To End Is To Begin

I’ve probably smoked a few too many cigarettes, I’ve probably had a few too many drinks, I’ve probably purchased a few too many unnecessary things

However, I have too many memories to even remember, so many friends that I don’t want to leave, and too little time to say goodbye to Brasil. It’s strange to think that I’m going back home today and scary that almost no one within hundreds of miles from me will have any idea of what happened here.

Will I come back to Brasil? I sure as hell hope so, but life is funny. Real life has a way of making people too busy to revisit the places that have meant so much to them. I can’t believe that eight months ago I was almost ready to forget this whole study abroad thing. That would have been stupid. For the last 155 days I spent a lot of time being excited to see all of my MN friends, but now that it is time to leave, I am already missing my friends from Brazil. Thanks everyone! This has been incredible. This has been indescribable. This has been because of you. Skype me and lets figure out when we can meet up again ☺

-Tony

World Cup!

I watched Brazil's first world cup game yesterday, and yes, I am rooting for the yellow and green guys over EUA (USA). As my friend Anna said, futebol is such a huge part of the culture here, and copo do mundo games are literally like national holidays. Everyone takes off work, dresses up, and goes to the bars with friends to watch the game. I root for Brazil because soccer means so much to this country, whereas in the United States, a majority of the people could care less about the world cup. It really is amazing to see an entire nation united in the name of Brazilian Futebol.

I think I forgot to mention this...

There are three very lovely Russian ladies that studied at FGV with me this semester. Well, they absolutely love to sing karaoke, so myself and several other Americans decided to join them one night. It was a lot of really bad singing, but a lot of really good fun! Anyways, there's a reason for mentioning this...The night ended with four American boys singing "We are the champions" to the three Russian ladies haha...How classy of us.

Stupid Things I’ve Done While In Brazil:

For those of you reading this, I wrote a lot of these in “code” cause I’m not sure my parents want to know about all of this stuff. But if you were there, you know what I’m talking about, and hopefully it’ll give you a good laugh.

Cassarão
Credit Card at Virada Cultural
Asked a cab driver to drive me across the street
Jivago Club with Fe and Felipe
Andrea and the host mom at 4am
Wesley and the ride to the favela
Wine and Shutter Island
Cervejada and the Piano
GDells and the Funky Bunch

5/22/2010 - Gioconda

Gioconda = the most epic party you could ever imagine. This was the final FGV sponsored party of the year, and it was incredible. Everyone dressed up in suits and dresses, and made their way to this huge establishment with outdoor pavilions and huge dance floors. For US$40 I was able to enjoy all I could drink tequila/margaritas, vodka, whiskey, and beer. The party started at 11pm and for the first three hours all of the guys were separated from the girls. Each side was provided with sushi and strippers, and finally at 2am, the gates were removed and the 4,000 men and women at Gioconda collided. It was so much fun, and 7am never came so quickly.

5/7/2010 – 5/9/2010 - JA JA!

CIEE took us to Rio de Janeiro this weekend. It was a great intro to the city, but two days was not nearly enough time. Also, we went with the other Americans from another São Paulo university called PUC. It was really nice to have some new people around! Anyways, here are some random thoughts from my trip.

Ipanema Beach = the most beautiful people I have ever seen.
I should probably start working out if I want to go back to that beach.

Corcovado is the famous statue of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Jesus was getting some work done, so we saw him in scaffolding, but at least we could see his nose, and the view from the mountain was breathtaking

The Kodak EasyShare Camera sucks. It does not do justice to the sights we saw, makes many pics blurry, and decides not to work at inopportune moments.

G-Dells and the Funky Bunch. Yeah we had the party room. Lots of cheap alcohol, music, and games. Council boys are players.

The famous tile steps. My favorite were the music ones.

I fell in love with Shaggy and Outkast all over again.

Always carry an umbrella.

I am confused as to why the souvenir market is called the “Hippie Market”

I finally found my mom that South American map she wanted.

The resident director of CIEE, Ana Luiza, is the coolest and nicest old woman I have ever met. On this trip we learned a little about her love life. Apparently she had been married for a long time, but later on met the love of her life. The problem was that he was still with his wife. Ana Luiza still plans on being with this man, and she informed us, “I am just waiting for his wife to die.” Haha.

