Adventures of Living Abroad

So last Sunday I walked over to the craft market that takes place every Sunday in the same location as the organic market on Saturday. The craft market has a variety of homemade products from purses to clothes for your dog (Brazilians seem to be obsessed with their dogs and love to dress them up!) to old antiques. The market is next to Redenção park. It was a beautiful day - the sun was shining and it was in the 70s. I sat for a little to people watch and enjoy the beautiful weather. So relaxing!   Just relaxing in the park with my tea...  

After visiting Mercado Publico and having lunch, Joanna and I walked to Guaiba Lake (river). It was a beautiful day of walking around and exploring the area. It was the first time I drank coconut water straight from the coconut. Delicious! It was such a relaxing place to be. People were riding bikes, playing soccer, walking, and sitting on the grass drinking their tea and talking. (Now all of you who know me well know that I am NOT good at sitting and relaxing, but I'm hopeful that my new city's atmosphere will help me to take time out to relax and enjoy the moment without rushing off to do the next thing.) I definitely want to come back here to watch the sunset. They say it is absolutely beautiful!  

Last Saturday a few of us went to Mercardo Publico downtown which had just reopened due to a fire. The second floor of the building is still closed, but we went in to check it out anyway. Then we walked around the downtown area.    

Two weeks ago I went to this amazing show! Monobloco is from Rio de Janeiro. They are a 20+ member bloco that began in 2000. They revolutionized the bloco concept by playing not only samba, but a wide range of styles and rhythms with traditional bloco instrumentation. So far this has been the best night out! The music and atmosphere was amazing. I couldn't stop smiling the entire night as I looked around at where I was. I just kept thinking...I absolutely love this place and I'm so glad I made this decision to come here to Brazil!

Our first Saturday in Porto Alegre, 3 of the new teachers and I ventured out to the organic market that is held every Saturday morning. It is an outdoor market filled with fruits, veggies, nuts, juices, breads, honey, and so many other deliciously organically grown or made food. After exploring the market we decided to sit and have lunch at a nearby restaurant. :)

Many bars and restaurants hand you a slip of paper upon entering. This slip of paper is used to record each drink and mean you order while there. Every time you order, the waiter makes a note on your paper and at the end of the night you take your paper up to the cashier to pay. They stamp it paid and you must hand it to the person on the way out of the door. I think it's a great idea when you go out with a large group of people because you don't have to worry about splitting the bill. The downfall is, like a ticket from the turnpike, if you lose it, you have to pay a very expensive amount! So far I haven't lost my slip yet!

So I needed a hairdryer. After a week I was getting pretty tired of standing by the heater at night to let my hair air dry so I didn't have to walk out in the 30-40 degree F weather in the morning with my hair wet. Buying a hairdryer...simple task, right? Not in Brazil! Since I don't speak Portuguese my wonderful grade partner, Connie, offered to go to the mall with me. The hairdryers were sold in an appliance store where they sell kitchen appliances, washers, and refrigerators. Weird. In my mind I thought I could walk into the store look at the hairdryers on the shelf, pick out the one I wanted, and go pay for it....that's not how things work here. After looking at the models on display behind locked glass, Connie told the guy which one I wanted. He wrote it down and ushered us over to the computer where he proceeded to ask me all types of questions. I had to provide my CPF number (which is like a social security number), provide my name, address, and pretty much everythin...

After arriving in Porto Alegre on a Sunday evening, I woke up early the next morning to begin my new teacher training! We had a week and two days of teacher orientation and then the students started on Wednesday, July 31th. I feel blessed to have such an amazing grade partner and assistant to help me adjust and settle in to my new school!

So I've been in Brazil for about a month now and feel it's about time I start blogging before I forget some of my first memories and impressions of Brazil. It's a typical winter day in Porto Alegre...cold and rainy. Yes, that's right cold. Porto Alegre is located in the southern most state of Brazil called Rio Grande do Sol so is not the typical tropical hot Brazilian weather all year round. It gets down to 30-40 degrees F at night. So on this cold (50 degree F) and rainy day I sit in my bedroom wrapped up in blankets with the heat on because there is no central heating here. I think they like to pretend they don't really have winter! Being from Pennsylvania I know how to bundle up and prepare for cold, but that is usually only when I have to go OUTSIDE not while I'm inside school or my apartment. But they say it should be warming up soon..for good! Let's hope so because this wacky weather of having cold and rainy days to days that feel almost like summer is...