A look into the island

Mountains!














I had no idea that Florianopolis was covered in Mountains! And everything is sooo green. It is beautiful. My friend, Mariah, who studied at cofc last semester, took me around the northern part of the island with her parents. It was so neat and beautiful. I asked about the mountains and if she hiked them. She said no that nobody did b/c of monkeys and snakes. I really want to because there are no houses on them and they are just all so beautiful. I love the island and from every direction it is beautiful. There is a huge lake in the middle of the island or Lagoa, and I live near it. I keep thinking it is the ocean, but it is beautiful. I had a blast with Mariah and her family. They are very fun and kind, even if we don’t understand each other. I also learned that the cars they use are gas and alcohol powered. Like and almost all the cars are the hybrids, and they are all stick shifts. Trisha you drive better than some of them so don’t feel bad… It is just amazing. Funny story, the only word that Mariah’s dad knew in English was Woodpecker! I thought it was hilarious. I don’t know what context made him only learn that word, but I decided to teach him tartaruga-turtle. In the pictures: 1. Mariah and I with a look at the lake, 2. Me making my hair look like it was blowing in the wind (mariahs mom told me to, i thought it was hilarious) 3. Another look at the lake, 4. The local boats in Floripa

Beach!

Today I learned that lunch is the big meal of the day in Brazil. Rodrigo, John and the cousins all came over and we had a big lunch. It was very fun, and pretty tasty. I have had no trouble eating here. I learned from Rodrigo that people usually gain weight in Brazil b/c the food is so good!! Oh well, even if I am wearing dental floss! (That is what Brazilians call the bikinis b/c they are sooo skimpy) The books about Brazil are not lying about that, all thongs, and the guys all wear Speedos, unless surfing. Like all of them, it is weird, but interesting. The beach we went to today was called Praia Mole. Rodrigo says it is because the sand is so soft, which is true, even in the water your feet sink in the sand like they would really dry sand. It also makes large holes and mini sandbars everywhere. The waves today were HUGE. Not many people surf them b/c they crash close to shore, so you can’t really ride the wave very long, but they are big. I was exhausted after playing in them for ten minutes. It was so neat. And all around the beach were great mountains completely undisturbed by people. There were also people paragliding, which is defiantly something I will have to do.



















In the pictures: The beach crew at the lake lookout after a long day at Praia Mole (Carlos, Johnathan, Me, Luisa, Rodrigo) 2. Me and Carlos playing in the waves, i love him 3. The view off to right on Praia Mole where we climbed around 4.My house that I am living at, dont worry Mom there is a covering in the back for when it rains.

A smile means the same thing in every language...

