Another day in the Amazon capital
First of all, I dont think I am ever going to learn Portuguese. Speaking another language is wicked fricken hard. Reading, writing and all that jazz I can handle but A.) understanding what the fuck people are saying B) Formulating a correct response in a resonable amount of time and conjugating the stupid verbs and c) figuring out how the fuck to pronounce shit is sooo hard. I really need to practice more, but I get so tired of getting that looking or having people say I cant understand you or saying that myself gets old and frustrating fast so I just end up not talking, which is worse.
Ive been here for a month, and I do love it, other than the language difficulties, which sittig here typing in English is not really helping. Im thinking of starting a journal in portugues or something like that to practice. The teacher asked today if we would like to live in Brasil, rather than the US, and I said yes unless I could live in New England. I am so homesick for that little part of the world, its pathetic.
At the same time I have such the bug to travel. I hope to go to Argentina and Paraguay while I am here. I want to go to the Foz do Iguaçu `the Iguacu falls` down on the border of the three countries. My spanish teacher from Argentina used to talk a lot about it. Ive always wanted to go and I feel like Im so close.
I finally found out the details of my housing in Rio. I´m going to be living in a 4bedroom apt. with 1 other person for 240rais per moth ($120). We could get a made for an additional R$50, $25per month, and internet for R$90per month split between us. The email said no overnight visitors of the opposite sex, because ´the walls are thin` ´but otherwise I really dont see any downsides. For about $300/month including food I´ll be living in a big city. A little different from the US.
Today I finally mailed some postcards that I wrote when I first got here. Mail to/from Brazil is not all that cheap.
Im completely over the gripe now and feel great. I guess the heat and humidity here makes them frequent but quick. The Brazilian World Cup of Soccer is going on, which is like our superbowl or world series. The other night was the first game I believe, Flamenco vs. Vasco. All the neighbors in the grandmas little neighborhood set out chairs and brought out a TV to watch it. Flamengo, with their bright pink and black striped jerseys Ive been told are like the Yankees of Brazilian soccer, the obnoxious, omnipresent, buy their players and win a lot team, and thats who everyone was chearing for. At the top of the stairs leading down to that favela is a little open air bar where they had a big Vasco Flag. When Flamengo scored their first goal as I was walking bu the little crowd errupted, Junior looked at me and told me it was rude to stair, but I had never seen anything like that in the US. There were fireworks and everything going off when they scored the goal! And this was not a championship game. People here are just VERY passionate about their soccer.
In other news, yesterday afternoon I went shopping downtown. I bought 4shirts for R$30 (15bucks) Even though the dollar has dropped drastically in the past few years and the cost of living in Manaus is supposedly the highest in the country because of how remote it is, its still pretty cheap. I watched an american tale with Junior last night, although I think a lot of it doesnt cross bounds. The idea of liberty and personal efforts to change things just arent applicable in Brazil. Also, they dont understand the notion of nationalities as we have it. Here, if you were born in Brazil, you are Brazilian, if youve lived here for a long time, youre Brazilian. They dont understand that in the US I am Italian even though 3of my 4grandparents were born in the US. The culture is so mixed and distinctly BRAZILIAN, even though they were settled after us, I find it quite cool.
Tomorrow night I am going to a Callypso show with the mother and cousin, tonight I might go out and drink with the guys or I might just chill. Im kinda trying to save my money until I get my scholarship check so I can travel. Im waiting here about when I get my scholarship money and hopefully soon afer I get to Rio I can get a bank account here and change my money to Rais before the dollar falls even more. This might (hopefully will) be my last weekend in the city. Next weekend I plan to go into the floresta, either with the familia to their floating house which Ive heard so much about and where I can swim with an alligator, or to Presidente Figuerero, to see the famous waterfalls of the area for a few days.
Thats all for now.
Tchau
Ive been here for a month, and I do love it, other than the language difficulties, which sittig here typing in English is not really helping. Im thinking of starting a journal in portugues or something like that to practice. The teacher asked today if we would like to live in Brasil, rather than the US, and I said yes unless I could live in New England. I am so homesick for that little part of the world, its pathetic.
At the same time I have such the bug to travel. I hope to go to Argentina and Paraguay while I am here. I want to go to the Foz do Iguaçu `the Iguacu falls` down on the border of the three countries. My spanish teacher from Argentina used to talk a lot about it. Ive always wanted to go and I feel like Im so close.
I finally found out the details of my housing in Rio. I´m going to be living in a 4bedroom apt. with 1 other person for 240rais per moth ($120). We could get a made for an additional R$50, $25per month, and internet for R$90per month split between us. The email said no overnight visitors of the opposite sex, because ´the walls are thin` ´but otherwise I really dont see any downsides. For about $300/month including food I´ll be living in a big city. A little different from the US.
Today I finally mailed some postcards that I wrote when I first got here. Mail to/from Brazil is not all that cheap.
Im completely over the gripe now and feel great. I guess the heat and humidity here makes them frequent but quick. The Brazilian World Cup of Soccer is going on, which is like our superbowl or world series. The other night was the first game I believe, Flamenco vs. Vasco. All the neighbors in the grandmas little neighborhood set out chairs and brought out a TV to watch it. Flamengo, with their bright pink and black striped jerseys Ive been told are like the Yankees of Brazilian soccer, the obnoxious, omnipresent, buy their players and win a lot team, and thats who everyone was chearing for. At the top of the stairs leading down to that favela is a little open air bar where they had a big Vasco Flag. When Flamengo scored their first goal as I was walking bu the little crowd errupted, Junior looked at me and told me it was rude to stair, but I had never seen anything like that in the US. There were fireworks and everything going off when they scored the goal! And this was not a championship game. People here are just VERY passionate about their soccer.
In other news, yesterday afternoon I went shopping downtown. I bought 4shirts for R$30 (15bucks) Even though the dollar has dropped drastically in the past few years and the cost of living in Manaus is supposedly the highest in the country because of how remote it is, its still pretty cheap. I watched an american tale with Junior last night, although I think a lot of it doesnt cross bounds. The idea of liberty and personal efforts to change things just arent applicable in Brazil. Also, they dont understand the notion of nationalities as we have it. Here, if you were born in Brazil, you are Brazilian, if youve lived here for a long time, youre Brazilian. They dont understand that in the US I am Italian even though 3of my 4grandparents were born in the US. The culture is so mixed and distinctly BRAZILIAN, even though they were settled after us, I find it quite cool.
Tomorrow night I am going to a Callypso show with the mother and cousin, tonight I might go out and drink with the guys or I might just chill. Im kinda trying to save my money until I get my scholarship check so I can travel. Im waiting here about when I get my scholarship money and hopefully soon afer I get to Rio I can get a bank account here and change my money to Rais before the dollar falls even more. This might (hopefully will) be my last weekend in the city. Next weekend I plan to go into the floresta, either with the familia to their floating house which Ive heard so much about and where I can swim with an alligator, or to Presidente Figuerero, to see the famous waterfalls of the area for a few days.
Thats all for now.
Tchau