starting to miss the people in the states. Its different than just being in NOLA--because I cannot pick up my cell phone and text or call people when i want. Things here are so expensive tooo. I do really miss how cheap they are back in the states. No kidding guys, they keep the sunblock behind the counter with the cigs. Because its THAT expensive. Or even just like going to the salon. Today me, Soraya, Bella and Rafa went to the salon to get Rafa´s hair cut. que cheio! It was sooo crowded. But that is normal here. The entire place was packed full of people, all talking very loud. When I go to get my haircut, honestly I enjoy the peace and serenity of my salon. And I mean yall have to remember, I love talking and being with people. But here sometimes it is just too much. Oh yeah. and that whole talking in Portuguese thing. I am getting really tired of that. Of not knowing words. Of being pegged as a foreigner as soon as I open my mouth. I am always having to be on the lookout for trouble because of this. For example, just yesterday night, 2 of the kids in our program got robbed on a fairly large street at 10:30pm. I am constantly having to look over my shoulder. And its tiring.


SO thats my rant about missing the states. I mean, theres a plus and a negative to living anywhere in the world. I know I just talked about a lot of bad/unpleasant things, but there really are a lot of positives as well. Obv or I wouldnt still be here.

To go along with this, I am going to post one of my favorite photos that always makes me have saudades. :)

Me and Daddy. And Catalina in the background. :)

fazendo biscoitos! (making cookies!)

So I decided to make some all american cookies the other day, since im starting to miss my home cooking. The first difficult task is finding all of the ingredients....in another language! I wish I had taken some pictures of that.....
However me and my new lover, Andre, proceded to make our cookies yesterday afternoon, after i THOUGHT i had all the materials I needed.
QUITE wrong.
After searching forever to find a receipe sem honey, brown sugar or corn starch (all normal things an american household would have, btw) Andre found a brazilian receipe for cookies. mistake number one.
As we made these "cookies" we were like, this is WAY to dry. So we added milk.
now gallery, please think what is cookies + milk?
cake.
sooo basically after almost burning down Andre's apartment trying to figure out how to work a gas oven, we ended up with these (delicious mind you) but cake cookies.
after we had to finally give up and battle my evil grandmother, cooking the cookies in my apartment.
hahaha
next task- make southern style biscuits! :)

amanha menina, amanha...

So TIM is the cell phone company I use here. And pretty much everyone uses pay as you go phones. So it would be the day that I run out of money/credits that the TIM system is not working. Except no one bothered to tell me that until after I went to 4 different stores to try and buy credits. I would like to point out that the first store I went to was the TIM store.
*sigh*

P.S. I am experimenting with colors and fonts....ill eventually get this blog thing down.

Rule 6

It is not strange to be asked to go with your mom and her boyfriend on their date. Or for everyone to share their ice-cream.

My tummy :(

Unfelizemente, my tummy has had some problems in brazil.
All the food differences and the stress have gotten to me.
BUTTT......
I saw this doctora the other day, and she gave me the most awesome meds ever.
Estou melhor!
:)

Rule 5

road signs, traffic lights and especially traffic lanes are all just suggestions in brazil

ilha dos frades (island of the friars)

so my friend ben and I went to ilha dos frades this monday and tuesday, and had an awesome time!
we slept on the beach, and walked like 7 miles around the island. :)
it is an ecological preserve, so the scenery was GEORGOUS.
just getting there was an adventure.
I shall post photos later.

Rule 4

Murphy's Rule applies in Brazil.
when your mother takes care of 3 kids, her mother, and stands on her feet all day at work, of COURSE she is gonna slice it open.

Rule 3

Always ask Brazilians for directions.

It is stupid to walk around for 2 hours when you could be literally less than 10 min from home the whole time. However, make sure you are specific with directions. This applies mainly to buses. Just because a bus passes NEAR or in a small part of the area where you want to go does not mean you want to take it. Especially when it makes you miss a futebol game because you got super lost in Salvador.

