Well, after six weeks living just beneath the equator I finally am getting a tan. This is hard work for me as my fair skin requires me to wear no less than SPF 55 without turning a nice deep shade of red, but alas I am succeeding. I continue to spend the majority of my days cooped up on the fourth floor of IBEU (the bi-national institute between the US and Brazil) learning Portuguese in the morning and in the afternoon discussing just what exactly is development and moreover how can development become sustainable? Many times our group discussion become repetitive and we are stumped by these questions. The world is a big, confusing place, but I won’t dwell on that now. But generally, the weekends are mine, and I prefer to take the long onibus ride to the beach, sit under a barraca, and gaze out over the ocean. Yes, I know, I am living a marvelous life.
Since my last post many things have happened in my life, other than me turning a nice bronzed shade…sorry I just can’t help myself with this fact. One, I was mugged. Now, no one get their panties in a twist, I am FINE. I was bit shaken up after the whole event, but now things are great again. I’m just a tad more paranoid and a little more jumpy when I walk on the street past 6pm and I don’t walk even a block alone anymore, but other than that my life is back to normal. I just think of the whole thing as something to add onto my list of life experiences.
Two weekends ago the group and I traipsed our way into the Interior of Brazil to visit an MST, Movimento Sem Terra, settlement. (A little insight into our four hour ride there and back: every time we go someplace we ride in an oversized van/almost bus, with the same bus crazy bus driver, and due to his love of American culture we watch MTV hip hop and R&B music videos from middle school and high school. It was fun reminiscing about this time in my life for the first few times of the music on repeat, but after this last trip I don’t need to hear any of this music for a very long time.) Continuing, MST is the Landless People’s Movement in Brazil that has been fighting for agrarian reform for the last 25 years. This was an incredibly learning opportunity for me because MST is considered the largest and most important social movement in Brazil. At this settlement we all had an eye opening experience as to what it truly means to be given nothing and have to fight for everything, absolutely everything.
The settlement we went to is called ‘Viente e Cinco do Maio’ (25th of May) and it is located in the interior of Brazil. The bus ride there was beautiful. At many points I felt as though I could be in any number of countries in Africa or Asia. There were sprawling low land hills, vegetation and trees everywhere, a few rock cliffs, small lakes with livestock and other animals watering, and a sky that continued forever. The sky reminded me of the sky from my childhood in the middle of summer in Montana: endless with big, puffy white clouds. Although, the closer we got to the settlement, the more desolate the landscape became: shriveled bushes, trees without leaves, and dry, dusty dirt everywhere. We were approaching the sertão. The sertão is a semi-arid region of Brazil, and there rain rules everything; it is the most sacred resource.
The leaders of the settlement had organized multiple forums to discuss their everyday life, the founding of the movement, how the companheiros (literally translated to companions) lobby the government to provide basic goods and services, and what it means to be a member of this movement. Agrarian reform is tricky subject anywhere, and here in Brazil it is a much more complicated issue that needs to be resolved. Mostly because the largest landholders (sometimes holding pieces of land the size of Holland and Belgium…) are also, guess what, the government representatives. Therefore, land redistribution is the last thing on the government’s ‘to do’ list; fancy that. The Brazilian Constitution has this great little article in it that essentially says (I will translate political talk here): all unused, unproductive land will be redistributed to people that need it, including the pieces of land the size of small, European countries.
Anyways, MST acquires territory by finding this unproductive land, camping out on it, and then entering into a very long, hard bureaucratic fight to gains rights to this land. This, of course, is a vey simple explanation of how this process works, and even I don’t completely understand all of it. However, once MST acquires land the struggle doesn’t end. The settlers have to continue navigating the bureaucratic loopholes for basic necessities: food (or an irrigation system so they can plant food in the sertão) education, loans to build house, and healthcare. The settlement we stayed in was the first one established in the state of Ceará 20 years ago. It was only this year, after 20 years of fighting mind you, that they received a school to educate their children. For the people that I talked to this school represents what they are most proud of. The settlers there aren’t asking for much, just human dignity; the ability to not only survive but to live a decent life.
