Good morning, piercing parlor.

The day I turned 18 I went to Hollywood Rebels Tattoo and Piercing Parlor in Columbia and got my eyebrow pierced. I had been in love with the idea of eyebrow piercings for awhile but never considered that I could have MY eyebrow pierced. About a week and a half later I took it out after 1: Being tired of everyone commenting on it. High schoolers have a really hard time with change and 2: A fellow Nigerian stalker...er... friend of my parents, called them in Nigeria to notify them that I had gotten my “eyelid” pierced and my mom began to nag me.

I told myself I'd put it back in once I got to college, but things came up, I got broke, I dated guys that were big squares etc.
Last week, I started to get antsy for a facial piercing. Don't ask me why. I automatically began reconsidering the eyebrow piercing, as it is wonderfully convenient, relatively inexpensive and easy to care for.

I know my mom is freaking out right now.

Anyway, I was up until about 1:30am yesterday morning reading about eyebrow piercings and looking at pictures on Google. Today is a holiday, but I told myself if a parlor was open and it wouldn't cost too much I was getting my eyebrow pierced first thing in the morning.
I left the house at about 11, and walked up the street to a little place that is actually in the same building as my friend Olivia's apartment. They were doing some spring cleaning but were fine with piercing me. So I picked a piece of jewelry, sat down and she did it. It was weird being there alone but also wonderful. There is something so great about just making a decision and going through with it. We...I... so rarely do that.

And so I can't go swimming for a week (who cares? It's raining all week anyway), I have to do some daily cleaning stuff and I'm trying to figure out what to tell my host mom (I'm thinking, “I always had my eyebrow pierced, I just never put jewelry in it) but all in all I'm really happy with it.
I'm going to Nigeria in August and my parents will probably have something to say, but hell, I'm turning 22 in September and actually feel ready to deal with having a weird piercing in Nigeria where even a small fro brings unwanted attention.
Huzzah!

My host family seems to be overextending themselves space-wise so currently Selma, who my host family is sponsoring to go to school at the age of 30 is sleeping on a mattress on my floor while my host mother's brother overstays his welcome. All should return to normal in a week or so, but I'm unhappy that I had to be frank with my host mom about personal space and suggest me moving houses before she gave me a straight answer about how long her brother was staying (the original number of days was 2-3 but it soon became 8 and counting). And what a bummer because I like Selma and hate to be a jerk but definitely did not sign up for a roommate. Goodbye Freshman and Sophmore year of college.
Besides that, everyone has started working a lot and in general seems a little stressed. The funny thing is that this “work” is Herbalife nonsense still. I pray for the day the Herbalife fad fizzels out and means nothing like Slim Fast. It'll hurt them at first but it's better for everyone in the long run.

Last weekend, me and 4 friends went to a 12 hour Reggea festival about 40 minutes away. Julian Marley and Brazilian artist Natiruts (pronounced: nachi-hoots) were the headliners. Julian Marley was alright but not the best. Mostly everyone wished that he was Bob Marley and his best songs were covers. During his performance Kim and I considered what it must feel like to perform in front of a crowd waving flags with pictures of your dad.
Promptly after his set ended it started pouring down rain. The area lacked any type of shade so we just stood there and got soaked, and then Natiruts came out and we all jumped/danced for warmth. At about 5:30am we went to the beach nearby (GORGEOUS) and watched the sunrise with our feet deep in the sand. We got on the bus at 6:30 or so and headed back home where I slept until 3:00pm though I could have stayed in bed much longer. Given that it was a pretty big festival I felt incredibly safe and the crowd was pretty chilled out. I have a few guesses why.
I have exactly three more weeks here. How time flies. It's amazing how three weeks can sometimes feel like forever and other times feel like nothing. I have a feeling this is going to be the latter.

As of yesterday I have exactly one month left in Brasil. Currently I am struggling to be at peace with the fact that I can't stay longer for a variety of reasons, and trying to remind myself that there are things to look forward to in Minnesota...er...

The last month or so has been wonderful---more or less peaceful and full of good energy (despite a few gripes here and there). I told Angela last week that I realized I was living in a Mary Kate and Ashley movie.

