The theme of this last couple weeks seems to have been the transition from the excitement and novelty of arriving to integration into the community and the things offered to exchange students. I've received opportunities for volunteering at a cancer hospital, a ecological social action project, music lessons, sports, and other new things. The cancer hospital is an opportunity I want to pursue, because volunteering at a hospital, and being able to tangibly help people, is something I've always wanted to do. Also, as my YEX coordinator said, it will allow me to see the "other countries" within Brazil outside of the wealthy, successful one I've been exposed to thus far. As for the music lessons (which at this point is mostly self teaching with the guidance of a very talented host father), they're a great use of the new found free time I have. Although I spent more time at home in the United States, I certainly had much less time free due to my workload.
As for sports, these aren't so much opportunities for clubs as they are opportunities through learning the rules and being able to play them when I want. First among these is peteca, which is much like Badminton, except with Native American origins and is played with only your hand and a feathered birdie. Also, today I learned how to play what is essentially cricket. The game was with a few friends of my host brother in the street at sunset, which was very picturesque and of course, a lot of fun. Also, I signed up for a inter-class handball tournament at INEI COC, so that'll be a lot of fun.
Outside of all these opportunities, my social and recreational life is still in full swing. Last week, there was a churrasco, this week there was rock climbing and a UFC fight viewing party, and this week there will be a holiday on Wednesday which will be sure to have something going on. I've been running more than I have since the winter, and with a track and within walking distance every day, it's very easy to stay in good shape and stay active.
I'll be able to say more about all these opportunities as they become realities, but until then, it's late here.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
First Week of School and Caldas Novas
Starting school was always the thing I was most nervous about my exchange. The first day of school is a nerve-wracking experience in your own culture, much less one you're a stranger to. I had feared that those things that are associated with a first day of school: the possibility of exclusion, the anxiety, and the difficulty would be amplified a hundred times when in another culture. The majority of this, however, was just my imagination. The first day was a frenzy of hello's, greetings, and introductions. The pressure of making friends was greatly relieved by the churrasco we had the weekend before, which got me off to a good start with at least 9 or 10 people. I made a point to introduce myself to all of my teachers, which I feel has given me a good start with them as well.
The standards for exchange students academically in the first weeks/months are clearly quite lenient. Although I write down as much as I can, if I just stayed awake it seems that my teachers would be satisfied. The only work I've been asked to do so far is a project on the United States/Litchfield, to be presented in a week or so. The subjects at INEI COC are very diverse: sociology, biology, philosophy, English, Spanish, mathematics, and physics, as well as a few others. The language barrier continues to plague me though. It's quite odd to be invited to everything, yet feel excluded at the same time. This is due to the fact my Portuguese is only really good enough to answer questions directly addressed to me, and understanding a conversation and chiming in on it is beyond my grasp at the moment. However, I seem to be learning new words at a good pace, but the most crucial thing is hearing how words I already know sound when spoken.
Socially, this week has been very busy. In the middle of the week, I and a few other friends went to the birthday party of a classmate at a Italian Restaurant. This was an instance where the differences in eating habits came into play. The party didn't start until 8:30, on a school night, so we didn't get back until well after 11. This was all very odd for me, and didn't make staying awake in school any easier. At the end of the week, we went to a friend's (Cariniana) house, after exercising at the sprawling and gorgeous Praia Clube, the description of which I will save for a shorter post. This was a good opportunity to talk to people in a bit quieter and more private setting than school (my classroom always seems to be very loud, quite different from the US). After this, we went to my friend Bola's house, where we stayed until pretty late, and then left for Goiatuba the next day.
Driving through the Brazilian countryside was a real wake-up call that I'm not at home anymore. The environment between Uberlandia and Goiatuba is reminiscent of an African savanna, with lush green tracts of land where the irrigation systems are. This trip offered a glimpse into the poverty that is still very real here. We passed small, isolated ranches without another house for dozens of miles, and a small town where there was nothing more than one story, and tin-roofed houses seemed to be the most prevalent form of home. This served as a reminder that I have the luck to live with the upper echelons of Brazilian society, and just how many people are not as fortunate.
Goiatuba is a town of about 30,000 people in Goias State, the one adjacent to mine. It is the incarnation of what my stereotypes of a small Latin American town would be, as garnered from movies and news images. Open stores selling fresh food and beer, orange, clay-like roofs, advertisements painted on white walls in Portuguese, the rattle of old cars, and a brilliant orange sun setting on the horizon. This image was gained while going through town to get food for our dinner at the godfather of my host brothers. There we ate a wide array of meats and cheeses, talked about the differences between our countries, and I showed many pictures of Litchfield. I think I can say I only realized my identity as a "small town american boy" until I had to explain how small and sheltered my city is when compared to a place like Uberlandia or how wealthy and privileged it is when compared to the countryside. Sentimentality aside, we all stayed in the house in Goiatuba and then traveled to the resorts of Caldas Novas the next day. Caldas Novas was great, between the cloudless Brazilian sky, the huge wave pool and rides, I had a great time. There was also another "we're not in Kansas anymore" moment when I saw two brilliant blue-and-yellow macaw's as well as green and red parakeets, all in their natural habitats. Caldas Novas gave me a great opportunity to relax after a long and busy week.
