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I have been in Brasil for 3 weeks now... almost 1 month and I cannot believe it. But good things have been happening.
On Wednesday Feb. 3, Ksenia and I got our nails done at a salon. For a pedicure, manicure, and tip it was about $10. No lie! And it was well done too. The main differences were that there were no vibrating/massaging chairs and there was not a lot of time spent on massaging legs or feet. But it was really awesome and a great time for me to practice my Portuguese with the nail technician. The only problem with getting our nails done was that we ended up being late for class because we didn't realize the time. However, in Brazil its very common to not be on time, so I like to think Ksenia and I were just embracing the culture. haha
On Thursday, Ksenia and I got Bikini waxes at a different salon and that was quite an experience. I will not go into details, but just know I will probably not do that again soon. Haha. After this Ksenia and I went to catch our bus to Florianopolis, aka Floripa by the locals. The bus was like an American charter bus. It had air conditioning and very comfy seats. The trip was only supposed to take around 4 hours, but it ended up taking 6 1/2. Apparently, Ksenia and I got a bus that was in transit, so it made multiple stops. It was not a straight shot to Floripa, Santa Cantarina. But we finally made it there and Dr. Deisenroth, my Work Measurement and Methods professor from last semester, and his wife Marilia were waiting for us. It was super hot in Floripa. I think like 35 C which is around 95 F. After the airport we went and got some dinner at a food court. I finally had Brazilian pizza. It was okay, but I ended up having much better pizza a couple days later at a different restaurant in Floripa. Anyhow, getting to Dr. D's house was nice. He has a beautiful house with a theme of palm trees and he has a pool. Ksenia and I shared a room, and Dr. D's niece Marcella was there, but when we got there we didn't see her because she was at the Beyonce concert.
On Friday, we had a nice breakfast outside and then we went to the beach. The beach was just a block or so away, which was very convenient. The water was the same as the OBX, but the sand was more firm which I liked and there were hardly any shells. The really awesome thing was that off to the side you could see green mountains in the background. It was beautiful. The bathing suits of course were different, but not all of them. Some men wore American standard bathing suits while some wore these boyshort bathing suits. They were not as bad as Speedos, but they looks like the boyshort underwear girls wear. Haha. Many of the women had showy bathing suits, as in you could definitely see some cheeks. But again here this is normal and common. The other interesting difference was that there were vendors on the beach. Mostly men, but some women would walk the beach carrying items to sell such as clothes, hats, sunglasses, hammocks, jewelry, shrimp, champagne, drinks, and cheese. It was quite interesting. Also, there were and are many Argentinians who go to the beaches in Floripa. Apparently, many Brazilians don't like this because the Argentinians act like the beaches are theirs and they can be very rude. Anyhow, the beach was very nice overall and the only downside was that I got burnt the first time there because I forgot to put sunblock on my feet and back.
After the beach we came back and had a very tasty lunch, napped, and relaxed. We spent time in the pool and slept in hammocks, which was really nice. In the evening, we went to Canasveiras which was another neighborhood on the island. We went there to a little bar/restaurant on the beach for Happy Hour with other English speaking friends of the Deisenroths. All the people were older, but there were all very nice. Many of them had lived in the states, and they would spend some months there and then live in Floripa for a handful of months. I met a couple that lives in Cary, NC and then a gentlemen who is from western NC. We had a good time socialising. Also, Ksenia, Marcella, and I played horseshoes on the beach, which was really fun. Then, we went walking along the beach, which I love to do.
On Saturday, the three girls went to the beach and got some more sun. The water felt really great. The beach was a little more crowded, but not too bad. After the beach we had an amazing lunch and relaxed for a while. Later in the evening we went shopping and out for dinner. We had chicken pizza for dinner which was amazing and then we had ice cream from an ice cream buffet. It was sooooo good. I had white choc ice cream, which I have never had before. Muito bom! Very good! It was so funny because Ksenia and I went to get our ice cream first, and Marcella held the table. Then, after she came back with her ice cream, she was like "oh my gosh". Apparently the boy who weighed the ice cream at the buffet had asked her if I was her sister and he wanted her to tell me that he thought I was really cute. Marcella was like "you are already breaking Brazilian's hearts." Haha. It was so funny. So shopping was pretty fun except the stores were really expensive. I guess because we were at the beach and it can be kinda touristy. Anyhow, overall it was really nice walking around and looking at shoppes. I did not really buy anything except shampoo and aloe vera. I got a free beach bag which was awesome because there was this promotion going on if you buy two Dove lotions you get a free beach bag. I was excited about this.
On Sunday we had a nice breakfast and lunch. Then, Ksenia and I were taken to the bus station. The bus was late, which was frustrating, but what can you do? Also, it took a whole to get home because we again had gotten an in transit bus, so it made multiple stops before getting to Curitiba. It was great to get back safely.
On Monday, Wed, and Thursday I had Portuguese class and not a whole lot else. I tried a new restaurant with Ksenia, which was pretty good. And I went grocery shopping. On Tuesday I had my international student orientation at PUC, which was really awesome and long. Roman and I had to miss class, but it was worth it of course. There are around 21/22 exchange students this semester at PUC and only a handful were there on Tues because some have not made it to the country yet. There were Mexicans, French, German, and then 3 Americans. It was so funny because one of the French students I had already met at a bar a week or so earlier. I did not know he went to PUC, but it was nice seeing a familiar face. The interesting highlights of the orientation were that we have to get at least a grade of 7 to avoid taking final exams in our classes and we can get one free exercise activity, either free pool access or free gym equipment access. I think I will do the free gym equipment one and then I want to find a Pilates class here to take.
