Likes and Dislikes

After being here for 289 days (or 9 months, 16 days), I feel like I can give you a fair list of my likes and dislikes of Brazil.

LIKES:
*Amazing scenery everywhere!

*Learning Portuguese.

*Churrasco - Brazil's version of a BBQ...see my explanation here (towards the end of the post).

*The beach!

*Summer 8-9 months out of the year.

*Learning to cook new things! Sometimes Brazilian, sometimes not!

*Sunday. It really is the day of rest here...EVERYTHING is closed. Perfect time for get-togethers with family and friends.

*Feriados- (holidays) I swear there's some random holiday at least once every 2 weeks and everyone gets the day off.

*Futebol- No not the American kind (although I'm still a fan, don't worry dad!)... I'm talking about soccer. I really do enjoy watching the games. AND hearing the fireworks shot off in the neighborhood for every goal scored. AND seeing the reactions of the die-hard fans over their team's win/loss.

*Learning to live simply and be happy with what little you do have...learning from the Brazilians :)

*Arroz e Feijão - rice and bean deliciousness.




DISLIKES:
*Potholes - They're everywhere and they are huge.

Sometimes this really does seem to be the only solution!

*Stray cats and dogs all over the place. - Many of them are injured or have infections/open wounds. It makes me really sad and also concerned for the diseases they could be spreading.... Where's Bob Barker when you need him?? "Have your pets spayed or neutered!"

*Cockroaches -  It doesn't matter how clean you keep your house... there's always one hiding somewhere and they're HUGE.

*Novelas - I just can't seem to get into these Brazilian soap operas that take up 95% of the airtime. They are way too dramatic for me. That, and the story lines are just plain ridiculous sometimes! Just take Morde e Assopra for example: Man's wife dies or goes missing (I can't remember). Man happens to be a brilliant scientist. Man creates a robotic replica of said wife. Wife wasn't dead in the first place, returns home and discovers robo-wife. There was also something about dinosaurs thrown in there, but I never watched it enough to figure out what was going on... Okay, so American soap operas aren't much better. I think I remember aliens at some point on Days of Our Lives, but at least soap operas at home only air while everyone's at school/work.

*Lack of security - Don't worry mom! I'm totally fine. Just in comparison to home, there's definitely not that same feeling of security. Everybody has to live behind high walls and barred windows with a pitbull or german shepard out front.

*Corruption - Brazilians pay ridiculously high taxes on EVERYTHING but unfortunately don't receive much in return from their government due to all the money embezzled by corrupt officials.

*High standards for appearance 24/7 - We Americans certainly do deserve the label "lazy" we have been given by the rest of the world. But hey! I can't help it if I like to go to the grocery store in sweatpants and a sweatshirt on Saturday mornings when it's really cold and I have nothing important to do that day. That type of apparel is only acceptable inside your own home, here in Brazil. Once you step outside the door, be expected to have perfectly flat-ironed hair, manicured nails, flawless makeup, and a well thought out outfit with a nice pair of heels! Even if it is just to go to the bakery on the corner...

That is just too much for me! Don't get me started on gym apparel... since when is it okay to exercise in a hooker-looking, leopard print, spandex suit !?!

This is for real! These ladies are on their way to/from the gym.
How do you exercise in THAT without exposing yourself?!

All in all, there are more "likes" than "dislikes" (I counted!) so it seems the positives are outweighing the negatives. Adjusting to life in another country is never easy, but is always very rewarding! I find it really interesting to see how other people live their lives and to see all of the cultural differences. Sometimes it is overwhelming, and can even be frustrating trying to adapt, but little by little it gets easier and the craving for American culture/way of life subsides.

First few days in Brazil!

I´m FINALLY writing my first official post from Brazil!--sorry for taking so long! The internet is kind of slow here and it´s so hot it´s pretty much impossible to do anything unless you´re sitting directly in front of the fan.

Everything went well with my flights. I flew from Minneapolis to Charlotte, Charlotte to Rio de Janeiro, and from Rio de Janeiro to Curitiba.  I met a girl from Brazil named Isadora on my flight from Charlotte to Rio--She had been living in California for the past year. Luckily, she was also flying to Curitiba so I had someone to help me through the airport and customs in Rio and on to my next flight. She asked the ticket agent to give us seats next to eachother too! We were both pretty anxious. She hadn´t seen her family in over a year and I was a little nervous to see Tiago as well since I hadn´t seen him since August! (my last trip to Brazil) We had a 5 hour layover in Rio so we spent most of the time chatting, sharing pictures, and watching NipTuck on my laptop(Thanks Jenna and Katelyn!).

 I arrived at the Afonso Pena International Airport in Curitiba at 6:10 pm local time, gathered all my luggage and made my way out the doors of the baggage claim. Unlike the MSP airport, visitors/family/friends cannot wait in the baggage claim. Instead they wait right outside the doors to the baggage claim. This is the third time I have flown in to this airport and every time I walk through those doors I feel like I'm walking the red carpet. The people waiting are in an anxious frenzy, snapping photos and letting out squeals of excitement at the sight of their loved ones coming through the doors. I always scan the crowd looking for Tiago-- and without fail, he is always there waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers. This time, red roses :) It takes about an hour to get to Tiago's house from the airport in Curitiba. Curitiba is at a much higher altitude and as we drove down the winding roads through the mountains to the coast of Brazil, I could feel the temperature rising. By the time we got to his house in Paranaguá, I was a sweaty mess!

Since my arrival, I have spent a lot of time with Tiago's family (Mom (Ceres), Sister (Gabi), Niece (Maria Eduarda, or "Duda") and friends. My family sent some gifts and they are always delighted to receive something from the US. Duda especially loved her "magic" expanding Dora the Explorer towel.

Duda saying "CHEESE" with her magic Dora towel.

Watching the magic towel grow!

I have also spent lots of time with the "boys" watching soccer or "futbol" as the call it on TV. Pretty much the entire population of Brazil can be considered soccer fanatics. I have never seen/heard such emotion while watching a game. They REALLY get in to it! 

At Heros Bar watching "futbol".

Manu (Manuela) and I at Heros Bar. (I'm still working on my tan...)

Just yesterday (Sunday Jan 30), we went to a futbol game at the new stadium here in Paranaguá. It was really cool! Paranaguá's team is called Rio Branco. We played against a team from a different town called Ponta Grossa. Our friend Elise is from Ponta Grossa but now lives in Paranaguá so we had fun trying to find her in the crowd on the other side of the stadium. 

Tiago and I watching the game!

Daniel, Manu and friends at the game. (The stadium looks empty but it
was actually pretty full on the main sides!)

Here's a video I took at the game-- Rio Branco missed a shot at a goal!

We ended up losing the game 2-1 but it was still a blast! I'm looking forward to going to another game...hopefully next time I'll have a brand new Rio Branco jersey to wear!


Finally... it wouldn't be a Brazilian summer without a "churrasco" or what we Americans would call a Barbeque. Every churrasco I have been to here in Brazil has three main components: Meat (and LOTS of it-- steak, chicken wings, pork skewers, and sometimes even chicken hearts), "maionese"- a delicious dish similar to potato salad, and Skol beer.

Getting ready for the Churrasco.

That's all for now! I think I've caught you all up on my first few days here in Brazil! I look forward to sharing new adventures with you all!

TCHAU!