New Developments

I've had a very busy few weeks since my last post, with lots of social engagements, lots of arrangements to be made for future plans, as well as other things happening with me. As for social engagements, there was a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band concert that I went to a few weeks ago, which was a great time. It was a 16 and up night at the club, which if I had brought the right documents, would have made getting nice and smooth. Unfortunately, the bouncer wanted an original passport. It took my friends and I a very long time to convince him that this was crazy, and that my 4 other forms of I.D. in my pocket should prove I am who I am. After this little disruption, we got in, and after a bit of techno in beforehand, the band came on. The musicians themselves were about as good as you expect a Brazilian Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band to be, but seeing as I grew up with the music, I had a great time. Most of the other social events were not quite as noteworthy, just the usual fare of going to people's houses, talking, eating dinner, as well as a second churasco the other day.

This was about the same time I started to notice there was something wrong with my knee. Since about my last blog post my knee has been swollen, along with some pain and difficulty extending it. All of the symptoms seem to line up with a tear to my meniscus, which my father had as well at one point, making it seem very likely. Whatever it is, I'm going to an orthopedist next week to find out. I doubt it's anything too serious.

Anyway, last night I also made my reservation for my trip to the Northeast, which is sure to be one of the most amazing months of my life. In a nutshell, it's a tour of the best equatorial beaches in Brazil: Bahia, Natal, etc., followed by a stay in Rio. I'm beyond excited for this opportunity, and so grateful that I'm able to go on it. It will last for a month, which should be a great way to break up my routines here.  The full itinerary, with places, things, activities, can be found here (in English). http://www.terrabrasil.com/inter_programa.php?lang=ZW4=&id=NA==

So, with my concerns about my knee, reservation and money taken care of, I don't have very much to worry about, as it should always be when living in Brazil.

The First Month

This first month has been, without a doubt, the most incredible of my life. Never have I been immersed in so many new customs, people, experiences, challenges, and opportunities. Meeting everything with a head held high and a sense of humor seems to be the most important thing, and despite all of the setbacks, I have never felt so confident in my life. Every phrase successfully said and understood in Portuguese, every event I get invited to; they're all provide the rush of pride and assurance that only I only received once in a while before.

As for events in the last few weeks, we had the churrasco for my classroom at INEI COC, which was a lot of fun. 12 hours of good people and good food, and I wasn't bored for a minute. Unfortunately, I think I injured my knee there. Nothing too bad, just a little bit of swelling, and with a bit of rest, ice, and absurdly expensive Brazilian ibuprofen, it should be fine. Anyways, this week was the Brazilian Independence Day, which gave us another Wednesday off (Wednesday holidays are probably the greatest invention since the wheel).  This gave me a much needed opportunity to get some sleep, as well as go to the movies for the first time here. I saw Planet of the Apes, in English with Portuguese subtitles. I arrived before the rest of the people, and the lines were very long, so I decided to get  into line and buy them myself. This ended up being quite a mistake. Now, in Brazilian movie theaters there are two different ticket prices: Inteira and Meia. Inteira means you don't have to show your I.D., yet you pay double the price, and the opposite for meia. Like the unsavvy gringo I am right now, I went ahead and bought inteira's and spent way too much money. After this, I went to a churrascaria, which can only be described as a "meat house". A very generous paid for my dinner, so I got to enjoy everything from garlic-cooked steak and huge sausages to fried bananas. Also, things are coming to together for my trip to the Northeast and Rio, which I'll certainly elaborate more on when the time comes.

If a month feels like this, my time will go here much faster than planned.