I'm going to keep it short this time, less talk about food more about activities, and hopefully I will be caught up... So here goes:
October 8 (Quinta):
It rained today during school, so when we had our second 20 minute break, I stood in the doorway of the school and watched the rain. We had a new (but old, from mãe's childhood) treat for lunch. It's called Mandiopã, mandioca chips, this batch was flavored like potato, that you put in hot oil and they puff up to make light chips. Rotary was good, the man that went to city hall with me (not my club president) talked about the qualities of a leader. I'm proud to say I understood mostly everything, especially the short video in English. :) The highlight of today was talking to Trent in Portuguese on MSN, which lead into talking to Maria in Portuguese in the car and at Rotary, and then mãe when I got home about brands. I think I am starting to get the hang of the language. :D
October 9 (Sexta):
I got to go to gym on the motobike today. :) João went to a friend's house to study and mãe and I ran some errands before rushing me back to the house so I could pack and shower. I went with mãe and Álvaro to a little celebration in the Aquarius shopping center parking lot, for Children's day. There was a trampoline and puppies to pet. I sat with the adults, my tio and some friends, and just talked with them. Then we went back to the house, after having some difficulties with the parking garage exit, mãe had opened the wrong one and disposed of the ticket and we couldn't get a new one unless there was a car at the stall and ours was promptly stuck behind the gate, and Maria was waiting for me. I was then off to Caraguatuba, again with João, João Vitor, Maria and Gabi. We had a short stop to eat some bbq sandwiches and arrived around 10:30. We had to pick of one of JV friends at the corner of the street and when we got to the apartment, we watched a little tv, unpacked and went to bed.
October 10 (Sabado):
I got up at around 9:30 like everyone else and after breakfast went for a walk along the same boardwalk in the rain. Well rain in Caragua is more like constant mist, but by the we got back to the apartment I was soaked. So I changed clothes and we went to the vacation house of Gabi and her parents in Ubatuba for bbq. My cousin and all of her friends were there too, Marie, Bruna and Iza. We had typical bbq, played many games of cards and watched a movie. Then everyone got ready to go out to downtown Caragua. The girls and Gabi's mom ate Al Badah, arabic food. I tried some stuff I have never seen before Kibe and some sort of mini pizza thing, with arabic crust and palmito (heart of the palm tree, typical Brasilian) with Limão Swisa (limeade milkshake thing) to drink. Then we walked in the mist to get Capricho (a magazine). JV and I watched "A touch of the Medusa" when we got back to the apartment while Guedes slept.. Then we all went to bed.
October 11 (Domingo):
I was woken up by the sun today! It was a beach day. :) There was a meeting for the apartments to decide on some important issues that João and Maria had to attend so JV and I watched another old movie, "Sunset Boulevard". When João and Maria got back we started our drive to Ubatuba. The scenery was similiar to Hawaii, big green mountain and towns that appear out of nowhere. The towns themselves were like Mexico, the paint peeling off the buildings and brightly colored. But the beach was totally Brasilian. There was a lot of sand before you got to the water, and it was all gently sloping. But it was packed from the road to the water. People sitting at tables, next to tables, next to tables, everyone walking, playing a paddle game (like ping pong without a table), kids playing in the waves and building sandcastles. João, Maria and I went for a walk to end of the beach and back, eating popsicles along the way. After a little while longer of just sun bathing, we were starving. So Maria and I weaved our way to the counter and ordered fried cação, fried lula (both the name of the president and octopus) and fried mandioca. It was so good! When we had finished it was starting to get dark and cold so we headed back. After a short nap and the end of the movie, Maria, JV and I went to downtown (a street back from the beach this time). JV had to get a book for school, but right next to it was a friend of mãe's brother's açaí shop! (the same guy that was a the children's day celebration with us) He came in and said hi and we all ate the most excellent açaí. Thanks to Brasilian hospitality, it was free. Then we headed back to meet the girls and we went out for ice cream and to walk on the beach (Guedes told me it was full of cat pee to which I replied "Legal" (cool) and kept running towards the waves). We then went back to the apartment and hung out by the pool (I talked with Iza, in portuguese!) until we got kicked out. Then we watched Chicago (the girls left around midnight) and went to bed.
October 12 (Segunda):
Today we had to drive back to SJC. :( We stopped at Churraskilo to eat before dropping Guedes off. Churraskilo was definately an experience. It was like a buffet, with a bunch of food I didn't recognize, and then you ordered meat, weighed your food, ordered a drink and ate. You pay on the way out. I stayed at Maria's house until my host fam got back from Tia Ma's sítio. When I got home, there was no power due to a crazy windstorm. So I just relaxed with my host family. They are awesome.
October 13 (Terça):
We ate lunch at Vó's today, with Fred and Pam. We rushed to get a box to a friend of Álvaro's parents who were going to give it to Mima. We then ate a quick dinner, picked up Álvaro and Marie and went to SESC. The kids got to play with other kids, while Marie and I watched. Then they moved the net to the middle of the gym and the good adults came out. They were the best I've played with so far. It was so much fun, and my side won just about every time. I recieved a new nickname: Loira (blonde).
