Well, the clock is ticking. Only one month left here and it is already feeling very bittersweet. I am SOOOO ready to see my friends and family and be back in the loop with what is going on in everyone's lives. I miss everyone so much and I am ready to get back to work! Something to occupy my time! I love to read, but I have been pretty much reading non stop since I got here. In fact, here is a list of books I have read. This may be boring but what else are you doing? Working? Ya right! And you never know, you may want to read some of these sometime. I'll even give you a 1-5 star system on how good they were in my professional opinion! I will not however give a description as to why they have the amount of stars given. I'm too lazy and you could probably care less. Enjoy!! (Can you tell it is a fairly uneventful day??)
New Reads:
The Red Tent-Anita Diamant ***
Cold Mountain-Charles Frazier ***
The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo-Stieg Larsson *****
The Girl Who Played With Fire-Stieg Larsson *****
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet Nest-Stieg Larsson *****
A Visit from the Goon Squad-Jennifer Egan **
Heaven is for Real-Todd Burpo *
Lovehampton-Sherri Rifkin ***
History Lesson for Girls-Aurelie Sheehan ****
The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins *****
Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins *****
Mockingjay-Suzanne Collins ***
Second Time Reads (so you know they are good)
Three Cups of Tea-Greg Mortenson ****
Life of Pi-Yann Martel *****
Watership Down-Richard Adams *****
A Million Little Pieces-James Frey ***
The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger *****
Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen *****
Lost & Found-Jacqueline Sheehan ***
Currently Reading: The Abbey-Chris Culver
Next Up: Born Standing Up-Steve Martin
So obviously I have been a reading fiend!
Anyways, as I mentioned, I have a month left. I will happy to see my friends/family but I am getting so sick of goodbyes. Especially to Edi. BUT this is the way things have to be for now. Hopefully down the road we will be traveling together! But not only Edi, his family will be hard to ay goodbye to as well. I have become very fond of quite of few of his family members. Ok lets not think about it now. I'll push the saddness to the back of my mind and focus on having fun while I'm still here.
We did go play painball the other night. It was a little cold but we had a good time. I definitely did not play but I hung out with the girls and ate some BBQ and was the fascinating American girl for all of the people I had not met before. (I'm finally getting used to that) People would come over and say whatever English phrase they know which is usually Thank you very much(muito obrigado) or sausage, oddly enough (linguisa), which is funny in any language. Once everyone realized that I know the word for sausage in Portuguese, it became a big joke. Someone would hold up a sausage that was cooking on the grill and call my name and I would say "linguisa" in my most provocative voice and everyone got a kick out of that. Nice to finally be able to at least joke around a little bit with everyone. The paintball "arena" was pretty cool. Nothing too fancy but it was pretty big with a lot of good hiding places. I don't really know anything about paintball but it looked like fun. Edi got a nice big welt on his leg but other than that he was pretty much unscathed.
Last night Edi and I went out to a very cool restaurant for a late dinner/drinks. We had not been there before. Everything on the menu is served on a skewer. Interesting right? I thought so. The atmosphere was very cool. Bricks, exposed beams, very high ceilings, my fav! It was very open and the tables and chairs were a dark wood which was beautiful! I told Edi that if ever owned a restaurant this is what I would want it to look like. The only thing that is strange that I have noticed in the few restaurants that have a bar also (most places don't even have a bar top area) is that there is a bar but no chairs. I don't understand because the bar at this restaurant was beautifully done. It was a long L shape and beind the bar was a very tall shelving unit with all sorts of liquor bottles with beautiful backlighting. But nobody can actually sit at this bar because there are no chairs.......I asked Edi if people just usually stand around the bar and he said no, they just don't really use it. Why go through all the trouble of making this large, beautiful bar and only use it for service drinks? Edi said that if HE ever owned a restaurant he would definitely have a bar like that, but there would be stools. He's not really sure why restaurants don't take advantage of that idea. It would really add to the atmosphere and draw people in I think. Anyways, enough about me and my brilliant restaurant design knowledge.
Sunday we went to Edi's Aunt/Uncles house. The guys were playing some kind of poker-like card game outside and the ladies were inside checking out some sweet shoes! Fernanda, Edi's cousins girlfriend is opening a shoe store next month and she brought some of the newest shipment over to the house for the ladies to have first pick! Sadly, she did not know that I have monstrous feet (9!) so she did not bring godzilla sized shoes. Apparently all Brazilian women have small, dainty, perfectly sized feet. I'm not kidding, they were all either a 5, 6, or 7. So I just looked and told Fernanda I would have Edi take me to her store when it opens the first week of Nov. and get some shoes for myself! (Also, I will let her know that if she needs help when I come back here, I would be HAPPY to work in her shop! Job in Brazil, here I come!!!)