I'm training myself in the art of living in the moment and feeling successful. The continuation of this is my only wish for the coming weeks. Keep sending positive energy.

Beijos.

Herbalife

I'm in a bad mood after a weird Herbalife intervention at breakfast.
This morning as I was leaving the bathroom my host mom introduced me to a friend of hers and mentioned that we would be having breakfast together and talking about study abroad. I had never seen the man before but the whole thing felt strangely contrived. Upon my arrival to the table the man and my host mom sat down, my host mom with a small magazine in her hand reading "Herbalife" across the front.
For those of you who don't know, Herbalife is another one of those fad diets that offers extremely expensive prepackeged food and shakes as meal replacements. Something happened in Salvador recently and now it's all over the place.
I spent the next thirty minutes stuffing my face as the two of them told me how great Herbalife was and why I should start selling it in the U.S.
Eating throughout the whole thing prevented me from telling them that I reeeeally wasn't interested in their expensive eating disorder.

Also, everything in the booklet was a pricier version of what one could do on their own. For example she had me taste a "tea" that was allegedly orange,ginger and honey. Too bad it tasted like Gatorade and Splenda.
In addition, if she knew anything about my financial situation she would know that I could never afford to pay $30 for 7 protein bars.
Anyway, I'm trying to get over the insult of it all.

I came back from my wonderful 10 day stay in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night.
For those of you who didn't hear about the airport fiasco, I was suppose to only be in Rio Friday through Wednesday but my friend Becca and I, completely overcome with sadness and regret over having to leave, ended up deciding to stay until Sunday only after we were checked in and waiting to get on the flight back to Salvador. The people working for the airline were actually quite nice about the whole thing and manage to retrieve Becca's checked luggage.
It was the best impulse decision I've ever made. Somewhere I read that Rio de Janeiro was the most beautiful city in the world. I remember thinking that it was a ridiculous assertion but then I went there and maybe it's true.

Anyway, I've returned to regular life here in Salvador, going to class, braving the sun, dodging Herbalife.
I'm going to the Island of Itaparica this weekend for a little break (I know, I know) but come on, I'm in Brazil.

Beijos,
Bimbola

Apparently people sleeping in the plaza in front of my apartment is not normal.

On Friday there was some sort of run in with the police and now they're all gone.

The actual reason that I'm posting twice in one week is because I must write about the graduation or “formatura” that I went to with my host parents last night. My host mom invited me because she thought it would be good to see a true Brazilian formatura. I went knowing there was good food to be had as part of the deal.

The Basics

Who: A girl named Amelia.
Where: Ritzy hotel
Dress Code: Prom. Like for real. Long ball gowns, 5 inch rhinestoned heels, strange hair extensions. The whole shebang.
Music theme: American Top 40's including “Halo” by Beyonce(a beautiful instrumental version complete with a flute) and “I Gotta a Feeling” by The Black Eyes Peas (which is played enough in Brazil to be their national anthem).

The ceremony began with a video set to music (“I Gotta Feeling”). The graduates appeared to be in a club where they were drinking and dancing in leopard and zebra print hats and feather boas. Throughout the video each member of the Real World Cast...erm....each graduate was introduced.

After the video there was a series of very long and boring speeches which no one paid attention to.
When the graduates finally came out it was wedding style, one at a time accompanied by a family member of their choosing. It took 3 playings of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”(ukulele version) and 4 playings of “Dust in the Wind”(a remix that I didn't recognize) to get through this.

The actual handing out the diplomas part was what my host mom wanted me to see. It was a little like Hickman graduation minus the paper wads and beach ball. As each graduate was called their families and friends, equipped with huge and loud noise makers would make as much noise as they possibly could for as long as they could stand it. This was fine except for the fact that a number of children had horns of their own and used them to make everyone around them miserable, including me.

At the end once everyone had their diplomas the lights in the room went out and were replaced by some techno-y red and green ones up front, “I Gotta Feeling” began to play for the thousandth time, silver confetti fell from the ceiling, a strobe light magically appeared and the students danced. This was my personal favorite part.

The reception was less exciting and only included a two man band and a table of delicious snacks but who is complaining? JJ another kid from the program was at the graduation and reception as well, small world. I returned home with my host parents at about 12:30am which is the latest I've ever seen them out.

