A praia e o oceano, uma supermercado, bonito laranja, e minha familia fala portugues!!!

Oi, meus amigos e minha familia!

I am home alone tonight, as Henrique is with his girlfriend and Lena and Jorge have just left for the birthday party of a friend. It feels strange to be typing in English, because I have been speaking Portuguese all night J I am learning quickly, though, and future/past tense is not as difficult as I once assumed it to be. Jorge, my host father, returned home tonight from Rio de Janeiro and he is as friendly as the rest of the family. We all had a wonderful discussion over dinner, and afterwards we all sat on the couch and talked about music, the United States, politics and Portuguese/English. I speak Portuguese to Jorge, and he speaks English to me. That way we can both practice a new language. It is the same with Lena; we speak the other’s first language.

Today, Lena and I went to the Supermercado, and it was strikingly similar to Sam’s club. Everything was in bulk, and relatively cheap. Lena goes shopping once a month so we had more than one shopping cart filled completely to the top, which was quite the sight. People in Brazil are very friendly, and it is common to have a conversation with a person you do not know J I love that about Brazil. If you sit down next to another individual, a conversation will arise and it is generally a very good one and not awkward in the least.

Before the Supermercado, Lena took me to the beach and it was absolutely breathtaking. I took incredible amounts of pictures today, so I’ll post those soon. Its only that they take FOREVER to load, which is never fun to wait for, ha. At the beach, there are vendors who walk around with boards and food on a big stick, selling their products. I wanted to buy a pair of earrings that were 3 Real, but I only had a 5 and the vendor did not have change. It was probably for the better, because I didn’t like them that much anyway. The ocean was at high tide today, when we were out, and it brought in a lot of seaweed. It felt funny and was sort of cool, but mostly gross, ha. After swimming and sunbathing (which was done with generous amounts of sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses) we came back to the apartment and washed off the sand in the shower at the bottom of the building, outside. Its public, and obviously we wore bathing suits. It is sort of a public bath so people don’t track sand into the building. Oh! Another thing! Brazilian bikinis leave little to the imagination, especially the bikinis for men....so...yeah. Generally, the biggest men are in the smallest bikinis. I’m talking 250 lbs squeezed into hot pink size extra small. There were a few hotties in skimpy clothing, but the whole male bikini concept isn’t attractive for me so their attire (or lack thereof) sort of ruined it for me. Lol. We also went to a hut looking place, just off the beach, and drank coconut juice straight from the coconut. It. Was. Delicious.

After the Supermercado, we went to pick up Azis (their Schnauzer..so cute) from the vet where he had been washed, and then went to the salon. In Brazil, everybody has a manicure and if you don’t its considered a statement of class, or something like that. It is what I’ve gathered on the concept, anyway. I got neon orange, because apparently all the girls my age get obnoxious bright colours, ha, and I want to fit in when I go to school on Monday. I was sitting, patiently waiting for Lena, when a woman came up to me and started speaking in Portuguese, which to me, sounded like she was speaking in tongues. I explained that my Portuguese was not yet good, and that I was learning, but could she please speak more slowly? She laughed and repeated herself, except I’m pretty sure she said it even faster. Lol I was convinced that if she were speaking in English it would still be too fast for me to understand. Pretty soon 5 or 6 women who worked at the salon were simultaneously shooting questions at me, and I just thought, where the heck is Lena when I need her, ha. One of them must have spoken broken English, because she kept asking me “Cough? Cough? Cough? Voce quer cough?” I’m sitting there thinking, I want cough? I want cough? Nao, porque eu querinda cough? Finally, she said “Black cough?” And the light bulb lit in my head enough for me to say “sim, sim! Obrigada!”. She meant “Coffee”, or “cafe”, if she had just said it in Portuguese :D Coffee is a cultural thing in Brazil. There are miniature cups of it EVERYWHERE, usually with warm milk and sugar. This was black coffee, though, and it was delicious. I’ll be addicted when I come back.

