So it's Brasil: Day 2/107. I finally have some time alone to sit and collect my thoughts.
I think every trip I take abroad slightly resembles Kubler-Ross' Stages of Grief:
(1) Sad/ depressed/ angry/ guilty/ anxious.
(2) Becomes familiar with environment.
(3) Settles into routine.
(4) Slowly falls in love with environment.
(5) Sad/depressed/ bittersweet farewell on airplane before takeoff.
I'm currently in Stage 1. I've been house-hopping with people affiliated with the program I'm doing my practicum with. The people are fantastic, thoughtful, kind. I'm just exhausted and tired from the language barrier. There's only so much Portuguese I can take in and how much I can understand.
Many people think of Brasil as Rio - sand, beaches, sun. Well.... I knew that being in São Paulo, it was going to be very different. It's the rainy season here and it's a freaking concrete jungle. It makes me sad that I'm isolated. I can't really even really jog anywhere because of how narrow the streets are and how chaotic car and foot traffic is.
To be honest, I don't mind commuting to my practicum from elsewhere. I only spend 14 hours a week at the internship so I really want time to be able to write my thesis and still be physically active (i.e. I need to play volleyball... like... as soon as humanly possible). At the very least, I need to run around.
Each time I look at the time, I subtract four and figure out the time in Austin/ Houston and what I/ my friends would normally be doing. I try not to freak out over the fact that I still have so many days left here. Sometimes I wonder why I make life so difficult (and expensive) by going abroad. I think after I get back to the US... this is it. No more going abroad unless it's for leisure or work.
I miss the comforts of my American sensibilities. Everything is just bigger in the US and I'm used to it. I mean, yes, it'd be cool to be in a fabulous tourist area but I think being where I am now is a much more accurate representation of Brazilian life
Brazilians are a very passionate people - very open with their emotions and greetings, which is okay with me because I'm pretty bubbly. They are also incredibly clean. TWO showers a day! Even the men are clean! Ladies, you'll love it. The bathrooms are clean as well. It's unreal. I'm impressed.
Laundry is a bit of an oddity, at least for me. Washers and dryers aren't common: people wash (or pay other people to wash) clothes and then hang the clothes on a clothesline.
The language barrier consists of three things: broken English, broken Portuguese, and elaborate hand gestures. Hahah. I'm hoping my Portuguese gets better... somehow.
Driving is another thing that stuck out to me: I thought Houston drivers were bad... It's not that Brazilians are bad drivers but the roads narrower, the cars are smaller, there aren't as many stop signs and there's a whole lot more of what can only be described as tailgating.
So the list of things stressing me out:
- My lack of physical activity (i.e. volleyball)
- Transportation
- Where to go to church
- How to do laundry
- Where to get a haircut (well... I only cut my hair once a month so this isn't a huge deal)
Link to pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201329116773311.1073741830.1334894788&type=1&l=7a58a507a7
More updates to come... hopefully I have something more exciting and cheerful to add next time!
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