brasil
i have just returned from São Paulo, Brasil.
well, actually i was in São José dos Campos. i went because a friend of mine was getting married. his wife is from this area. i believe...although, i could be wrong, but i think this is correct because we did spend some time here, she is actually from Jacareí.
i also spent some time in Campos do Jordão.
i will have some pictures up soon. i didn't have a camera but other people did so i am sure there will be plenty of photographic evidence of my being in Brasil soon enough. when i get them, i will post them, have no fear. my mother wants to see them too.
i had a fantastic time but it was too short. i was only there for a week. technically only for 5 days as 2 of my days were spent just traveling. no direct flight from baltimore to sao paulo - so i had to spend a good deal of time in the miami airport.
my first day i spent in Sao Paulo. i arrived in the city around 8 am and made it through customs with my bags and all of that by around 9 i guess. from the airport we (brandon (the groom), g (the bride), edu (the good friend of the brides), and myself (friend of the groom, writer of this blog, and otherwise good guy)) went to downtown Sao Paolo. the traffic didn't seem as bad as i have heard. although, it should be noted, i wasn't driving and i really didn't care. i was looking around. feeling the sun. thankful to have survived the 20 hours of traveling.
we went to the market. lots of people. lots of stores. a good number of cops walking around. edu told me it was dangerous and not to say too much - as my lack of portuguese and conspicuous american accent would give me away. it never really felt dangerous though. it felt...oddly...like being at the Huntington Park market except bigger (for a refresher, i went to high school nearby in Downey, CA)...and instead of spanish it was portuguese. or even parts of manhattan. at one point i heard the yells of "HOPPAH! HOPPAH!" (note: this is probably not how it is spelled in Portuguese but it is how it sounds...to me anyway) - at then i saw several street merchants quickly pack their stuff and run. hoppah turns out to be code for police. the street merchants on the run are illegal. so not even in the country for 4 hours and already witness to criminal activity. sweet.
for lunch we ate at this historic site - to which i cannot remember the name of - and i drank some Chopp. Chopp is either the draft version of a pale lager beer or it is somehow slightly different in some way that was never quite clear to me. in the can, the pale lager, is called rather plainly by the brand name and referred to as a 'cerveja' which to you spanish speakers out there is quite close to 'cerveza'
actually there were a number of words that were close between the two languages. i did use a book and i did study a little before going down there (not wanting to seem completely idiotic or helpless) but when i ran into a little bit of a hard time i turned to spanish and it was helpful more than once but it is by no means helpful all by itself. however, a quick review of the similarities and differences i found...
mind, i don't know how to spell very well and i am too lazy to look it up so i am going to spell it as i pronounce it...which in itself is probably not accurate either...but you'll have to trust me...or look it up yourself you lazy bastard
the numbers are essentially the same but several are pronounced differently. namely ocho - oiyto and once becomes onzi
bien becomes beng
bueno becomes bong
mas becomes mais
pero beocmes mas (yeah...that is confusing isn't it?)
muy becomes muito
mucho becomes muito
dia becomes jia
queso is keijo
cerveza is cerveja
todo is tudo
llama is shama (as in como se llama - will be como se shama)
dice becomes jeez or geez or geeze...never was sure but they seemed to understand and answer me anyway (so como se dice becomes como se jeez)
el is ele
ella is ela or something...i forget now
pollo is frango
carne is carne - so no change there
asada is asada so no change there
esta is shta (although spelled exactly the same - so the expression "como esta" is pronounced como shta but actually spelled como esta)
tu is essentially nonexitent
usted becomes voce - which is used nearly exclusively
yo becomes eu
the "r" is pronounced like the english "h" unless in the middle of word flanked on either side by a vowel then it is pronounced somewhat like the english "d"
the "lh" becomes the spanish "ll" or the english "y" or possibly "j" type sound
"th" is pronounced like "ch"
and the whole "ão" sound i NEVER got right but it is a nasal sound, something like "owng" or "awng" - unfortunately for me the damn sound is everywhere.