On a lighter note, the settlement performed for our group one of the most famous Brazilian legends, Bumba Meu Boi. I read about this in my Portuguese class in the states and it was really cool to see this legend acted out. The story involves a bull, someone killing the bull, and the owner interrogating the town about this, beyond that I got lost in translation. It was a true Northeastern Brazilian experience. I will remember my time spent at MST probably for the rest of my life, as it was truly an enlightening experience that made me think about the world we are living in.
Last weekend was Easter, as I’m sure you guys remember, and here in Brazil Páscoa (Easter in Portuguese) is a very big deal. Pretty much the city of Fortaleza becomes a ghost town because the majority of families pack up their little Chevy Geo cars (the little hatchback, two-door car that most people have here) and head to the Interior. Before this little adventure I took last weekend with my family, I had a false understanding of what exactly the interior is. I was under the impression that the interior meant you know the interior of a country…no, because we went to the beach. All the interior refers to is an area that is not close to the capital city of the state. So essentially, the majority of Brazil is made up of the interior.
But moving on from the technicalities, I had a wonderful four-day break in the interior (let’s see how many times I can say that word in this post) with my family. My family owns a house there, and we spent our days lounging in hammocks, eating a lot of food, playing games (I taught them how to play Scrabble and gin rummy!), I read a great book (Middlesex, I highly recommend it), oh and I ate a lot. Eating is one of the main activities that everyone does here, and one of my daily struggles is to stop my mom or my sisters from refilling my plate with more food. The only phrase that stops my family from feeding me is when I say “Estou com Bucho Cheio.” This literally translates to ‘my gut is full’ and I think this is my favorite phrase now in Portuguese. I have been warned that this phrase is not at all elegant, and a beautiful girl such as myself should absolutely, under no circumstances, ever use this phrase in public. But, I do, because I think it’s funny and I love cracking myself up and don’t care what other people think about this.
Well, these are the new developments in my life as of late. I continue to look forward to the day when I can take a hot shower, eat something other than beans and rice, and eat any sort of thing that doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of sugar or salt in it. Other than these slight annoyances, I couldn’t be happier. Tchau and Beijos to all.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Last Few Weeks
Well, another week has passed here in Fortaleza, and I’m shocked at how quickly the time is going. I attribute time flying to always being busy at the moment. I am continually doing something or thinking about all the other things that I could/probably should be doing. My life at the moment is spent with interesting people, observing a fascinating city, and contemplating ideas that will change our future. My days are filled with classes to facilitate my learning and engage my thinking, a family to help me understand the world around me, and amazing people on my program to enjoy this adventure we’re all on together.
I knew coming into this program that SIT stressed experiential learning to understand the who, what, where, when, and why we, the group, are in Fortaleza, Brazil. I have been living this practice for the last two and half weeks, but it has been in the last ten days that this has been realized. The program schedule has been jam packed with tours, field trips, and lectures from some really cool and gifted individuals.
Last Saturday, an internationally recognized photographer, Jose Albano, led our group on a tour around the city of Fortaleza. Our tour began in the oldest cemetery in the city so we could see the origins of the city and legacies of colonial rule. We continued to a central market that was once a jail to observe the people and the marketplace—a central feature of life in Latin America. From the jail/market we ventured to the art and culture center, the Dragão do Mar. The architecture of this building is fascinating because it had to be constructed in such as way to preserve colonial houses in one of the oldest parts of the city. There were staircases and balconies oddly situated creating a sprawling building over an entire city block.
Our next stop was a boardwalk that our group had coincidentally ended up at the night before for a couple drinks. The view from Ponte de Merelles is incredible, the horizon is the sole obstruction of the view of Atlantic Ocean. We continued along the beach to a place called Mucuripe. Mucuripe was once the most the prominent fishing village on the beach in Fortaleza; however, due to the influx of tourism these village were removed and the people were forced to favelas or the periphery of the city. Across the street from Murcuripe is an extremely touristy destination, 50 Sabores (Flavors). This is an ice cream shop, and as the name implies there are 50 flavors to choose from. They include: Carmel Banana, Beer, Guava, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Avocado, Chocolate, and well, 42 more.