Rule 2

If you get lost, stay on a road with buses. That way if you end up in a creepy area, like a favala, you can quickly jump onto the next bus and get off when you get to a nicer area.

Carina's Rules of Brazil- Rule 1

Ladies, when you go out at night, always bring a small purse. Other wise people are going to think your a stripper

BOLO!

I just had the best fucking cake EVER!
chocolate and caramel and strawberries and whipped creme and vanilla cake.
seriousally EUA, get your act together with the cake stuff.
too bad I BROUGHT my camera and forgot to get a picture of the cake. :(

Pelo (this place that is kinda like the French Quarter)

So last night I went to see Gerenimo for the first time. And by last night I mean the 19th of July because I forgot to post this/didnt realized I had saved it as a draft.

It was pretty amazing. First off, dork out time. It was on the steps of the church from the movie Pagador de Promessos. Which any Tulanian who has taken Portuguese has seen. But it was great to just chill to good music, be with friends, and dance some. Afterwords, most all of us ended up going to a Samba Bar, where I def danced whole lot. Dork out time two- I danced in my first impromptu Roda da Samba. It was an amazing feeling. Sure I am not the best dancer in the whole, but I had a whole lot of fun. :)

P.S. - I now know where every ATM in the Pelo is. Issac and Daniel and I had an interesting time looking for one in the middle of the night. haha

theatre...teatro it is all the same

So I am finally closing out my summer semester. I took my final in Portuguese on Thursday, and only have one more class. Isnt it weird that I have classes after my final? I thought so. And then just my final paper for my culture class. I decided to write about the differences between the perception that tourists get from bahia as opposted to the reality.

 I really got to thinking about this after I went to the "Folklore Ballet" on Thursday night. Everything they were representing was skewed and sexualized. It actually got me super mad. My professor and I had a long conservation about this afterwords.

However I really enjoyed the play I went to Friday night. It was about racism in Brasil, but it was a takeoff on Caberet. However I was not expecting 4 guys to run out onstage nude and start swinging their dicks around...no joke. I am just glad I was sitting in the balcony. Not that nudity bothers me, but I just was not expecting it.

Off to finish my final paper.
beijo gente!

158...

The number of steps I have to climb up and down to get to class everyday...
and yes, it is one large outdoor staircase. and yes I counted every step today.

Tidbits

Here are some random thoughts of mine over the past few days....

apparentally nails are now controlled substances. or the things like nail polish remover, nail files, ect. these items are NOT over the counter at your local drugstore, but in back with the prescriptions.

i walk past monkeys to get to class. nbd.

so i thought my grandma was talking on the phone for hours everyday. actually, shes having hour long conservations with the piegons.

she also feeds these piegons. which is illegal in brazil. you are SUPPOSTED to kill them.

i danced with and then got drunk with one of my professors. well actually my whole class did. thought i was in new orleans for a bit. :)

the female cat at my house is in heat and keeps humping EVERYTHING.

i know brazilian jeito (mode, way of living) means being chill and all, but not telling me your leaving an hour earlier......not cool.

there are 5 food groups in brazil.....rice, beans, bread, meat, and fruit juice.

and an extra one for the CIEE kids.....
just because i live in georgia does NOT mean I have kids already.....seriousally guys, have you NO sense of humor? or awarness as to when i am drunk and speaking outta my booty.