Jasmine and myself are going to form a hip-hop/electro music duo. People around the world will know us as JA JA.

I only have a little more than 30 days in Brazil. About a week ago, I went through my first wave of homesickness, I think mainly because most of my friends in the States are finishing up with school right now. However, I am now getting a little bummed that my time is almost over here. I have met some fantastic friends, and it sucks to think that I won’t get to see them very often once I return to the states. Oh well, I just have to make the most of the time I have left here.

5/5/2010 - Game Nights

So I don’t even need a Television or radio to know the score of the soccer games here. Just leave your window open, and listen to the different cheers and chants from the bars each time a team scores.

AQUI TEM UM BANDO DE LOUCOS! LOUCO POR TI CORINTHIANS!

Awesome fight song…I’ll sing it for you when I get back!

4/30/2010 - Busted by BIBI

One of the most beautiful days we’ve had here in São Paulo! We decided to go to the park and watch the ducks and drink some wine. Afterwards, we wanted to go drink at my apartment, and we weren’t quite sure how my host mom felt about it, so we decided to just be secretive about it. Well, little did I know that the neighbor's dog would be over. Her name is Bibi. Bibi is the cutest, most obnoxious thing in the world, and I think she knows I talk shit about her sometimes. Thus, she decided to steal the vodka bottle top and bring it in to my host mom. Haha. Busted. Luckily Solange wasn’t upset.

4/13/2010 – 4/23/2010 – SPRING BREAK

I think the best part about my program is that I have a two-week spring break. Thus, I decided to fly to the northeast of Brazil, where the beaches are supposedly pristine. I was packing up on Saturday night because I had to catch a bus at 11:30pm to Rio de Janeiro in order to fly to Salvador. It was already ten o’clock, but I decided it would be a good idea to call Expedia (“dot com”) in order to try and change my flight to an earlier time (I would have to wait in the airport for twelve hours if I didn’t change it). Little did I know that the customer service people are completely incompetent.

Expedia: “Hello Mr. Grandelis. How are you today?”
Me: “I’m doing very well, thank you”
Expedia: “How can we be of service for you Mr. Grandelis?”
Me: “I have booked a multi-city flight, and I was wondering how much it would cost to change my first flight to tomorrow morning instead of at 6:45pm?”
Expedia: “It looks like you have a multi-city flight”
Me: “Yes I have a multi-city flight, and I want to change the time of first flight and keep the other two flights the same.”
Expedia: “Ok, hold on one moment please Mr. Grandelis……….Ok it appears that you have booked a multi-city flight.”
Me: starting to get frustrated “Yes, and I want to change the time of my first flight and nothing else.”
Expedia: “Ok Mr. Grandelis. Let me check with my supervisor.”
Me: “Ok please hurry, I have to catch a bus soon.”
……..
Expedia: “Ok Mr. Grandelis, which of your three flights would you like to change?”
Me: “THE FIRST ONE”
Expedia: “Ok just one moment please...........................”
Me: “Excuse me, are you able to change my first flight.”
Expedia: “Just one moment please…………Ok, yes we can change your first flight to 10:30 in the morning. It will cost you thirty dollars.”
Me: “Ok. And my other flights will remain the same?”
Expedia: “Yes. Would you like to change your flight?”
Me: “Yes I would. Thank you.”
Expedia: “Ok we have changed it and your credit card will be charged thirty dollars. Please check your confirmation email and call back with any other questions. Thank you for choosing Expedia Mr. Grandelis.”

