Sunday, March 26, 2006
Smooth Landing
BEM-VINDO A SÃO PAULO
Finally I have arrived yesterday to my new city called São José dos Campos in São Paulo state in Brasil. I flew from Vanocuver to Toronto and then from Toronto to São Paulo via Air Canada(apparantly time in TO is only 3 hrs ahead of Vancouver and not 4 hrs as I had thought and was freaking out that I might miss my connecting flight). It was surprising to me how smooth landings were in both TO and SP. Maybe it was because I had been on a plane where we were hitting and bouncing off of the runway as the plane was trying to land. Hmm... don´t think that was a good thing...
I notice that any feelings of nervousness or uncertainties did not set in until the very moment when I stepped out from the plane and onto the platform. Was the walkway to customs & immigration as long as I had thought it was or did it seem particularly long because I was weighed down by my momentary nervousness? After passing through customs without any problems, I realized that this place, thjs new part of the world,was going to be my home for the next 9 months so I better get comfortable with it!
From Guarulhos Airport, I took a bus to São José and was picked up by Carla and Julianne, 2 members from AIESEC ITA. First night I stayed with Carla and Julianne at their dorm in ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica), where they live with 4 other girls. I think their place is comfortably large enough for six. We went out to a local stand in the city where I guess many ITA students go to get this drink called Açai. It is similar to a smoothie made of a fruit (which I found out later after looking up on the internet, is a type of dark berry) and you can mix it with other ingredients like chocolate sauce, yogourt, condensed milk, plus other things I couldn´t read on the menu. I was quite enjoying this new exotic flavour, thinking that this could almost substitute for bubbletea ´til they told me that each cup had about 1,000 calories!! Slooowly. Gently. Put down the açai. Step away from the açai. ;)
Tonight I am finally settled at my new `home´. It´s a very nice large apartment with 3 bedrooms but we have 7 people who all live here! Currently I am sharing a room with another Brazilian girl whom I haven´t met yet. The couple who owns the place, my landlords seem very nice but neither speak any English. I guess I will have to practise my Portuguese and in the meantime, I am communicating a little bit in Spanish with the husband.
Finally I have arrived yesterday to my new city called São José dos Campos in São Paulo state in Brasil. I flew from Vanocuver to Toronto and then from Toronto to São Paulo via Air Canada(apparantly time in TO is only 3 hrs ahead of Vancouver and not 4 hrs as I had thought and was freaking out that I might miss my connecting flight). It was surprising to me how smooth landings were in both TO and SP. Maybe it was because I had been on a plane where we were hitting and bouncing off of the runway as the plane was trying to land. Hmm... don´t think that was a good thing...
I notice that any feelings of nervousness or uncertainties did not set in until the very moment when I stepped out from the plane and onto the platform. Was the walkway to customs & immigration as long as I had thought it was or did it seem particularly long because I was weighed down by my momentary nervousness? After passing through customs without any problems, I realized that this place, thjs new part of the world,was going to be my home for the next 9 months so I better get comfortable with it!
From Guarulhos Airport, I took a bus to São José and was picked up by Carla and Julianne, 2 members from AIESEC ITA. First night I stayed with Carla and Julianne at their dorm in ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica), where they live with 4 other girls. I think their place is comfortably large enough for six. We went out to a local stand in the city where I guess many ITA students go to get this drink called Açai. It is similar to a smoothie made of a fruit (which I found out later after looking up on the internet, is a type of dark berry) and you can mix it with other ingredients like chocolate sauce, yogourt, condensed milk, plus other things I couldn´t read on the menu. I was quite enjoying this new exotic flavour, thinking that this could almost substitute for bubbletea ´til they told me that each cup had about 1,000 calories!! Slooowly. Gently. Put down the açai. Step away from the açai. ;)
Tonight I am finally settled at my new `home´. It´s a very nice large apartment with 3 bedrooms but we have 7 people who all live here! Currently I am sharing a room with another Brazilian girl whom I haven´t met yet. The couple who owns the place, my landlords seem very nice but neither speak any English. I guess I will have to practise my Portuguese and in the meantime, I am communicating a little bit in Spanish with the husband.
Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
Comments:
<< Home
wicked!! sounds so exciting, now i'm burning with jealousy! :D
you should definitely spam the address of this blog out to @Vic's yahoogroup so people can read it!
you should definitely spam the address of this blog out to @Vic's yahoogroup so people can read it!
I will be sure to follow along with your adventures! And ask lots of questions! I'm so excited! And I'll see you in less than 2 months! (I hope!)
yeah yeah yeah for blogging and for this new journey in brazil ! I will be diligently reading your blog everyday ! Anyways... 1000 calories seems too much to handle.. that is almost an hour of non-stop runing !
Woot! I got down here!! haha
So good you got here safely... I know you are now getting used to all our scenary, culture and stuf like that... I think you will not have problems.
When i got here, after my CEED, I was a little bit shocked too. I know it is pretty different for the canadian standards! Just be open mind! hehe
If you need to talk about it, I´ll feel pleased doing it.
P.S. Let´s make Jess feel scared! :-O
Açai is sooooo good! It is very caloric, but how about the pancakes with maple sryrup and lots of hamburguer?? haha
You will see... You´re going to leave here called by Pei Tiengordinha!! :-)
You have nine monthes and you gotta come to visit me! Curitiba this week got the prize for the best city in Brazil (maybe we could say in South America woot!)
Good luck with AIESEC it, with your internship and, of course, with your cultural experience!
Post a Comment
So good you got here safely... I know you are now getting used to all our scenary, culture and stuf like that... I think you will not have problems.
When i got here, after my CEED, I was a little bit shocked too. I know it is pretty different for the canadian standards! Just be open mind! hehe
If you need to talk about it, I´ll feel pleased doing it.
P.S. Let´s make Jess feel scared! :-O
Açai is sooooo good! It is very caloric, but how about the pancakes with maple sryrup and lots of hamburguer?? haha
You will see... You´re going to leave here called by Pei Tiengordinha!! :-)
You have nine monthes and you gotta come to visit me! Curitiba this week got the prize for the best city in Brazil (maybe we could say in South America woot!)
Good luck with AIESEC it, with your internship and, of course, with your cultural experience!
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]