Except in Portuguese, where you either just say Obrigado or “ingles?” and you raise your voice and eyebrows at the end to make it a question, and 9.9 times out of 10 they walk away! It has been great. My trip over was an adventure in itself. I will try and condense it. Well when leaving CLT, my first flight, the guy behind be saw my Brazil book, and was like oh are you going to Brazil, and I said yea, Florianopolis. He said he was going to Rio, then he asked if I was traveling alone, and I said, well yea, but I’m meeting up with like a school and a host family. Then he goes on to be like “Oh I just saw a really scary movie about women who travel alone, it was really scary, it was called...” I said, “No I don’t want to see a scary movie about traveling alone.” I mean who does that, oh your traveling alone let me freak you out! Well anyway. In Atlanta I found out that when I got to Sao Paulo, I would have to go through customs, and then take all my bags and leave the airport get on a bus for an HOUR ride to another airport then check in again. All of this in Brazil, where I know 0 Portuguese. So I finally got nervous. On the plane to Sao Paulo, everyone was Brazilian. The flight attendants knew both but while sitting on the plane everyone spoke Portuguese. It got me very excited. The woman who sat next to me knew no English, so I whipped out book after book to try to talk to her. In the end all five of my Brazil books were out and we were going through them trying to talk to each other. I did learn that she had 2 sons and one granddaughter, and she was just visiting one son in Boston. So the flight was not bad each person had there own TV with hundreds of cds you could listen to, tons of movies, including WallE, Dark Knight, Mamma Mia, Pineapple Express, all movies I wanted to watch, so I listened to music, then I tried to watch a movie and no sound would work. Then my light wouldn’t turn off. OF COURSE I get the TV where I can’t call the attendant b/c its on the tv which doesn’t work, my partner doesn’t know English, and is asleep. Finally I got an attendant, and we reset my TV, twice. I got the light off and settled down with the Dark Knight. It was great accept it was midnight. I finally attempted sleep at one. I didn’t sleep well but took lots of short naps. Then at 3:30 the lights in the airplane came on and they started serving us breakfast! I was like NO I didn’t even get two hours! So we landed at 430 am which was 730 there. I was tired. Then the test came. I got off the plane waited for my luggage for over 30 min. started worrying it wasn’t coming. Then I thought oh that would be great because then I wouldn’t have to lug it to the Bus and through everything. So right when I thought it was better not to have my luggage it showed up! I got my bags, went through customs, pretty easy. Then I went up to the first person I saw that worked there and asked if they spoke English. The said little, I asked them about the bus and showed the name of the other airport and he walked me throughout the airport and pointed down to the end of the road where there were buses. I walked there and had to ask five people if the bus was going to Gonganhos, of course I pronounced it wrong and no one understood me. Then a guy who spoke English and was from somewhere in northern Brazil said yeah, I am going there to. The bus isn’t here yet. So I stand with him and then I see he has a ticket. Now NOONE in delta, even after I asked them gave me anything for the bus or plane, they just said I would be helped when I got there. Yeah right. So the guy winds up walking me through the airport asking everyone how to get wherever were going and I get to the GOL desk or whatever, clear on the other side of the airport. I thank him so much and am just thinking, Thanks Jesus. Then I wait in line for twenty minutes and the girl at the desk changes my flight out of the airport I am in instead so YAY no bus. All I have to do is go wait in line and check in! so I am in line for a while and start talking to the guy behind be who is from northern brazil and also speaks English b/c he spent two years in Australia (he even had the accent!). He is very kind, gives me his email, and offers me a place to stay if I travel up north (Don’t worry he is a teacher, married, and a Christian). Then I am checking in and of course they don’t speak English, they don’t realize I am traveling internationally and are going to charge me because you are only allowed 23 Kg and I had 60! Luckily my friend, Marcello is done checking out and walks over and asks if I need help. He talks to them and I end up checking all three bags (my backpack was to big for a carryon) with an apology and no money spent. Once again I was thanking Jesus! So I flew into Florianopolis, which is beautiful! I was exhausted but stayed up all day. My host dad Sergio picked me up with his niece and nephew! They are all sooo sweet! I loved them all! I met Rodrigo, the son who helps in the study abroad office at Unisul and offered his home. He is great. There is also a guy studying here from NC named John. He is staying with Rodrigo and his grandmother at another house. I live with Sergio, Beatriz, and Amanda, there daughter. They are all very very kind, but don’t know English. It has been very fun! I have to learn the language soon! I really love my host family and my house! It is all such a blessing. More to come later. Oh one more thing, Brazilians are all very close, on the first day, I met their grandmother, three cousins, Aunt, talked to the other aunt on the phone, everyone it feels like. I love it. I promise most blogs won’t be this long! There was just too much to tell!

The photos: saying goodbye to meg, my sad parents in airport, and my first view of Florianopolis!

Im leaving on a jet plane, or three...

Yes! I am leaving for Brazil or as they spell it Brasil! I am very excited! I set this blog up so that my friends and family could read about my travels if they are interested. (mainly this is for my dear mother and father, who would want me to call every day, but instead I am doing a blog and calling once a week...) I thought I would post my first blog so that it wasnt so boring on my page when I told everyone about it. I leave tommorow at 430pm from charlotte. I will fly through the night stopping in Atlanta, and sao Paoulo. It will be interesting... I am getting anxious and am ready to be in the warmth of Florianopolis! I will be there for six months! I can not wait to be immursed in the culture and surfing! Florianopolis is a city on an island in southern Brasil, it is south of Rio and Sao Paoulo. Um, I will give more insight on my plans later, but I need to try and get some sleep! Please pray for me while on this trip, it is a new place for me and I haven't quite mastered the language (Portuguese) yet! ( I know some of you got a kick out of that). Until next time, God bless, AA