Day 35: Leavin´on a jetplane

Its hard to believe that a little more than a month ago, I was on a plane worried sick about going to military school and learning portuguese. Now I'm sitting here missing military school and excited about learning portuguese. Within this month, I have learned so much about Brazilian culture and have made SO many friends. I think everything I've experienced here has made me want to come back again maybe next year or if I get REALLY lucky, in a few months. I really want to thank my mother for finding Partners of the Americas, the program that I am with. Also, Dennis Shaw, who recommended the program. Juliano for always looking one step ahead and making everythng comfortable here. I also want to thank Marlene and Leslie, though I didn't really spend alot of time with the two of you, I had lots and lots of fun meeting you. Collge Militar do Porto Alegre for hosting me as an exchange student. And the most important, The Vedanas. I really want to thank them for opening their home and their hearts to me. They have made my stay here easy and very pleasant. If I get the chance, I would love to come back to Porto Alegre and see everyone again. Sadly I don't have much time to talk becuase I have to pack, so this is my last blog in Brazil.

Beijos e muito obrigada (kisses and thank you),
Zora in Brazil

ps: Thank you SO much to all the people who took the time out to read this blog. I know that I was inconsistant with my blogging, so thank you for your patience and your support

Here are the pictures that didn't upload the last time I blogged

Leavin on a jetplane

Botanical garden
Botanical garden
The pitcher from the glassmaker

Day 32: The glassmaker

It seems that all has been in my favor this summer. I have been blessed with good friends, a safe home, a wonderful host family, an open mind, open heart, and a digital camera :) I swear that everywhere I go something good has happened to me. For example, Yesterday I went to the airport to say goodbye to Alejandra. As always, we laughed about everything under the sun. After her plane took off, Flávia and I went to the bontanical garden with Ana. It was soo cool hanging out and laughing about school and life and all that there was to laugh about. Then we went over Eduardo's house and had an AWESOME time having a pasta party (Its so interesting that alot of teenagers here have parties based on food that they cook themselves. Most American teens buy the food that they serve at parties) And today, Flávia and I went to the museum at Pãe's private university and I got to see alot of cool things that I missed the first time I went. At around noon, we had lunch with Pãe and got into a REALLY good conversation about a bunch of different topics, including racism, classism, politics, etc. After lunch, Pãe decided to show us around the university, so we got to see different classrooms and sections of the chemistry building. In one room, there was small man, known as the glassmaker. He took us into his lab and turned on a torch, which spewed out a long stream of fire. He took a broken tube of glass and held it to the flame calmly. It seemed to consume the tube, making it slowly melt, just enough for the glassmaker to mold it into the form of a flask. Impressed, I turned to Fllávia and said "I wonder if he could make a pitcher for my family, that would be so awesome.". And again, he took a broken tube and held it to the stream of flame. And again, it melted slowly, waiting to be molded. And so the glassmaker complied with its request. After (at most) 5 minutes, he set in front of me, a tiny glass pitcher and a glass cup. "You won't find this anywhere else" he said smiling. And it was true. I don't think I ever will find such a pitcher or even a glassmaker as original as the one from this afternoon.


Feeling at peace,
Zora in Brazil

Day 30: If only

Olá folks. Its so weird, I've been here for almost a whole month and I've learned SO much about the people I've met and about Brazilian culture. I REALLY REALLY miss CMPA right now and I'm kinda sad that we're on vacation becuase I would love to have a few more days to just be with people at school. Over the weekend we went to Gramado, which was pretty ok, except I was EXTRA tired from the night before (Golden Night). Gramado was different for me becuase everyone had blonde hair and blue eyes. Gramado is a town that was colonized by Germans. Gramado is a town mostly known for its chocolate, which I tried and didn't really enjoy. It was a little too sweet for my taste...lol oh unintentional puns :) ANYWAYS I took a few pictures, sadly my battery kept dying, so I missed a few things. On Sunday, Flávia, John, Laura, Julia, Felipe, Pati, and I hung out downtown and watched the sunset on Guaiba. Once again it was gorgeous, but it was kind of sad because we all knew this was the last week that we would be able to hang out with each other :( We had ALOT of fun though :) Yesterday Flávia and I went to the mall with John, Alejandra and Ana and we all watched 'What Happens in Vegas', which turned out to be better than we all expected. Today we went to the daycare and got to play with the kids and take care of the babies. QUE LINDO!! Ale and I spent the time cuddling, craddling and tickling the little kids who spoke better portuguese than me lol. They were so cute, but everytime I looked out the window at the streets filled with mangy dogs, trash, and homeless people, my heart broke a little more. "They don't have a yard or a backyard so they barely haave places to play." said one woman. But still, every child had a smile on their face or a laugh that could make your heart melt. All the children were so kind, which made it easier to be around them, even the boys, who acted out only a little bit( but thats just how little boys are lol...no offense to all the males reading this) A little while ago I had one of the biggest scares of my summer so far. My piercing came out! Luckily we power walked our butts off to Edu Tattoo and just before the shop closed, we got it put back in. I found out that on the fourth day is common for piercings to act up. So now I'm at home and tomorrow I'm going to see Ale off at the airport becuase she's leaving tomorrow :( so now there will be only one American lol She has definitely been a great friend here are we have ALOT of great inside jokes :)