I wait for a couple minutes and finally receive the email. My first flight has been changed to 10:30am, but of course, my other two flights have been cancelled. It is now 10:30pm and I still have a forty-minute ride to the bus-depot…

For some reason I decide to call back…

Expedia: “Hello Mr. Grandelis. How are you today?”
Me: “I’m doing very well, thank you”
Expedia: “How can we be of service for you Mr. Grandelis?”
Me: “I just called to change the time of one of my multi-city flights. The woman I was speaking with was able to change the times, but she cancelled the rest of my flights.”
Expedia: “One moment please….yes, it looks like you have booked a multi-city flight.”
Me: “Yes…”
Expedia: “Your flights appear to have been cancelled. Did you want to cancel your remaining flight as well?”
Me: “No I didn’t want to cancel my flights. I need you to re-book the two cancelled flights.”
Expedia: “One moment please. I need to speak with my superviser…………Ok Mr. Grandelis, it appears as if your remaining two multi-city flights have been cancelled.”
Me: “I KNOW! Can you please re-book them for me.”
Expedia: “Ok, I think I now understand your situation. One moment please Mr. Grandelis.”

After being put on hold, I hang up. I have a bus to catch and it departs in forty-five minutes. So without my flight situation resolved, I catch the subway to the bus-station. I arrive at 11:31pm. Luckily the bus hasn’t left without me. Great start to my vacation.

We finally arrive at the Rio Airport around 6:30am, and talk to TAM airlines in order to reinstate my flights. They are able to figure everything out for me without any extra charge. Little did I know that in three days I would receive another email from Expedia saying my flights had been cancelled again. WTF?

Anyways, we arrive in Salvador on Sunday afternoon, and proceed to take a taxi to our hostel. Our taxi driver gets lost on the way, and somehow cannot find the street that our hostel is on. After what seems like forever, he finally gets correct directions from a man on the street, and we arrive at our hostel. It is now apparent why the street was hard to find. It is two blocks long without any street signs, and it is at the bottom of a favela. Lovely. Aside from that, the weather has been horrible for the past week, and the forecast for the next several days looks even worse. Thus, without hesitation, some of us decide to catch another bus to Chapada Diamantina, a National Park about six hours away.

Chapada Diamantina: For two days we did a lot of hiking and jeep touring of the national park and the neighboring city; a small, quaint town called Lençois. We climbed mountains, hiked up rivers, walked under waterfalls, swam in lagoons, and toured massive caves. It was a beautiful place!
Upon arriving back at our not-so-nice hostel in Salvador, we decided to go visit the historical city center, and the infamous town market. The market is a tourist trap, with thousands upon thousands of cheap souvenirs, and the pressure from the local salespeople is so incredible that it is literally impossible to leave empty-handed. One of the sneakiest sale tricks employed is when the locals offer you a “free” wish ribbon. If you’re stupid enough to take it, they hound you until you buy one of their other small trinkets. And believe me, it is impossible to shoo these people away. They will follow you all the way back to your home if they have to.
They next day is finally sunny, but unfortunately everyone has gotten food-poisoning, except for me and one other girl. I think I have a resilient stomach because I have not been sick from food once while I have been here (knock on wood). Anyways, I’m not going to let other people get me down, so me and Paulina decide to go to Praia do Forte, a beautiful beach about an hour and a half away. The beach and neighboring village are so awesome that we decide to spend the night there. Also, Praia do Forte is known for its population of sea turtles. We were not there at the right time of the year, but there is still an aquarium-like exhibit where we could see the massive turtles (along with their little babies). Oh and I also got to feed a shark.

The next part of our two-week northeast tour consisted of a trip to Natal. In Portuguese, Natal means Christmas, and let me tell you, what a perfect name! I felt like a little kid opening presents the entire week we were there. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was breathtaking, and the company was fantastic (shout out to Anna and Jasmin). It was a perfect time of year to visit because it was not that busy, and there were not that many tourists there.

We came to Natal without any plans about where to stay, so our cab driver drove us around until we found an opening at the Laranja Hotel. It was a relatively cheap, but a very nice place to stay, with a pool, breakfast, our own room (as compared to the twelve person rooms in hostels), and only a two minute walk to the beach!
Make sure to check out my facebook album to see some pics of Natal! We took a dune buggy tour, which had thrills equivalent to a roller-coaster, laid on the beach, bought souvenirs, had delicious food, ate disgusting food, drank some beer, did some other stuff, drove past camels, went on a speed boat, saw some dolphins, spoke with the locals, rode a zip-line into a lagoon, etc.

