Oi, gente.
I want to clear up an issue for starters. In case you were wondering, I have been taking shoddy, amateurish photographs with my cell phone and will probably post them on the Facebook at some point. Not sure how to put them on this blog, but maybe I'll figure it out. Hopefully, people who can actually take photos will put some up of me, and maybe I can show them to you via this blog. We'll see.
Now that that's out of the way, here are some interesting things I've noticed about Brazil, organized in no particular order:
Traffic/Drivers: Most of the streets I've walked down (granted, not that many yet, but still) are one way streets, and despite this, I've had more problems knowing when to cross than anywhere in the U.S. Let me tell you why. For one thing, the drivers here are reckless, and not in the same way that I've seen. I think the abandon with which they drive extends to bikers, pedestrians, and street vendors. No one is inhibited in any way, or at least they don't show it. Pedestrians step into the street before looking at the traffic. Cars cut corners madly and I often wonder why I haven't seen someone's foot get crushed. Over the past three days, I've seen bikers bike out in front of not one, not two, but three buses in heavy oncoming traffic and weave their way through the honking, but unfazed, motorists. Additionally, the crosswalks are so offset from the street corners that it's hard to tell when to cross just by looking at the traffic. The third, and most ridiculous, aspect is that at times both directions (two one-way streets) of traffic will have a green light. This one makes no sense to me, and I know it's not a fluke because I've seen it happen multiple times. Somehow, the drivers know what to do, so I guess it's ok.
Bathrooms: The toilets are fine, but the flushers are usually operated by pushing a large button against the wall. I quickly found out that if you actually want the bowl to empty, you have to hold the button down for a while. Most of the soap dispensers seem to dispense 9 parts water/1 part soap, making cleaning your hands a somewhat mediocre experience. As some of you may know, soap dispensers are the pivot aspect for making/breaking a bathroom for me. For this reason, my favorite bathroom of all time is the faculty one on the 5th floor of Humanities. It has 2 soap dispensers for the one sink. Don't ask me why I like this so much, but it's awesome. Anyways, Brazil=underwhelming soap dispensers=disappointing bathrooms. It must also be said that this isn't an actual problem.
Napkins: Similar to wax paper.
Ketchup: encouraged when eating pizza...considering trying it but a little uncertain...
Beef that looks and tastes like pork chops: Beef that looks and tastes like pork chops.
A giant fly: just flew into my bedroom and is buzzing and interrupting my train of thought. Maybe it's time to shift gears.
4 Songs/Albums I have been listening to non-stop since I've gotten here:
1. "The End of Time" by Beyonce - Anyone who attended the 2013 senior week of UW SMC as a camper or counselor will understand why I can't get this song out of my head.
2. Port of Morrow by The Shins - I realized recently that I used to really like this band, and that their new album had been released to very good reviews. Upon checking it out, it has become my favorite album of the month (only three days in, but still), and I especially am enjoying "Simple Song," "September," and "40 Mark Strasse." I highly recommend this album if you like indie power pop with intelligent lyrics.
3. "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake - Another holdover from Music Clinic. This got played at the dances and is just too catchy.
4. Selections from The Luther Collegiate Choir's 2012-2013 season - I received these recordings from a dear friend upon leaving the country, and listening to them (incredibly professional sound and great blend) makes me miss singing in choirs like I did at the end of high school. My favorite is "David Lamentation" by Joshua Shank.
Ok, enough lists. The first few days here have been mostly getting acquainted with the program, the neighborhood, and some customs of the locals. Overall, I've had a very good time and have met some awesome people. I've been taking a few naps and trying to go out when at all possible. Yesterday, I finally ventured off the main street I live and go to school on to go to the beach, even though it hasn't been very sunny out. My friends and I sat on the beach sipping caipirinhas (lime + sugar + ice + cachaça = delicious) and watching the locals do their thing. A few street vendors came up to us, offering various knick-knacks. One man had some particularly interesting things to offer us. I will now relate the conversation (or an approximation to the best of my knowledge):
Some guy: Heyyyyyyy guys, you want souvenir, you wanna buy something? (in very broken English)
Me and my friends: Uh, no thanks (não, obrigado)
Some guy: Ok, ok, ok, Americans? I got everything you want! You want weed? You want purple haze? You want mushrooms? I got everything!
Me and my friends: não, obrigado...
Some guy: You wanna come to Lapa (a neighborhood known for festive nightlife)? Lots of parties, dancing, hot chicks! I'll be there! (As if that is some sort of attraction to the tourists that want you to just go away...)
Me and my friends: não, obrigado...
Some guy: Ok, ok, ok, you here for a while? What are your names?
We mumbled our names and then thankfully he went away. I'm guessing that this type of conversation will be happening frequently, given that I look conspicuously American. Honestly, though, it hasn't proved too much of a hassle so far. While people definitely know that I'm not from here, they are very accommodating, and I have discovered that many know a bit of English. This is a nice crutch to have, but I also am trying to speak mostly Portuguese, so usually they will speak to me in English and I will try to respond in Portuguese. It kinda works, I guess.
This weekend, I hope to visit Lapa or Teijuca, where there are some samba schools. On Friday, the group is going to Corcovado (giant mountain with Jesus statue) so that will be fun. Over all, a somewhat superfluous blog post, but I felt I had to document my first impressions.
On a different note, please add me on skype if you want to check in personally! My username is jacobwolbert and if you give me advance notice, I can try to be around for a bit in the afternoon/evening/weekends.
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