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.