FrOm HeRe To ThErE... i NeEd A bRiDgE

It's 3:34 am and I can't sleep

scared to leave

yet ready to go

avoiding tears

just spreading meaningful goodbyes

their faces stay on my mind:

i came

knew no one

met friends 

study português

picked up my lost heart in the Brazilian sun

buried it in the bottom of the praia for next time

determined to return

to find more of self

here.

no roots here

just the same 

blood

Discovering the importance in communication

So there are many things I have discovered while staying in São Paulo, the biggest thing is communication. Not just verbal.  For the first time in my life I felt excluded, everyone was speaking Portuguese so fast I could not pick up enough of the words to understand. I began to feel overwhelm and my head began to hurt because I tried to tune them out yet I had a desire in my heart to understand. But my brain was mad at me because it was hurting and I could not pick up anything.  A battle within. But that happens, it's not like I'm going to wake up and be able to speak fluent Portuguese and be able to understand it just like that. Language take time, and I am fortunate enough to be in the country where they speak the language. This forces me to really understand the language. 

what's life without struggle? 

 

Some things I have noticed:

1 ) Brazilians do not use face towels

2) Don't waste food, for real. there trash bags are literally little candy store baggy

3)About 98% of all the cars are stick shift

4) Sometimes you don't flush toilet paper in the toilet you put it in the trash because of the sewage system

5)Outside the houses are big baskets were people put there trash on 

6)Motorcycle drivers-two words "watch out" they driver crazy, weaving in and out of traffic

7)Everyone always greets each other with kisses on the cheek- "my favorite its very sweet"

8) They always use military time

9) They always use thumbs up!

so a short and sweet broadcast of my time in são paulo:

Tuesday- dance the night away till about 6 am but I was half way sleep 

Wednesday- stayed in and watch a movie

Thursday- dance the night away at FEVER where there was a angle and demon dance show..too funny!

Friday- best night or hours because I never went to sleep till today at 12pm (crazy right). So I dance forró till 4 am and then I went to the airport at 6am for a 7 30am flight to BAHIA! 

Words can not really sum up all of my experiences here but I hope I have provided a small insight...

Arrival to BRASIL o BRAZIL

Thank God I landed safely, I must admit I was worried about the plane crashing or losing my luggage, just all these little things that American movies have done to my mind. Especially 'Taken' which is a good movie but not so good before you travel.

So... I began my journey to Brasil on Monday June 15, 2009. I traveled from Minnesota to Houston, then from Houston to Sao Paulo, Brasil. That flight was in overnight flight. ( meaning no sleep..lol) But during the flight I met two amazing people. Helena and John. Helena was Brazilian but lived in the states with her husband. We talked about travel and she asked what I was doing in Brasil and then we talked about politics, culture, life, and family. It was such a rich conversation, all around 12 am in the morning. 

Then John began to join our conversation and he asked me did I ever consider working for the state department? I said yes, as I have always had a small dream of becoming a US ambassador or a foreign diplomat or something,  I wasn't really sure. And then he said you would be great for it! Later he explain how his wife was a diplomat and all the things Helena and I had talked about would make me great for the position. After about an hour of conversation about his wife and there life together I sat in my chair with my eyes close thinking about Paulo Coelho and all the books by him I had read. Like The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes, in both books the main character meets people for a reason, one must acknowledge that there is some importance in them meeting and take the encounter as a sign of something. From that point on there life is changed. I have been praying a lot about direction with my future and its great to know that prays can be answered. My passion sparked again. I thought I lost it, but its still in me.

Many may wonder why I am in Brasil, again! Well in 2006 I went with a group of students led by the 'Great Mr. Casey' :) and ever since then I have dreamed about coming back.  My heart became detached to this country and  now I just want to learn the language, learn about the people, and most importantly emerge myself in the country. I am forever grateful of my first experience in Brasil and as much as I have gained from visiting, I hope that while living in Salvador de Bahia I can give something back or leave my scent, so to speak, until I come back again!

My freshmen year of college has allowed me to understand that this is the only life given to you so you must make it what you would like it to be. I have spent 19 years of my life being molded by America, being molded by my environment, and my family. Now I am embarking on molding myself with God as my chisel, to make me a better me, a stronger me, and a focus me.

I'm praying that this trip will allow me to returned strengthened, transformed, and determined.