Leaving Brazil

I finish my last notebook of my "summer" break in Brazil as I sit in a hotel, room ready for my head to hit the pillow…and it is not even 7 pm. I had orientation with my classmates today and tomorrow at 4 am we leave the hotel and start the journey to Guatemala. I am so excited. Even though the last week and a half took forever, the whole trip seemed to fly by. These are the highlights of my last two weeks in Brazil. I will never be able to thank God enough for what He gave me here.

Catedral do Chopp

Two weeks before it was time for me to leave, my family and I drove to Campinas to watch Frank Henrique perform at Catedral do Chopp. My father and Frank Henrique met on a plane going from Miami to Nashville. My father shared his ibuprofen, and the two were fast friends, especially after they discovered they both had just come from Brazil! Frank has awesome hair and plays awesome music. He absolutely LOVES Elvis, but at the Catedral he mostly played Beatles and other oldies or popular Brazilian songs. I was so glad to meet Frank and his wife Alice. One of the highlights of our night at the Catedral occurred shortly after meeting Frank and Alice.

Dad: “Frank, how is your son?”

Frank: “Elvis is good.”

Frank has two sons. Their names are Elvis and Carlos. I have not met them…yet. The night continued as Frank began performing. Dad and I "sang along” to all the Brazilian songs, Mom sang along to all the American songs, and Jamie did not know any of the songs. Eventually some of Dad's co-workers joined us. It is always fun to meet Dad's co-workers. They really added to the party.  When there was a lull in the action we could watch a futebol (soccer) game on a TV. I glanced up at the TV and saw a player using some bottled water to wash blood of his uniform. This was good because that is what water is for. On a related note, the bathroom at Catedral do Chopp was especially exciting. Not only was their little plastic cups and a dispenser of mouthwash but the toilet-seat covers were heart-shaped.

At one point I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and right behind me was a woman selling flowers. Unfortunately, we had to turn her down because we did not have any money. A few minutes Alencar bought Jamie a flower.

Here is a picture of us outside Catedral do Chopp and the valet person went to get our car.

On the way home we got on the subject of what I call "greeting each other with a holy kiss." In Brazil, if you are a girl, you kiss everyone you are introduced to on a cheek. This kiss leads perfectly into a hug. If you are a boy, you kiss and hug all the girls. For certain people who were raised in cultures with different practices for greeting strangers, this can be a hard adjustment. A certain member of the family refuses to kiss strangers and does the cheek tap instead. This family member was, to the surprise of another family member, reinforced by my father. We asked whether he kisses the girls at work. He doesn’t, and he has this to share about his arrival to work each day.

“They’re all kissing and smooching all morning long and I’m like “Get to work!””

El Tambo

El Tambo is a Mexican restaurant in Campinas. Since Jamie and Mom love them some Taco Bell and Dad and I eat rice and beans every day at work, we were all ready for some authentic Mexican food (For us, that means nachos, quesadillas, tacos, etc.) We walked in and sat right inside the door and right across from the bar. The bar was where they prepared our drinks and where the food was brought from. Our seating gave us a nice view of what was going on behind the bar, which quickly became very suspicious. At first we were concerned because the new food was set on the same counter that had the dirty plates on it, but that was just the beginning. As our meal progressed, we would glance over at the counter and notice how food just seems to appear and dirty dishes seemed to disappear. We all just assumed that the kitchen was right next to the bar, but then we noticed there was a wall there. Many hypotheses about how this “magic act” took place surfaced (conveyer belt, really quick people, strange alien ways, etc.). The night was almost over and we had yet to discover how our plates were vanishing so quickly. I was watching the counter when I noticed a bowl of nachos rise from the depths. It was the most obvious thing, yet the thing no one would suspect: an elevator, an elevator counter for the food. Everyone’s mind was blown at how awesome that was.

