Week 1.5

Today I didn't go to my Portuguese class because I wasn't feeling well this morning. I feel better now, so I am glad I didn't go and recovered instead. But since I haven't really done anything today (besides my Portuguese homework) I thought I should take this time to blog; also, I was about to go get food when it started storming again, so this is a good way to wait around for the rain to let up.

So the weather here is completely different than anything I've ever experienced. I knew it was going to be hot and humid, and I knew that the storms here would be different, but I really wasn't prepared for how different. Last night we had our first thunderstorm with rain and everything, and it was a sight to behold. I left my house around 8:30 pm, and walked a few steps. I noticed a few raindrops starting to fall. I then walked about 15 more seconds, when all of a sudden, the clouds let loose. The rain was falling in buckets. I ran under the cover of a nearby bar, thinking it would just be a temporary downpour. But it didn't stop for about half an hour. In addition to the water, there was almost constant thunder and lightning. It was quite an experience for me, since Monterey really doesn't have that kind of weather. I ended up going out anyway, since I had already been soaked, and in about 45 minutes it wasn't raining anymore and I dried off. However, later in the night the rain picked up again, and it's been raining on and off ever since. Seeing the rain like this makes it a lot easier for me to understand the landslides

south of here. Anyway, even though it's raining cats and dogs, its still really hot (I think about 82 ºF right now), so I'll probably just wear my shorts to walk to the grocery store now.

Also, I think I'm going to try and get a post up here every Sunday at the minimum, since Sundays are kind of the least busy day for me. Até logo!

Week 1

A waterfall na Floresta da Tijuca.

Walking down from visiting the waterfall

in the Floresta da Tijuca. The wall on

the left is solid concrete...but it didn't

stop those plants.

I have been here for a week (minus about 12 hours, but since I'll be sleeping for the next 9 or so I figure they don't matter too much). Some things are exactly how I expected them to be, but at the same time almost everything continues to surprise me. This city is nothing like any of the other big cities I've been in (i.e. San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston). The people here are so friendly, and loud, and have such energy, and they all seem to be connected to everyone else. In addition, even though there's a lot of vanity here, just like in any other city (maybe more, actually), at the same time there is a lot more tolerance of differences. For me, this is really clear at the beach, where you can see all the women wearing bikinis and all the men wearing sungas (that's what you call a speedo, here). Sure, a lot of these people are VERY attractive, but a lot of them aren't, at least not in a typical beach body sort of way. Also, the way people talk here is very different (besides it being in Portuguese). People use so many gesticulations and facial expressions here that, yeah, sometimes are used in the US, but I feel like here these gestures are omnipresent.

Bah. This is not the best blog post. I have so much more to say but I am SO tired and hot right now. Maybe tomorrow after class I will be able to blog some and get my thoughts out correctly.

O Primeiro

In retrospect, I would like to have started this blog months ago, when I began my road to Brazil. It has taken a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy and a fair amount of stress, and I wish I had been chronicling all that. But as they say, hindsight is 20-20, so I will start here and leave all that stuff behind me.

Not that all the bureaucracy is actually behind me...I actually still have to get my visa from the consulate in San Francisco on December 30th. Hopefully it'll be all ready and processed, because I'm slated to fly out on the 4th, and if I don't get my visa on time I don't know what will happen!

But assuming I get the visa, my next big hurdle is the packing problem. I know it's gonna be pretty hot when I get there, and it's never gonna get too cool, so I definitely won't need a lot of the clothes that I consider a staple in northern California. But I only have three or four pairs of shorts total! I don't want to buy new clothes, so I'm thinking about making some cutoffs. Kind of cheesy, kind of ghetto, and probably kind of gay. But I have so many jeans I don't really wear, so maybe I can make them look good as shorts.

An anxiety I am having right now (of the many) is where I'm going to live in Rio. I got my housing assignment recently, and I'll be living in a neighborhood called Laranjeiras (which means orange trees). From research online, it looks like it'll be a pretty nice place to live. The one thing about it giving me stress is the distance from the university. It's only five miles or so away, but on the bus that will take about an hour!! I'm thinking about getting a bike down there; not totally decided yet.

Anyway, I just wanted to get a post on here to get the wheels turning, but it'll probably be a couple weeks before I start posting for real. Keep checking back for updates!