que, como, cuantos, qual all were the same
se, te were the same
and there was more but i won't bore you all with it or amaze you with my spanish ability. which only a few of you truly know. growing up in LA is not without is advantages.
anyway, i forget where i was going with this all.
i did things. bought things. went places. ate corizon de galina and other local favorites. it was all a good time.
the wedding was uniquely wonderfully. it was the best wedding i have ever been to. the party after the ceremony was awesome. the dancing, the drinking, the general happiness of everyone was really fantastic. there were about 100 or 120 people there. at the party i was invited up the center of the dance floor by the dj.
apparently a young lady wanted to have a dance with me. so, they played a nice slow jam and we danced.....with a huge circle around us....clapping....taking pictures....it was both very nice (she was a good looking girl) and a bit uncomfortable (all the people...in a circle...clapping...)...and then they started yelling/chanting...bejo! bejo! (beso)...i kissed the girl.....on the cheek...not without wanting...or trying to kiss her...she said she didn't want to kiss....ah...so...there you have it. cat and mouse game.
afterwards we danced (more clubish type music) - she has really hypnotic type eyes. i wasn't drunk - actually i was barely drinking - having to be part of the whole ceremony and photographs afterwards i missed out on a lot of drinking time. and then it was dance time and how can you drink beers and dance? not with my moves baby! i gots to move!
anyway...at one point, dancing with her...i found myself incredibly compelled to kiss her...but i didn't...instead i broke eye contact...made a joke of sorts...and in a confused like wonder walked off to find air and a drink.
we danced again, talked, she speaks english really well. between the two of us and my book we did fairly well. i said she was pretty, she said i was drunk and just wanted to get laid. a stinging rebuke to which i could only muster the weak protest of not being drunk. i wasn't drunk. as for the other part...is so simple as that? what man would turn down a good looking woman? but by saying that i suggest that i am shallow and have no desire for more meaning or connection. by saying that i wouldn't want sex is to be a bit of a liar. i wasn't looking for it, but i wouldn't necessarily turn it down either, but then again...i may not accept, as is in my odd and cruel nature. but, my point being, it is entirely unfair and being that i am not so capable with her language, i felt a quite disadvantage to paint myself in a better light. so, she played with my emotions i think. the seductive looks. the pointed barbs about my intentions. am i coming or going? i held her close, had my mouth just barely away from her ear, she gave a small laugh and her hold on me tensed for just a moment, she then pushed me away slightly - not so far as to break the hold but far enough to see her face. with a smile she said "no". a slight smile, a slight shrug, a slight eyebrow raised was my response. we talked about going out to a club but nothing came of it. instead we went home...our separate homes...mine of course being a hotel room.
i met up with her the next day for about an hour or so. again my caution and another moment went by.
then the following day i left. and now i am here.
she knows edu. they are friends. i am sending edu some Scotch. apparently Johnny Walker is a huge thing down there but they have never heard of Dalmore. so, i am going to send him a bottle. with that i will send him a letter for clay (that is how her name sounded...or rather, her nickname...her name is longer and i have no ability at all to spell it correctly - but don't worry, i will get that from the bride, when she returns with the groom (my friend, brandon) on saturday). i thought it would be nice to have a pen pal.
actual letters. i figured i can write in some english, and some portuguese. i don't expect any romance but even the possibility of one should make the entire writing process better. the idea of writing letters to me seems...charming...romantic...even if nothing of a 'relationship' comes of it..the idea is charming and romantic...and interesting to me.
anyway...i am off to work tomorrow.
oh, i have been asked to write a short story for a friend of mine to put in a short story collection. due in september i think. must be original he said.
i haven't written anything in a long time. i haven't been published in well over a year. perhaps 2. i don't even know.
so...hopefully i can write something. something not horrible. i think it is his way of pushing me to write. heh. well, it is good...somebody should kick my ass every so often.