Our day continued to get more exciting when we arrived to our tour guide’s home. Zé, as he is referred to, lives in the outer part of the city in a poorer neighborhood, but he is in a secluded ‘hippie commune’ as he calls it. There are four houses on his property that friends and friends of friends live in periodically. Our group was tasked with making lunch, and we made a large green salad and many different kinds of juices. The salad was great because since arriving here I haven’t had the opportunity to eat many vegetables. (I guess that means I’m growing up since I crave green, leafy things…) Lunch, well ‘linner’ really since we didn’t eat until 4pm, was fantastic. Zé’s house was really great; there were hammocks, coffee table books full of picture of Northeast Brazil, his own photo albums, and Samba dance lessons.
At around 5pm we left for sand dunes close to Zé’s house to watch the sunset. These were no ordinary sand dunes; they were HUGE! We were able to run and jump off these dunes/cliffs and fall about 10-15 below. For close to two hours we were all five years old again. It was truly a thrilling experience to let go and jump without the fear of pain when you landed. Not to mention the sunset was incredible at this point overlooking the city. (Interesting quick fact, the longest and shortest day of the year here are only eight minutes apart. And, there’s no day light savings time here because it’s not needed. What did the world do before Einstein told us that time is relative…? Think about that for a minute.) We returned to Zé’s house and he shared with a photo lecture of Northeast Brazil. The diversity of the region is amazing from the landscape to the people to the food.
My days since then have been filled with Portuguese in the morning, which have included a variety of experiences. We learned vocab to bargain with vendors, and the next day we were sent to the huge Mercado Central to test out our new skills. I was wildly successfully! I bought a pair of sandals for 5 dollars off and a beach cover-up for 10 dollars off. We have also been sent out in the city to figure our way around by talking to people. It is slightly overwhelming to not know your way around someplace, but everyone is really helpful here and it’s a continual learning experience.
The traditional academic component of the program has been quazi traditional. We have had traditional lectures along with fieldtrips to the different organizations we will be working with this semester in the Social Synergy project. On Friday we went to the State Legislative Assembly to present the Social Synergy project to the representatives and the people (it was on TV!). The whole thing was really quite long and boring, I mean it is a bureaucracy…and a Brazilian bureaucracy at that. On that note, everything here takes forever to do. As a person that really like time and things to start on times, I’m having to let the idea of things starting on time go. Nothing starts on time or ends when it’s supposed. So the legislature meeting was supposed to start at 2 and end at 4. The reality was it started at 2:30 and went to 6. There was actually quite a funny moment when one of the Senators said, “Hmmm, of course all the Americans are here on time, actually early, and all the Brazilians are late.”
Alright, well I’m off to an organization that helps prep underprivileged kids in underfunded schools for the entrance exam into Brazilian universities. Beijos and love to all!
I knew coming into this program that SIT stressed experiential learning to understand the who, what, where, when, and why we, the group, are in Fortaleza, Brazil. I have been living this practice for the last two and half weeks, but it has been in the last ten days that this has been realized. The program schedule has been jam packed with tours, field trips, and lectures from some really cool and gifted individuals.
Last Saturday, an internationally recognized photographer, Jose Albano, led our group on a tour around the city of Fortaleza. Our tour began in the oldest cemetery in the city so we could see the origins of the city and legacies of colonial rule. We continued to a central market that was once a jail to observe the people and the marketplace—a central feature of life in Latin America. From the jail/market we ventured to the art and culture center, the Dragão do Mar. The architecture of this building is fascinating because it had to be constructed in such as way to preserve colonial houses in one of the oldest parts of the city. There were staircases and balconies oddly situated creating a sprawling building over an entire city block.
Our next stop was a boardwalk that our group had coincidentally ended up at the night before for a couple drinks. The view from Ponte de Merelles is incredible, the horizon is the sole obstruction of the view of Atlantic Ocean. We continued along the beach to a place called Mucuripe. Mucuripe was once the most the prominent fishing village on the beach in Fortaleza; however, due to the influx of tourism these village were removed and the people were forced to favelas or the periphery of the city. Across the street from Murcuripe is an extremely touristy destination, 50 Sabores (Flavors). This is an ice cream shop, and as the name implies there are 50 flavors to choose from. They include: Carmel Banana, Beer, Guava, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Avocado, Chocolate, and well, 42 more.
