Obvious Observations

I never wrote about the obvious differences here...the physical things I see, hear and often laugh at. At least I don't think I did.
Every saturday and sunday morning I hear the "crazy" nextdoor singing at the top of her lungs. Like seriously, the TOP of her lungs. She's this elderly, a bit hunched over woman who everyone knows as the "crazy lady" (at least on our block). I recognize a lot of the songs because they are just Portuguese versions of English hymns. Hey, at least they're hymns eh?!
I don't remember ever having a papaya before I got here. I eat one almost everyday. They come in different sizes and they are A-mazing once refridgerated (and good for the intestines:)) OH but the pineapples! I eat more of these than anything else. At first, my tongue was raw after eating them, but now I am used to it. It tastes like candy if you freeze it.
Emily and I just finished our Portuguese class today. 6 weeks of cramming our brains with 16 different forms of a million different verbs and vocabulary. She lives 3 houses down from my house and we have both been forced to speak pretty much only Portuguese. No one here speaks English except for "hi" and "I love you." I have loved being here in Lagoa. It feels like home- whatever "home" is. I love going over to Dona-Rita's house late at night because there are always lots of people there. She usually offers some sort of sweet bread or cake (she bakes for a living). Her son is one of my 5 husbands here..."mamooshka" (the mom at my house) likes to set me up with everyone she knows. It's pretty funny and I turn freakin' bright red a lot of the time because she says this while we're standing right next to them....ANYway...
I am moving to Janga Monday...so I think. Communication between us SALTers and our boss/supervisor/whateveryouwannacallhim has been, well, not the best. MCC Brasil, in a VERY paraphrased way, has been going through a lot of changes in the past year, which have resulted in some difficult times. But it hasn't really effected my daily life here. I often forget that I am here with this program called SALT who is directly related to MCC..this is probably a really bad thing! eiii!
I am amazed at how quickly you can pick up language when you are forced to speak it. I feel pretty good talking to people now. It's fun picking up the different words and phrases people use to express things like "OOshhhh-" is another way of saying shit or shooot. "EEkaa" is like "ewww..gross."
Driving here is crazy, like every other country besides the U.S. and Canada. Honking is usually polite..more like a warning "hey, I am right here." Buses. BUSES. The hour or more bus ride to and from school everyday will not be missed. We take the yellow and white bus. Not sure why. But we do. Every morning this past week Emily and I have been walking to the bus stop when we see our bus approaching. Emily starts running and is telling me to hurry up until the bus gets close enough for us to realize "oh...not our bus." But it's yellow and white! I don't get it. Anyway, I laugh after. Then we stand in the shade for another 10 minutes waiting for the next bus. It's a good 10 degrees cooler in the shade. The next bus comes and has people's faces smashed against the door windows and the driver does this hand motion meaning he can't stop because it's too full. Finally, the 3rd bus comes by and we get on. It's way overpacked as well, bus we manage to squish in between people's butts and breasts. I am used to the sweat that this creates now! Now THAT is amazing'.
Every single day I have to remind myself that I am from this place called Clovis that's in a state called California where there exist people who know my name and even know me pretty well. Sometimes I forget where I am and get in this weird mode where something familiar is a neccessity. At these times I listen to some English music or read a book or go see if Emily is home. I am so grateful to have things I can revert to for a sense of the more familiar home I know. Brasil has a lot more for me to learn about her, and I hope I will someday see her as a third home.

Peace Now (sorry Ash...stole this from ya!)
Love and freedom

COME VISIT!!


Courtney- if you ever read this- just thought of dumb starbucks orientation and how they tell us it should be our second home. what the? when you quit you need to start a huge boycott, but secretly continue driking chai.

Gosh. One more sidenote. sorry. Today I drank some cinnommin(sp?) tea and thought of antique shopping in Missouri. That's what the smell reminded me of!