i hope all is well with you.
well, actually i was in São José dos Campos. i went because a friend of mine was getting married. his wife is from this area. i believe...although, i could be wrong, but i think this is correct because we did spend some time here, she is actually from Jacareí.
i also spent some time in Campos do Jordão.
i will have some pictures up soon. i didn't have a camera but other people did so i am sure there will be plenty of photographic evidence of my being in Brasil soon enough. when i get them, i will post them, have no fear. my mother wants to see them too.
i had a fantastic time but it was too short. i was only there for a week. technically only for 5 days as 2 of my days were spent just traveling. no direct flight from baltimore to sao paulo - so i had to spend a good deal of time in the miami airport.
my first day i spent in Sao Paulo. i arrived in the city around 8 am and made it through customs with my bags and all of that by around 9 i guess. from the airport we (brandon (the groom), g (the bride), edu (the good friend of the brides), and myself (friend of the groom, writer of this blog, and otherwise good guy)) went to downtown Sao Paolo. the traffic didn't seem as bad as i have heard. although, it should be noted, i wasn't driving and i really didn't care. i was looking around. feeling the sun. thankful to have survived the 20 hours of traveling.
we went to the market. lots of people. lots of stores. a good number of cops walking around. edu told me it was dangerous and not to say too much - as my lack of portuguese and conspicuous american accent would give me away. it never really felt dangerous though. it felt...oddly...like being at the Huntington Park market except bigger (for a refresher, i went to high school nearby in Downey, CA)...and instead of spanish it was portuguese. or even parts of manhattan. at one point i heard the yells of "HOPPAH! HOPPAH!" (note: this is probably not how it is spelled in Portuguese but it is how it sounds...to me anyway) - at then i saw several street merchants quickly pack their stuff and run. hoppah turns out to be code for police. the street merchants on the run are illegal. so not even in the country for 4 hours and already witness to criminal activity. sweet.
for lunch we ate at this historic site - to which i cannot remember the name of - and i drank some Chopp. Chopp is either the draft version of a pale lager beer or it is somehow slightly different in some way that was never quite clear to me. in the can, the pale lager, is called rather plainly by the brand name and referred to as a 'cerveja' which to you spanish speakers out there is quite close to 'cerveza'
actually there were a number of words that were close between the two languages. i did use a book and i did study a little before going down there (not wanting to seem completely idiotic or helpless) but when i ran into a little bit of a hard time i turned to spanish and it was helpful more than once but it is by no means helpful all by itself. however, a quick review of the similarities and differences i found...
mind, i don't know how to spell very well and i am too lazy to look it up so i am going to spell it as i pronounce it...which in itself is probably not accurate either...but you'll have to trust me...or look it up yourself you lazy bastard
the numbers are essentially the same but several are pronounced differently. namely ocho - oiyto and once becomes onzi
bien becomes beng
bueno becomes bong
mas becomes mais
pero beocmes mas (yeah...that is confusing isn't it?)
muy becomes muito
mucho becomes muito
dia becomes jia
queso is keijo
cerveza is cerveja
todo is tudo
llama is shama (as in como se llama - will be como se shama)
dice becomes jeez or geez or geeze...never was sure but they seemed to understand and answer me anyway (so como se dice becomes como se jeez)
el is ele
ella is ela or something...i forget now
pollo is frango
carne is carne - so no change there
asada is asada so no change there
esta is shta (although spelled exactly the same - so the expression "como esta" is pronounced como shta but actually spelled como esta)
tu is essentially nonexitent
usted becomes voce - which is used nearly exclusively
yo becomes eu
the "r" is pronounced like the english "h" unless in the middle of word flanked on either side by a vowel then it is pronounced somewhat like the english "d"
the "lh" becomes the spanish "ll" or the english "y" or possibly "j" type sound
"th" is pronounced like "ch"
and the whole "ão" sound i NEVER got right but it is a nasal sound, something like "owng" or "awng" - unfortunately for me the damn sound is everywhere.