Overall, this spring break was fantastic. Although the weather was not always perfect, I made some memories to last me a lifetime. And despite leaving the beach, it actually felt good coming back to São Paulo because we know the city so well now. Also, our Portuguese has improved so much to the point where we can ask directions on how to navigate the bus and metro system to get home from the airport for only 5 reais, instead of taking a 100 reais taxi.

Que legal! Eu sou um brasileiro….quasi;-)

3/26/2010 - Criança Esperança

Today we went to a favela in a part of São Paulo called Brasilandia. For those of you who don’t know, a favela is equivalent to “the ghetto” in the United States. São Paulo is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, so you can imagine how nervous we were to be going. The reason for our visit was to explore a local NGO as part of our Government and Civil Society course, and the NGO we decided to visit was called Criança Esperança. Basically, this organization provides a safe setting where children from ages 8 to 20 can participate in extracurricular activities while learning critical social skills. Some of the activities include soccer, capoeria, dance and music classes, and graffiti lessons. I found it very interesting that graffiti is promoted as a type of art rather than a form of vandalism. I guess they would rather have their vandalism looking pretty than just a bunch of cuss words. I really enjoyed this field trip because we have a lot of theoretical discussions in class, so it was finally nice to see civil society in action.

After our visit to Brasilandia, I hurried back to FGV to get ready for our first volleyball match of the season. I was really excited because I actually got to start, but the downside to this was that I was playing middle blocker. Haha. For those of you who know anything about volleyball, you know that middle blockers are generally the tallest players on the team, and for men’s volleyball that means you are usually taller than 6’4’’. Along with being too short, I also had never played middle blocker even in practice, so I am sure it was quite amusing watching me and my gringo self trying to figure out this position and rotation.

3/12/2010 – 3/14/2010 - Paraty = Puppets, Pranks, and Cheap Red Wine

This weekend CIEE took us to a historical town called Paraty, located six hours away in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On our way there, we stopped for lunch at a Ubatuba beach, and unprepared for the intense sun, many of us got sun-burned instantly. Even my Italian skin cannot put up a fight against this Brazilian sun.

Upon arriving at our pousada, which is like a bed and breakfast, we got showered and headed out for a tour of the small historic center.

See here for history on Paraty: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraty

After our tour we enjoyed some drinks and a big meal at one of the local restaurants. I of course ordered pasta because I have to take any chance I can to eat it, seeing as it has gluten in it and my host mother cannot eat it. The night ended (or began), with some cheap bottles of wine, and a hysterical prank. Well, not everyone thought it was funny. My friend Anna and I thought it would be funny to hide the mattresses of some of our friends, so we did. Apparently not everyone in our group has a good sense of humor, and they got kind of upset. Whatever.

Haha it sounds like I’m kind of upset probably. Well, actually this small CIEE group of only nine people is giving me a lesson in patience and tolerance. It is getting hard to spend more than a couple days with the whole group because some people get on my nerves more than anybody I have ever met. They are however, still my friends, so I just need to keep cool and realize that I probably bug the shit out of some people too. There will always be people that you do not get along with all the time, especially in work settings, but it is up to you to figure out a way that you can still make a pleasant environment out of some interpersonal tension.

The next day, we woke up early and headed out to the pier. Little did we know the next five hours would be a tour of paradise! Basically we climbed aboard a large schooner, and sailed around the waters of Paraty, snorkeling and touring several beaches. Also, a live guitarist accompanied us on the trip, and provided very appropriate background music for the entire ride. I would give anything to go back and do that again.

At night, we went to a very strange puppet show. I think they chose a puppet show because there was no dialogue in Portuguese, which means we could all “understand” it.
However, I did not quite grasp what was going on, for there were just a bunch of different scenes that were not related at all. The puppets were very real looking, and they actually became kind of creepy because the actors moved them in such realistic ways. It was a very interesting show (and kind of uncomfortable at times) to say the least.

For those who are interested: http://www.ecparaty.org.br/

Also, I love the street dogs here. I know they are probably pretty dirty and some may have rabies, but I just can’t help but be friendly with them. I sometimes think I should be a veterinarian, mainly because I just love dogs so much. Here is a picture of me with Madonna Bonjo (sister to the infamous Michael Bonjo).