Missing Brazil already,
Zora in Brazil

Day 26/27: caution, don´t get your nose pierced and then go to the club...its kinda bad luck

First, please don´t ask why I´m bloggin so late or so early. I just got back from a party and I wanted to give all of you the wonderful details of my day since I´ll be traveling tomorrow and Sunday. So, my day started quite well with the volleyball championshhip. There were about 10 teams or two that played. I took ALOT of pictures, though sadly, it was hard to becuase it was so sunny outside(yes thats my only beef with sun...it can ruin some REALLY good pictures) It turns out that the teachers ALSO went and made metals for the volleyball competition, so we had more about three of each metal. Sadly, Flávia's team (Flávia and Artur) did´not get to the finals, thought they played a good games against Cicero and Nai, who totally played with no mercy. The three champions were the Cauduro siblings (Eduardo and his sister), Cicero and Nai, and another team who I did not know. So after the games were over and Flávia played MORE volleyball, we went home and had lunch. It was on ther way there when we decided to get my nose pierced today. Please understand that my parents said yes to this so this is no surprise to them.So We walked up the long steep hill that we usually do to go to the mall or downtown or anywhere(I hate that hill...its evil), turned to the right and started walking. At first I was excited, so pumped up to finally get my nose pierced. Then we kept walking and my mind began to wonder"Why is it taking to long to get there". Then we kept walking and about a mile later, I knew we were lost. Flávia and I stopped in some small looking mall and called Mari, a good friend, for directions. Thats when Flávia turned to me and said"We have to turn back. We went in the wrong direction" So I smiled, accepted and walked towards the place that would change my nose forever. Only problem is that was the wrong shop. You see, we went to Edu Tattoo, but we went to one where you had to have an appointment to have anything done. Plus the woman told Flávia that she didn´t want to do it anyways because I´m a minor. So she gave us a card with the address to the other shop...which was on the same street that we had been on the first time. By this time the sun was setting and it was about 6:00pm. Edu closes at 7:00pm. So we walked once again on the quest to get my nose pierced. After the first two times, I was used to walking and didn´t even feel tired. Finally we got to the shop, which looked like a little townhouse in the middle of a big city. A woman with multiple moons around her eyes, four freckle piercings, and a stup in the middle of her lip answered and opened the gate for us. Inside, was a long narrow brown staircase. The walls were painted white and it felt more like a a comforting place than a hardcore tattoo shop.This was something that I liked about it, the comfortable and assuring feeling not only the rooms gave you, but the people inside them as well. I´m pretty sure everyone knew it was my first time ever getting a piercing on my face. The woman with the facial tattoos and pircings took me upstairs past two people getting tattoos done, into a small room that looked like a local doctor´s office. It was also white, though it had a medium sized blue bed, the type that you see in a doctor´s office. The woman began speaking and Flávia translated things like"I´m going to clean the area and stick this small tube up your nose to keep it in place. You may feel like sniffing in, which will tense your muscles, so if you can, please don´t sniff in" She asked which side I wanted to get peirced. I decided my left. She opened up an individual pack of alcohol wipes, clean the left side of my nose, and immeadeatly threw away the used alcohol wipe. She then took out a fine point marker and put a dot on the crease of my nose. After that she told me to lay down on the table and relax. And so I did. I closed my eyes, held my breath, took Flávia´s hand, and relaxed. She stuck the small tube up my nose and a second later I felt a small localized prick on my nose which later was followed by a pulsating pain and the words "Your nose is too thick, we´re going to have to take it out and try again."...I´m just going to say that my thoughts on that sentence will remain in my mind this time because they surely would have caused a scene had I said them anyplace other than under my breath. Instead I asked for a tissue because I kept feeling like I was going to sneeze. But when I blew my nose, it was not what I expected. I was having a short and quick nose bleed. I lied back down and breathed. I noticed that this time, the woman straightened out the hook on the stud. Trying to freak out, I repeated the same relaxation steps I had tried before. And just like before, the woman stuck the tube up my nose and I felt that quick prick followed by that pulsating pain in my nose. But this time the words were different,"Done." One simple word with four plain letters sent a total rush of joy through me. I was FINALLY done! It was finally over and my nose would never be the same again. So I showed off my little stud to one of the tattoo artist. I felt bigger than mount everest until he asked the simple but humbling question"did it hurt?" and like a little school girl, I blushed and replied yes. There was no point in acting tough at that time. So, we went downstairs and got some papers informing me how to keep my piercing clean. For example, don´t touch or let other people touch your piering. At around 11:00 pm, that became one of the hardest rules for me to follow. After getting my nose pierced, I went to the school dance which was held at some club. At first it was really boring and terrible becuase only little kids were there, but after a while, more people Flávia and I knew came and began to socialize. One of the most common subjects that night was my nose and if people could touch it. I said no, but it harder to resist yourself than other people. For example, rubbing your nose when you´re wiping off your face in the bathroom or in the middle of the dance floor. It was not easy remembering to avoid the left side of my nose, but I suceeded and had LOTS of fun dancing with friends. AND learning that I DO indeed know how to samba :) tri tri legal

