S'mores and Churrasco

In the beginning of the year, my friends from school had a party for me at one of their houses.  I just now bought a cable that works with my smaller camera and was able to get     more pictures on my computer!

And so, I am writing now about s'mores.  While packing my bags to go on this amazing adventure, I thought it wise to fill half of my biggest suitcase with supplies for s'mores.  Marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate, and some beautiful North American graham crackers. 

 I brought some supplies to this party to share some of my unhealthy American food culture with them, and it was received very well.  Everyone that tried it liked it, or at least I think so, my Portuguese was lesser than it is now and I truly understood almost nothing.  But by the nodding heads and "mmm" -ing I assumed that they liked them!

I had a little difficulty making them because the "campfire" was a churrasco (barbecue) meant for cooking the meat this country is famous for.  Getting the height of the flames just right was kinda tricky especially since when I needed them to be taller I could only wave my hands around, gesturing and saying, "mais alta!"  They understood and we all ate gooey marshmallows with melty chocolate and crunchy graham crackers.  I have made them a couple more times with my host sister.  We just used the stove and it was much easier.

The party in general was a lot of fun, we danced, ate amazing food, and laughed.  They tried teaching me a card game that is very popular there and I managed with two other people advising me on what to do.  It is delightful now that I know my classmates better to look back on this memory and these photos.  They're truly good, fun people and making me feel welcome and at home here.

Rio Tiête

Today I woke early at 5 in the morning to go on yet another adventure.  My family decided to spend the day on a boat that navigated a little ways down a beautiful, large river called Tiête.  We all piled into the car with pillows in the back to sleep a little more and our swimsuits ready at hand.  I love driving places with my family, I’m not sure why.  The windows are always down and its hot as ever, but we’re all so close and together.  I’m not sure how far the drive actually was because I passed most of it sleeping with my head on my host sister’s lap.  I’m guessing that it was about two hours, maybe an hour and a half.  The drive was through small towns, each with the red dirt, palm trees, and colorful houses that creates a beautiful Brazilian feeling.  There weren’t many people on the streets cause it was hot early in the morning, but we stopped and asked just about everyone for directions.  They each had a slightly different opinion about how to get to our destination, but we managed.  

We got there around 9:30 and had some pineapple juice and watermelon juice as well as bread for breakfast before we boarded the boat.  We picked a table with an umbrella for shade, I had forgotten my sunscreen, something that will never happen again.  The boat ride was lovely, relaxing, fun, and included peach juice which just happens to be my favorite.  

Because we’re in Brazil there was, of course, dancing involved, another thing I love about this culture.  We danced to music from here which I am starting to learn and to music from the USA, sometimes mixed with a little samba beat.  My host sister is trying very hard to teach me how to samba, determined to succeed.  I had a break through yesterday, at a friend's pool party, but I still need more practice.  

We stopped at a beach before the end of the trip and ran into the cold, beautiful water.  It was a beautiful relief after the day of 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).  I love hot weather, don't get me wrong, but this was this first day of spring and I'm a little concerned about summer.  The river bed was soft, red dirt and felt amazing.  

 I want to take a second to talk about my first host family here.  It is an amazing, terrifying, beautiful thing, to go to another country without speaking the language, knowing anyone or understanding the culture. There was and still is so much that I was unsure of and so much that I didn't know how to handle.  But these people welcomed me into their family with open arms the moment I stepped off the plane, giving me stability and being good people that I can trust.  To make a long, wonderful story short, I love them.  They are so kind, welcoming, helpful, and understanding.  I feel completely at home and safe in their house with them and truly count them as my family.  They are all trying to give me the best experience here possible, making sure I try all of the new foods, helping me everyday with my Portuguese, and taking me to different cities and experiences.  They are making my exchange an amazing adventure.  They also are great at advocating for me, everything from helping me explain to people that I don't eat meat to making sure I get all of my materials for school to signing me up for any class I want to take.  They call me "Ksa-Maria" because it's more Brazilian than just "Ksa."  They are wonderful people, they know how to laugh and, my goodness, they know how to cook.  I feel overwhelmingly lucky to have them as my family here and know I will miss them terribly when I leave.  

Chovendo gatos e cachorros!

