Day 2 in Brazil

I woke early to the sounds of Fatima, my host mother in the kitchen. I showered and prepared for my day not really sure what to expect and wondering if how I was dressed would be ok. Breakfast consisted of papaya, coffee, cereal, juice, toast, and yogurt all spread out like a buffet. Jess,my sister, sat down with me and showed me the names of the different foods in Portuguese. Then it was off to Fatec, the school where I would be learning Portuguese. I walked all over the school on my first day, and was introduced to so many people that I thought my head was going to explode. I don’t remember a single persons name, isn’t that terrible?! My professor for the first week of classes if is professor Flavio. He’s a wonderful person with fantastic English and I enjoyed my first class with him a lot. We spent much of the first day doing listening exercises to train my ear and went over the origin of Portuguese. Mid-morning there was a special surprise for me, one of the other professors from the school, Flavio, and one of the secretaries, prepared a mid-morning snack and mini party for me. Everyone is so kind and thoughtful here, I don’t even know how to respond. It’s so unlike the states where people tend to be more focused on themselves. There is such a giving and loving attitude here, it’s hard to describe.

After school, we visited a shopping center and had some lunch. Afterwards, we went downtown so Fatima could buy her new washing machine. Jess and I wandered around downtown, looking at the old train station and the church. Jess wanted to show me the library so before we left we stopped in there. Inside we met the most wonderful man who lived in the states for two years and went to school in Boston; his English was flawless! I loved listening to him speak about the states from when he remembered it, back in “the golden years”.

Me and my new sister, Jess!

After the library, we went to visit Antonio, my host father at work. He works in an apartment space that people can rent out for parties and events. The building had the most spectacular view from the top. I stood staring at the beautiful city of Americana, and thought to myself I’m really here I think that’s the moment when it all hit me.

After saying goodbye to Antonio, Fatima dropped Jess and I off at the supermarket to buy some ice cream. I was lazy until dinner, after dinner Jess and I did the dishes and talked. As we talked, Jess repeated the word “oil”. It’s one of the few English words that she can’t seem to get right; she makes the funniest face when she says it! Her face scrunches up, and her tongue is halfway out of her mouth. She’s such a little darling, I just love her! Fatima took over on dish duty and Jess and I went to the gym where I was introduced to more people. Everyone wants to meet me, and sometimes I feel a little like a prized pet being paraded around 🙂 But it’s alright, everyone is wonderful and I’m flattered that they all want to meet me. We walked around for a bit and then came home and went to bed.