Our day continued to get more exciting when we arrived to our tour guide’s home. Zé, as he is referred to, lives in the outer part of the city in a poorer neighborhood, but he is in a secluded ‘hippie commune’ as he calls it. There are four houses on his property that friends and friends of friends live in periodically. Our group was tasked with making lunch, and we made a large green salad and many different kinds of juices. The salad was great because since arriving here I haven’t had the opportunity to eat many vegetables. (I guess that means I’m growing up since I crave green, leafy things…) Lunch, well ‘linner’ really since we didn’t eat until 4pm, was fantastic. Zé’s house was really great; there were hammocks, coffee table books full of picture of Northeast Brazil, his own photo albums, and Samba dance lessons.
At around 5pm we left for sand dunes close to Zé’s house to watch the sunset. These were no ordinary sand dunes; they were HUGE! We were able to run and jump off these dunes/cliffs and fall about 10-15 below. For close to two hours we were all five years old again. It was truly a thrilling experience to let go and jump without the fear of pain when you landed. Not to mention the sunset was incredible at this point overlooking the city. (Interesting quick fact, the longest and shortest day of the year here are only eight minutes apart. And, there’s no day light savings time here because it’s not needed. What did the world do before Einstein told us that time is relative…? Think about that for a minute.) We returned to Zé’s house and he shared with a photo lecture of Northeast Brazil. The diversity of the region is amazing from the landscape to the people to the food.
My days since then have been filled with Portuguese in the morning, which have included a variety of experiences. We learned vocab to bargain with vendors, and the next day we were sent to the huge Mercado Central to test out our new skills. I was wildly successfully! I bought a pair of sandals for 5 dollars off and a beach cover-up for 10 dollars off. We have also been sent out in the city to figure our way around by talking to people. It is slightly overwhelming to not know your way around someplace, but everyone is really helpful here and it’s a continual learning experience.
The traditional academic component of the program has been quazi traditional. We have had traditional lectures along with fieldtrips to the different organizations we will be working with this semester in the Social Synergy project. On Friday we went to the State Legislative Assembly to present the Social Synergy project to the representatives and the people (it was on TV!). The whole thing was really quite long and boring, I mean it is a bureaucracy…and a Brazilian bureaucracy at that. On that note, everything here takes forever to do. As a person that really like time and things to start on times, I’m having to let the idea of things starting on time go. Nothing starts on time or ends when it’s supposed. So the legislature meeting was supposed to start at 2 and end at 4. The reality was it started at 2:30 and went to 6. There was actually quite a funny moment when one of the Senators said, “Hmmm, of course all the Americans are here on time, actually early, and all the Brazilians are late.”
Alright, well I’m off to an organization that helps prep underprivileged kids in underfunded schools for the entrance exam into Brazilian universities. Beijos and love to all!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
I made it!
Well, I made it to Brazil! I've been here for 5 days and everything is different. To begin, it's VERY hot and humid here. I was anticipating this, but it still comes as a shock to step into 95 degrees with 90% humid after living through a Midwest winter. There's no hot water anywhere in this country. With this climate you don't really need/want hot water, but still at 7am it's hard to step into a freezing shower. On the shower note, people here take a lot of showers. There's a huge shower culture here. You take a shower after everything you do: take the bus, go to the store, go to school, etc. Also, you don't put toilet paper in the toilet. This sounds easier to do and remember than it really is. Putting TP in the toilet is just what we as Americans are used to doing.
For the first few days we lived in what the group called the "Compound." It was this hotel/convention center outside the cit with an open courtyard, rooms with two beds, an outdoor eating area, a meeting room where we did our orientation, and a lagoon on the outskirts. It was freakin' beautiful! There were palm trees, flowers everywhere, beautiful tile mosaics, oh and a lot of pictures of Jesus and then the word 'hello' in Hebrew above where we ate (kinda funny). The orientation was really fun, and the people in my group are super awesome and chill. During the orientation we talked about cultural differences (there are a lot!) and things about being safe around town. Families are very unida (united/close) and people like to eat a lot! Also, during the orientation we had a few cultural experiences. One was on MPB (musica popular brasileira) and a band came and sang us some brazilian song. It was really fun. One of the girls on the program is a music major in college and plays the sax, and she played with the band at one point. They made us sing and learn how to dance 'forro.' I am really bad at dancing forro. It involved coordination, and I don't have that.
