The past three days have been a complete blur! My journey started driving from Bloomington, IL to O’Hare airport Tuesday morning. Then caught a two hour plane to Charlotte, and a 10 hour plane to Rio de Janeiro. With the four hour time difference, I arrived in Rio very tired, groggy, and sooo ready for a shower around 9 am, just when the rest of the city was just getting started. After customs, immigration, finding our luggage, and our airport pickup, I kinda felt like I went through a washing machine. We then caught a bus which dropped off 5 of us at different homestays throughout the city (yes, they did find me a home ☺ ). The two hour bus ride was a great way to see the city! The city is nestled between very unique looking mountains and the famous Christ the Redeemer statue can be seen from almost anywhere.
I arrived at my home and no one answered the door. After several phone calls and pacing around outside for about 15 minutes, my 13 year old host brother, Lucas, rode up on his bike from the beach and let me in. He showed me the ropes and said I would meet his mother, Alma, when she got home from her work at a Brazilian TV studio. This was all around 1pm. I waited anxiously waited around the apartment for her for several hours. At one point, I tried to leave and walk to the beach (about a 20 minute walk from my apartment in Gávea), but the door was locked from both the inside and outside (Dad, you would be proud). They are so safe I could not get OUT! At one point, I pulled so hard the door handle completely fell off! Oh, not to mention, my host brother left while I was asleep and I couldn’t find any food to eat. She finally came home around 8:30pm. I was too embarrassed to tell her what had happened! Quite hilarious ☺
She only speaks Portuguese so my speaking skills will definitely improve very quickly. Lucas has taken 3 years of English in school. They are both very kind and welcoming and I think we will get along well. I gave them a book with photographs of Illinois which they loved! They found the cornfields "bonita" although I still think they have the better deal with scenery :)
We only live a 10 minute walk from the school I attend. I got soo lucky! Some people live an hour away by metro and bus which they have to pay for. The area I live and go to school is one of the richest neighborhoods in South America, although it is definitely not as “nice looking” as most Americans would expect. I had orientation this morning and met the other 150 or so international students from about 15 countries and most states. I talked to three guys from Paris, ate with a guy from Copenhagen, a Portuguese girl from Georgetown University, a girl from Spain, one from Chicago, and an older man who is traveling to over 40 countries around the world and scuba diving! Talk about an interesting and diverse crowd! I can’t wait to get to know them all better.
After our orientation and oral exams, Jenny and I headed straight to the beach! It was about 90 degrees today and humid. It’s also their summer so kids are not in school so the beach was very crowded. We walked down Leblón and Ipanema beaches and tried to dodge the fútebol games that were literally EVERYWHERE. Then we drank coconut milk while watching guys play soccer over a volleyball net. They were so good!
Well, that’s all for now. I’m going to try to keep them short so it’s not so overwhelming to read. Ciao!
Ps-I can feel my tan kicking in now..
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Hi Michelle-Thanks for the great post about your arrival; we are all pleased that you're safe and have such a short distance to go to get to school. What a fascinating opportunity to mix with people from so many walks of life, so many cultures. I was at a wedding saturday and at the reception sat at a table with a man from spain, one from bangledesh, a woman from cyprus and one from brazil. The woman from cyprus was telling me that each time a repairman comes to her house, she invites him to sit down and share what ever food she has--cake,pie, cookies; they always look at her funny and decline and she wondered why. I told her that repairmen often joke about the number of "lonely housewives" who come on to them and want them to stay longer and that perhaps this was how they interpreted her hospitality--especially since she is single. She was naturally horrified. I told her if a repairman ever does sit down and eat cake with her, he will almost certainly charge her for the time! We Americans are viewed as pretty cold by most immigrants don't you think?
ReplyDeleteWell, thanks again setting up this blog; it'll be great to read about your adventures.
Love,
aunt pam