Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Hanging Out With Brazilians
Last night I went out with Juliana and a bunch of ITA students to this all you can eat pizza place. The restaurant, which had its own valet parking, serves pizza with all kinds of toppings including tiny potatoes shaped like french fries, chocolate sauce, ice cream, and fruits. The sweet toppings are served as dessert. Different waiters come around the tables with different kinds of pizzas, and on each table there is a sign for you to indicate whether you want salty pizzas, sweet pizzas or none.
The dinner was held for students who come from Sarra (I think it´s a region in Brasil) to study in São José and it is also one of the numerous welcoming events for the first year students. There were only 5 girls including myself at the dinner and approximately 50 guys (90% of students in ITA are all guys). During dinner all the freshmen had to do whatever the older students tell them to do. At one point there were 4 young guys standing in front of me saying the would like to sing me a song and it was `I Will Always Love You´ Haha, just that one phrase, followed by the Brazilian kiss and greet *blush* ;)
Re: Kisses
Brazilians, of course, greet everyone with kisses (called beijos in Portuguese) and a one-armed hug. But the number of kisses they give depends which region they come from. Here in the São Paulo region people greet one and another with just one kiss. But since most students in ITA are from other parts of Brasil, it´s always different.
Re: Bus System
Buses here in São José do not run on schedules. Bus stops here in São José do not have any postings regarding schedules, of course, since buses don't run on schedules, but nor do they indicate which buses stop there. If that doesn't already sound too scary, once you are on the bus, you need to tell the driver to stop at the next stop at the next stop before your stop. To clarify that last statement: You are sitting (or perhaps standing) on the bus, and the bus has reached the stop before your designated stop. You will have to say (or perhaps shout) to the bus driver to stop at the next stop. Ok, I haven't taken the local buses here yet, but from what I hear from a Polish trainee, which were the above, I think I will try to walk.
The dinner was held for students who come from Sarra (I think it´s a region in Brasil) to study in São José and it is also one of the numerous welcoming events for the first year students. There were only 5 girls including myself at the dinner and approximately 50 guys (90% of students in ITA are all guys). During dinner all the freshmen had to do whatever the older students tell them to do. At one point there were 4 young guys standing in front of me saying the would like to sing me a song and it was `I Will Always Love You´ Haha, just that one phrase, followed by the Brazilian kiss and greet *blush* ;)
Re: Kisses
Brazilians, of course, greet everyone with kisses (called beijos in Portuguese) and a one-armed hug. But the number of kisses they give depends which region they come from. Here in the São Paulo region people greet one and another with just one kiss. But since most students in ITA are from other parts of Brasil, it´s always different.
Re: Bus System
Buses here in São José do not run on schedules. Bus stops here in São José do not have any postings regarding schedules, of course, since buses don't run on schedules, but nor do they indicate which buses stop there. If that doesn't already sound too scary, once you are on the bus, you need to tell the driver to stop at the next stop at the next stop before your stop. To clarify that last statement: You are sitting (or perhaps standing) on the bus, and the bus has reached the stop before your designated stop. You will have to say (or perhaps shout) to the bus driver to stop at the next stop. Ok, I haven't taken the local buses here yet, but from what I hear from a Polish trainee, which were the above, I think I will try to walk.
Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
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
Friday, March 24, 2006
Last Hours
In just a few hours, I'll be heading out to the airport to catch a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Re: Visa
I finally received my visa to Brasil this Monday. Funny thing is that on it, it says issued on March 6 and I recieved it March 20 after having to pay for priority mail. Hmm... maybe my visa was just sitting on that woman's desk...
Re: Shots
Immunuhnuh... immunuh... ehhh? How the heck do I say that?! immunuhNAIzation... Ended up getting 5 immune shots all at once on the day before my departure. I think the doctor would've wanted to see more needles being stuck into my arms if she hadn't caught me nervously wide-eyed. So now I'm protected from the following:
(in order of type of shots taken)
Tetanus/Diphtheria
Hepatitis A and Typhoid combination
Measles/Mumps/Rubella
Hepatitis B
Yellow Fever
I might have been given the measle shot already during high school. But since I wasn't sure and especially since the shot was covered by MSP, I figured it couldn't hurt to take the shot for that extra precautious. The winning shot for being most serious pain-cause goes to, ironically, Measles and Co. Ha, but I won't ever have to have the shot again... unless I forget I already had it (possibly twice). Runner-up goes to Yellow Fever.
Re: Packing
Nmm... 2.5 hours before I leave for the airport. 65% packing completed.
Err... gotta go! Next post from my new country :)
Re: Visa
I finally received my visa to Brasil this Monday. Funny thing is that on it, it says issued on March 6 and I recieved it March 20 after having to pay for priority mail. Hmm... maybe my visa was just sitting on that woman's desk...
Re: Shots
Immunuhnuh... immunuh... ehhh? How the heck do I say that?! immunuhNAIzation... Ended up getting 5 immune shots all at once on the day before my departure. I think the doctor would've wanted to see more needles being stuck into my arms if she hadn't caught me nervously wide-eyed. So now I'm protected from the following:
(in order of type of shots taken)
Tetanus/Diphtheria
Hepatitis A and Typhoid combination
Measles/Mumps/Rubella
Hepatitis B
Yellow Fever
I might have been given the measle shot already during high school. But since I wasn't sure and especially since the shot was covered by MSP, I figured it couldn't hurt to take the shot for that extra precautious. The winning shot for being most serious pain-cause goes to, ironically, Measles and Co. Ha, but I won't ever have to have the shot again... unless I forget I already had it (possibly twice). Runner-up goes to Yellow Fever.
Re: Packing
Nmm... 2.5 hours before I leave for the airport. 65% packing completed.
Err... gotta go! Next post from my new country :)
Labels: Door #1: The Brazil Experience
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