This first week and a half cannot be summed up with one word. It's been at once overwhelming, exhilarating, disheartening, and eye-opening.
-Carl
The standards for exchange students academically in the first weeks/months are clearly quite lenient. Although I write down as much as I can, if I just stayed awake it seems that my teachers would be satisfied. The only work I've been asked to do so far is a project on the United States/Litchfield, to be presented in a week or so. The subjects at INEI COC are very diverse: sociology, biology, philosophy, English, Spanish, mathematics, and physics, as well as a few others. The language barrier continues to plague me though. It's quite odd to be invited to everything, yet feel excluded at the same time. This is due to the fact my Portuguese is only really good enough to answer questions directly addressed to me, and understanding a conversation and chiming in on it is beyond my grasp at the moment. However, I seem to be learning new words at a good pace, but the most crucial thing is hearing how words I already know sound when spoken.
Socially, this week has been very busy. In the middle of the week, I and a few other friends went to the birthday party of a classmate at a Italian Restaurant. This was an instance where the differences in eating habits came into play. The party didn't start until 8:30, on a school night, so we didn't get back until well after 11. This was all very odd for me, and didn't make staying awake in school any easier. At the end of the week, we went to a friend's (Cariniana) house, after exercising at the sprawling and gorgeous Praia Clube, the description of which I will save for a shorter post. This was a good opportunity to talk to people in a bit quieter and more private setting than school (my classroom always seems to be very loud, quite different from the US). After this, we went to my friend Bola's house, where we stayed until pretty late, and then left for Goiatuba the next day.
Driving through the Brazilian countryside was a real wake-up call that I'm not at home anymore. The environment between Uberlandia and Goiatuba is reminiscent of an African savanna, with lush green tracts of land where the irrigation systems are. This trip offered a glimpse into the poverty that is still very real here. We passed small, isolated ranches without another house for dozens of miles, and a small town where there was nothing more than one story, and tin-roofed houses seemed to be the most prevalent form of home. This served as a reminder that I have the luck to live with the upper echelons of Brazilian society, and just how many people are not as fortunate.
Goiatuba is a town of about 30,000 people in Goias State, the one adjacent to mine. It is the incarnation of what my stereotypes of a small Latin American town would be, as garnered from movies and news images. Open stores selling fresh food and beer, orange, clay-like roofs, advertisements painted on white walls in Portuguese, the rattle of old cars, and a brilliant orange sun setting on the horizon. This image was gained while going through town to get food for our dinner at the godfather of my host brothers. There we ate a wide array of meats and cheeses, talked about the differences between our countries, and I showed many pictures of Litchfield. I think I can say I only realized my identity as a "small town american boy" until I had to explain how small and sheltered my city is when compared to a place like Uberlandia or how wealthy and privileged it is when compared to the countryside. Sentimentality aside, we all stayed in the house in Goiatuba and then traveled to the resorts of Caldas Novas the next day. Caldas Novas was great, between the cloudless Brazilian sky, the huge wave pool and rides, I had a great time. There was also another "we're not in Kansas anymore" moment when I saw two brilliant blue-and-yellow macaw's as well as green and red parakeets, all in their natural habitats. Caldas Novas gave me a great opportunity to relax after a long and busy week.
This first week and a half cannot be summed up with one word. It's been at once overwhelming, exhilarating, disheartening, and eye-opening.
-Carl
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Churrascos and New People
In the last two days, I've been fortunate enough to be invited to two churrascos, or Brazilian Barbecues, and meet a huge amount of new people. One was held at the home of my host family, in their beautiful pool area, and one at their church's community house. Both of these events gave me a great opportunity to dive right into Brazilian culture, from eating habits to greetings and other customs. For example, at a churrasco, food is served in small portions, yet relatively constantly, for a very long time. The churrasco at the De Pieri's lasted from noon until almost 1 a.m.!
The food is certainly different. I had chicken hearts, steak, sausage, and bacon-wrapped chicken for meat, mandioca (cassava) with garlic sauce, and all kinds of juices I had never heard of. I also had the chance to eat raw mango, and of course, more pao de quijo. There is definitely a certain novelty for everyone meeting an exchange student for the first time, as everyone was very interested to know all about me. Everything from my favorite music and movies to past relationships, they wanted to know just what makes the new American kid tick! At the church churrasco, I met several new people and won a bottle of wine at the raffle, which I promptly gave to the De Pieri's. Everyone seems very impressed with my Portuguese, even though I can barely understand the conversations going on around me. However, I think I might be beginning to get that "ear" for Portuguese.
And tomorrow I start school. Yikes.
The food is certainly different. I had chicken hearts, steak, sausage, and bacon-wrapped chicken for meat, mandioca (cassava) with garlic sauce, and all kinds of juices I had never heard of. I also had the chance to eat raw mango, and of course, more pao de quijo. There is definitely a certain novelty for everyone meeting an exchange student for the first time, as everyone was very interested to know all about me. Everything from my favorite music and movies to past relationships, they wanted to know just what makes the new American kid tick! At the church churrasco, I met several new people and won a bottle of wine at the raffle, which I promptly gave to the De Pieri's. Everyone seems very impressed with my Portuguese, even though I can barely understand the conversations going on around me. However, I think I might be beginning to get that "ear" for Portuguese.