We stayed there most of the day and eventually it was only myself, Fernanda and Adriana(who knows a little bit of English) inside and I had my ipod with me which has a sweet translator on it. We went back and forth talking about my family, when I was leaving, when I hoped to come back, etc, etc... and I only had to use the translator a couple of times. It was mostly when I was trying to respond to their questions because I am getting pretty good at understanding what people are saying.
I realized something when I was responding to them. With the amount of Portuguese that know, I can respond accordingly to quite a few questions, but my responses are obviously very broken. When they ask me "When are you going back to the United States?" My response is "I go back November 20." When they ask "Do you like Brazil? My response is " Yes, I like. Very nice. Beautiful." Now, I am not the smartest person you've ever met, but I like to consider myself fairly intelligent and well spoken. But, obviously in another language that I am JUST learning, I don't sound too bright. I think that in America, we hear people that are not native to our language and we are sometimes quick to judge. People think they must not be smart, etc,etc... while that could be the opposite of the truth. Just because someone isn't fluent in your language or know your traditions, doesn't mean they are stupid. For example, Edi's English isn't perfect but he is a VERY smart guy. I've seen this in him for a long time, but seeing how much he has made for himself here and seeing what a great businessman he is first hand is just proof of that. Now that I am living this first hand I have nothing but respect for people coming to the US knowing so little about the language or culture and making a life for themselves. I have it easy. I live with Edi's family, I don't have a job, I don't really go out anywhere without someone that knows English. It couldn't get much easier for me and a lot of people that travel to another country to live don't have it this easy. Think about that they next time you meet someone from another country. That's all I'm sayin'!
Well those are my words of wisdom for now. I miss you all! Have a wonderful rest of the week!! Tchau!!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Rainy Days & BBQ's
Today is the first day that I've been here that I can actually feel some humidity. It has been raining on and off for a couple of days and it looks like it is going to continue for a few more. Right now it is sunny and beautiful, but I do see some dark clouds not too far off. Last night there was a raging thunder storm! It was so loud it woke me up and I sat cowering under the blankets for a good amount of time until it died down. I love thunderstorms, but for some reason they always scare me when I've been asleep. It wakes me up and freaks me out! So, as I was saying the humidity is actually getting up there for once and I am not a fan.
Fall is my favorite time of year in NH. Foliage, orchard apples, perfect weather, bonfires, fairs, etc... So I am missing it a bit right now, but also know that fall is short and soon there will be frost on the cars every morning and everyone wearing jackets and scarves and then those awful little frozen white things will fall from the sky. So while I miss the fall, I am happy to extend my summer for a few months before I head back to the NH in its frozen state.
Edi's sister Edilaine had a BBQ on Saturday night. Edi's immediate family was there but it was mostly made up of people from Edilaine's work. This was the 3rd or 4th time I had met most of them and they are just so nice. There is one couple that are loud and funny and love to dance and laugh and they are my favorites! Whenever Gi(the wife) sees me at a party she runs up yelling my name (or sort of my name. When everyone says my name here it sounds like Jany. They have replaced the -et sounds with eeeee!) So she comes running over yelling Janyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! and always has a giant hug/kiss for me. She's hilarious. They invited Edi and I to a party at their house this coming Saturday and I can't wait to go. It seems that I am making some friends here OUTSIDE of Edi's family, despite the language barrier!
Let me say that I am so thanful for Edi's Aunt, Ana Paula. Her English is great and I knew she was going to be a big help to me here but she is even more helpful than I thought. She is always helping me translate when someone is trying to talk to me, but even when nobody else is around she will kind of quiz me and teach me new words which is great. Not only that but it's nice to have someone here to just chat with, girl talk and all that. As we all know, Edi is not much of a talker and I absolutely AM so there is only so much talking I can do without a satisfactory response. It's nice to have Ana Paula here.
I am surprising Edi's family as well as myself with how much I have picked up here in the last month and a half. I understand quite a bit of what is said and his family can ask me to get something or do something and I can get/do it for them. They can ask me a question and I will know what they asked. I'm still too shy to really answer on my own for some reason....I'm trying but I am still just not comfortable. When I talk to Edi or Ana Paula I have started some Portuenglish. I am speaking English but I' sprinkling whatever words I know in Portuguese into my conversation. It's weird, but it's something at least. I was slightly perturbed the other day when we are out and Edi was talking to 3 people we have met a few times before. They were asking about how we met and how we started dating, etc... and Edi was explaining to them and I was listening and smiling and was picking up on quite a bit of the discussion. The woman turned to one of the men and said "She doesn't understand anything, does she?" And I stopped Edi in mid conversation and said "Tell her that I do understand and she can feel free to ask me if she would like." I know that she wasn't trying to hurt my feelings or anything but it was frustrating. Please don't talk about me right in front of my face. If you are wondering something about me, ask! All well, no big deal, no harm done.
