In Belem in time for Carnaval!

I have been in Belem for about ten days now although it definitely does not feel like it has been that long. This is where I am meant to be at this stage in my life. I feel much more at peace here than I did in Lavras. The day after I got here I went to my new university - Universidade Federal Rural da Amazonia (UFRA) and looked at the possible courses that I will be taking...in Portuguese of course. I choose to take Parasitology and Control of Microbiology which are both disciplinas (classes) for Medicina Veterinaria (Veterinary Medicine) because I figured these should go well with my internship with the Evandro Chagas Institute where they study tropical and infectious diseases. Anyway the day after I had to register for my classes and then I went on my first hike through the forest!

It was freshman week so at the end of the week they have the tradition of going on a hike which includes crossing a small river on a fallen tree. My host sister, Joely, was helping with freshman week so I went along with her. During the hike there were a couple mud fights that I almost avoided but the last one involved running in order to get away which I was able to do until I got to some very muddy spots and the apprehension with my knee caused me to slow down a bit and caught in some of the crossfire. Ha! It was still fun. Unfortunately I do not have pictures because I didn't want to ruin my camera. We were supposed to have a little forró (a type of music and dance) festa afterward but due to all the mud, we wanted to shower first. Then it started pouring and we decided just to go home and not return...there will be more forró opportunities in the future.

On the 18th of February we left for the town Mosqueiro for Carnaval. Carnaval is a nationwide holiday that takes place before Ash Wednesday and Lent. I think it is actually a really neat concept. For five days everyone relaxes...granted some people relax in other ways than others. I think across the world most people associate Carnaval with Rio de Janeiro and the parades that include many schools of samba with intricate floats and costumes. However, in other places of Brazil it is a bit more low key and I was able to experience a little of both sides of carnaval. I was in a large house with at least 20 other people and we all stayed in three rooms, sleeping on air mattresses and hammocks.

The house that we were in also had water issues so the upstairs bathroom did not have water at all and the downstairs shower sometimes didn't work. So imagine over 20 people needing to shower using one bathroom and some buckets...somehow we managed just fine and no one complained, it was lovely. People here are very relaxed and just go with the flow...it is great!

Anyway, so the activities of Carnaval...

For me, I spent many hours playing card games. My first interaction with many of my new friends was through card games. When we first arrived at the house, they were starting a game of mentiroso (liar) which is similar to BS. I won the first two games and so began the the week of cards! We also played a few games of poker and a Brazilian card game that I had learned in Lavras called Truco...I actually had to help teach some of them how to play and now I have played many many games of Truco. I enjoyed playing cards with my friends, it was a way for me to be actively among them and listen to them speak Portuguese and try to pick up on what they were saying. I learned quite a bit during that time. What is nice is that many of the students here have studied English so they are able to help me as I strive to learn Portuguese and I am able to help them a little bit with their English. During our many hours of playing, I was able to feel a little more comfortable with asking questions and practicing my Portuguese.

A few of the nights, we went to the villa which is at the center/square of the town. On one of the nights they had a parade of a few samba schools but unfortunately I wasn't really able to see any of it because we missed them when they passed by. However, that night I was able to try Tacacá which is a soup specific to the amazon region of Brazil that consists of tucupi, the gum of mandioca, shrimp, jambu, and other things. That probably doesn't explain anything but it was a yellow broth with shrimp, a green sort of foliage and people eat this extremely hot and one of the ingredients has an anesthetic effect on your mouth and lips that makes them go a little numb. It was very interesting... apparently the tacaca that I tried was weak which was probably good for my first time trying it. Another thing that I tried was tapioca...they do many things with tapioca here and you can have it with cheese and ham or more like a dessert with coconut and condensed milk. It is delicious both ways. During this adventure of tasting native foods, I was with 3 Brazilians that did not speak English at all and I really enjoyed my time with them. It was neat to see how much they loved showing parts of their culture to me and communicating with me in ways that I could understand...if I did not know the definition of a word, then they would try to explain things in a different way so that I could understand what they were meaning. It is experiences like these that I enjoy...there is a struggle but when you are able to figure things out it is so much more rewarding.

Another day we were going to go to the villa and everyone was getting ready...how did they do that? Well the males dressed as females and some of the girls dressed as guys. It was quite entertaining to see how the mannerisms of some people change when they are in the outfits of the opposite sex. As I was watching and enjoying this, I was asked several times to join in and dress as an homem (man)...after several times of refusal I thought to myself, well why not...I'm in Brazil and it's Carnaval! My mom had told me that while she and my dad were living in Brazil they both dressed up for a Carnaval party in the attire of the opposite sex. So hey, I went for it and now I can say that I have done so and never need to again! Hehehe...oh the crazyness of Brazil at Carnaval.

