Minha primeira semana: my first week here
I don't think one realizes how comfortable and routine their home life is until they change it completely. It's crazy for me to think that not too long ago, I was laying in my same old bed with the same cats, watching movies in the same language. Now everything is so new and different, and I am loving just about every bit of it.
My first encounter with Brazil was landing in the airport in São Paulo. I came off the plane, walked down the hallway and was greeted by Portuguese signs and speakers. It was overwhelming. What is such a perk about Brazil, however, is it is so easy to find help from people. Within minutes, I met a girl who was flying from São Paulo to my city Belo Horizonte and she guided me through all the steps. She was so friendly and spoke a clean English. I am so thankful I had her with me to get me through that complicated airport process.When I landed in BH (belo Horizonte), I was nervous to meet my family. It is scary to be meeting people who come from a very different background from you and a culture you don't understand, especially when you know you'll be living with them. But when we were finally united, I felt so much more at ease. I was greeted with big hugs, kisses, and smiles from my mom (Marcia), dad (Guilherme), and brother (Luis Gustavo). I thoroughly love and appreciate all of them. Guilherme is a character, with broken English and a fantastic sense of humor. Marcia is the glue to the family, with so much knowledge and joy, and an undeniable amount of love for her husband and son. Luis Gustavo is a great mix of his parents. He has his dad's goofiness and his moms intuition and pleasant smile. I feel so blessed to be living with all of them and really feel accepted as one of the family. They all thought to take me to drive around BH and see it's fantastic views upon my arrival there. This city is unbelievably beautiful. It is surrounded in hills and has many colorful and interesting buildings. I was mesmerized at how big it actually is, it seems to go on forever. It has bars and restaurants in every corner, with many little shops and street vendors. Many sell American brand items, since this is a large influence on Brazilian culture. Proceeding this, I encountered one of the greatest things Brazil possesses: their food. If you are a food lover and have been flipping through travel books as to where your next vacation should be, look no further than right here in BH. Brazilians worship food here. A traditional meal includes rice and beans, meat or fish (which they are fantastic at cooking) one of their many tropical fruits which are a huge staple of their diet and drinks, and a sugary desert. Not only do they love their food, but they want you to love it even more. Every time I am eating something here, I get asked by a brazilian if I like the food, what I like about it, would I like some more etc. That is such a huge factor about Brazilians in general. Of the many I've met this week, hospitality is vital to them. They will make sure you are comfortable, happy, and full of food no matter what the circumstance. It really is nice to be here and constantly have people worry about my well being, it makes me feel considered and loved. But that is just Brazilians in general, they really are the most loving and kind people. Everytime I meet someone new, not matter who they are or who I am, they always give me a hug and kiss and say something like 'bom dia' or 'muito praze'. It is one of my favorite things about being here. Shyness just doesn't exist in this culture. People will meet me and automatically want to talk to me, hear about my life, give me their number, feed me, and so on. It is a huge change from home, where many relationships are more timid at first and definitely not initially physical. Here, acquaintances doesn't exist. You are automatically regarded as a friend when you are introduced to each other. It makes me feel so accepted being here.I have experienced many new and exciting things this week. Me and my mother went to a symphony, which was considerate of her to think of considering I enjoy orchestral music. I have met many new people through rotary and my host family here, all of which I look forward to seeing again. I have learned a surprising amount of Portuguese, which pleases the people here when I tell them I am American (which, by the way, is huge here; they are fascinated by Americans) and proceed to attempt their language. Most importantly I have gotten to enjoy the relaxed, slow paced style of life here. People appreciate the simple things here, like watching tv as a family or sitting down together for dinner with no phones out. All of these things have grown my love for Brazil even more so than befor e I left.There are so many things, however, that I am itching to try. This weekend I will be going and trying the infamous brazilian dance clubs that light up the city every weekend. I have many places left to see, and feel grateful that I have quite a few weeks ahead of me to enjoy them all. Next week I will be staring school, which I am both excited and anxious to go to. I will keep you all updated on how this all goes.
Sorry for the lengthiness of this post, I iust have so much to say and so few complaints about my first week, I look forward to writing about and experience upcoming ones.
Por agora, tchau é boa notie-
Lila