Tonight (if the weather holds up) Edi and a bunch of his cousins are going to play paintball. I am obviously not really paintball material so I thought I would probably just hang out at home but Edi said there is a space there for whoever is not playing to hang out. All the female types will be there while the boys with their toys try and destroy each other with paint and afterwards someone is having a BBQ (do I even have to say that anymore? Just assume that at least twice a week I am at a BBQ) so that should be fun. Edi doesn't have to work tomorrow because it is a holiday (Children's Day I think?) Whatever it is he's not working!
I guess those are all the updates I have for now! Have a great week!
Fall is my favorite time of year in NH. Foliage, orchard apples, perfect weather, bonfires, fairs, etc... So I am missing it a bit right now, but also know that fall is short and soon there will be frost on the cars every morning and everyone wearing jackets and scarves and then those awful little frozen white things will fall from the sky. So while I miss the fall, I am happy to extend my summer for a few months before I head back to the NH in its frozen state.
Edi's sister Edilaine had a BBQ on Saturday night. Edi's immediate family was there but it was mostly made up of people from Edilaine's work. This was the 3rd or 4th time I had met most of them and they are just so nice. There is one couple that are loud and funny and love to dance and laugh and they are my favorites! Whenever Gi(the wife) sees me at a party she runs up yelling my name (or sort of my name. When everyone says my name here it sounds like Jany. They have replaced the -et sounds with eeeee!) So she comes running over yelling Janyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! and always has a giant hug/kiss for me. She's hilarious. They invited Edi and I to a party at their house this coming Saturday and I can't wait to go. It seems that I am making some friends here OUTSIDE of Edi's family, despite the language barrier!
Let me say that I am so thanful for Edi's Aunt, Ana Paula. Her English is great and I knew she was going to be a big help to me here but she is even more helpful than I thought. She is always helping me translate when someone is trying to talk to me, but even when nobody else is around she will kind of quiz me and teach me new words which is great. Not only that but it's nice to have someone here to just chat with, girl talk and all that. As we all know, Edi is not much of a talker and I absolutely AM so there is only so much talking I can do without a satisfactory response. It's nice to have Ana Paula here.
I am surprising Edi's family as well as myself with how much I have picked up here in the last month and a half. I understand quite a bit of what is said and his family can ask me to get something or do something and I can get/do it for them. They can ask me a question and I will know what they asked. I'm still too shy to really answer on my own for some reason....I'm trying but I am still just not comfortable. When I talk to Edi or Ana Paula I have started some Portuenglish. I am speaking English but I' sprinkling whatever words I know in Portuguese into my conversation. It's weird, but it's something at least. I was slightly perturbed the other day when we are out and Edi was talking to 3 people we have met a few times before. They were asking about how we met and how we started dating, etc... and Edi was explaining to them and I was listening and smiling and was picking up on quite a bit of the discussion. The woman turned to one of the men and said "She doesn't understand anything, does she?" And I stopped Edi in mid conversation and said "Tell her that I do understand and she can feel free to ask me if she would like." I know that she wasn't trying to hurt my feelings or anything but it was frustrating. Please don't talk about me right in front of my face. If you are wondering something about me, ask! All well, no big deal, no harm done.
Tonight (if the weather holds up) Edi and a bunch of his cousins are going to play paintball. I am obviously not really paintball material so I thought I would probably just hang out at home but Edi said there is a space there for whoever is not playing to hang out. All the female types will be there while the boys with their toys try and destroy each other with paint and afterwards someone is having a BBQ (do I even have to say that anymore? Just assume that at least twice a week I am at a BBQ) so that should be fun. Edi doesn't have to work tomorrow because it is a holiday (Children's Day I think?) Whatever it is he's not working!
I guess those are all the updates I have for now! Have a great week!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Beatles in Brazil!