While my encounters at the salon may not be evidence of improving Portuguese, I promise it is getting MUCH better! I had two hours worth of conversation in Portuguese tonight with Lena and Jorge, and while some of it was about Portuguese, much of it wasn’t and Jorge estimated my fluency arrival at 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS!!! MUITO BOM!! He said that because I have been here two days, and I already know everything that I do, he thinks I will be able to understand and speak everything by mid April :D THAT IS FREAKING AWESOME! I HOPE HE IS RIGHT! School should help a lot, too. Speaking of, we went to the school today, which is nice and open, and big, called Collegio do Boa Viagem. I picked up my uniform, which is a white polo shirt with a logo on it and some funky designs on the shoulders. I will post pictures of that, too. Monday is my first day of school and I am so excited!!! I just want to meet people my age so I will have something to do on nights like these. I hope people will show me around and take me cool places. Jorge said that we will probably go to Olinda on Sunday, which would be FANTASTIC!!! It is known for its artists and painters, so he decided this after he learned about my interest in art.

I have to apply for a temporary stay licence, or something like that, but I don’t know the details yet because I don’t have the paperwork with me. I emailed rotary about it, though, and they should be getting back to me soon. God, the ocean is so beautiful. I tasted it today.

OOOOOHHHHH MMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYY GGGGGGOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDD THE TOILET WATER SPINS IN THE OPPOSTIE DIRECTION!!!

“Love in the Time of Cholera” is on the TV in English, so I am watching it with Portuguese subtitles and it is a nice break from the translations. The left hemisphere of my brain hurts. I need some creativity!!!

Tomorrow we are all going out for Lena’s brother’s birthday. I am super excited because it is at a restaurant with a DJ, and dancing, and well, we’ll see what it is like. I hope her family likes me :D

I suppose that is it for now. I listened to jazz today and told Jorge and Lena about Grandpa Bill and his jazz collection. Jorge said he liked New York because of the music, and the jazz, so that’s how that discussion started. I experienced saudade (a Portuguese word for an intense longing, or missing) for jazz, and jazz band, and my friends and my family today. If I stay busy enough, though, that goes away. Henrique is home now, and I guess he was out for dinner with Deborah (his girlfriend).

Eu tea mo, Brasil! Voce e muito bonito!

Suas,

Madeline

Observations of the first few days :)

I am sitting in my room typing this, and the maids are talking in the other room, laughing and singing. That is one big difference in Brazil than in America. People are always singing, and it seems they have no idea whether they are in tune with themselves or not. Somehow, through all the imperfect pitches, it still sounds beautiful. I think of it as a statement to their culture...they aren’t as strict as Americans. Brazilians are so full of life that they allow many things culturally. Above all, they allow love.
Upon meeting any individual, it is customary to kiss both cheeks. Immediately it makes you feel welcome to their country and, if applicable, their home. Yesterday Lena, Henrique and I went to the “Shopping” (a mall) and I was introduced to their old friends, one of which had a daughter who had gone on an exchange to Germany for a year. Her English was excellent, so naturally we hit it off and talked about Rotary and such. I also met Henrique’s girlfriend. She was nice, but we didn’t say much to one another. They took off, arm in arm, and Lena and I went to the food court for dinner.
I found a hair in my salad and was a little disgusted, but didn’t say anything. It isn’t like anything could have been done about it, anyway. Lena went to go get a sandwich and returned with her parents. Her mother was in a wheelchair, and was being pushed around by a maid of sorts. Her parents were incredibly kind and welcoming, and I got the impression that they were looking forward to meeting me. We spoke a little in Portuguese, and some in English. Upon parting, we all kissed cheeks and Lena and I drove back home (after getting ice cream at McDonalds). That’s another thing. There is freaking McDonalds here. I don’t know exactly how I feel about that.
Well Lena is back from the Gym, and she is going to shower before we go to the beach. Oh! Another random fact: Brazilians shower multiple times every day, but their showers are not very long (seven or eight minutes at most). This will be my first time going to the beach, so I am very excited :D I’ve only been staring at it this entire time out my window! Through three of my windows, there is the city and I can see skyscrapers and high rises. Through one, I can see the beach and the road. If you look at the picture of the beach on my first blog post, the building I live in is the tallest one. I am on the twelfth floor on the...northwest side, I think? My bedroom is on the northwest side, anyway.
When we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, I feel like I am at a restaurant. The cook comes and serves us, and we take whatever food we want from what was cooked. So far I have tried 3 or 4 new fruits that I had never even heard of. Papaya was today, which was delicious. You scoop out the seeds and put granola in their place, at least for breakfast. Desert is common. It is usually a fruit, a cake, coffee with warm milk and sugar, ice cream or some other treat. I’m slowly watching my entire body puff up a little :p Rotary warned me about that, but I think I’ll be running a lot once I get settled in. I prefer running at night when I am not beneath the scorching sun, but Lena told me it was not safe so I won’t do that. She said morning was better. I guess I’ll be getting up very early from now on! I think running along the beach will be great.
The trees here are very different, and they are beautiful. Also, the buildings are all very colourful, especially downtown. There are all these little shops on the side of the street, and while I’ve only driven past them, I can see that they don’t have a door or even a front wall at all. It seems that they are literally open all day long, and at night they pull out these gates and suddenly the town, I imagine, looks a little like a prison.
There is music that is strictly from Recife, and it is like a reggae/ska mixture. I love it, personally, but I’ve heard it’s not popular among the other states. Brazil also has its own country music..which I think a lot of people don’t like. I’m not a huge fan, but its tolerable. It is more like rock than country in the United States, but in Brazil they listen to American rock and don’t make any of their own. Henrique, for example, is a Metallica fanatic. Metallica, in my opinion, is another band that is tolerable and sometimes good to listen to, but definitely not what I prefer, ha.
Lena just came in and sprayed me with sunscreen (she’s so motherly) so I think it is time to go. Tchau, meu amigos! Meu Portugues e muito bom, mas um poco quebrada.
Beijos,
Maddie