It was a great weekend in Paraty, but the end of it meant I had to get back to São Paulo and do all of the homework I neglected over the weekend. Until next time Paraty

Notice how I figured out how to use the ˜ accent: São Paulo…yay!

3/1/2010 – 3/4/2006 - My economics teacher always seems stoned, but she is very nice...

Classes have really gotten underway now, so I think I’ll give you a little taste of what I’m doing down here:

In this first module I am taking four courses:

Negotiations – This is my favorite course. Although it is very practical and involves a lot of common sense, it is fun to practice negotiating with different case studies every day. (At the end of the first module, this was my least favorite course…funny how first impressions can be totally wrong)

*FGV teachers love Harvard Case studies…I am so lucky because I get to read four of them per week. Yay!

BRICs – For those of you who do not know what BRICs is, it is the study of the four largest and fastest growing economies in the world; Brazil, India, Russia, and China. While this class is very interesting, the teacher is quite condescending which makes everybody scared to speak up. Also, I have only five weeks to prepare an hour and a half presentation and a thirty-page research paper. Ugh. So much for studying abroad being an easy GPA booster.

Brazilian Economy – My teacher always seems stoned. But she is very nice.

Government and Civil Society in the Local Setting – I love this class as well because it is literally a group discussion about different social issues. It is extremely interesting to listen to all of the opinions of the exchange students from around the world. It really helps me to think of things in different ways.

*There are students from Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Switzerland.

Aside from classes, I have decided to join the FGV club volleyball team, which is so much fun for me because as most of you know, volleyball is my favorite sport. Also, I am part of the exchange student soccer team, and we will be competing against other Brasilian students from FGV. We are gonna get our asses handed to us. Excuse my French.

2/28/2010 - I'm Italian (sans German)

It is extremely hot here. In fact, it is unbearably hot here. I wake up and I am sweating, so I take a cold shower. Five minutes after my shower I am sweating again. I change clothes about three times a day, and when I am not at school, I am sitting in my underwear on my bed in front of a fan. I knew that it would be warm here, and I partly chose Brasil because of the climate, but little did I know that this is the hottest summer in Sao Paulo within the last 100 years. Ick.



Tonight we went to a Churrascaria which is essentially an all you can eat barbeque. To start out with you can get a little salad from the salad bar, but after that, the waiters constantly bombard you with huge slabs of delicious meat. They are relentless in their efforts to give you more and more, and only when you switch the sign to “Não Obrigado” (No Thank You) will they stop pressuring you. At the Churrascaria I met a couple of legit Italian guys, and it only reinforced my decision to only tell people that I am Italian when they inquire about my nationality (I leave out the German part…)

2/26/2010 - Cervejada

Cervejada = party of beer. We arrived at midnight and returned home at 7:00am. Peace.

Oh yes, and I am also great at meeting girls: As I go to kiss a girl on the cheek I spill my drink on her. Because I can think of nothing else to say in my drunk stupor, I say "Hey, did you know that both Jon and I play the piano? Cool huh?" I bet you can guess what happened next...she promptly walked away.

2/18/2010 – 2/24/2010 - I attend a school where they encourage beer drinking...

Classes have finally started at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV). FGV is one of the premier business schools in South America, and some have even compared it to Harvard in the United States. Looks like I may have my work cut out for me this semester. My program is an International Program in Management, and it is divided into two modules. Each module lasts seven weeks and consists of four courses (plus a Portuguese class on the side), so we will be cramming a lot of material into a very short period of time. For the first module I will be taking:

Government and Civil Society in the Local Setting
BRICs
Brazilian Economy
and Negotiation (so far this is my favorite course)

Aside from classes, FGV also has a great international network program, and the Brazilian students in charge of this program have been putting on a reception week for all of the exchange students and Bixos (freshmen). Welcoming events are a little different here, as most every night there is a new bar or party for us to go to. And even more shocking than that is that hazing of freshmen is encouraged.