So after weeks of talking about it and night after night of plans falling through Edi and I FINALLY went to the "American Bar" that Edi was talking about. Truth be told it was actually an Irish Pub which is of course not an American bar but I know now more than ever what Edi was talking about when he said it reminded him of home. (well, MY home anways)
First of all the atmosphere is great. To me, atmosphere is such an important part of the restaurant/bar experience. Of course we went on a Saturday and we got there between 9:30-10:00 so the place was hoppin'! I was worried we were going to be waiting a while at first because there was a line out the door. Luckily for us it was all from the same group of people deciding if they wanted to get a table. They decided not to wait and off they went. Score! They had a couple of tables left for 2 people so we were able to get a seat right away. The place is not all that big. There is a small outdoor patio area which is really cool with some palm-like trees and green uplighting that gives it a really cool look and feel. Then inside there is a small bar area which could probably hold 7-8 stools but there were none. People just stood where the stools would be and to be honest that makes a lot of sense because there were about 20 people all lined up at a bar where only 8 or so seats would fit. Anyways there was the bar and then there were maybe 20 tables inside ranging in size from a 2 person table to like an 8 person table.
We sat down and perused the menu for drinks and a snack. I was thrilled and shocked to see buffalo wings on the menu. Buffalo Wings! Oh how I've missed you. I also saw a non-Brazilian beer selection which included Guiness, Heineken, Stella, Newcastle, among other things. I looked around at the decor and saw a snowboard hanging on the wall which is hilarious to even think about while we were sweating in the 95 degree heat. Also the Brazilian and Irish flags hung above the bar. The walls were brick and the ceilings has exposed beams. It looked great and it definitely felt like I was sitting at an Irish Pub back in the US. As I looked around I noticed that there was a small stage and it looked like there was going to be some live music. Not surprising since A. It was Saturday night and B. In Brazil almost EVERY restaurant has live music almost EVERY night. I did notice that this looked like a full band setup whereas usually here it is just a couple of guys playing guitar and singing. I then looked at the posters to my left. I nearly fell out of my chair I was so excited! We just happened to come on a night where the band that was playing was a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band!!! (First of all, Bealtes AND Rolling Stones cover band? Have you ever heard of such a thing. I have not. But hey who am I to judge, I was getting 2 bands for the price of none!) I turned to Edi and I am sure I looked like a kid on Christmas "Did you see that?! It's a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band!! This place is great! I love it here!!" Edi looked at me and I am pretty sure he was thinking I didn't get enough sleep last night. "Yeah I see that. That's cool!" I refrained from yelling "Cool? Cool?! This is awesome!!! Best night ever!!" because I didn't need him thinking I had gone off the deep end.......yet.
Let me explain why this was so exciting for me. First let me preface by saying that I truly do love it here and I am a big fan of all the restaurants we have been to, I like Brazilian cuisine, beverages, music, Edi's family, and pretty much anything else that I have come across here. I say this because I know I have a lot of friends/family that are happy I am here but worry about me and whether I am or will be happy here. The answer is yes I am. However, with that being said I have been here, away from my home, friends, family, and comfort zone for over a month. 1 month is not enough time for someone to be totally comfortable in their new surroundings if those new surrounding are in another country. As much as I love it here, I obviously struggle on a daily basis. Although I understand SO much more than I did when I first got here, I struggle everyday with the language barrier. I am living with Edi's family which is hard to get used to, no matter how nice they are. I am used to having my own space, doing my own thing. I don't have a car to go where I want, blah blah blah. Did any of these things change because I was in an Irish style pub? No, but it felt like I was home for a couple of hours at a bar that I would go to in the US. I ate french fries and drank beer from a bottle (I went with Stella. I don't mind it, it's just not my fav.) and listened to a band playing songs in English. It relaxed me. I needed that bit of an oasis to recharge my batteries. We had so much fun. I sang all the lyrics to all the songs, (Edi tried but needless to say he won't be starting a Beatles coverband anytime soon) and drank my beers and ate my food and felt totally comfortable for the first time in a while. We will definitely be going back soon. Also I wish so badly that I could have had a chance to talk to the lead singer of the band because I have heard a few people try to sing songs in English here and the accent usually makes the song sound a bit off or they don't quite the word pronunciation right, but this guy was AWESOME! Was he so authentic that he had a british accent? No but when he was singing it sounded great. Everything sounded clear. I really wanted to ask him if he spoke English or just memorized the songs.
Other than that fabulous night out there is not a whole lot here to report at the moment. I have been trying to run everyday because the whole eating a lot everyday and doing no sort of exercise is beginning to take its toll..... The weather is perfect as usual but I think we are do for a few rainy days later this week. I am in for a big shock when I come home in November. What is wrong with me? I am out of New England for the fall (my favorite season) and I come back for Nov, Dec, and Jan??? If you know me, you know I hate the cold/snow. All well I do love the holiday season!
Miss you all!
Tchau!!