Today I experienced my first thunderstorm in Brazil.  I love thunderstorms. The thunder was loud in my classroom and the rain cooled down the temperature tremendously, making it much easier to be awake in class.  When I got home from school today I had an amazing lunch with my family consisting of my favorite and the usual: beans, rice, and eggplant.  They really know how to make their eggplant and the importance of beans and rice is completely understood here.  Then I snugged down under a blanket and took a little nap to the sound of rain on the roof.  When I woke up, my cousin, Taís, was here so we watched a movie and waited for my sister to return from school (we had plans to make brigadeiro- the chocolate truffle I fell in love with my first day here).  The rain stopped at about four so I decided it was an opportune moment for a run.  I asked my host dad if I could go and he stepped outside, looked at the sky, looked back at me and said, "It's going to rain again."  I assured him that I didn't mind, it was only a little rain and I was going to take a shower after anyway.  He said I could go if I wanted, but when it rains in Brazil, it rains.  Feeling pretty confident, I skipped out the door and walked the short walk to the park where many people in the city exercise.  The smell of the rain on the pavement was beautiful and the sky was grey, threatening rain.  There was an amazing amount of water running down the gutter on the side of the street and there were puddles around the track where I run, but this wasn't gonna stop me!  I started my run and after the first lap it started to sprinkle again, but it didn't bother me.  "Rain's no big deal," I thought smugly.  The there was a clap of thunder and boom, I was soaked.  The rain was so sudden that it took me by surprise.  It was difficult to see because it was dripping in my eyes and beating down on my head.  It was beautiful, but there was no way I could run in this.  I sprinted back to my house and only paused a moment outside, weighing the choice to admit to  my stubborn failure or stay outside and wait the appropriate amount of time for a run.  The rain made my decision for me and I returned inside to a friendly, "I told you that it rains in Brazil, Ksa-Maria!"  When I had dried off, my sister and my cousin taught me how to make brigadeiro (the key is leite condensado) and we enjoyed the storm safely inside.

Trote Brega

School today was a whirlwind.  We had a “trote” today which I understand to be a day when everyone dresses up according to the type of “trote.”  Today was “brega” which is like mismatched and crazy.  I had so much fun and everyone had fabulous clothing!  During our snack time everyone gathered in the common room and a woman ushered those that had dressed up outside.  I had no idea what was going on, but they were all excited and talking really fast.  Then they started shouting, “Americana, Americana!”  They pushed me to the front of the line and the woman announced into her microphone, “Americana!”  Then a friend of mine grabbed my arm and we paraded out to the gathering of people.  There were adults with professional cameras and video cameras recording me as I walked out in my mismatched sneakers, random assortment of clothing, and Brazilian flag bandana.  After they took our photo, other students were announced and paraded out in groups of three or four- like a fashion show.  It was incredibly exciting and fun, loud music dictating the pace.  Back in our classroom we turned on music and danced, taking more pictures.

I like school.

Professor do Português

Namaste, Luz e Harmonia

This post is for all my beautiful yogis!  I just got home from my first yoga class here in Brazil.  A friend from school knew about this studio because her mom works there. She introduced me to the studio and she and her brother attended the class with me.  There were five other people in the class as well, including the teacher.  The room was white and clean, and felt like yoga.  Upon entering the room I breathed a sigh of relief: this is something I know.  We began the class in a seated meditation, breathing and clearing our minds.  I could understand a fair amount of what the teacher was saying, but I'm sure that some things got lost in translation.  One thing that was repeated many times and I understood, was the idea of inhaling light and exhaling harmony.  I thought this was beautiful.  The class was an hour long and consisted of four to five combinations of poses, repeated several times.  I was familiar with most of the poses, but the order they practiced them was different.  There was a lot of downward facing dog and, to my delight, pose da criança (child's pose).  With each set, the teacher gave us an intention.  I had difficulty translating these in my head, but one that I think I got correct was, "We put all of our energy towards the divine journey."  My intention for each set was to translate the intention she had given us.  During last set we were in child's pose, but a variation where we had rolled forward onto our heads, our backs parallel to the ground.  Then I heard the teacher say something that sounded like "inversion", and I thought, "We're in child's pose, how can we do an inversion now?"  But before I knew it I was balanced on my head and hands, with my elbows supporting my knees and my feet in the air.  I felt pretty accomplished.  We then enjoyed a luxurious savasana and ended with many "namaste"s.    