I can't believe it's Sunday already. This weekend has wiped me out and it probably has to do with the me trekking through the rain all night on Friday and all day yesterday.. The Bahian attitude about rain (that it is the most terrible thing ever) is rubbing off on me. I will probably spend the greater part of today sleeping and am really quite alright with that. I'm trying to make a more conscious effort to enjoy the many opportunities I have to relax now that I will not have for the next year.

B

"SalvADORE" (I stole that from someone)

Ugh. Blogging is so hard.

Last weekend was Easter Break and many people went off to wonderful far away lands. I basically hung around Salvador and ate fish which was fun too.
Also I take back what I said about Plataforma not being that interesting in an earlier post. It has a sweet beach with lots of rocks and shells and really still water so you feel like your on the East Coast. I've started a pretty cool rock/shell collection next to my window.

The rain has picked up a bit here in Salvador. When it's coming it gets super windy and chilly and the ocean goes wild and you know you better get your behind inside. This was the weather last night so I hurried to the apartment and waited. I think it started after I fell asleep but this morning when I woke up it was raining and the street was empty. I was already late, but I forced myself to leave.

Let me tell you.

I got to the bus stop and felt so wet and miserable that I just turned around and went back home in true Bahian fashion.
And then I slept the most wonderful sleep of my life until my next class at 2pm (I promise I won't do it again).

School is going well. In 3D Expression we're making masks right now. Mine is a sort of creepy clown that I gave an extremely pained and sad expression. It breaks my heart a little bit.
Last class my Brazilian friends Adrielly and Oliver schooled me on the United States. Apparently Robin Williams said some messed up stuff about Brazil a while back (he is not our friend anymore). Also, I somehow missed learning about the weird Presidential secret society The Freemasons, but Oliver taught me all about it. Adrielly summed up the US perfectly, "Ninguém gosta, mas tudo vai" --No one likes it, but everyone goes.
In short, they are hilarious and great. Adrielly invited me to see Alice in Wonderland next weekend.

Tonight CIEE had a trip to the Baile Foklorico a folkloric ballet, centered around the Candomble religion and the different Orishas (gods). The show was amazing and all of the dancers were beautiful and incredibly athletic. The music was spectacular as always heavy on percussion in all of the best ways.
It's true what they say, there are other cities in Brazil that have may be more "modern" and have more "cultural events", but I honestly believe that Bahia has more culture. It may not be perfect but there is definitely a sense of Bahian cultural identity--the mixing of African,European and Indigenous cultures to create something completely of its own and it's in the food, the music, the art--everything. I think it's this fact that makes Salvador a place completely unique and incredible.

Aaand I'm done gushing about the city.

Tchau.

On Tuesday morning I woke up and it was pouring. I went to my window to look out at the ocean and it was completely foggy but the clouds were gorgeous and put me in sort of a whimsical mood.

And then I went back to sleep for 4 hours because I don't have my art theory class this week. Glorious, glorious Tuesday. This past weekend was pretty low key.

I spent a rainy Saturday in the neighborhood of Plataforma at a Brasilian friend's house. Plataforma is sort of cool because it's on a big hill but besides that nothing incredibly special. I had some good home cooking and agua de coco (Coconut Water) and abacate (avacado) from mom's garden which really can't be beat. Also can you say the most x-treme garden ever? In the evening we went to watch jazz at the Museum of Modern Art (a weekly event perfect for when you don't have anything else to do). It's a good place to run into your friends and buy fancy (but still cheap) drinks. We headed out there for the night since the 24 hour beach parties have come to an end for this year (que triste).

I can't believe it's Thursday already. We're doing plaster casts in Three Dimensional Expression which is hard work but for some reason brings us together as a class. Yesterday the professor was like half an hour late and then after he arrived he picked up a few students and left again to buy gesso for class. We ended up just sitting outside eating popsicles (purchased from a homemade popsicle vendor, like the one in Arembepe) and hanging out for an hour. I really like the kids in my class, they're a quirky bunch which is gold sometimes here.



Bimbola

There are little monkeys in the tree in front of my apartment...