Grocery Shopping

Since we only have one car and only one person can legally drive it, our excursions (specifically, grocery shopping) occur after Dad gets home from work and as a group. Usually grocery shopping is not too exciting, but I have gotten a lot of random joy out of our grocery shopping ways here. We enter the store together, but quickly go our separate ways. Mom has a list, the rest of us have an agenda. We all get the food we like and as we pass each other in the aisles we say “Oi!” Sometimes we call for each other to show something exciting or strange we found. Eventually we all meet back up to go over the booty. Mom has vegetables and other so-called “nourishing” foods. Jamie has chocolate milk. I have chocolate cookies. Dad has chocolate. I would have cereal but, I kid you not, there are only two cereals here: Frosted Flakes and Coco Puffs (On a later trip I saw Froot Loops at a ridiculously high price. Considering I do not like Froot Loops too much, I did not splurge).

Side note: The three above-listed cereals are only found in their off-brand form. In my head I call all brands by the popular brand name. Sorry, Sugar Saucers©.

Churassco

We had a traditional Brazilian barbeque at our house. Jamie invited friends we had made last year in Brazil and Dad invited some friends from work. Lots of people showed up and it was a really good time. We ate good food, learned to dance the Samba (I am kind of challenged in this regard so do not equate “learned” with successful completion), and it only rained about half the time. My family even got to show off our Portuguese language skills by singing for everyone our favorite Portuguese song, Faz Um Milagre Em Mim. If you would like to see a version of this song that does not hold a candle to ours, check out this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqKir6ze-sE  

One time in the kitchen…

There was only one day that I worked at the Paiol Restaurante. For most of the time I stood at the window that all the waitresses brought the used eating paraphernalia (plates covered with food, forks, knives, glasses, coffee cups, pop cans, etc.). I scraped the plates and emptied the glasses then put them in their respective sinks to be washed. I put the forks and knives in a big bowl to soak. Then I came to the pop cans. When I first approached that window, I noticed the pop can crusher affixed to the wall. For those of you who have lived in Michigan (or other states that have a pop can deposit) your whole life, you might not see why a pop can crusher would be useful. In fact, you might think (and rightfully so) that crushing a pop can is the biggest waste of ten (or five, depending on the state) cents in the world. In some states in the USA, cans have no deposit and are simply recycled or thrown away. To take up less space, they are crushed. I have very fond memories of crushing pop cans when we lived in Illinois, so I was really pumped to see that pop crusher, knowing that a good time of revisiting my childhood awaited me. I went all squirrel-holding-a-balloon-and-thorn on a pop can and the crusher, just to be sure I was right about what to do.

After my suspicions were confirmed, I put my whole heart into that first can-crushing. This particular crusher is not as enclosed as the one from my childhood, so the force of the crusher did not totally crush the can, but launched it halfway across the room.

Happy Birthday Mom

January 23^rd marked my mother’s 32^nd birthday, so to celebrate I gave in to her long-time wishes and let her cut my hair. She took off a few inches of dead hair from the bottom. Everyone is pleased with the results.

The Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turning

I know because I saw it.

I cannot really put words to this experience, but I have a video of it and I would love you all to watch it when I get back.

And So Life Continues…

As I continued my internship, I became more comfortable with my new friends. I would talk in English as I responded to them and asked questions. Even though they could not understand me, I think it was important that they know that I am proficient in at least one language. With three days left to go, I was promoted to Paid Intern. Of course, this was still an unpaid position, but I got to wear this cool name badge.

On my second to last day I was introduced to our four German guests. They only spoke German and English, so we were all quite excited to have each other’s company. When we met and they found out I learned some Portuguese and would soon be learning Spanish, they insisted that I should learn German, too. They taught me some phrases which I forgot before I had a chance to remember. I thank God for the time I spent at my internship not just because I will get college credit, but because of my friends and the memories I will always have. Despite all that, it was time for my internship to be over and for me to move on to different things...Guate, here I come!

Peace, peeps.

Interviews

Boge’s Bit

Andi: “Let’s face it; food is a very important part of living, so we will start there. What are your favorite things to eat here in Brazil?”

Jamie: “I eat meat, cheese, and….yeah.”

A: “Social life is vital for any teenager. Tell me about a few of your new friends.”

