Ice and Snow are Cold, Brasil is Not

Whaddyaknow? I get back from hot tropical Brazil just in time for a long stretch of ice in Wichita.

For the time being, I think I'll just post info about my trip to Brazil. I wrote this about 1/2 way through my trip (although I've changed a few words and verb tenses to reflect the present, then decided it wasn't worth the effort to correct everything).

Due to stupid-ness on the part of the airline, I missed my last flight on the way into Brazil. They changed my flight so that I only had 1 hour to reclaim my bag, go through customs, and re-check my bag. When I told them I was concerned about it, they told me changing my flight would cost me a fine at the airport. I ended up staying in the Rio de Janeiro airport for 16 hours, without any guarantee that I would ever get out. After 11 hours, I broke down (plus I had been awake for > 24 hours, so I was really tired) and I think the main reason they finally put me on a flight was that I was crying. See, it does get you something. :)

I spent my first week staying with a family that doesn't speak English, but I don't speak Portuguese, so I guess we were a good match. We developed somewhat of a pigeon language combining English, Portuguese, and certain hand gestures. They were sweet. However, towards the end of the week I was getting a little restless. They not only lock outsiders out, they lock themselves in. Unless we were specifically somewhere else, I was locked in the house. They are a middle-class Brazilian family. They have only 1 car, a small TV with bad reception, but have 2 servants and a good-sized pool. They grow all their own fruits in their backyard.

The second week I actually stayed with the family that I came to see. They have a bilingual school for little kids, for which I am developing a website. It's good to know that I'm understood again.

Pretty much the only things I've done so far is work on the website, eat, sleep, eat, and eat some more. Lots of rice, beans, bread, fruits, and cous-cous. But also lots of beef, cheese, eggs and desert. I feel like I'm eating 2 meals at once--one for a vegetarian and one for a carnivore. But all of it has been good. They even have cake for breakfast. Now that I'm staying with an English-speaking family, I think I can safely eat less without offending anyone.

My first day here, they took me to a Brazilian barbeque, called churrasco (shu-has-cu). They have these huge skewers (about 3 feet long), and they just keep bringing out different cuts of beef, and slice some off for you. It just kept coming and coming until you tell them to stop.

Observations:

• I'm in Carpina, which isn't so much of a city as a town. There are a LOT of car dealerships (mostly used) and tire stores and construction-type stores here.
• You drive on whichever side of the road has the fewest holes in it. Most roads are dirt, but the main roads in town are brick (or used to resemble brick). Most cars are compact.
• The buildings aren't so pretty on the outside, but the insides are usually very clean (even the bathrooms-public ones, too!), and the floors have beautiful tile or stone.
• The middle and upper class families have servants to help keep things pristine. They don't have a lot of furniture, but what they do have is really nice.
• Trash is thrown out on the street (mind you, the street farthest from the house, but in the street nonetheless).
• They are not afraid of setting off fireworks within a few feet of cars and buildings. I was freaking out.
• Despite all the bugs, they do not have screen doors.
• Garage Doors (or equivalent) open sideways.
• In the big city, the skyscrapers are green, orange, and purple.
• Buying 4 rechargeable batteries for my (new!) digital camera cost me $20!