This past weekend I went to Arembepe a small city about an hour north of Salvador. When we arrived, Arembepe was in the midst of it's own Carnaval celebration but fortunately we weren't there for that and quickly made our way to the beach.
The beach in Arembepe is beautiful and according to Lonely Planet it's not even that great of the beach. We walked all the way down maybe 10 or 15 minutes until we got to a small village titled "Aldeia Hippie." Apparently in the 60's Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger kicked it there. Once there we got a little room facing the ocean and then promptly headed out to get some food. All of the food places in the village were closed except one called "Janis Joplin Cafe" or something like that. The guy that ran it was a true character with big long dreadlocks and big long personality. Apparently he hung out with Janis Joplin when she was there and they also had a small love affair. I question the last part.

We had originally set out to have fish but ended up having rice, beans and eggs which we pretended was fish. After dinner the popsicle man came around and all of the babies running around got popsicles, so we got popisicles too. I had been holding off on the popsicle thing because the way they do it here, the vendor just puts all of the popsicles in a cooler without a wrapper or anything and then pulls them out when people want to buy them. The whole thing is a little questionable but I threw all caution to the wind and got one. Note to everyone: The popsicles are delicious and amazing. Even if you get sick, I think it's worth it.

To end the day we swam in a river (this is discouraged by Lonely Planet) which was extremely warm from the sun and beautiful. And then I slept from maybe 8pm until the morning. Big day.

Other than my weekend trip, I've been mostly going to school and hanging out. After all of the scheduling drama I'm in some good classes which I should be getting credit for. One is a sculpture class and the other is a sort of boring but sort of interesting class on visual theory.I guess I mostly love that she has slides that follow her lecture. Great for note taking.
I'm also enjoying that most of my classes are at the art school which is close by and fulfills my long lived desire to go to art school but only for a short while. Can you say having my cake and eating it too?

To end this post I will tell you about my Portuguese professor who is 28 with braces and a Winnie the Poo planner. Oh, and a name that is "Sabrina." That's really all.
She can't remember my name for the life of her and our interactions are sort of like:

Sabrina: "E voce, Kimberly?" Direct translation: And you, Kimberly (Kimberly is another Black girl in our class)
Me: "Bimbola..."
Sabrina: *doesn't hear me and continues on to the next person*


Besides that Salvador is great. It's getting easier and easier.


Bimbola

GOAL!

With the end of Carnaval has come a far more quiet Salvador. Although it does feel like there's less to do, I appreciate the quiet, especially in the morning. School started this week, my first class was suppose to be a painting technique class yesterday morning. Of course when I got to the main office I discovered that the course was no longer being offered and knowing that I could absolutely not return home(out of principle) I instead sat in on a cinema class with a professor whose name was Artistotles. The class itself was a little slow but I met a very nice woman who wrote down the names of a bunch of cool places to go for art stuff. I'm going back to the same class on Friday because I dont have anything better to do and need to get out of the house. In general I'm very excited about the start of school. It'll be nice to enter a routine, meet some new people and get my brain working creatively and critically again.

My host family situation is still working out for me although my host mom's motherly instincts are definitely in full swing. Its hard to live with people who don't know you and not be able to even communicate who you are to them because of a language barrier. It's maybe my largest frustration with Portuguese. I can go out on the street and get around and I can make conversation with strangers but I have a really hard time communication fairly simple ideas to my host parents.

Yes I speak Portuguese like a 1st grader but when I'm doing things in English I swear I'm on a college level.

On the bright side she is still a wonderful cook and the other day she bought me ice cream. Food really does make everything better. Also, my host father is hilarious and always teasing me.

All in all, Salvador is definitely different than what I expected. In all honestly, living here is a little more complicated than I expected. I attribute this to a few things:

a. Although I've been here for three weeks I feel like there is so much of the city that I still don't know and this is probably because we had a very brief orientation and Carnaval shut down the city for a week.

b. The number of tourists that come through the city creates strange dynamics between native Brazilians and foreigners and I am often implicated in that even though people don't always read me as a foreigner.

c. The way the rich and the poor live in the city is different from other cities I've been in, where the poor tend to be pushed into specific areas. Here everyone is all mixed up which means that just because you have a five star hotel in your neighborhood doesn't mean that that there won't also be a homeless person sleeping right in front of the gate and just because my apartment building is pretty safe and houses a lot of families doesn't mean that I don't feel just a little apprehensive walking down the street alone to get there at night. Being here, especially a night I've had to have my guard up a little more than Im used to (especially at Macalester) and even though I don't feel like I'm in an serious danger, the danger is there.
So in short, I wish I didn't have to keep so many things in my bra when going out.

