The single greatest thing I have ever done…

That is in all honesty how I felt about dancing in the parade at Carnaval. I learned a lot about Carnaval and how the parade works the past couple weeks. I will give you a quick run-through. The parade is actually a competition. It is between different samba schools. Depending on how big the city is how many schools. Rio has 12 or so, we had five (which is a pretty decent size). Florianopolis is the capital of Santa Catarina, so it’s a pretty big Carnaval. Each school has a story that it is telling by the evolution of the costumes and floats. There is a king and queen of every school and the school that wins, there king and queen are the KandQ of Carnaval. It is a huge deal. People work on it year round. Designing the story, music, costumes, dances, floats, and it is all judged. Our school, Copa Lord was amazing. They won the year before and our costumes were phenomenal, as you can see. Our story was about Santa Catarina and told the story of her life (she was the saint the state was named after). We were last to go at the parade, which was four in the morning. Karly, Sam and I got our costumes, they informed us as we tried to stuff ourselves into the car. Later we learned that also meant they were the heaviest. Each school has a song they write that is about 1-2 minutes long and the band (battery) replays it over and over the whole 90 minutes your school is going down the street! Yes 90 min. So I decided that carnival was made for me, dancing in awesome and ridiculous costumes to the same song over and over! I loved every minute of it. When we got finished we walked back to the bus station as it was opening for the day and ate some breakfast while waiting for our bus. Then the bus came, Karly and Sam got on and I stood outside for ten minutes trying to get my wings off, unable to do so, and unable to ask the people passing me for help. Then the bus closed its doors, I yelled and got on in full costume. It was pretty hilarious. Then we rode the bus home while watching the sunrise. Got our suits and went to the beach. But the dancing in the parade was amazing! Phenomenal! We came in third (one of the floats broke down right at the end, that’s the reason were using). Our costumes were so huge and I about hurt some people with the wings. That was the hardest thing to dance in. especially because the huge parrots on my shoulders and the giant hat on my head would cling together and I could not turn my head to save my life. I really wanted to hurt them…. But I love Jefferson and W. All in all it was amazing, and I want to do it again one day!































































In the photos: 1. Super trooper lights are gonna find you, 2. Karly, sam, and I with our shoulders and hats on, 3. walking home (after i broke my wings getting on the bus), 4. exhausted after dancing, 5. Afraid of W, 6. A little tired of green..., 7. us in our glory, wait our wings still werent on, but you can see Regan, Jeferson, W, Kennedy, (our parrots, we named them)

Speechless

Oh what can I even say about the past week. Class ended on Friday, yay, I have a whole week of summer vacation! Well Friday was also the start of Carnaval, well the official start anyway. People have started celebrating last week and decorations went up all around town two weeks ago, but still. So Thursday, we had a night out at a local bar where we have made friends. They have live bands every night and I really love going and dancing. Friday we had class then went to the beach, climbed rocks and went out that night to a costume party! It was very exhausting. Well I had no costumes, so I wore black pants and my long black shirt. Well Jonathan was dressed up as Beckham, so I lost the pants and was Posh! It was pretty hilarious. I even wore heels (which I hide under the couch ten minutes into the night). Saturday is apparently the day where all the guys dress like women. So we went to Centro and watched tons of men in dresses parade around and dance. It was great. Then we (Sam, Karly, and I) met up with Rodrigo and Jonathan and of course they were in dresses and took us to another part of Centro where there was the largest block party I have ever been to. Hundreds of people, in every direction from me and all the men were wearing a dress. It was a little overwhelming, to say the least, especially when it started pouring down rain. That night however was the night that we danced in the parade. That deserves it own blog, lets just say we watched the sun rise on our bus ride home, where Karly, Sam, and I got our bathing suits, ate breakfast and went to the beach. We ate lunch got ice cream, then met up with the boys and went to a friend’s house near the beach, she had a pool. We hung out at the pool, ate dinner, then went out, it was all very exhausting, there was a group of like 8 of us so we danced the night away. I also learned that no sleep makes everything in the world hilarious! I made it home around 3 and slept soooo well. Monday and Tuesday I laid low and watched movies and ate brigadeos (the greatest desert south of the equator)(other than white chocolate pizza with strawberries). I introduced Karly to The goonies, the greatest movie ever (I brought it with me) and all was well. All in all Carnaval is extremely exciting and the single most exhausting week of my life! I am very glad and sad it is over.