And tomorrow I start school. Yikes.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Travel and Arrival
It was not easy to get to Brazil, that's for sure. Beginning with a lovely three hour car ride to JFK, followed by 2 hours of nervous, excited, and tense waiting at the terminal. Then, there was the plane ride. As I found out, you begin to squirm in even the most comfortable of seats after 10 hours. Also, it is remarkably difficult to sleep in a coach airline seat, resulting in a resounding 3 hours of sleep and traveling to Uberlandia purely on espresso and guarana soda.
Arriving in Sao Paulo gave me my first taste of Brazilian culture. First of all, Sao Paulo is absolutely massive. Simply urban sprawl for as far as the eye can see. After checking my bags, I exchanged my dollars for reais and was on my way. I had an espresso and a pao de quijo as a first meal in Brazil. It's very hard to find a "cup of coffee". All I've seen are small, strong, drinks or cappuccino, latte-type drinks. I also had my first conversation in Portuguese while sitting at the gate to Uberlandia during my layover, which was quite interesting. The flight to Uberlandia was quite uneventful, with the exception of getting a glimpse of the Brazilian landscape during daylight. My arrival was far from uneventful though.
After casually waiting around for my baggage at the quite small Uberlandia Airport, I received a very warm greeting from my first two host families, as well as my Rotary Counselor and Coordinator. After handshakes and beijos, my host family graciously took my bags to the car and explained all the sights and introduced me to the city. After arriving to the beautiful home of the De Pieri's, we had a delicous lunch of pastries, pao de quijo, and guarana soda. About 9 out of every 10 sentences said in Portuguese went right over my head, although I was able to piece some together. It was quite frustrating to recognize several words in a sentence, yet have the meaning slip from my grasp, or not come until too late to give a response. However, if all goes well, this will improve with time. We went out shopping, where I saw several fruits and juices I have never seen or heard of before, and Mrs. De Pieri is inviting people over for a churrasco, or Brazilian barbecue tomorrow afternoon. After a walk around the neighborhood, I returned to the house and wrote this, and given that I've traveled in the neighborhood of 4700 miles in the last 26 hours, and have only had 3 hours of sleep, I will definitely be going to sleep early for once.
Arriving in Sao Paulo gave me my first taste of Brazilian culture. First of all, Sao Paulo is absolutely massive. Simply urban sprawl for as far as the eye can see. After checking my bags, I exchanged my dollars for reais and was on my way. I had an espresso and a pao de quijo as a first meal in Brazil. It's very hard to find a "cup of coffee". All I've seen are small, strong, drinks or cappuccino, latte-type drinks. I also had my first conversation in Portuguese while sitting at the gate to Uberlandia during my layover, which was quite interesting. The flight to Uberlandia was quite uneventful, with the exception of getting a glimpse of the Brazilian landscape during daylight. My arrival was far from uneventful though.
After casually waiting around for my baggage at the quite small Uberlandia Airport, I received a very warm greeting from my first two host families, as well as my Rotary Counselor and Coordinator. After handshakes and beijos, my host family graciously took my bags to the car and explained all the sights and introduced me to the city. After arriving to the beautiful home of the De Pieri's, we had a delicous lunch of pastries, pao de quijo, and guarana soda. About 9 out of every 10 sentences said in Portuguese went right over my head, although I was able to piece some together. It was quite frustrating to recognize several words in a sentence, yet have the meaning slip from my grasp, or not come until too late to give a response. However, if all goes well, this will improve with time. We went out shopping, where I saw several fruits and juices I have never seen or heard of before, and Mrs. De Pieri is inviting people over for a churrasco, or Brazilian barbecue tomorrow afternoon. After a walk around the neighborhood, I returned to the house and wrote this, and given that I've traveled in the neighborhood of 4700 miles in the last 26 hours, and have only had 3 hours of sleep, I will definitely be going to sleep early for once.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Anticipation
Within 24 hours, I will be on a TAM Airlines flight to São Paulo to begin my year in Brazil. My bags are packed, and almost everything is ready to leave. Goodbyes have been said, some heartbreaking, yet I go with the high hopes and expectations for an incredible year abroad. Now, all that is really left is to get up, go to the airport, and begin my time in Brazil.
The flight will be 10 hours, certainly longer than any one I've been on so far. So far, I have been to California, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, and North Carolina, yet I have never been out of the country, and this will be unlike anything I've ever experienced. Friends will be made, a language will be learned, pictures will have been taken, and a country will have been experienced, but this is the beginning.
The flight will be 10 hours, certainly longer than any one I've been on so far. So far, I have been to California, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, and North Carolina, yet I have never been out of the country, and this will be unlike anything I've ever experienced. Friends will be made, a language will be learned, pictures will have been taken, and a country will have been experienced, but this is the beginning.
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