J: “Well, first there was Henrry and he was a pretty good friend considering he is so quiet. And then we met his family and that was exciting but not cutting it because you gotta have girlfriends to talk to, even though I talk to my old friends on Facebook all the time. So it was nice when we met Erika who speaks very good English because she travels so much. She was very fun, nice, and outgoing. I started to envy her life travels and she helped me realize I might want to travel more and experience more of life. Then we met Monique and Edna. They were very nice and fun. They quickly became another set of great friends.”

A: “What do you do with your friends for fun?”

J: “We went for a run and ice cream with Henrry. We went skydiving with Erika which was probably the best thing ever. Then we had a girl’s night out with Monique and Edna which was much needed and was a blast, filled with laughter.”

A: “What are the best things you’ve seen since you’ve been here?”

J: “Seeing Rio was great after hearing so much about it. The many attractions there were beautiful. Seeing the elephants at the zoo was very important to me because I love elephants. And playing with the monkeys in the backyard and feeding them bananas was an experience that was awesome to have because it was right in our own backyard.”

A: “Speaking of our backyard how is the TV here in Brazil?”

J: “Well, speaking of backyard, the TV is much better than expected. Having two channels in English is a nice, happy medium, except when they are both playing something in Portuguese which is unfortunate for everybody. Other than that, it is about the same as growing up having two channels: sometimes nothing good will be on.”

A: “What has been your experience with the Portuguese language?”

J: “I feel like I know the basics, enough to survive here. And all the yard boys keep telling me that I’m going to get cancer if I don’t wear sunscreen. Usually it is pretty funny talking to people in Portuguese. Like when Monique was trying to tell me where Andi and Edna where and she said. “Green, yellow, red, box” and finally she said “stop” and I realized she was trying to say stoplight and we both laughed a lot.”

A: “That’s a good story. Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?”

J: “They should probably all go skydiving.”

(A few minutes after interview was concluded)

J: “Hey, I’m not a teenager!”

A: “You’re a teenager.”

J: “I can drink alcohol and vote and drive where I want to.”

A: “As punishment for back talking me I am including all of this in the interview.”

Ed’s Eloquence

Dad is really hard to catch because he works so much, especially this week. Instead of conducting a full interview, I will include this quote, which basically sums up his life.

Ed: “Boge has no regard for toilet paper. She thinks it grows on trees.”

Col’s Clues

Andi: “Please state your name for the record.”

Colleen: “Colleen Marie Bogert.”

A: “What do you think of this weather?”

C: “I love the climate. I am a little sick of the last week of rain with the mud and the tracking [of mud into my house]. I prefer it cooler like it is now. 70s and 80s are better than 90s.”

A: What is the coolest thing you've seen since you've been here?”

C: “Macaquinhas (little monkeys), but it is tough between that and fruits and plants.”

A: “Speaking of plants, what do you think of the food here?”

C: “Healthy. They work hard to use all the nutrients God gave them in fruits and veggies. Look how hard it is to make the mandioca (a root, like a carrot or potato. You have to wash in then boil it then fry it or bake it)! Me personally, I don’t like their food near as much as ours, but ours is less nutritious.”

A: “What is your favorite new food you have tried since being here?”

C: “Maracujá (passion fruit).”

A: “Changing subjects, tell me about learning Portuguese and how it has been for you.”

C: “At times interesting but mostly frustrating because I keep forgetting what I learn. And then I get my fill…and my head wants to explode.”

A: “Looking back, did you ever think you would learn so much of another language?”

C: “No. People kept telling me I would be able to speak fluently after 6 months but I don’t believe that. I was hoping to have learned more by now but I kind of gave up. I haven’t been studying much.”

A: “Do you think you will have a continued interest in learning Portuguese after you move back to the Unites States?”

C: “Definitely not. Knowing that I am leaving, am I gonna take anything to study? No! Because I am not going to study.”

A: “Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?”

C: “Being here is a great reminder to pray for these people’s salvation. And it is a reminder to pray for our nation and our nation’s salvation.”