In the Photos: 1. Our friend at Chopp De Gus, 2. the block party (that was only in one direction, i had that many people in every direction), 3. rock climbing at the beach (the water was cold so...), 4. Us dancing the night away at DiVinos, 5. The queen of Carnaval after trying to teach us the samba, 6. Us attempting to samba during class from a hilarious video

Museums, buses, one beach oh my!

So last week our class took a couple involuntary field trips. Friday, we had class in the morning, so we are thinking yay beach in the afternoon, no, we had “culture class” in the afternoon where we were going to bus around the island. Lets just say that we spent a lot of time in the bus and my bathing suit was still dry by the end of the day. The highlight: we did stop at Santa Monica and sit by the lake and have drinks and it was really beautiful.

Saturday!!!! Yay beach….. or another bus trip to Imbatuba, Tubarone, Laguna, and Orleans…..

Yes we spent all Saturday in a bus driving from one city to another. We left at EIGHT in the morning and got back after NINE. I will spare you from the horrible details and all the museums. Highlights: we did get to spend thirty minutes at the beach so I got to swim, but I got pinched by the largest crab ever on my foot. Once again we enjoyed each others company as we hung out on the bus.

In the photos: 1. Us at some colonial museum thing, very interesting! 2. A look into what the two days were really like 3. View in Lagoa, 4. At a resort in Florianopolis, no we didnt get to go on the beach, 5. Yay the wannabe christ the redeemer, 6. our class, fun times, 7. best part of the day, 8. Some woman who married some important sherrif a long time ago, us wishing we could have a statue just because we married someone, 9. Beautiful, this was when we got to sit and hang out by the lake.

Traveling (with hippies?)

So well now two weekends ago (I know I am bad about putting these up on time) my Portuguese professor, Marilete (the one who does speak English) invited us to her house in Imbatuba for the weekend. By us I mean Karly and I who have become very good friends and Imbatuba is another beach town an hour south of Florianopolis. So we rode home with Marilete for the weekend. It turned out to be the weekend of the shrimp festival, so there were concerts going on every night. We went the first night and just walked around; they had all these hippies selling jewelry who just traveled all around Brazil. I loved them and all the jewelry of course. We went to the beach Saturday and then back to the festival that night for the concert (which started at 12:30). But not before going to the gym. Marilete’s sister works at a gym right down the road from where she lives, so we went for this dance class where this guy, whose hips move faster than any other person I have ever met, led like an aerobics dance class, it was super fun, and exhausting. (I also did the boom boom class which is a story all in itself).

So the concert, coming in we had to give our tickets, and Karly who is actually a year younger than me went in then I was right after her, same guy, and got carded! Like I didn’t look 18 and Karly did! Of course I couldn’t understand him so it took me a couple of minutes to figure out what he was asking for and then when I gave him my ID he couldn’t read it. It was all pretty hilarious. The concert was fun, and all in Portuguese but Karly and I danced and had fun. The best part however was in-between bands they played some music, it was all American, but the first song on, I am not even kidding was none other than “pretty fly for a white guy”! I almost died, Karly and I were singing at the top of our lungs it was pure awesomeness! Sunday we went sandboarding with a guy Marilete knows that is a few years older than us named Rodrigo. It is basically like snowboarding but way better because it isn’t cold, but also worse because every hill you go down you also have to walk up, which is far from easy. That night we all went to dinner together, (Marilete, her daughter, Lua, her husband, Ricardo... i think...and Rodrigo) It was very fun and then we went back to the concert which is where I met Jefferson.

So if you recall, all the hippie people selling jewelry, well me and Karly wanted to buy anklets together, the first place we walked up to the boy got up and came over, and the night turned to very interesting. He didn’t speak any English, so Karly who knows some English would translate what she understood to me. Well we bought anklets talked to Jefferson, I bought a necklace, we talked to Jefferson, our communication was confused and the next thing I know Karly and I are walking with Jefferson back to Marilete’s. We eat some brigadeus, which we had made that day (and are the greatest things ever), and then walked to the beach. Jefferson was so interesting to talk to, he had been traveling all over South America for the past three years, lived out of his backpack and when asked where he was from he simply said the world. I just wanted to go off and sell what I made for money or trade for food, he said I should and I just laughed and said my parents would hunt me down, not that he understood. It sounded down right amazing. It was great meeting him and just imaging traveling the continent. He also talked a lot about the Amazon, and it made me just want to go even more.