The first day of classes, all the freshmen and exchange students participated in some community service projects (I planted trees around the streets of Sao Paulo), and afterwards FGV sponsored a party during which upperclassmen threw paint, eggs, olive olive, and beer at all of the Bixos. Oh and did I mention the school purchased hundreds of cases of beer that were given away for free. What a welcome!

Some other highlights of the first week of classes have been:

Capoeira – We watched and participated in this form of Brasilian dancing. It actually looks like a form of martial arts, but the participants never make contact.

Voleibol – I joined the men’s volleyball team at FGV. So far it has been a great time, and the team is not fantastic, which means I fit in pretty well, thanks to all my practice with Lou Mae in the garage.

Rua Augusta – This is the hipster street where you can find all types of people. It is a great place to hang out for a night and meet Brasilians

Things have been going very well for me so far. There are a lot of really nice and fun exchange student from all over the world, and we have all clicked very well. Unfortunately, almost everyone in FGV speaks English fairly well, so I haven’t been able to learn Portuguese as well as I would have liked so far, but the pursuit of understanding the locals continues, and I’d like to hope I’m getting better at it. Also, believe it or not, I have been losing weight. I was shocked when I had to move from the fourth belt loop to the fifth. I guess it’s a combination of walking about a mile and a half to class (partly up hill) and the fact that I am eating healthier than ever, thanks to my host mother. Oh well, I guess I shouldn’t complain about it.

2/11/2010 – 2/16/2010 - Carnaval

We left for Florianopolis tonight in order to spend Carnaval on the beach. The bus ride to this southern island was about 15 hours long, but unlike Megabus, the buses in South America are very comfortable and spacious, with seats that recline almost the entire way. Upon arriving in Floripa, we caught another bus to the Floriparadise Hostel which is a very colorful place with lots of beautiful graffiti and an assortment of instruments for guests to mess around with.

The owners of the hostel were two Brazilian women, and unfortunately for me they were lovers. I say unfortunately because Fernanda (Fe) is one of the most beautiful and free-spirited people that I have ever met. Do you believe in love at first sight? I think I might. Here is a picture of me, Fe (on the left) and Angelina. It is kind of an awkward picture because they are trying to hide the hickies and bruises from a romantic/passionate night.


Basically our Carnaval consisted of burning at the beach, napping, drinking, and partying. It was a great few days of relaxation, despite the lack of sleep we got. On the second day we went to a street party in the center of the island where the theme was for men to dress up as women. It was quite a sight to see, and unfortunately we never got the memo about the dress code. Maybe we’ll dress up next year. In the six hours that we were there, we danced, painted our faces, got all you can eat Mexican food, found an Irish pub, and played with a dog named Michael Bonjo. Good times.

The next couple of days were spent laying out at pristine beaches that were completely packed with people. My favorite was Praia Brava (Angry beach), which is shown in some of my pictures. One thing that I love about Brazil is how comfortable people are with their bodies. Although some of the swimsuits may not necessarily be flattering, it is quite refreshing to be in culture where people do not conform to a specific physical image. I consequently decided to buy myself a sunga (speedo). When in Rome…Although I still do not feel comfortable in it, I am proud of the fact that I bought and wore it. Also, it is a nice souvenir as well because it is apparently a designer brand, which I paid R$132.00 reals for. “Go big or go home” (Laura Schneider).


One of my favorite parts of Carnaval was when the owners of the hostel took us to Club Jivago, where they both are DJs. It was so much fun, and they even got us into the VIP lounge. I felt pretty cool flashing my VIP bracelet to the bouncers. Aside from the electronic music, and sweaty dancing, there was also a lot of kissing. Brazilians are very forward, and I confess that I have now kissed multiple Brazilians. I think they may like the fact that I’m a foreigner. The only downside to the night was the fact that we did not get to the club until midnight, and proceeded to stay at the club until 6:00 am. Needless to say, I was exhausted and a little ornery when we finally got back to the hostel at 7:30am, just as the sun was rising.

I am currently writing this post as we are on our way back to Sao Paulo. I have been in South America for over a month now, and I am extremely happy about how things have been going so far. I am learning a lot about myself, and it has been so much fun meeting new friends. I almost chickened out of studying abroad, and I thank everyone who pushed me to do it. When we get back to Sao Paulo, classes at FGV will finally start, and it will definitely be strange to get back into school and develop a daily routine. Oh well, I guess the main reason I’m here is to study, so I probably shouldn’t complain too much about having homework again and not being able to go out every night.

