Thus far my stay in Brazil has been excellent. I live with a great family, love the food, look forward to school each morning, and have found a new athletic hobby. No, it's not water polo.
As I mentioned earlier, my family consists of an electrical engineer father, a stay at home mom, a 18 year old brother, and a 16 year old sister. My brother Pedro and I have much in common. We both love music. On my second night in Londrina, Pedro showed me some blues technique on the acoustic guitar and I found out that he also plays blues harmonica. When I heard him play the harmonica, I thought of playing 'Groove Merchant' with the CHS Jazz band, and I instantly regretted not bringing my alto saxophone. I don't think I know anyone who can successfully read and play music on the harmonica, so my ears were dazzled when they discovered that Pedro was an accomplished harmonicist.
I have previously mentioned that Pedro is a former exchange student. When he was 16, he went to Denmark. He speaks four languages: Portuguese, English, Danish, and Spanish. I believe he also understands Norwegian and Swedish. With all of these common interests, I was not surprised to find out that Pedro and I have similar opinions about religion.
My host sister, Maria Luisa (i.e. Malu) is polishing her French before her exchange to Belgium. Awhile back, her parents bought her a guitar, but she never learned how to play. This is very convenient for me because she is letting me borrow her guitar for the rest of my exchange. I like Malu. She's very nice. Even though she and I don't share the same common interests that Pedro and I do, we get along very well during the time we spend together before, during, and after school.
My host mother, Marizelia, is adorable. She is very cheerful and cooks wonderful Brazilian food. She doesn't speak any English, and I really like the fact that during each meal, she addresses me and slowly asks me questions or explains things to me in Portuguese. That is the best way for me to learn the language.
My host father, Nelson, is an electrical engineer. He is very friendly to me and likes to keep me in the loop. I appreciate that. On Monday he gave me a tour of the city. But during the car ride I decided that I think he also likes to practice his second language on me. He speaks English to me in situations where it's not always necessary. Sometimes he points to things and calls them their English name. I proceed to repeat what he said with the intent to memorize the name of the object at which he pointed, in Portuguese. He then repeats what he originally said, again in English, and at that point I realize that he was speaking English the whole time. I only thought it was Portuguese because of his accent. So at this point, he has successfully taught me what something is called in English. In a situation like that, my biological father would probably say, "Good to know, Jake."
I realize that it would be a good idea for me to simply ask Nelson to speak to me in English less often and that blogging about it won't help me at all, but blogging is so much fun! And actually, during lively mealtime discussions his translations are helpful. So for the record, I'm not complaining; I'm observing.
Speaking of food...
To those of you who were worried that I might have trouble adjusting to Brazilian cuisine and starve to death: have no fear. I think I'll be okay. Authentic Brazilian food is amazing, and Marizelia is an artist in the kitchen. In addition to eating great food, the eating schedule is also worth mentioning. They've got it down to a science!
Brazilian breakfasts are light. I eat an apple, a banana, and some buttered bread each morning. Lunch, the main meal, is when things get serious. It goes down at 12:45, right after school, and usually it consists of a meat dish, chicken or steak, rice and beans, salad, cooked vegetables: corn, tomatoes, onions, green and red peppers, and sometimes potatoes. There is always enough food for me to go back for seconds, and thirds (if I have room). I mustn't forget that the food is always fresh. I think the corn I ate for lunch the other day was better than any corn I've ever had in Minnesota. The salad is very simple: a type of lettuce leaf that I don't know the name of, tomatoes, and a little oil and vinegar. But don't forget, the food is fresh, never frozen! It's great. I'll post a picture of it sometime.
Supper is a smaller meal, and it consists of tasty bread, cheese, pasta, and sometimes meat. A common dish is called pao de quejo, any kind of baked or fried bread, stuffed with cheese. One of my favorites is called pastel, a deep fried pasta stuffed with cheese or beef. Evening food reminds me of being at the county fair. The fried bread is that good.
I've been doing my best to keep busy after school. I have spent two afternoons at the local athletic club with a neighbor/classmate/future exchange student, her brother, and her brother's friend. In that group, I am the only person who is not an experienced tennis player. The other three have taken lessons for multiple years, and before this week, I had barely ever even picked up a racket. Yesterday at the club, I was told by the instructor to hit the ball against the wall to myself to get the hang of things, while the other three had a proper lesson. But afterward, Barbara and Leandros gave me an informal tennis crash course. We practiced the forehand, backhand, volley, and service.
Although at times I am a little bored, It would be selfish of me to expect anything more from Brazil. I like the people, I'm making progress with the language, I feel that the Rotary Program helped me become prepared to be here, and now it's time to go out there and live. Thanks for reading, and feel free to email me with any questions.
Tchau
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