Imbatuba was an amazing weekend, I loved how nice and open Marilete was to let us stay at her house. I loved the city, it was just all Brazilians, no tourists, not resorts, just Brazil with its dirt roads that open to a beautiful beach, and its shacks that house the friendliest people, and its raw sense of life and enjoying it through music, dancing, and late night beach walks. In the photos: Karly and I climbing the rocks at the beach, 2. Karly and I making brigadeiros, 3. eyeing the brigadeiros (we ate a lot before they were even made), 4. my future... ha ha, 5. Marilete and her awesome fam, 6. yea sandboarding, 7. Giant hill we went down, yea i had to climb it like three times, because i wanted to do it again!

Lagoa

So last Thursday our class went to the lake in the middle of the island. We rode by boat to a little village, I guess you would say that is only accessible by a two hour hike or a boat ride. I of course loved it. There were no cars, everyone knew everybody, there was a beautiful waterfall we hiked to and I just loved the whole town. It was so friendly with cows on the side of paths, children playing soccer, people walking from a beach, people in line at the pharmacy, clothes hanging on lines tied to any and everything. We had a blast, the whole class, me included, I want to just live there and be best friends with everyone there it was all just so beautiful.
In the pictures: Karly and I at the waterfall, dancing on the catwalk (mark was singing it), yay our bus!, on the boat ride it was so fun, looking for the waterfalls..., on the dock

Interesting facts I have learned (slowly but surely)

• You don’t flush toilet paper here ( I learned this 5 days to late)
• Buttons on the wall are used to flush toilets and they are the single most confusing things ever, especially the one at my house
• Colored toilets are normal and I have learned that these really bother me, I like to see the color of my pee and cannot because of this fact
• Rice and beans are the single most important thing to Brazilians
• I don’t like Brazilian rice and beans
• Brazil puts out a large number of soap operas, including the new most popular one which involves all Indians in India who magically speak Portuguese
• There are 6 ways to pronounce and write each vowel using the following: ^ - ‘ ~ `
• R’s are pronounced like H’s
• I still don’t know what H’s are pronounced as
• D’s are G’s but only sometimes….
• “Nao Sou” is I don’t know, this one is key
• Casa Do Pastels is the greatest restaurant in the world
• Trash here is thrown away in little baskets like ones you find in your bathroom, even in the kitchen there is just a little trash can on the counter with a grocery bag in it
• The trash has a little iron basket that you put it in outside your house
• The houses up the mountain are the poorest but have the best views
• Brazilians are big on buffets, 80% of the restaurants have buffets, but you weigh your plate and pay by the kilo, pretty ridiculous.
• Brazilians eat the fattiest foods but are all skinny, I haven’t figured out how yet but I really want to know
• All Brazilian women, at least here, were thong bathing suits, all of them, even the 80 year olds and the 250 lbs women, everyone
• I am stared at because my bathing suit covers my entire butt (it’s the equivalent of going to the beach with bottoms that go above your bellybutton)
• ALL the men wear Speedos unless surfing, ALL
• Praia mole is not a nude beach, HA HA JK haven’t done that Uncle Brian
• Brazilian birds apparently go “pew pew” like a little boy shooting a gun
• I knew more Italian than I thought because I keep wanting to say “va bene” and “gratzie” and all my numbers are Italian
• Night clubs are exhausting
• I will never learn the samba
• Lunch is the big meal that you cook for each day
• Brazilians listen to all American songs, (and sing at the top of their lungs) but don’t speak English
• Beach is Praia
• The yellow busses have air conditioning and are actually yellow (not the yellow line)
• Not all Brazilians are perfect and bronze ( Me and Karly point out the 1 of every 100 to make ourselves feel better)
• Florianopolians hate the Argentinians
• Never use the OK symbol
• The answer to my blog is NO
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• In the photos: 1.Karly's balcony with a gourgous rainbow 2. the slums above Karly's house, all the kids go on the roof and fly kites, i could sit out there all day and people watch 3. the beach(can you see the bathing suits?) 4. Rodrigo attempting to dance with me 5. Johnathan wondering what i am doing
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Learning the single most ridiculous language in the world