My Internship and Other Stories

I am doing my college practicum at Paiol. Paiol is known better by one of two names: Pousada Paiol or Paiol Restaurante. I work more for the pousada side of things. According to Google Translate, a pousada is a lodge, but I associate a lodge with skiing and snow, so think of a pousada as more of a hotel. Paiol is like an outdoor hotel. There are 28 chalets, as they call them. On the inside the chalets look like hotel rooms but on the outside they look like this picture from the website.

Specifically, People.

I work with a very interesting bunch of people. Most of them wear Crocs and talk to themselves. I feel partially responsible for the latter because I cannot carry on my half of the conversation, but there is not a good excuse for the Crocs. The only people who speak English at Paiol are Glynis (she is the manager and my supervisor) and the woman who I taught to say carrot, but she is not much of a conversationalist.

On Saturday I was yelled at by a girl I work with. She kept saying “feijões!?” And I don’t speak Portuguese so I had no idea what she was saying (especially because words are not spelled how they sound nor do they sound the same way they are spelled). The other girls kept saying she was crazy but I think they were just siding with me because they felt bad. Eventually she backed down and got Glynis. As Glynis walks in the room she is muttering something about beans. “The girls want to know why you do not have any beans. Do you like beans? Do you want beans?” Moral of the story: Don’t you dare even try to go a meal without eating beans.

Glynis really hates pictures of hearts on things. Naturally, I asked her why. Her response: “It’s a complex.” Then we moved on.

Mom guesses Tia Rosa to be 62 years young. Another day Glynis guessed her to be about 45, so her actual age is unknown. Tia Rosa is the cook who makes breakfast for the guests of Pousada Paiol. Sometimes she drives her motorcycle to work. Most people only have motorcycles to drive, but since this is Tia Rosa, driving the motorcycle is especially awesome. I have worked with her a few times, but this past Saturday it was just the two of us. I was around the corner washing dishes when I hear Gangnam Style. This popular song is the ringtone of precious Tia Rosa. To say the least, I was surprised. If you are not familiar with Gangnam Style, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0. I was even more surprised and delighted when on Monday Tia Rosa was wearing a Gangnam Style T-shirt. My day was made when I asked her about her shirt and she did the dance for me. As the only English words in the song go: hey, sexy lady.

Just when everyone in the world thought Tia Rosa could not get any cooler we find out that she named her son Kevin after the bird from UP.

I worked with Jane for two days straight. We worked together to make up the rooms and became pretty solid friends….or so I thought. She was the girl who was making a fuss about the beans. On Monday Jane proceeded to ask me about my jeans. She asked if they were new. They were kind of new, but I got them in the USA and had worn them a few times, so they were also not too new. I proceeded to tell her all that and she seemed to understand. Next thing I know she takes two keys out of my pocket. They were for chalets 9 and 15. Jane says “Nove. Quinze.” Then she points for me to hang them up where they go. I know my Portuguese numbers you guys, okay? And Jane knows I know them, so that all was kind of weird. But it is like Glynis says, “You have to be a little crazy to work in the hotel business.”

On Monday I worked with Jóse. As we cleaned, she taught me certain Portuguese words and then asked how to say them in English. I taught her bed and bathroom. As she practiced saying them she was laughing so much! This surprised me, because I do not think beds and bathrooms are laughing matters at all.

Monday was a very exciting day. It was made even better when I ate at least three kiwis at lunch. Also because I saw some soda called Skinka and everyone knows that skinks are the second best lizards alive today.

Monkeys and Mufasa

The little monkeys came to visit on Saturday. There are three big monkeys and two baby monkeys. They are actually pretty friendly. The two grown-up monkeys who match each other put their cute little hands on my finger to grab the banana. The papa monkey made the babies stay higher up, probably because he thought we would try to borrow the babies and keep them as pets, but I have no idea where he would get that crazy idea. I know that Papa Monkey thought this because a baby tried to come get some banana from me, but Papa Monkey scolded him and even smacked him on the face. Obviously, someone needs to give those babies a better home.

This just in: a monkey was spotted in the pool on Sunday. I know she was a monkey because of the way she clung to people’s back and arms out of fear of touching the bottom of the pool because “who knows what is down there.” Of course, I know what is down there because the pool is perfectly clear, but whatever. We decided to name this monkey Jamie. When I say we, I mean my parents…19 years ago.