The food here is really good. People it a lot of rice, beans, and meat. Oh, the fruit is amazing too! For breakfast I eat papya, apples, bananas, mango, cake (kinda weird), and bread. Mostly the country runs on carbs. Also, it is really hard to not accept food. The parents here take it personally if we don't eat what they make us. Our Brazilian mommies think we're all too skinny and I'm pretty sure they've talked and are in an alliance to fatten all of us up. For dinner we eat rice, beans, and meat. I don't know what else people eat because I haven't eaten anything else!
I haven't been to the beach yet (yes, I also think this is a sin!), but we're going on a tour of the city on Saturday and the beach is on the schedule. On Monday we had what is known as a 'drop off.' Essentially, our program assistant took us to the largest bus terminal in the city and sent us in groups of three to different social justice organizations throughout the city. My group and I were sent to the outskirts of Fortaleza to a very poor neighborhood. We had to take 2 buses to get there and it took about an hour and a half.
There we learned about this organization Banco Palma which is a micro financing institutions for that community. In Conjunto Palmeira (the community) they use their own money called palmas. Banco Palma has a store where local things are bought and sold, an area where they make clothes to sell, classrooms for teaching responsible financing and to increase awareness about women's and children's rights, and offices to coordinate networking with other micro lending institutions throughout the world. It was a really cool place to go and learn about. Our tour was at times difficult because it was only in Portuguese, and it's exhausting to think in a different language all the time. Also, part of the experience was eating where our organization was located. We ate at this little shack, a lachonete, and I was only slightly scared with what I was eating. During lunch we looked like true Americans, gringas, But, we were successful, we didn't get lost, and we made it back only 2 hours late.
Moving on, I moved in with my family on Sunday. I live with my mom and my sister and my nephew. My mom, Cira, is an older woman (around 65), my sister, Monica, is almost 40, and my nephew, Erasmo, is 15. Across the street lives my other sister and she is 40 and she has a 18 year old daughter, I have a brother who lives near by and he has a 4 year old daughter. I have 2 other sisters and they come over every Sunday for Church and lunch. The family is very close and we eat dinner together (well, the ones that live close to us) almost every nights. They are very nice and hospitable. A bit more religious and conservative than I'm used to, but that's expected with the culture. To go to school we take 2 buses to get to school and that takes about 40 minutes. The buses here are crazy! They're extremely crowded and drivers don't really stop if you're not all the way on. You enter the bus from the back and get on in the front, and to get to the front you have to really push.
I started Portuguese class yesterday and that is going great. There are five of us in the advanced class and our professor is really smart and funny. We have port class for 3 hours each day, and it goes by surprisingly fast.
We haven't started out social justice seminar because the whole semester is getting changed. The community has requested the SIT participate in a social synergy project. This is actually a very big deal. The legislature is under the impression that we are students from the best colleges in the US, and they want our help negotiating social justice and development issues. The idea of social synergy is that organizations of all kind, multi-national corporations, NGOs, small businesses, social justice orgs, the gvernment, etc., are getting together to try to create new policies that will actually benefit the local community. The idea is that the government has failed, which the legislature realizes, and the community needs to take a more involved approach in creating policy. We will be working in groups of four, 2 students from SIT with 2 professionals from different orgs, and we will discuss our issue and then write an article for the legislature. For me this is really exciting because I have the opportunity to make an actual difference in a community instead of just theorize about change. (!!!!)
Alright, I have to go immerse myself in the city! I love and miss everyone!
For the first few days we lived in what the group called the "Compound." It was this hotel/convention center outside the cit with an open courtyard, rooms with two beds, an outdoor eating area, a meeting room where we did our orientation, and a lagoon on the outskirts. It was freakin' beautiful! There were palm trees, flowers everywhere, beautiful tile mosaics, oh and a lot of pictures of Jesus and then the word 'hello' in Hebrew above where we ate (kinda funny). The orientation was really fun, and the people in my group are super awesome and chill. During the orientation we talked about cultural differences (there are a lot!) and things about being safe around town. Families are very unida (united/close) and people like to eat a lot! Also, during the orientation we had a few cultural experiences. One was on MPB (musica popular brasileira) and a band came and sang us some brazilian song. It was really fun. One of the girls on the program is a music major in college and plays the sax, and she played with the band at one point. They made us sing and learn how to dance 'forro.' I am really bad at dancing forro. It involved coordination, and I don't have that.