First of all the atmosphere is great. To me, atmosphere is such an important part of the restaurant/bar experience. Of course we went on a Saturday and we got there between 9:30-10:00 so the place was hoppin'! I was worried we were going to be waiting a while at first because there was a line out the door. Luckily for us it was all from the same group of people deciding if they wanted to get a table. They decided not to wait and off they went. Score! They had a couple of tables left for 2 people so we were able to get a seat right away. The place is not all that big. There is a small outdoor patio area which is really cool with some palm-like trees and green uplighting that gives it a really cool look and feel. Then inside there is a small bar area which could probably hold 7-8 stools but there were none. People just stood where the stools would be and to be honest that makes a lot of sense because there were about 20 people all lined up at a bar where only 8 or so seats would fit. Anyways there was the bar and then there were maybe 20 tables inside ranging in size from a 2 person table to like an 8 person table.
We sat down and perused the menu for drinks and a snack. I was thrilled and shocked to see buffalo wings on the menu. Buffalo Wings! Oh how I've missed you. I also saw a non-Brazilian beer selection which included Guiness, Heineken, Stella, Newcastle, among other things. I looked around at the decor and saw a snowboard hanging on the wall which is hilarious to even think about while we were sweating in the 95 degree heat. Also the Brazilian and Irish flags hung above the bar. The walls were brick and the ceilings has exposed beams. It looked great and it definitely felt like I was sitting at an Irish Pub back in the US. As I looked around I noticed that there was a small stage and it looked like there was going to be some live music. Not surprising since A. It was Saturday night and B. In Brazil almost EVERY restaurant has live music almost EVERY night. I did notice that this looked like a full band setup whereas usually here it is just a couple of guys playing guitar and singing. I then looked at the posters to my left. I nearly fell out of my chair I was so excited! We just happened to come on a night where the band that was playing was a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band!!! (First of all, Bealtes AND Rolling Stones cover band? Have you ever heard of such a thing. I have not. But hey who am I to judge, I was getting 2 bands for the price of none!) I turned to Edi and I am sure I looked like a kid on Christmas "Did you see that?! It's a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band!! This place is great! I love it here!!" Edi looked at me and I am pretty sure he was thinking I didn't get enough sleep last night. "Yeah I see that. That's cool!" I refrained from yelling "Cool? Cool?! This is awesome!!! Best night ever!!" because I didn't need him thinking I had gone off the deep end.......yet.
Let me explain why this was so exciting for me. First let me preface by saying that I truly do love it here and I am a big fan of all the restaurants we have been to, I like Brazilian cuisine, beverages, music, Edi's family, and pretty much anything else that I have come across here. I say this because I know I have a lot of friends/family that are happy I am here but worry about me and whether I am or will be happy here. The answer is yes I am. However, with that being said I have been here, away from my home, friends, family, and comfort zone for over a month. 1 month is not enough time for someone to be totally comfortable in their new surroundings if those new surrounding are in another country. As much as I love it here, I obviously struggle on a daily basis. Although I understand SO much more than I did when I first got here, I struggle everyday with the language barrier. I am living with Edi's family which is hard to get used to, no matter how nice they are. I am used to having my own space, doing my own thing. I don't have a car to go where I want, blah blah blah. Did any of these things change because I was in an Irish style pub? No, but it felt like I was home for a couple of hours at a bar that I would go to in the US. I ate french fries and drank beer from a bottle (I went with Stella. I don't mind it, it's just not my fav.) and listened to a band playing songs in English. It relaxed me. I needed that bit of an oasis to recharge my batteries. We had so much fun. I sang all the lyrics to all the songs, (Edi tried but needless to say he won't be starting a Beatles coverband anytime soon) and drank my beers and ate my food and felt totally comfortable for the first time in a while. We will definitely be going back soon. Also I wish so badly that I could have had a chance to talk to the lead singer of the band because I have heard a few people try to sing songs in English here and the accent usually makes the song sound a bit off or they don't quite the word pronunciation right, but this guy was AWESOME! Was he so authentic that he had a british accent? No but when he was singing it sounded great. Everything sounded clear. I really wanted to ask him if he spoke English or just memorized the songs.
Other than that fabulous night out there is not a whole lot here to report at the moment. I have been trying to run everyday because the whole eating a lot everyday and doing no sort of exercise is beginning to take its toll..... The weather is perfect as usual but I think we are do for a few rainy days later this week. I am in for a big shock when I come home in November. What is wrong with me? I am out of New England for the fall (my favorite season) and I come back for Nov, Dec, and Jan??? If you know me, you know I hate the cold/snow. All well I do love the holiday season!
Miss you all!
Tchau!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)