The following scene and story reminded me on the scene from The Lion King when Mufasa is about to fall and Scar pushes him.

I was just trying to help Boge overcome her irrational fear of touching the bottom of the pool, but by this time I had stepped back to observe.

Boge: “Dad! Help me!”

Dad: “I can’t help you.”

Boge: “Noooooooo! I can feel the water getting in my ears! [gurgle]”

Speaking of Mufasa…I work with a boy named Fumaça.

Beware

Most houses in Horto Ivan (our condoplex) have 8-foot solid wood fences around them and metal gates to match. We have this nice bush line.

When I asked my mom why most houses have big fences and huge gates and we have nice bushes and a 4-footer, she played it off with an excuse something like, “Not everyone has big fences and gates.”

Usually when I walk up the hill from work, I want to walk through the bushes at the beginning of our yard and cut of the corner that is made by walking through the gate-hole. I have not actually done this because I am slightly afraid of what my mind suspects to live in those bushes. One day, Boge and I were coming down the hill from the track where we run when we decided to cut off a corner. She did so by entering through the suspicious gate that leads to our yard.

I have really been missing track practice, so I decided to see how my reflexes were. I hurdled over that bush line. Unlike my usual hurdle form, I decided to look down at the bush line as I went over it, you know, to confirm my mind’s suspicions. I was pretty surprised to see a one-foot solid concrete wall hiding in those bushes. Needless to say, I respect the bush wall a little more now.

Side note: So maybe you can see the concrete wall…but that is only because the boys randomly trimmed the hedge the day I took  the picture, which was a few days after the hurdle incident and the first time since I have been here.

Stuff People Said

One time I emailed my dad about our plans to go to the movie theatre so he responded with “Awesome!” This really surprised Mom because I guess Dad does not usually express emotion in emails. Later in the car we discussed it.

Mom: “(to Dad) I could just see your face light up with a big smile as you responded with those exclamation points!”

Me: “Let’s face it, Mom. His face was perfectly straight as he typed those exclamation points.

Dad: “I never have time to change faces.”

A few minutes later we called our good friend Henrry. Henrry works with Dad and is married and has a one-year old son named Pedro.  We called to ask about the policy of popcorn refills in Brazil. He was just at home walking Pedro.

As we drove through the parking lot by the mall the following conversation took place.

Me: What’s that?

Dad: “That is brand new luggage. He is probably going to the US for the first time ever. Little does he know he could pack his stuff in garbage bags and buy new luggage when he gets there for a fraction of the price.”

My father may have been jumping to a lot of conclusions about the man, but it is a great time to let you all know that everything costs a lot more in Brazil.

At lunch one day Dad made an announcement to Mom, Jamie, and I.

Dad: “Boys, we are going to church tomorrow.”

[Everyone is surprised and excited]

Dad: “Yep. That’s right. La Catedral de Chopp.”

Jamie: “Isn’t Chopp…beer?”

Mom: “Yes, draft beer.”

Andi: “The bar is called the church of draft beer?”

Dad: “Yes.” [he is so pleased at his joke]

Side note: We are going to the bar because my parents’ friend who is a musician is performing there.

Hang On

One day at work I washed rags the way most Brazilians wash their clothes and other linens. This process involves a big sink with a built-in washboard and a bar of soap. While this was kind of difficult and took time, it was pretty enjoyable and I am considering washing my clothes like that at SAU next year to save money.

For those of you who have been anxiously waiting, here are the outlets. Sorry it took so long, but it’s like they say. “Nothing comes easy. Hang on, ask the lonely.”

Boge’s Bit

“I had just gotten up from laying by the pool and I was going closer to the pool to lift my weights. So I stood up and Antonio [our gardener] was standing next to me working in the garden.” -Boge

Antonio: “Oi!”

Jamie: “Oi!”

A: [random Portuguese]

J: “Não falar.” (No speak)

A: “Cancer [hand symbol that represent the sun’s rays].”

Lizard we found in Dad's room.