I am definitely growing and being forced out of my comfort zone. I've found some great spots to hide out when I'm overwhelmed (mostly bookstores, oh and the mall!) and I have met some good people some of whose names I remember and many whose names I don't.
Yesterday I went over to my friend Olivia's house where she and another friend where in the midst of making rice pudding (so good). Later we went to the movies (The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I adored) and then after, to an outdoor bar to watch The Corinthians soccer team play a team who I now don't remember (I mostly went for the beer and street food).
Every so often when it feels like I'm struggling I'll have a day like that and know that I'm suppose to be here. Beijos.

Salvador

Salvador da Bahia is a city of about 2 million people right on the coast of Brazil. Although a big city in many ways Salvador feels very small. I live in a neighborhood called Barra (prounounced “Baha”) which is right on the ocean with lots of stuff to do and people who consider a bathing suit with shorts, or a sunga with a tank top acceptable clothing for the grocery store.

My new host family is an older couple, Ieda and Fernando. Ieda is a biologist and Fernando has a printing business. They're in their late fifties with older children studying in Europe. Ieda is such a mom, she's constantly making me juices and cutting up the papaya on my plate.Warning me about drunk people out late at night.Wishing me a Happy Carnaval. She says it genuinely makes her happy to do things for other people, so I try not to protest too much, even if it feels ridiculous sometimes.
We live in a small apartment but can see the ocean from every window.
My room has a great big comfy bed and a wonderful closet. I have a great view of the ocean from my desk (which is actually a table).

What I've been up to.
Not a lot to be frank. School doesn't start until March 3 which means that I've been at the beach more or less everyday and out dancing at night.
By the way, Black people do get sunburned.
I've been hit twice and have ridiculous tanlines as well. The sun is no joke, so I bought sunscreen today--SPF 30. For some reason on the bottle it's written as "FSP" 30.I don't know.
Oh and Carnaval.

Carnaval.
I'm not even sure how or what to write about it. In some ways it has been exactly what I expected and in a lot of ways not. I've been out from 7 pm until 3 am every night for the past 4 days including the two days I was sick. (Take some medicine and keep it moving.)

The first day of Carnaval we went out in masks that we purchased at a artsy used book store/cafe near my house. Mine was red, purple and green with yellow feathers sticking out of the top. Soon it started raining and my mask fell to pieces but it didn't matter because everyone was soaking wet, and dancing and more or less happy. There's so much more I could write about but It's probably better saved for a Skype or real life conversation. And perhaps some day I'll also give my critique of Carnaval(because I definitely have one).

For now, I'm happy and getting a lot of rest, eating a lot of good food, feeling frustrated at times but getting over it and getting used to the idea of being here for 4 more months.
Tchau.

Bimbola

Last week in São Paulo

Yesterday I went on the "unofficial" CIEE trip to the Museum of Afro Brazilian Art with my Brazilian Culture professor Wilson Honoria da Silva.
Wilson is a self identified Queer, Black, Marxist and brings the race, class and gender critique that I'm used to on the daily.Formally, he's an art theorist focusing predominately on film. I appreciate Wilson because not only is he brilliant but he also cares so deeply about what he studies that he doesn't care who is makes uncomfortable (and he makes a lot of people uncomfortable). Intellectually, being here has been quite the change from Macalester--Wilson is like a little slice of home on tough days.
The Museum of Afro-Brazilian Art is in Ibiraquera Park, a huge park near Avenida Paulista full of people working on their fitness. The Museum is hidden in some trees and mostly unlabeled, which says a lot about the role of the museum in the city.

The museum is wonderful.

