Apartment Hunting

It's Day 4/107.

I've been staying in an apartment with THREE other guys. I think I'm being punished for not living in Jester my freshman year. ONE bathroom. But as the previous post said, the men here are CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.

But I'm just used to living along and having things be a certain way.

Apparently October - March is the rainy season, or something like that. January gets the most rain so good thing there are only a couple weeks left. The days here are sunny, hot, some clouds. And without a hitch, every evening around 6 - 10 at night, it rains. And not just a little sprinkle here and there like in Austin, but a full on downpour.

I ran at Parque Ibirapuera yesterday. It was enormous and one of the most famous parks in Latin America. There were multiple lakes and even museums IN the park. I got lost about four times trying to find my way out. It was nice to be outside in the fresh air* and jog around with music. It was great to collect my thoughts. I was incredibly depressed when I left the park though. The pangs of fear/ anxiety/ homesickness come and go in waves. It's usually rather poignant around the afternoon. Some days have been worse than others, but I think I'm slowly getting used to my surroundings. [*I doubt the air here is super fresh because of all the traffic and pollution. When I blow my nose, it's markedly darker than back in Pearland or Austin. Blech.]

The important thing is getting into a routine. I think the sooner you get into a routine, the sooner you get some normalcy, and ultimately, control. To cope with my homesickness, I stick in FRIENDS DVDs constantly just to have it playing in the background. I also am typically on gchat or FaceBook. And there's also FaceTime. I love still being part of my friends' and family's lives back home.

I think I should be on an episode of House Hunters International. A graduate student studying public health living in São Paulo? That sounds interesting enough. Anyway... I'm searching for housing with the help of the locals here. Thank goodness! Since I only go into my practicum for 14 hours a week, I thought I could live in a place where I could really explore the city and settle in. Hopefully I can find something in the Pinheiros area of São Paulo. My practicum is located in São Caetano which doesn't really offer much to do. So I'll keep my fingers crossed for something to open up!

Points of interest:
- Brazilians don't have a huge trash can in the kitchen... just tiny ones.
- The bathroom title is the same, even into the shower. I guess that's pretty convenient.
- I still am a little thrown off kissing women on the cheek when we greet. It's the US American mentality of distance and separation. I like my personal space and bubble.

Sources for Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201329116773311.1073741830.1334894788&type=1&l=7a58a507a7

http://instagram.com/hmqd