que, como, cuantos, qual all were the same
se, te were the same
and there was more but i won't bore you all with it or amaze you with my spanish ability. which only a few of you truly know. growing up in LA is not without is advantages.
anyway, i forget where i was going with this all.
i did things. bought things. went places. ate corizon de galina and other local favorites. it was all a good time.
the wedding was uniquely wonderfully. it was the best wedding i have ever been to. the party after the ceremony was awesome. the dancing, the drinking, the general happiness of everyone was really fantastic. there were about 100 or 120 people there. at the party i was invited up the center of the dance floor by the dj.
apparently a young lady wanted to have a dance with me. so, they played a nice slow jam and we danced.....with a huge circle around us....clapping....taking pictures....it was both very nice (she was a good looking girl) and a bit uncomfortable (all the people...in a circle...clapping...)...and then they started yelling/chanting...bejo! bejo! (beso)...i kissed the girl.....on the cheek...not without wanting...or trying to kiss her...she said she didn't want to kiss....ah...so...there you have it. cat and mouse game.
afterwards we danced (more clubish type music) - she has really hypnotic type eyes. i wasn't drunk - actually i was barely drinking - having to be part of the whole ceremony and photographs afterwards i missed out on a lot of drinking time. and then it was dance time and how can you drink beers and dance? not with my moves baby! i gots to move!
anyway...at one point, dancing with her...i found myself incredibly compelled to kiss her...but i didn't...instead i broke eye contact...made a joke of sorts...and in a confused like wonder walked off to find air and a drink.
we danced again, talked, she speaks english really well. between the two of us and my book we did fairly well. i said she was pretty, she said i was drunk and just wanted to get laid. a stinging rebuke to which i could only muster the weak protest of not being drunk. i wasn't drunk. as for the other part...is so simple as that? what man would turn down a good looking woman? but by saying that i suggest that i am shallow and have no desire for more meaning or connection. by saying that i wouldn't want sex is to be a bit of a liar. i wasn't looking for it, but i wouldn't necessarily turn it down either, but then again...i may not accept, as is in my odd and cruel nature. but, my point being, it is entirely unfair and being that i am not so capable with her language, i felt a quite disadvantage to paint myself in a better light. so, she played with my emotions i think. the seductive looks. the pointed barbs about my intentions. am i coming or going? i held her close, had my mouth just barely away from her ear, she gave a small laugh and her hold on me tensed for just a moment, she then pushed me away slightly - not so far as to break the hold but far enough to see her face. with a smile she said "no". a slight smile, a slight shrug, a slight eyebrow raised was my response. we talked about going out to a club but nothing came of it. instead we went home...our separate homes...mine of course being a hotel room.
i met up with her the next day for about an hour or so. again my caution and another moment went by.
then the following day i left. and now i am here.
she knows edu. they are friends. i am sending edu some Scotch. apparently Johnny Walker is a huge thing down there but they have never heard of Dalmore. so, i am going to send him a bottle. with that i will send him a letter for clay (that is how her name sounded...or rather, her nickname...her name is longer and i have no ability at all to spell it correctly - but don't worry, i will get that from the bride, when she returns with the groom (my friend, brandon) on saturday). i thought it would be nice to have a pen pal.
actual letters. i figured i can write in some english, and some portuguese. i don't expect any romance but even the possibility of one should make the entire writing process better. the idea of writing letters to me seems...charming...romantic...even if nothing of a 'relationship' comes of it..the idea is charming and romantic...and interesting to me.
anyway...i am off to work tomorrow.
oh, i have been asked to write a short story for a friend of mine to put in a short story collection. due in september i think. must be original he said.
i haven't written anything in a long time. i haven't been published in well over a year. perhaps 2. i don't even know.
so...hopefully i can write something. something not horrible. i think it is his way of pushing me to write. heh. well, it is good...somebody should kick my ass every so often.
i hope all is well with you.