The food here is really good. People it a lot of rice, beans, and meat. Oh, the fruit is amazing too! For breakfast I eat papya, apples, bananas, mango, cake (kinda weird), and bread. Mostly the country runs on carbs. Also, it is really hard to not accept food. The parents here take it personally if we don't eat what they make us. Our Brazilian mommies think we're all too skinny and I'm pretty sure they've talked and are in an alliance to fatten all of us up. For dinner we eat rice, beans, and meat. I don't know what else people eat because I haven't eaten anything else!
I haven't been to the beach yet (yes, I also think this is a sin!), but we're going on a tour of the city on Saturday and the beach is on the schedule. On Monday we had what is known as a 'drop off.' Essentially, our program assistant took us to the largest bus terminal in the city and sent us in groups of three to different social justice organizations throughout the city. My group and I were sent to the outskirts of Fortaleza to a very poor neighborhood. We had to take 2 buses to get there and it took about an hour and a half.
There we learned about this organization Banco Palma which is a micro financing institutions for that community. In Conjunto Palmeira (the community) they use their own money called palmas. Banco Palma has a store where local things are bought and sold, an area where they make clothes to sell, classrooms for teaching responsible financing and to increase awareness about women's and children's rights, and offices to coordinate networking with other micro lending institutions throughout the world. It was a really cool place to go and learn about. Our tour was at times difficult because it was only in Portuguese, and it's exhausting to think in a different language all the time. Also, part of the experience was eating where our organization was located. We ate at this little shack, a lachonete, and I was only slightly scared with what I was eating. During lunch we looked like true Americans, gringas, But, we were successful, we didn't get lost, and we made it back only 2 hours late.
Moving on, I moved in with my family on Sunday. I live with my mom and my sister and my nephew. My mom, Cira, is an older woman (around 65), my sister, Monica, is almost 40, and my nephew, Erasmo, is 15. Across the street lives my other sister and she is 40 and she has a 18 year old daughter, I have a brother who lives near by and he has a 4 year old daughter. I have 2 other sisters and they come over every Sunday for Church and lunch. The family is very close and we eat dinner together (well, the ones that live close to us) almost every nights. They are very nice and hospitable. A bit more religious and conservative than I'm used to, but that's expected with the culture. To go to school we take 2 buses to get to school and that takes about 40 minutes. The buses here are crazy! They're extremely crowded and drivers don't really stop if you're not all the way on. You enter the bus from the back and get on in the front, and to get to the front you have to really push.
I started Portuguese class yesterday and that is going great. There are five of us in the advanced class and our professor is really smart and funny. We have port class for 3 hours each day, and it goes by surprisingly fast.
We haven't started out social justice seminar because the whole semester is getting changed. The community has requested the SIT participate in a social synergy project. This is actually a very big deal. The legislature is under the impression that we are students from the best colleges in the US, and they want our help negotiating social justice and development issues. The idea of social synergy is that organizations of all kind, multi-national corporations, NGOs, small businesses, social justice orgs, the gvernment, etc., are getting together to try to create new policies that will actually benefit the local community. The idea is that the government has failed, which the legislature realizes, and the community needs to take a more involved approach in creating policy. We will be working in groups of four, 2 students from SIT with 2 professionals from different orgs, and we will discuss our issue and then write an article for the legislature. For me this is really exciting because I have the opportunity to make an actual difference in a community instead of just theorize about change. (!!!!)
Alright, I have to go immerse myself in the city! I love and miss everyone!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Pre Departure
Ok, so I haven’t left the country yet, but I feel the need to christen my blog and make an official post. On February 24th I will be leaving good ol’ Amuuurica (pronounce it like GW Bush and chuckle like I do) for Fortaleza, Brazil. I will proceed to immerse myself in South America until I must depart in mid July after the fam and I conquer Machu Pichu (let's hope it's still there by July!).