I´m deaf, tired, and hungry,
Zora in Brazil

ps: no blog tomorrow or sunday sadly

Day 25:Bask in it

Once again it is a beautiful, warm, lovely day in bust Porto Alegre :) And once again eu esto feliz(I am happy) Por que (why?) Becuase I can communicate and understand portuguese better than ever :) I had a great conversation in the sun with Peixe (I can´t remember her name, but thats her nickname), Bonza, Bonza´s boyfriend,Nessa, Cicero, and Kati. It was so funny becuase everyone spoke VERY little english, but we all were able to communicate with each other and laugh and have a good time. Tomorrow is the final party before vacation, sadly Chico´s party got canceled because some jerk forced him to help with the school party, which he had arranged to be on that Friday for a reason lol. So now everyone´s going to the school party. I talked to a small group of english students today, which was kind of fun becuase people actually asked questions and lightened up a bit after a few minutes. We had a little discussion about the result of not going to college and how that plays in Brazilian and American lives. It was very interesting becuase one of the students kept trying to persuade the teacher that Americans still had opportunities even if they chose not to attend a college or university. Tomorrow I´ll be helpng out with the volleyball championship so thats going to be tri legal making signs and keeping track of revenues.

Boa sorte para mi(good luck for me),

Zora in Brazil

*This is not a day blog, just some specifics: The interview

Recently I´ve recieved emails requesting more details about my 4th of july interview and I´d like to give tell the rest of my 4th of July tale (unfortunately I wrote at about 11:30, so I was tired and not in an extreme mood for details...mostly just for a bed) Anyways, Flavia and I arrived at the theatre at 9:00pm, where we found out that we were actually a little too early for the interview. A man, unfortunately I can´t remember his name right now, told us that the host, Rodrigo Lopes, was fluent in english and would be the man interviewing me that day. The other host was Katia Suman. While waiting for our interview to start, other Americans showed up and we all introduced ourselves. There was a Brazilian man who had attended the University of New Mexico, an American woman who had lived in Brazil for 8 or 9 months, an American man who had lived in Brazil for 4 years, two more Brazilians who had visited the US, and a Brazilian woman who had come to New York on September 11, 2001. It was a shock to hear that story becuase whenever I hear stories about 9/11, its usually on a TV screen. Our interview started at about 9:30 pm. Rodrigo began talking in portuguese, turning to the NY woman in portuguese, and then he turned to me and ask the awkward question :Where were you when 9/11 occured. In my mind I thought, 'Thats none of your business! This has nothing to do with the 4th of July!' But I replied "I was in class, in the 4th grade" Rodrigo then turned to the camera and in Portuguese said "she was living in the 4th grade" (I later found that out from Flávia) most of the time people were speaking in portuguese, which is normal for me now, and either Katia or Rodrigo would turn to me and ask me a question. "When did you get here?" "Whats the most fum you´ve had?" How old are you?" "Are you for Obama or McCain?" Simple questions that could be answered quickly. And I think thats all they wanted from me, quick quotes in english to show a bit of diversity. The interview ended within 30 minutes, which is pretty good for such a large group of people to interview. Yesterday I found out that some of my classmates saw me on Camarotte, the TV show on which I was being interviewed. I need to get ready for school and I have to pack up some clothes. Maybe tomorrow or some time, I can talk more about the cultural differences I´ve experianced here in Brazil.