October 14 (Quarta):
We got to school late this morning, Furukana was entering class when we got there. I walked to gym in the heat and by the time I got there I was dying. When Maria picked me up for tennis is was still sweltering. Tennis was good, though I was frustrated with myself for most of the class. Arriving home, I was immediately greeted by cousins from Pinda. We ate dinner with them (best part was the banana turnovers) and talked for a long time.
October 15 (Quinta):
During the middle of physics, spring came back with in form a huge rainstorm! I'm so smart to pack my raincoat everyday. I talked with my parents on Skype (like I do most Thursdays) and finished some things I had on my to do list. After a quick dinner, Maria and JV picked me up for Rotary. I didn't understand much of the program, it was about the speakers community service work, but it was still good. The club gave me money because the district still hasn't paid me for either month, and I will pay them back when I get money. I solified my weekend plans and went to bed just as pai was getting home.
October 16 (Sexta):
I don't know if my second alarm didn't go off or I just didn't hear it.. but I was woken up ten mintues before tio Indio picks me up. Maria picked me up to go to children's hospital at 2, and Terezinha, Ana Maria and I took a tour. We saw the maternity ward, Oncology center, Intensive care center and a small celebration for the saint of the hospital. I came back home in time for gym and walked part of the way with Janaina. We went to the mall to get ice cream and I came back and went to sleep because I was super tired.
October 17 (Sabado):
I woke up around 11, and we went to Vó's for lunch with most of my family. We sang happy birthday and 3 different kinds of dessert (carrot cake, para vir (to see only), and a kind of pineapple pudding thing), all were excellent. So was the fried banana. :) Then my friend Preto picked me up to go to the churras (bbq) of my seat partner, João. It was way out in the military base of my city, CTA. I had a blast there, meeting so many new people and dancing to loud sertanejo music. Then pai picked me up and I went home and got ready for the fantasy party held by my school. My final choice for a costume was Barbie, simple but feminine. Then my future host parents and host brother picked me up at around 10:30. We drove to the other side of the city to a kind of fazienda (farm) where the party was. As we were arriving, Tailia was confused and pulled over to the side of the road, then back out into the lane, colliding with another car! Way to make a first impression. But the festa was great! Way different from US, there were live bands from different classes in school (my future host brother's girlfriend was in one), inside there was a DJ and everyone was dressed up. I stayed there until around 3 am when Tailia picked me up and I went home and crashed.
October 18 (Domingo):
Thanks to daylight savings time, I now have no idea what time it is. We gained an hour, so I am five hours different from home. Today we went to Pindamonangaba to visit more family. I met Tia Fátima, Tio Pedro, and Primos: Joyce e marido Marcos; two children: João Marcos e Pedro, Daniel, Fábio, Gisele (pregnant) e marido Gustavo, Juliana e marido Guilherme, Augusto, Julio e Luiza; Daniel (Luiza's son). We had a great time eating bbq, singing and playing guitar and playing uno. I then decided I never want to leave Brasil. When we were returning from Pinda, our car broke down again and mãe and I walked home. I talked with my parents really late, because again, I have no idea what time it is and went to bed.
October 19 (Segunda):
Daylight savings had one more trick to play on me, regarding my alarm clock. My alarm was set for the right time, the time on my phone however was not. So again I had 10 minutes before tio Indio picked me up. School was normal, minus my math class because of a sick teacher, at least that's what I think. We had to walk to gym because the car was still in the shop but we took the umbrella (which was smart) because lo and behold it started raining again. So João and I walked home in the rain, huddling under the umbrella. I spent the rest of the night bringing back my sophomore year, playing Cooking Mama.
October 20 (Terça):
Everyone left the class of the day, Ricardo Gomes, so it was Viki, João and I in my group of friends. I wonder if he noticed that half the class was not there.. We ate at Vó's and we got to volleyball a little late, but I saw people that I had played with the last couple weeks. I am finally getting to know people! After we played on the jungle gym outside and I had a good time laughing with my host family.
October 21 (Quarta):
Perrenoud's second class was probably the funniest thing ever. He talked about the menstral system, which lead into sex ed. He made a girl in my class put a condom on the microphone he was using and proceeded to teach the rest of the class with it on there. Gym was good, I can tell I'm getting stronger and Tennis was great! I won the small competition between the 3 other people in my class. i got to dry dishes for the first time here. :) I went to bed at 9:30 because I was super tired.
October 22 (Quinta):
When I got to school it was pitch black and no less than 5 minutes after I got there a downpour started. Once it got a little lighter, you could see the rain pounding down. The lights even went out for a couple minutes in my first class. After lunch I played Rack (the Brasilian version of Rack-o, possibly the best game ever) with João and mãe. It made me miss my US parents a bit, but it definately was still fun. Rotary was a bit later tonight, so Maria picked me up a 8:15 (mãe had two clients). Rotary was good, there wasn't a speaker, more just of an open discussion. Dinner was pasta, rice and brocoli with mamão and some kind of peach cake for dessert. It got over really late though and I went to bed even later, around 11:30.
October 23 (Sexta):
School was normal. We ate lunch at Vó's because of a persistant fishy smell in our kitchen. I had gym, which was good. Nothing else really exciting happened today, except that pai came home from São Paulo for the first time this week! And I had to pack for my Rotary weekend, complete with talent show, Halloween celebration and country fair, but I'm sure you will hear all about it in my next blog, whenever that happens.
That's all for now (it's taken me two days to finish this!). Beijos gente! Tchau!
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