It's full of art, photography and artifacts capturing the history of Black and Indigenous people in the country. There's also a huge exhibit called "From King to Obama," which features a ton of Obama gear. There is another exhibit of pieces from the United States which was brought to São Paulo by Donna Wells who was a curator at Howard University. I believe Wilson said the goal was to create a space to explore the differences and similarities between North American and Brazilian Black art without mixing them all up. For some reason seeing the pieces from the United States in that context was very comforting for me. And the two bodies of work co-existed so perfectly that I was reminded of how universal art really is.
Also, while in that particular exhibit I literally stumbled upon a Kara Walker installation created just for the museum. It was surreal to actually get to see something of Kara Walker's but in Brazil...and on accident. The piece was smaller and not as graphic as the ones I had seen in books. It was still exciting to finally see one in person and maybe better that it wasn't hyped up and super controversial. In fact, people seemed to hardly know who Kara Walker was.

Last night I went out with Olivia and some of her friends (very cool people). Her boyfriend Raul's band, Liberta and a another band, The Forgotten Boys were playing at a club named Inferno on Rua August. Rua Augusta is an extremely hip street.There,I saw the densest population of hipsters that I've probably ever seen in my life.It was a nice change from the "orange county chic" style that seems to be what is considered hot here.
I danced all night, resisting an incredible urge to mosh(don't know where that came from). We ended the night at 5am.

I have three more days here in São Paulo and I feel like it's coming at a good time. I'm feeling good about São Paulo but ready for the beach and a slower pace.I'd like to return before I leave Brazil but maybe that fact will change once I get to Salvador: )

This was a long one. Thanks for hanging in there.
Beijos.

Bimbola

Lull

I'm starting Sunday morning with a whole bunch of indie-rock from the good ole U.S of A. I like Brazilian music but I miss knowing the words to songs--and what they mean.

Last night we went to a soccer game. São Paulo was playing Rio Claro and Olivia gave me a snazzy fan shirt that I received many compliments on. The game could have been fun. But once again, rain ruins everything especially if you already don't like sports.
There was this section of die hard fans that were almost more interesting than the game. They looked like they were having fun even when it started raining. They didn't even put on ponchos. They just drummed harder and jumped higher.
After the game we walked maybe a mile to the bus stop and then rode the bus to the metro and from the metro I payed a taxi driver too much to get us lost.
I got home around 11:30 and called it a night.
I won't lie, I felt pretty lame but I just haven't had much desire to go out this weekend.

It could be that I'm spending way more money than I expected and I haven't even paid my cellphone bill yet.

It could be that the people here are too fashionable and I sort of just want to go out in jeans and a t-shirt.

I'm not sweating it though. As Andrew Bird says, "Being alone, it can be quite romantic, like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic."
I'd like to paint today, so I think that I'll go do that.

Bimbola

It's been a very rainy week.

Last night I went to to see my friend Maurício's band play at a little bar in Vida Madelena (the bohemian neighborhood). The ensemble included a Mandolin, a guitar, some percussion, a flute and female vocals occasionally. All of the musicians were extremely talented.

On that note, Mauricio is a star on the Mandolin and at the age of 22, I think a prodigy. During the show it rained and rained and after, it was pouring so hard that we couldn't leave. No worries though, I returned home safely.

It's true that you need a connection to access cool people and places in this enormous city(a Brazilian girl told me this). Maurício has a plethora of friends and acquaintances and they're almost all artists of some sort (dancers, film makers, painters, other musicians). His best friend happens to be studying Afro-Brazilian History and dropped a lot of history on Salvador last night. It was all in Portuguese but surprisingly I understood most of it.
On Tuesday night I met a group of Brazilians who had all spent some time in The States(random places like Texas and Oklahoma) and spoke English which made it easier for me to prove that I actually had a personality.
For some reason they knew a ton about Missouri. One guy asked me about Silver Dollar City and then told me he had been there. I think only my Missouri friends will understand how ridiculous that is.

Mostly it's exciting that I've been able to find people like me in this city of 10 million people. I'm only here for two more weeks but I'm glad that I'm starting to feel genuinely comfortable in São Paulo. Beijos.