On Thursday I was supposed to meet with the director of their ISE program to figure out my classes, but he just did not show up to our appointment. I was a little frustrated, but I need to get used to this. Therefore, my meetings with the directors have been rescheduled to this Friday. I am planning on taking 2 or 3 ISE courses, another Portuguese class, and a Brazilian culture/history course. Also, on Thursday I had my final Portuguese class with my final exam. I think it went really well. I will go in a couple weeks to see my final grade and hopefully get my certificate. After class, my friends from class and I went to our Xprex caffe. It was really awesome being with everyone. Ksenia was leaving that night, so we all wanted to celebrate. I will miss her very much, and I hope to still hang out with the other people even though our class is over with.
I got up really early Friday morning to catch my bus to Floripa. There was lots of traffic so it took me longer to get there, but at least I was not on an in transit bus. So, I got there safely and it was the first day of Carnaval, so we went out that night. We went to the historic area of Floripa to a friend's house of the Deisenroth's. It was so awesome because their house was in the action of where the festivities were going on. They closed off some of the streets and had booths set up and then they had a mini parade. There was lots of music and so many people dancing and singing in the crowd. It was so crazy and cool. I was also really excited because we played Tripoley for a little while before the parade started. This is a really awesome game that many people do not know about, but one of the friends of the Deisenroth's knew and had this game. Anyhow, once the festivities started we went outside and danced and people watched. It was awesome because later we got on the roof and danced and watched people. And there were this group of guys that saw Marcella, Marilia, and I and they were blowing kisses at us and telling us to come down with them. It was so funny. I think the best part of the night though was actually when we were leaving. We had to take the car through the mass of people and it was quite an experience. People would not really move and then people were talking at us through the window. There was a guy that was at Dr. D's window and he told him that he loved him. He was like "Te amo" and then he wrote Te amo on the back window with his finger. It was so funny. Everyone was having a really good time.
On Saturday, we had a normal day and then in the evening we took a bus to downtown Floripa for the Carnaval experience. It was absolutely incredible. I have never experienced anything like this before with all the floats, music, colors, and people. It was an experience of a lifetime definitely. And I firmly believe we need to celebrate Carnaval in the states. We would be a much happier people if we did. lol But yeah it was so crazy/awesome. We got to the place around 7 or 8. The actual parade stuff didnt start until 9/10 and then there were 5 Samba schools and they each had 1 hr and 15 min to do their thing. Then, there was a 20 to 30 min break in between each school. Doing some simple math, you will see that this went very late late. I did not realize exactly how late until we got to the second bus stop and it was getting light outside. We ended up getting home at like 8am. Haha. I do not think I have ever stayed up that late before. It was so intense. We got home and had breakfast and went to bed. I slept until 4pm on Sunday. After I woke up the rest of the day was spent lounging. Marcella and I ended up watching some American tv. We watched Monk and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
On Monday, it was my birthday, but I did not tell anyone. lol. It was Marilia's birthday too and I did not want to make any big deal. They had already been so hospitable and taken such good care of me that I did not want to add something else on. So, we ended up going out to this very nice Italian restaurant for lunch. Then, we went to the store and got home and lounged around. Then, in the evening we were doing cake and ice cream. It was so funny because Marcella and Marilia were conversationally like "Oh, when is your birthday?" And of course I got this look on my face and I answered "Oh, its in Feb." And then they were like "Oh what day?" ANd I calmly responded "Oh, its today." They of course freaked out and were like OMG why didn't you tell us?! It was funny. So, Marilia and I ended up blowing out the candles of the cake together and it was very nice.
On Tuesday we had a low key morning and then went downtown to go to the bus station. We got there early and were hoping to go to the market or something, but everything was closed because it was still Carnaval. So, we just hung out at the bus station for a while and our bus came on time. So, that was good. So, Marcella and I said our good byes and headed to Curitiba. We were planning on facing a lot of traffic because people would be traveling to go back home and such at the end of Carnaval, but there was not any. We made it back in really good time. It was awesome.
Today, was very low key for me. I slept in really late and then piddle paddled around. I went to the grocery store/Wal-Martish store. I say this because they have everything like clothes, household items, etc. Besides food, I bought a Brazilian bathing suit! Haha. It is really not that bad though and it was super cheap. They have a sale going on because its the end of the season, so the bathing suit was $5. I was very excited about this.
Tomorrow I plan on doing lots more. I will probably go exploring with my friend Nick, who is another exchange student from NC. We may try to go to the bible study thing at the Calvary church, but we will see. Classes start Monday, so hopefully I will have some fun things to do this weekend. I want to go to the feria on Sunday and I need to get some school supplies. I am really excited about classes starting and meeting new people. I hope it will be great.
Yay for being up to date! Thanks so much for reading. Until next time...
Tchau tchau
- comments
Jodi Was well written and the pictures are nice.