Sao Paulo Airport

I’m sitting in the airport in Sao Paulo, and I’ve decided that I love Brazil already. Flying in was spectacular – I met a group of Mormon missionaries and hung out with them until I had to check my baggage for my connecting flight to Recife. This huge group of them, probably about 15 or so, are spending up to 4 weeks here for training and then are headed to a bunch of different areas in Brazil, just to spread the word. They were the nicest people..named “Sister ___” and, well, I forgot what the guys were called..but they were incredibly friendly and social. They told me that at age 19, its relatively customary for anyone in the Mormon church to go on a 2 year mission. A TWO FREAKING YEAR MISSION. How cool is that?? Apparently, they just send in their applications and they could be sent anywhere around the entire world. They were all dressed in complete suits. It looked uncomfortable to sleep in. We talked most when we were waiting in this line for foreigners to have two measly pieces of paper checked, with information that could just be taken off our other documents. This line, which couldn’t be described as anything but impressive (if put Great America to shame), was enormous and took a good hour. I have a feeling I’ll see more of them in the upcoming year.

Speaking of enormous, Sao Paulo is the most massive city I have ever seen in my entire life. Flying in, there were skyscrapers as far as the eye could see. Seriously, mile after mile of humongous buildings, some of them in the middle of suburbs, just placed there. They look so spontaneous. Every single house looks alike (at least from the top – they have red roofs and are all similar sizes), but on occasion there is a bright green house with architecture that’s a little different. The city is HUGE. I have never seen something so entirely massive in my whole life. Its incomprehensible unless you’ve seen it. I wish I would have taken a picture...but I’m sure I can find one online.

I think I have a greater appreciation of flying right now, because of my age and the rush of independence it pushes through me. Last night, as I was flying over Costa Rica and the Caribbean Sea, I looked out my window and it was the most phenomenal sight. I was one of probably 4 people up on the entire plane (it was like 3 in the morning and I couldn’t sleep...probably for the better, because I wasn’t rudely awakened by the excessive turbulence 30 minutes later) and the sky looked like some magical place I’d never seen before. Usually, when you view the night sky, there is all this cloud cover, or at least a little, and whether you realize it or not, there is limited star viewing. Well, surprisingly enough, you don’t have this problem when you are flying above the clouds. I could see every single freckle of the night sky and it was breathtaking. In the morning, there was this fiery red sunset (not on my side, but I could still see a little) and it was if we were flying over Antarctica with fluffy ice caps of sorts, glowing in the golden rays of the sun.