peace folks-

Lost....in the market....with the police

So on my last day of school this past week (which is on thursdays) I def got lost. again. It gets kinda annoying, but at the same time is really neat because I am getting to know the city better. So I knew  this bus would take me to one side of UFBA, but then I still have to walk across campus. Being the lazy person I am, I decided to stay on the bus and I hoped that the bus would continue in the correct direction. WRONG. I eventually got off the bus becasue I saw a bunch of students get off, but to my dismay, we had arrived at UCSAL. So I walked around for about an hour, knowing the general direction I needed to go in order to get to UFBA. I actually freaked out at one point becasue I was in a sketch-ass neighborhood. Everything ended up working out, and I caught a bus headed towards Barra which got me to where I needed to go.
Later that afternoon, we got to go to this local market in cidade baxia. I took a lot of pictures, which I will try and figure out how to get up here soon! It was really neat, with everything from toys to fruits to raw meat....
Yesterday all of us student visa kids had to go turn our selves into the federal police for confirmation as to our home and get fingerprinted. nothing too exciting, but then that night CIEE went to a MPB (musica popular brasilera) concert at this swanky bar. It started out a shitshow, since most of the kids showed up drunk, so I peaced out for a hot minute to chill at the beach. I love the sound of the waves crashing onto the sand. Later Josh, Andre and I walked around and ended up at suco24, where we ate acai! I LOVE that stuff so much! The three of us got back in time for a couple of songs to dance to as well. :)
After the band played their last set, Daniel and I ended up chilling with Jeferson (my professor) his wife, Flavia, Matt, Monica and the Condomble dude (all CIEE people). It was really nice to just chill and talk with everyone over a couple of beers.
Im planing on taking it easy this weekend, maybe going to listen to some Jazz, and Imma hit up Catalina's church on sunday.

beijos meninos!

Tarefa and Samba

Ok. two for two days. not much of anything really exciting happend today, but i figured I need to get into a good habit of writing everything down.
So basically my days during the summer (or winter, cause its actually flip floped in the southern hemisphere) are wake up, class, lunch, class, and sleep.
So vauge, i know.
Basically, it gets light here at like 6 am. And even before that, people are getting up and moving around and making TONS of noise. Even Wall RC and NOLA were not this bad. And even though I dont have class til 9, it takes a good 20-25 mins to walk to UFBA (the college where I am taking classes). So no more rolling out of bed in my PJ's and going to class. YUCK. oh well. time to start dressing like an adult, ne? Portuguese class for 4 and a half hours. And yall know I am SO adhd. But I am starting to get frustrated. Im pretty sure I was put in a level to low fore me. I have been so bored that I am working ahead in the book on my own. And to top it off, for the first time, homegirl/professora assigned like 3 homeworks, when she hasnt pretty much ever assigned. I know, im whinning, but I needed someplace to whine to.
Then I walk my little self home. Well sometimes i take the bus during the day. but it is about $2 US EVERYtime you take the bus. Trust me, it adds up. And I still dont understand the busing system here. I got on the wrong bus to go home from UFBA. again. Ive pretty much stopped counting how many wrong busses I have taken. haha.
But my grandma here always has a nice big lunch ready for me. which is really nice.
I have usually about an hour/hour and a half to relax, take a shower, eat and change my books/clothes for my culture class at CEAO (basically kinda like the stone center at tulane, but this is for Afro-Orientais studies) today was an awesome class on brazilian dances, with a focus on the ones from bahia. we covered forro, afro-reggae, the quadrilla (square dance), and samba. It was super fun, and nice to get up and move around since I am sitting in class all day.
Then I came home and took a shower. See in brazil, pretty much people take a shower everytime them come in off the streets. It can be a full shower, or just a quick rise off to get the dirt off and cool down. AND they never take showers after they eat. It is an old wives tale that it will give your indigestion.
soo. on to that tarefa (homework)
beijos gente!

So I begin...late as usual

So ive never really blogged before. Yall know im horrible with technology. But someone (ms. vanilla with a little bit of cayenne peper) convinced me to do this. So here goes.

 I wish I had more time to write here tonight, but my first paper for my culture class is due tomorrow. And yes, I have been in class for a while, a little more than two weeks actually. I would love to get stuff done early, but I always end up procrastinating. Starting this up, starting my paper, and now continuing this said paper.

A dinner of rice, beans and meat calls me now.