-B

Bijoux

Today I only had morning Portuguese class so at eleven I went home for lunch ( which included a DELICIOUS Moroccan chicken dish and the most perfect mango my lips have ever touched) and then I decided to take a little outing on my own. The destination was Rua 25 de Marzo, a street famous for being a place where you can buy anything and everything for cheap. Apparently around Christmas it's so packed that cars cant even drive through.
I went in search of a bag smaller than my backpack and bigger than my purse to put my school stuff in. In order to get there I first walk 15 minutes to the subway, transfer lines and it took my straight there. Once at Rua 25 de Marzo,(after a bit of walking to find the exact street) I paced the streets for hours. It was weird, there were hundreds of vendors selling more or less the same things. I can't tell you how many stores with "Bijoux" in the name and millions of rhinestone accessories inside I found. Imagine if every single dollar store in the world was put on one street.

Also, a lot of stores had a minimum purchase rule. So there would be a sign saying that you had to spend a minimum of 50 Reais, for example.
I mean, really? Why would I want 27 dollars worth of lame hair clips and cheap bracelets?

All in all, there was a lot of stuff but nothing that I wanted. It was very difficult to find a classic and practical bag among so many jeweled and patent leather accessories. Also, things were cheaper than at the mall, but not necessarily a good buy. I've found this to be mostly true everywhere here. Today in class we learned about how filthy rich Sao Paulo is. Really. Filthy rich. Somewhere in this city someone is bathing nude in blood diamonds.
That's probably why nothing is a good buy. Because most of the people here don't care about deals.
After I left Rua 25 de Marzo(several hours later) I got on the subway and headed back home. I decided to try a different route from the subway and ended up very lost and having to catch a cab(he actually ended up driving like a block too far up from where I needed to get off, so I had to walk a ways to my house anyway.)
I told my host mom and Sophia that I went to Rua 25 de Marzo and they were all, "You went by yourself?!" Which is interesting considering it's the only place where I wasn't hit on by an old creeper.
I told them that It wasn't crowded or scary. Just tacky. I have quite a bit of homework tonight so I'll be starting that. I'm pretty exhausted from the day. I can't say it was great, but it was definitely worthwhile. Beijos.

Lição

I spent basically all afternoon doing this absurdly tedious homework packet for Portuguese class.I just finished.I don't think that I'm exaggerating when I say that no homework has ever taken me that long. It doesn't feel that satisfying.

-B

Mosquitos biting my legs.

This morning I walked myself to the CIEE office
where I have my 4 hour Portuguese class. It's about a 15 minute walk
and the street that I have to walk the longest on is incredibly steep.
In fact, so steep that you can't see the top. The trek was definitely a struggle,but then I arrived sweating and exhausted and felt so accomplished.

I'll say it again: I love my 4 hour Portuguese class.
I didn't think it was possible but it flies by.

For lunch we went to a restaurant where they charge you by how much your plate weighs. They're pretty popular. The meat here is really good. I'm not a huge meat person but once again the meat here is delicious. Especially the beef. Oh and I had great lemon mousse.

The afternoon Brazilian culture lecture was substantially better today. I could actually understand a lot of what he was saying. I don't know if I'm getting better or it was just a clearer lecture.

I think I'm getting better.

After class, Fernanda one of the CIEE workers who is actually only 22 and a student at the University here, took me to her mom's dentist where there were the best dressed receptionists that I've ever seen. The dentist was an incredibly sweet lady with a cute little blond braid. She also spoke English which was helpful. She fixed my tooth (a fractured filling) and cleaned my teeth for 150 Reais which is like 80 dollars maybe.I didn't even need anesthesia. Then she gave Fernanda and me the little toothpaste tubes. She might be the best dentist I've ever had.
Fernanda just dropped me off back at home in a taxi.
I know it's still really early but I get why Americans come here and
just stay. It's been one of those days where you come home really happy. The mosquitos are out to play but I feel good. Beijos!

B

Eu adoro

I moved in with my host family this week. My host mom is a journalist. Her name is Nelcy. I also have two host sisters Olivia (18) and Sophia (21). Sophia has a boyfriend named Ricardo who I consider my host brother. I adore my host siblings. They are hilarious and in general good company. They've really gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable. We've been speaking in English which I know is bad, but it was really important to me to establish a relationship with them first. We'll start with Portuguese this week for sure. I've asked Nelcy to start speaking to me in Portuguese and she does. Then I look confused. And she repeats it. Then she repeats it again in English.
They live in a beautiful peach and teal home with a garden in the front. Their house is full of art and contemporary furniture and the kitchen has 50's style black and white tile. My room is small but very comfortable (Barbie sheets!). I have a wonderful view of rooftops from my window and there's also a pomegranate tree (too far to reach).