Needless to say, I am psyched beyond belief to depart; boredom from living in DeKalb, IL only being one of the reasons for this. On that note, I hope (now really keep your fingers crossed for this wish) that I will never, like in my whole life never, have to live in DeKalb, IL again. I am working on week six, and I am restless to say the least. By saying that, I do not mean anyone disrespect, I just hope my life will lead me on path away from here.
My six weeks has been uneventful but enjoyable and very relaxing. One of the greatest things about living with your parents again is a fridge full of really good food (at least mine is…mostly)that I did not have to buy. I have a new appreciation for ‘stinky cheese,’ the kind that is literally growing mold in it, and I have mastered the art of two-letter words in Scrabble. Watch out if you play me; I’m a fierce competitor at the moment.
Luckily, one of my friend’s father has been kind enough to employ me at his construction company for the interim time I’m home: Need an excavator, hollow metal specialist, or architect and I can name you five! My weekends have found me judging Speech tournaments in the wee hours of the morning, and I’m brought straight back to high school. It’s actually really fun being the judge instead of the competitor. And, I think the most important part about being home is the quality time I’ve spent with my little family-unit as I like to call them. Watching my brother, Jack, end his senior year of high school and get ready to be a freshman next fall has made me really wish I was about to move into the dorms and start school. How college has flown is all I have to say!
Overall, I am ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime. I have thought about, planned, and studied for this trip, and boy am I ready for it to begin! My mind is on overload thinking about how drastically my life is about to change. Oh my God, I will be speaking Português everyday! I will be not just the pale girl like I am in the states, but I will be the WHITE girl. I will have to somehow find the strength to stay up past 1 o’clock in the morning(!!)—they don’t even eat dinner until then. Ok, that was a slight exaggeration, but if you know me you’re aware of how much I enjoy sleeping! Although, I think the afternoon siesta will be a fabulous addition to my daily routine.
As for right now, I just have to sit back and get through these next three weeks. The countdown has officially begun: 22 days until departure! Thank God I have a little trip to visit the bff in Iowa and then a jam packed week of fun in the Eug to help me pass the time! To the many adventures on the horizon…you will be mine soon!
Needless to say, I am psyched beyond belief to depart; boredom from living in DeKalb, IL only being one of the reasons for this. On that note, I hope (now really keep your fingers crossed for this wish) that I will never, like in my whole life never, have to live in DeKalb, IL again. I am working on week six, and I am restless to say the least. By saying that, I do not mean anyone disrespect, I just hope my life will lead me on path away from here.
My six weeks has been uneventful but enjoyable and very relaxing. One of the greatest things about living with your parents again is a fridge full of really good food (at least mine is…mostly)that I did not have to buy. I have a new appreciation for ‘stinky cheese,’ the kind that is literally growing mold in it, and I have mastered the art of two-letter words in Scrabble. Watch out if you play me; I’m a fierce competitor at the moment.
Luckily, one of my friend’s father has been kind enough to employ me at his construction company for the interim time I’m home: Need an excavator, hollow metal specialist, or architect and I can name you five! My weekends have found me judging Speech tournaments in the wee hours of the morning, and I’m brought straight back to high school. It’s actually really fun being the judge instead of the competitor. And, I think the most important part about being home is the quality time I’ve spent with my little family-unit as I like to call them. Watching my brother, Jack, end his senior year of high school and get ready to be a freshman next fall has made me really wish I was about to move into the dorms and start school. How college has flown is all I have to say!
Overall, I am ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime. I have thought about, planned, and studied for this trip, and boy am I ready for it to begin! My mind is on overload thinking about how drastically my life is about to change. Oh my God, I will be speaking Português everyday! I will be not just the pale girl like I am in the states, but I will be the WHITE girl. I will have to somehow find the strength to stay up past 1 o’clock in the morning(!!)—they don’t even eat dinner until then. Ok, that was a slight exaggeration, but if you know me you’re aware of how much I enjoy sleeping! Although, I think the afternoon siesta will be a fabulous addition to my daily routine.
As for right now, I just have to sit back and get through these next three weeks. The countdown has officially begun: 22 days until departure! Thank God I have a little trip to visit the bff in Iowa and then a jam packed week of fun in the Eug to help me pass the time! To the many adventures on the horizon…you will be mine soon!
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