So, Portuguese. I’m doing better than I thought I would. Granted, the only experience I’ve had is in Airports. This was in English, but in Atlanta I figured out how to get from terminal A to terminal E, when I was originally going to T (for those of you who aren’t familiar with the Atlanta airport, this meant I now had to hike across the entire fracking thing, instead of just making a trek next door). I asked a flight attendant for help, but she didn’t say much. She sort of just grunted in my general direction, and when I asked if she thought I would make it, she was like “Girl, iuno, why you sittin here talkin to me when you could be runnin”. So I said thanks and walked away in the direction she had grunted.

On the escalator, I asked a random woman if she knew where the train was that I had to catch, and it turned out she had to go to E as well, so we went together. She was visiting her daughter in Buenos Aires. Her daughter had done an exchange to Spain in college, and then ended up in South America climbing a mountain and got married to another mountaineer.

I found my gate, and went to get a water bottle. The Indian lady behind the counter looked at my Rotary blazer and asked me if it was my birthday. I didn’t really know what to say, except to try to explain. She didn’t understand me much anyway, but at least she got that I was going on a foreign exchange and it wasn’t my birthday. I think she was still confused as to why I was wearing an oversized blue jacket with tacky pins all over it, but whatever :p

So, skipping ahead, I got to the Sao Paulo airport, and went to check my baggage again, and of course, was having a little trouble. My baggage is huge and I wasn’t smart or efficient enough to get a cart. Thankfully, this incredibly kind Italian took my carry on (he was trust worthy and I was right there, Dad. Just so you know) and put it on his cart. We struggled through communication for awhile, and after I went and got a cart of my own, we got to actually talking and learned a little bit about one another. He is from Italy (I had no idea) and works with agriculture and oil of some sort. I told him that my dad does something like that, but with gas and stuff. He sells things...that’s where there was a similarity. But he goes all over the place – throughout North, Central and South America and Europe. He speaks Italian, decent Spanish, a little French, very little Portuguese, and a small amount of English. I told him I speak some German and very little Portuguese, so we sort of fumbled through all those languages and created one of our own that seemed to work.

Speaking of German, I ended up asking a German for directions and talking to him because I knew how to ask things in German that I didn’t in Portuguese. We spoke German for awhile, and then he just started speaking English because he probably knew that’s what I spoke. I feel like such an ignorant American sometimes :/

I searched around for my gate for awhile, and I think I should say that I’m very good at using brief words to get information out of people. I’m also very good at asking if people speak English, and saying thank you. There was this other nice man who translated for me and this flight guy who only spoke Portuguese. I would say that 35% of the people I’ve talked to here speak broken English. That’s nice, but this is also an airport and I don’t know if I should expect that in Recife.

After that, I went to get a sandwich and successfully talked to the Portuguese speaking woman at the counter, asked her if it was okay to pay in American dollars, and explained that I didn’t have any Real. She said it was just fine, so I bought my stuff, and as I was paying this business guy in a suit came up to the woman and started talking to her in Portuguese, and all the sudden he had my twenty dollars and I had twelve Real. I gave them a very confused look, and this man piped up from the back and said in English “Do you understand?”. I shook my head, said “Nao?” and he proceeded to explain to me that the man wanted American money and I was getting my change in Real. I ate lunch with these guys, and we talked about a lot of different things. They are lawyers, and the English speaking one gave me his card and said to call him if I’m ever in trouble because he will help me :D As a side note, one of the differences in Brazil already is that the tables in airports are ones that you stand at. There aren’t any chairs..and most tables are actually counters. It provides for a sufficient way to exchange pleasant words and have a casual conversation with a stranger. So far, Brazilians fit the general stereotype of warm, friendly and open people. This man explained the currency exchange to me, and told me how to pronounce my host families names. I gave twenty dollars to the man who already had my American money, and he gave me back 33 Real, which was an extra dollar than he had to. Real are so pretty. I like them more than the American dollar, but that could just be because they’re exotic and colourful.

I should go find my gate now, but the man at the top that you see is the lawyer who ate lunch with me. He was very lawyer like...he told me how to eat my sandwich and demanded that I keep eating when we would start talking, ha. He was pleasant, though, and taught me how to say “nice” “beautiful” and “kind”. We parted with a hug and a kiss on the cheek (its a Brazil thing, not a pedophile thing) and I have his business card in case I ever get in any “trouble”..whatever that means :p

-Madeline

Alas, a date of departure!!!