Today was my first day of class. I love my Portuguese teacher. She has some excellent teaching methods. I spoke more Portuguese in class today than I have since I began learning the language. There was some awkward racial stuff but I think that will happen a lot while I'm here so I won't sweat it...yet. The class on Brazilian culture proved to be much harder. Picture a one hour lecture on modernism in a language that you don't really understand. I had an awful headache by the end. After class my host mom picked me up and we went home. I took two pain meds and "napped" until 7:30pm. Oh I also discovered today that I chipped a molar sometime this afternoon. It's sort of sharp but otherwise I don't notice it. I should go to a dentist. I'll see if CIEE can help me tomorrow.

Now because of my odd sleep schedule I'm not entirely sure when to go to bed. That being said I am feeling tired again. I'm not exactly sure why I'm so exhausted. I think it's probably the heat. I've been watching American television with Portuguese subtitles all night. It's great. Super helpful. The best are music videos because lyrics are typically very simple.
On a final note, today my dad signed an e-mail "Tchau!" So very sweet.

Beijos,
B

Day 1

I'm here and everything is wonderful. Really.
I keep comparing this to the first week of college. Remember how time felt like it was flying by because so much was happening? I feel like I've been here much longer than 1 day.

CIEE has put us up in a very nice hotel for orientation. There's wonderful art on the walls. This morning I woke up late and as I was reaching for a pair of jeans and a sweater I remembered that I was in Brazil. What a fantastic realization.

Yesterday was a lot of meeting people and eating. We went to a buffet for lunch and I was surprised to find that I had no clue what anything was. I could tell what was meat and what was pasta and what was vegetables but I couldn't really read the signs or make out specific flavors. Although everything was delicious that was definitely my "Shit, I'm in Brazil for real" moment. After lunch I went and found Angela.
There are no words to express how good it is to have a close friend nearby at moments like these. We hugged and hugged like we hadn't seen each other in years. Interestingly enough, Angela is rooming with a girl who goes to MU and is friends with my friend since middle school, Noah. They're both so comforting to have here--two "hometown" connections.
Later that evening we did some orientation stuff and had dinner and then the CIEE people told us they were taking us dancing. We walked about two miles to a club which wasn't open yet at 11:00pm (we are not in Minnesota anymore) and then got cabs and headed back to a place closer to the hotel. The walk ended up not being in vain because we got a great walking tour of the city. The club was fun and we headed back around 1 which was perfect for our 7am wake up call this morning. Today is mostly more orientation. I'm meeting my host family tonight which is a little scary even though they seem very nice.
I probably wont write everyday but I think that it's important to write at the beginning at least.

Tchau!

-B

Update

My flight arrived to Chicago on Wednesday morning almost 30 minutes late. As a result I missed the block of time for visa inquiries at the consulate but knew I could return on Thursday and tried not to sweat it.
On Thursday at the consulate I sat in the oddly sterile waiting room with my heart frantically beating out of my chest. I think I knew things were going to be okay when I heard the guy ahead of me (one of four, middle aged White guys traveling to Brazil "on business") go up to the window and say "Hey I need a visa to Brazil and I'm leaving on January 9th. Can I get one by then?" and the woman replied "Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem." I remember being annoyed with him and the ease with which he asked the question and I still don't understand why anyone who intentionally wait last minute to apply for a visa.
Once I got to the window myself, I explained the situation, the lady took my application and then told me "You're leaving on January 8th? We'll send it either on Monday or Tuesday. Is that okay?" And that was it. So, God granted, I should have my visa by Wednesday and leave on time.
Currently I'm in Minnesota buying my time until January 3rd when a flight back to Missouri was cheaper. Despite all of the last minute traveling and stress, I've actually had a lot of fun the past few days.Go figure.

7 days and counting.
-B