          

So on our way to the villa, we were walking along and came across another group of he-shes and she-hes who were walking behind a car with music. We joined them in their walk and called to other parties of people to join as we went along. The "leader" of the other group was like a Brazilian Richard Simmons, he was hilarious. For every song he would lead the group in some sort of choreographed dance...it was very entertaining. Anyway, we walked toward the villa and then as we got closer I realized that we had become part of the parade. We were even announced by the men above the stands and danced in front of many people sitting on bleachers. What started out as our house of about 20 people turned into a huge group of easily 60 or more people. It was wild but oh so fun! There were moments during the whole thing where I just laughed to myself thinking...wow, this is real life! Ha, only in Brazil! I will never forget that experience.

I truly enjoyed my time during Carnaval and the opportunity to meet so many people and make new friends. Being around so many people for 5 days in a row also helped expose me to the culture more. People here seem to show their general love for each other more than in the US, whether it be strangers, friends, or significant others. They kiss each other on the cheek when they greet each other or say goodbye. I don't know exactly how to describe it but there is a greater feeling of love and less barriers that are put up here. It is an interesting contrast and maybe I'll be able to better describe it as I become more exposed to the culture...I'll keep you updated. Abracos e Beijos!

 

My Trip to Rio

Before heading to Belem, I had the opportunity to stay in Rio de Janeiro for a little over 3 days. While there I stayed in the apartment of my late grandma (Vovó) which will probably be the last time that anyone from my family is able to stay there because they are preparing to sell it. I was also able to meet both of my uncles on my dad's side for the first time that I can actually remember.

Although the trip was only for a few days, my time in Rio was very special and impactful. It was strange to be there without Vovó and I miss her dearly but I am also thankful that she is in a more peaceful place. I enjoyed talking with my uncle about some of his many life stories, especially those that included my dad and grandparents. My dad is an amazing man and I am so blessed to have him as my father. Through some of the stories, it is very evident that I have acquired several of his traits such as being very slow and meticulous at many things such as studying. It was very important for me to be there and as I reflect, tears fill my eyes. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful memories that I have from being in Rio and in that apartment. Before my study abroad experience, that was my primary picture of what Brazil was like. I will forever treasure that place and the people that have filled it and my heart.

Along with visiting my uncles, I was able to go to Copacabana beach, Ipanema beach, and Corcovado - Cristo Redentor with some of the other American students...it is truly breathtaking being there.

I enjoyed the few days that I was in Rio and I think it provided the perfect transition from Lavras to Belem.

I'm in Belem already!

It is hard to believe that I have been in Brazil for 7 weeks already! The last few weeks in Lavras were very full of some exciting adventures. Then I was able to spend a few days in Rio de Janeiro before flying to my new home in Belem, Para. I'm sorry that I have been so bad at updating this blog. I had limited access to the internet and I have an online class that takes up much of my internet time.

Alright, time to recap a little.

One of my favorite people in Lavras is another girl who rents from the same woman that I did and her name is Lilian. Although we sometimes struggled with the communication aspect, I feel as though we connected quite well. I would sit near her at every meal. She introduced new Brasilian music to me and encouraged me to look up the lyrics in order to try to learn more Portuguese and the proper pronunciation. We also played pool  (sinuca) together (and won) and went to the fair/market in the square. I really enjoyed spending time with her. I already miss her but I am very thankful that I was able to meet her in Lavras. There are many other people that I met in Lavras, but I would have to say that she sticks out as one of my favorites that I will always treasure and remember.

I did many things in Lavras, mostly my Portuguese class which involved several adventures. As our final project, all the students put together a slide show of our experiences in Lavras. I would like to attach it here so that you all may see it but I am not sure how to do that. We did many things in class. The last few weeks we visited different places to ask people questions and converse with them. We went to a few schools and spoke with the students of our instructor's English classes. It was a neat experience to converse with people in Portuguese and then the next day having them try to ask us some of the same questions in English. I really enjoyed talking with the students, they ranged in ages from about 11 to 17. We also had class in a gym where we were instructed how to do some exercises and stretches in Portuguese. Another day we went to a veterinary clinic and asked them some questions about what they do. We conversed with a few professors at the university (UFLA) as well about some of the expectations of what classes will be. Of course we had classroom sessions as well which were very helpful with learning some of the grammatical aspects of the language. Overall it was a good course and I'm glad that my first five weeks were focused on learning Portuguese.

Along with the class, we also had the opportunity of experiencing some of the culture through festas and going out. We went to one graduation party on campus that was quite fun. It had good food, good music, some dancing and provided a good way of meeting some new people and practicing some of our Portuguese. I will always think fondly of Lavras, it was a good place for me to be for the beginning of this experience but I am so very happy that I am in Belem. I feel as though I am going to grow so much more here. I will elaborate on some of my other experiences in Rio and Belem in other posts, but this one wraps up Lavras.