Oi, everybody!

One fine day this week I was sitting at the computer, woefully absorbing more Portuguese, when suddenly my phone began to buzz and I was presented with the ultimate question...to answer or not to answer? The number read "restricted", so naturally I was a bit perturbed. After ceaseless reasoning and inner conflict, I decided to pick up the phone. I listened, to my ultimate surprise, to Kiersten (the travel agent) with the news that my visa had been received and she was working on my ticket AS WE SPOKE!!!

Needless to say, this was beyond exciting and I am ecstatic to finally be on my way (or close to it). My plane ticket was officially booked today for a departure on Tuesday, March 9th, and my travel itinerary reads as follows:

3:21 pm - leave Milwaukee (Tuesday, March 9th)
6:33 pm - arrive in Atlanta
7:35 pm - leave Atlanta
7:10 am - arrive in Sao Paulo (Wednesday, March 10th)
1:10 pm - leave Sao Paulo
4:10 pm - arrive in Recife

!!!

Now, I have to include in this post that the most exciting thing I have done so far with that bit of information is having chosen my plane seats for the flights to Atlanta and to Sao Paulo. Suddenly it made everything appear a little less surreal, and helped me realize that somewhere, in all this chaos, I stepped out of a dream and into reality.

So..emotions. I'm not exactly sure what to call mine at this point. I suppose the most accurate description would be "ecstatic-enthralled-amazed-stoked-petrified-gripped-bouncing-off-the-walls-happy-vigorous". That doesn't really describe it, though. Its a little more like a jumbled mess of feelings, sewn together to create...voila! My unanticipated level of anticipation! Throughout all of this, and even now, it's been most difficult to comprehend the enormity of this experience. I'll never, ever in my lifetime forget this, but more than that, afterward I'll never, ever be the same. Not only will I have grown into a young Brazilian beach bum, but my level of cultural understanding and my comprehension of differences (neither good nor bad) will exceed that of where I am at now. Furthermore, I'll speak fluent Portuguese and have seen another small part of this enormous world that we live in. My belief is that we were placed here, in this massive spinning sphere with billions of other people to meet and places to see..so why not explore a little?

I've already decided on the next 5 or so countries I want to live in after Brazil, and I'm anticipating that this exchange will get me moving so that I might see what its like to live, learn and laugh abroad! I'm sure I'll just fall in love with the process, and chances are I'll continue with it the rest of my life (teaching English, or music, or Peace Corp or something). Essentially, I'm just ready to explore and see, and above all, experience. There is so much life just brimming over the borders of countries most people haven't even heard of..more than anything I want to be part of it! I feel like I can go further than Elkhorn, Wisconsin, and learn about cultures a little more rooted than what I've experienced here. Really, though, it seems to be important to make an impact anywhere you go, to change what was there for the better, even if its just leaving a pleasant memory. I guess what I can take from this is that while Elkhorn is tiny, half the places I want to go are tinier...every place has its certain quirks and charm.

My flight was originally going to be for this Friday (tomorrow D:) but I'm glad we rescheduled it. First of all, I would be missing Ryan and Sharon's wedding, which is completely out of the question, and second of all, there is no way I would have been ready. Tuesday I was sure I would be...but now that two whole days have passed and we've been scrambling around, I know that Friday would have been too soon.

Spontaneous thought! Seeing as I'm in Sao Paulo for 6 hours, and I'll be wearing my oh so stylin rotary blazer, maybe I'll snatch a Rotarian and ask them (politely, of course, and in Portuguese) to show me around the city! That would be TOTALLY awesome, if I'm not too tired from the 12 or so hour flight. Even if I am, I'm willing to undergo a little exhaustion if it means an adventure :D

Well, its late and I'm off to continue packing D: <--that is how I feel about putting all my summer clothes and sunscreen in two suitcases and a duffel that I will have to lug with me for 24 hours!

Adeus, meus amigos!

Madeline

P.S. The picture at the top is Carnaval in Recife. See all those ants milling around the streets? Those are people. Needless to say, I'm pretty bummed about having missed it, but maybe its for the best. I'll experience PLENTY of other events and fun times while I'm there!