I have officially dubbed Portuguese the most difficult language to learn. I started my Portuguese language class last Monday and it is interesting. Since I can’t understand anyone in my house, I had hoped that I would quickly pick up the language but it hasn’t happened yet. So my class is from 2-6 Monday through Friday. Yes it’s miserable, and really painfully long. There are 15 people in the class and on the second day they split us into two groups, beginner and intermediate. There are four people in the beginner’s class. Karly, who has become a good friend, who is from UNCW, and basically my tutor. Oleysea, a very sweet girl from Russia (no she doesn’t really know English) and Li a Chinese woman whose husband is also taking the class (he is in intermediate, and no she doesn’t know much English either) so it has been very interesting. We have two professors, Marelete, a verbal and listening one who does speak English, but not in class, and Luana, a writing professor who doesn’t speak any English. Marelete is very nice and fun and just laughs at my lack of understanding but has a lot of patience. Luana has this idea that if I don’t understand her, she can speak louder and I will magically understand her and Portuguese. Each day at least once she is leaning over the desk at me yelling Portuguese, or the nh or cha sound over and over. It’s actually the funniest thing, and I crack up every time. We have fun however. In the other class (we hang out during our break) is another girl from UNCW, Samantha, who lives with Karly, Jonathan (UNCW), Michael (Australia), Daniel (Ireland), Danny (Brazilian who grew up in the states), Mike (from um Ohio, Michigan, somewhere like that) who is really into surfing, um… Chris (Long Island), the Chinese husbands whose name I won’t even try to spell, and Ania (Argentina). It is fun and very interesting. The view doesn’t hurt either.

In the Photos: 1, Sam, Karly, Johnathan and I at a mexican restaurant (funny how i can always find those...) 2. Karly and I on the balcony at Unisul
3. Mike and I posing 4. the view from the school 4. my class room, yea its hard to pay attention

The People Forced to Take Care of Me

It isn’t fair that I haven’t posted anything about them yet so here we go. Lets start with my host family is awesome and Rodrigo is the only one who speaks English. Well I guess Beatriz does to, she’s learning. Rodrigo, as I said was my contact before I came and I am living with his family, but he is not, he lives with his grandmother. But Rodrigo is great and has been really helpful, we hang out often and have become good friends.

Sergio is my host dad and I love him. He is sooo sweet, and really funny. It has been great just seeing how well we get along and how close I feel to him even though we can hardly understand each other. I really feel like were good friends and often forget we can’t even communicate accept with the help of Bea, hand gestures, and our faithful dictionary! He is really just a character and it shines through even with the language barrier. My favorite moment with him so far is last Thursday or so I came home from class, and he was trying to ask me if I was hungry, it took me a while but I figured it out. Then he was trying to tell me something for like five minutes, and finally it clicked and I said “Are you trying to say ‘Me casa e tu casa’” he laughed and said yes. It was hilarious!

Beatriz is a saint. She is soooo sweet and I enjoy her company so much. We have been to the movies together, dinner, she took me and my friends out, we went to the beach together, she is just so great, especially all her gestures about Sergio and his crazy antics. She knows some English and is getting even better (faster than me and Portuguese). She is always getting on me because I talk so fast. She is very easy to get along with. Best story, Sunday night we found out a night club had samba, well it was superbowl so the boys didn’t want to go, but Karly, Samantha and I did, so Bea offered to drive us to the club and we were just going to get a taxi home. Well Bea stopped at the taxi place on the way there, and got the name and number of one of the cab drivers, hilarious. Then we got to the club she stopped and asked the valet car people something, then she parked and got out of the car with us, I laughed and said to Karly “ oh and she’s going to get out” and were laughing as we stand outside the club with our “mom” talking to the car parkers, then she walks us over to the security guards, then through the line to the people who check the lists and such. We are just cracking up because we feel 13 again! It was hilarious! I knew my mom would be glad someone was looking out for me. We just thought it was so funny! I love Bea, she’s always taking care of me.

Finally there is Amanda. Amanda is awesome, knows no English, and has been attempting to take care of my social life. I think they soon learned of my lack of fashion sense, and she being a big night clubber has helped me out. She invited me out to a club last Friday with her and her friends. So I found myself saying I have this, her responding no, and giving me first a dress, then shoes, jewelry, a purse, doing my hair, and finally my makeup when she handed me eyeliner and I laughed. She is very sweet and easy to get along with. I am having a good time with her and it is forcing me to use Portuguese.

In the Pictures: Sergio, Bea, bea's mom who i just know as vo (grandma). The group of girls i went out with, yea thats me on the end the white one, amanda is the one second from the left, that is twice as dark as everyone else, yep she is beautiful.