Beijos,
Zora in Brazil

Day 22: Fun in the sun

Today was a beautiful day. Unfortunately I had to experience that late due to a laundry malfunction :(. But either way I was so happy to have another beautiful day. I came to school late, but I got to chill with Flavia, Cicero, Laura. and John. It was great just sitting around in the sun and laughing andhaving a good time :) then Flavia and I went home and had lunch and got ready to go out again. We went to the park and drank chimarrão with Felipe, Polenta, and Pati( Polenta´s girlfriend, not the other one) It was so funny becuase Pati was learning how to knit and when she pulled out her yarn, it was the exact kind that I had used to knit my scarf! We had tons of fun sitting and talking with each other about school and life and lots of stuff. I also got to meet another American, his name is Colin. He seems pretty cool, though he was jogging with his host brother, so when he shook my hand, it felt like an overly moist towlette lol. He was really nice though and apparently he know Alejandra (6 degrees much?) So after all of the fun of the afternoon, we decided to go home becuase it was starting to get dark. We ended up going to Zaffari´s, this popular grocery store, and getting sone candy lol Then we came home :) I really wanna rent a movie, but apparently they´re expensive :( o wells. I´ll be over Barreta´s house tomorrow, so I don´t think I´ll be able to write for day 23 :(

Wishing I could stay another week,
Zora in Brazil

Day 21: A super star

Continuing July 4th: So, I went to the theatre where TV Com was being held and I got to meet other Americans, who had beent here MUCH longer, so I didn´t feel bad when they spoke fluently in portuguese. It was awkward because the first question the man asked was "So, where were you when 9/11 happened?" It was VERY awkward becuase I was expecting to talk about 4th of July...that never really happened. The interview wnet well and after the cameras turned off I thanked the host for the opportunit and said good night. It was so cool becuase afterwards the Vedanas took me out for pizza to celebrate :)

July 5: Went out with Flavia, Julia, and Fernanda. TRI LEGAL. After walking around, shopping, and what not, we went to this pizzaria, where this waiter kept eye stalking Julia. It was hilarious! But I´m glad Strada wasn´t there because that might have been less funny lol. I think Julia has been out with us more than any other of my CMPA friends.

July 6: Today I went to a BBQ again :) very very fun becuase it was Flavia´s Aunt´s AND Uncle´s birthday, so we ate good food and talked and laughed. And there was this adorable baby. I don´t know her name, but she was SO CUTE and would laugh everytime she saw Flavia. It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside so Flavia and I decided to sit outside and chill and talk. Then we went back and had this really nice dessert. Sadly I don´t know the name of it :( and some chocolate ice cream. Sadly I´m too tired to finish the amazing story(Which you will hear about tomorrow), so I decided to upload some photos I took today. Flavia, Fernanda, Henrique and I all went tout to Impanema and watched the sunset...AMAZINGNESS. So here are some photos to prove just how beautiful it really was

Hoping you love the picture :) Good night/ Boa Noite.

Zora in Brazil

Day 20: If you are what you say you are

July 3: VERY awkward the night I talked about the 4th of July. My head seemed to just out off my body as I saw the crowd of people that came in. It felt like a crowd buit I don´t know how many people were actually there. More people asked about American politics than the main topic: how to celebrate 4th of July! It was cool though because in the end, some people came up and shook my hand and were very kind. I even got a box of my firrst Ferrero Rocher chocolates. It was cool to come home and lay down on the couch with Flavia and some Burger King and watch some episodes of "The Office" becuase that is probably the funniest show I´ve seen in a long time, minus the few shows I´ve been watching lately. Like Power Puff Girls cuz I haven´t seen that since I was like 7 or 8!

July 4: Yesterday I got to go to a little surprise birthday party for Flavia´s volleyball coach! After laughing, joking, eating and what not, we came home changed into regular clothes and relaxed. And then the phone rang. Flavia picked up her cell and then gave it to me, saying some woman is calling for me. So I answered, but the woman was only speaking in portuguese, so I politely handed the phone back to Flavia. The ladt hung up and then called the house phone.So Flavia asked if I had given anyone our number and I definitely said no (one: becuase I didn´t know our number and two: becuase I still don´t fully know numbers in portuguese) So Flavia talked to the woman. Afterwards she turned to me and said "That was TV Com, and they want to do a live interview tonight!" (CONTINUING TONIGHT)

Zora in Brazil