Also, I realized today how kind and endearing humanity can be. I was at the dentists office, and it was absolutely charming to see how wonderful and kind the office ladies were, along with Dr. Knutson. Everybody seems to express such a genuine interest in my experience. It is entirely heart warming. So, to the office ladies, if you're reading this, I'll send pictures to that email when I get the chance. Thanks to your wonderful establishment, when you see me smiling in the pictures, my teeth will be pearly white :)

Visa

After today I will have my Visa application sent in completely, meaning that my departure date will be revealed very very soooon!!!!!! If it matters to anybody...obtaining a visa is NOT VERY FUN. AT ALL. In fact, I'm really glad that my part in it is almost over :D

I suppose I should update everybody on my recent events. Sunday was my going away party for my dad's side of the family, which was wonderful. I made a slide show, had a spectacular meal, and was able to see everybody one last time before I leave. Thanks to all who made an appearance! This Saturday is the party at my moms, so I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible!

Okay, another point of absolute awesomeness...MONDAY WAS MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Woohoo! Exams were over last week, so I've been pretty much working my butt off on my Visa yesterday and today while my friends have been suffering in the brick building of impending doom. Starting 2nd semester...mwahhaha.

Speaking of school, mine in Brazil started today :/ This is very upsetting, because I'd rather not go to a foreign country already behind in their schooling. Knowing the exchange students here are given a little bit of a break with that type of stuff, I'll pray that there they'll do the same.

I'm so grateful to be alive!

I'll post pictures from the party after I get them from my grandpa. Looking forward to this weekend!

Oh, and two of my friends leave for Germany today..so silently wish them luck! (they might be strangers, but they are pretty cool strangers. I guarantee it!)

Your Brazil Nut,

Maddie

Preparations

Hey Everybody :D

So here we are...I've set up a blog and I'm not exactly sure how to start it. I suppose I'll just make this one informational, so everybody knows what's going on, where I happen to be, and what I still need to do in order to make sure I can leave. Maybe I'll add some other random tidbits of information that people might be interested in. Chances are, I'll be the only one reading this, but I'll write it anyway :)

Recently, I received an email from my first host family, which happens to be EXTREMELY exciting. I'll be living on this beach (<----) in one of those huge buildings on the left. I'm literally on the beach (not near it, not a few blocks away, but on it!!). My host mother's name is Maria Helena (she goes by Lena), my dad is Jorge, and my 15 year old brother is named Henrique. They are my first host family of three, and I'm the first student they have had thus far. Their apartment is directly on the beach, and according to Lena, I can swim whenever I want to!!

I will be going to a public school from 7:30 to 12:30 every day starting some time in February (when their school starts). The only downfall is that they don't have a music or art program, and I'll be at a different school than my host brother. Regardless, I'm extremely excited and that just means more leisure time to write music and do art on my own. I'll probably come back a samba expert, doing my Brazilian dance (if you've seen it, feel privileged :D)

Furthermore, I applied for my passport a few weeks ago, but haven't yet received it in the mail. I hope it comes soon, because I'm still working on obtaining a visa and buying a plane ticket. Speaking of, the most common question asked so far has been "when do you leave?". The only answer I have to that is: sometime between late January and early February. I'll post it on here when I know the official date, but as for now I'm not exactly sure.

Anyway, I'd just like to express a genuine thank you to Rotary for making this possible and giving me such an unimaginable opportunity. I know it will be an experience of a life time, and while I'm just beginning to become a little nervous, I'm prepared for the challenges and I am eager to succeed in being an excellent ambassador of this country.

For Christmas, my Mom and Grandparents on my dad's side gave me luggage, a passport holder, and a messenger type bag. Now I just need something to put in all of them :p ha. Well, acually, I only technically know about the passport/valuables satchel and the messenger bag so far...but I'm pretty sure there is luggage, too. Considering more than three people accidentally told me, ha.

Also, I'd like to thank my Uncle John for giving me money to do a random act of kindness in Brazil for our families Christmas charity fund. It was a great idea and I'll be sure to spend it on a person (or multiple people) in need.

I'm headed to my moms now, so I'll say goodbye and type more later.

Maddie