I talked with the teacher after the class was over about the differences and similarities of this class and my mom's classes.  The teacher invited me to return next week and see what another class was like, because each class is different.  The biggest difference I found was the greater focus on breathing and lesser focus on alignment.  But despite small differences, I left the class feeling as uplifted and calm as I do after my mom's classes.

Muay Thai

Today I attended my second class of Muay Thai.  This time, I knew what to expect, but Monday?  I had no idea what I was getting into.  My host sister asked me if I wanted to try Muay Thai, a class that she attended on a regular basis.  I, of course, said yes, who could say no to a Muay Thai class in Brazil?  I expected to work on some jabs and kicks; nothing too hard, just basics.  So I said, "Alright, I'm gonna go for a run now, I'll be back by five!"  So off I went, busting my butt trying to get my two miles in.  I returned sweaty and red-faced, ready for a nice, easy class.  She had said that it was great for flexibility so I figured that'd be great after a run!  So naive.  So we arrived at the location, a fairly big building with one side almost completely open to the air.  There are a lot of shops or cafés aqui that are built with a garage-door-like opening that is only shut when the store is closed.  One of the results of this beautiful weather.  But anyway, this spacious room was decorated with posters of intimidating, muscular people wearing boxing gloves and showing off their ample biceps or abs.  The trainer is a tall Brazilian guy, who spoke great Portuguese of which I understood very little.  We had our class on a large square area, cornered off and lightly padded.  We stretched for a moment and then dove right into abdomen exercises, running, jumping jacks, more abdomen exercises, wall squats, push-ups, more abdomen exercises.  Soon I was regretting my brisk little jog earlier.  Then we got to the punching and kicking part.  Now, I'm a pretty peaceful person.  I don't really get that angry and violence isn't my style.  But let me tell you, being able to kick someone as hard as I can- that's some serious stress relief!  It was amazing.  Plus, I feel pretty cool wearing the gloves.  I walked out of that building and into the cool, winter night air feeling amazingly energized.  I awoke the next morning to an abdomen that screamed at me when I tried to sit up and hamstrings that ached every time I sat down.  But I was so satisfied.  I signed up to take classes two times a week and look forward to punching my instructor.

Uniform

Here is your hardworking, hardly-understanding-anything Objetivo estudante de intercâmbio!  In my school we have a uniform (displayed to the left) which is something I am not at all accustomed to!  Before I went to this school and actually experienced what it was like to wear a uniform I truly hated the idea.  I thought that it took away from individual expression and was a terrible idea.  But the reality is actually really amazing.  It makes everything easier!  I don't have to worry or even think about what I'm going to wear to school the next day.  I think I have appreciated this uniform especially because here I am the exchange student; I am always different.  And I don't really have a problem being different usually, I mean I died my hair three colors at the same time when I was 13 and I don't eat meat in carnivorous Allegany county- this isn't a new concept for me.  But it is kind of comforting to have this one thing that I don't have to think about.

Plus, they're pretty stylish.

I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M

When I was younger, before I could read or write, my parents used to spell words out aloud to each other if they didn't want me to understand.  "Do you think it's too late for a M-O-V-I-E?"  "We could get I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M!"  It was so frustrating, but it made me want to learn how to read and write.  And that is kind of how I feel here, with a different language being spoken all around me.  I yearn to understand what people are saying and chip in, "Yeah we totally should get I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M!"  I can't understand a majority of the mystery words that they're saying yet, but I know that I will.  Because I remember the day that I found out that my parents were spelling out Movie.  I got so excited that I screamed, "A MOVIE!!! YES YES YES!"  And I definitely have small victories like that everyday.  Today, for example, I learned the word sorvete.  Which, by the way, is ice cream.

A little taste of home!

I made Panquecas Americanas for my beautiful host family!   It was so fun and I think they enjoyed them just as much as I did.  I was slightly thrown off when I realized that they don't use the same tablespoon and teaspoon that I have always made this recipe with, but I eyeballed it and they turned out just as I remembered.  With freshly chopped morangos (strawberries) and an ample amount of maple syrup, they made an amazing meal.  

The Farm

Today I went with my host father to their farm, just outside of the city.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Fruit, vegetables, animals, Portuguese, and a warm sun.  I am slowly learning the names of all of the fresh fruit and vegetables.  Some of them I have never even heard of, while others I am used to eating every day at home, in New York.