2/7/2010 - Com Camisinha Sua Festa Está Garantida

Translation: "With a condom, your party is guaranteed" - Advertisements like this are all over the place during Carnaval

The warm weather is nice and all, but living in Sao Paulo makes me really appreciate Minnesota. I sweat while I sleep, so I take a cold shower when I get up. Then I walk to the bus stop and I’m already in need of another shower. Gross. In Minnesota, the middle part of the day in summer has the potential to be scorching hot, but in Sao Paulo, the entire 24 hours are scorching hot, with the afternoon just being more unbearable. Oh well, at least I’m tan.

We went to a Samba School last night. Despite the name, it really isn’t much of a dancing lesson. Instead, there are many schools throughout the whole city, and each school participates in a parade during Carnaval. This school was named Mocidade Alegre, and last night was their final rehearsal before Carnaval. Each school has a set time limit, and during that time, one song plays while twenty-four different variations of samba are presented, each with its own costume style. It was a ton of fun, and we actually got to parade around the school with the thousands of people who showed up to practice. Samba is quite difficult, but you can look halfway decent if you just take quick small steps to the beat.

2/5/2010 – 2/6/2010 - Os Corinthians!

Today we finally got our act together and booked a hostel in Florianopolis for Carnaval. We were very lucky to still find a place to stay because Carnaval starts on Friday and most places are usually booked weeks, even months, in advance.

One of the best things about my host mom is her love of music. She is constantly playing new CDs on her stereo system, and the constant flow of classical music and Brazilian jazz throughout the house is very calming. I have noticed that Brazilian’s have a much slower pace of life. Even though we are in Sao Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world, you can still see how much people enjoy taking time to talk to one another or to sit down for a long meal.

*We have quickly learned Brazilians are not very punctual. For example, if someone invites you to a party that starts at 8:00pm, you probably should not show up until 10:00, if even that early.

Every meal that I have had with Solange takes at least 45 minutes, and we always prepare and clean up together as well. Also, last night she was playing one of her favorite albums for me, and she was enjoying it so much, that she just quit everything she was doing in order to sit and listen to the entire album. Now I would consider myself to enjoy listening to music more than the average person, but I do not think I have ever taken the time to simply sit and listen to an entire album. Usually music accompanies me while I am doing something else, such as driving or studying.

I am not sure if all Brazilians are as expressive as Solange, but it is really a great thing to hear someone express there excitement or frustration for something. When we were listening to that album, she would constantly say “Que lindo!” (how beautiful!) and I don’t think her smile left her face the entire time. I think that Solange really enjoys having me around so that she can share her passions with me. She is seventy years old, divorced, and has two sons that have grown up and gone away, and it makes me really happy (and a bit sad) to see how content she seems to share her life with me (no matter how small or seemingly insignificant some of the things appear to me).

We experienced our first futebol game today in the Pacaembu stadium. Despite the elements, the game was very fun to watch. When we arrived, it was about 90 degrees and we were wearing black because that is the color of the home team: Os Corinthians. (If you were caught wearing the away team’s colors, there would most certainly by violence). It was comforting to watch the rain clouds move in as we were sweating our butts off, and finally the sun disappeared and we got a nice little shower to cool down. However, the shower turned into a mighty downpour that lasted for pretty much the entire game. We were freezing, but at least it wasn’t scorching hot anymore.

The home team won, 4 x 0, but the most exciting part was watching the fans. The were chanting and screaming throughout the entire match. If you think college football games are crazy, you haven’t experienced a Brazilian soccer match, and the game we saw wasn’t even considered a classico (big game).

2/4/2010 - Host Mama

It is my second day living with Solange, and it is actually quite nice. She treats me as if I was her grandson, and feeds me until I am stuffed full. Can’t complain. Also, because she is diabetic and cannot eat gluten, we will definitely be eating a lot of rice, beans, and meat. The only downside about her apartment is the lack of air-conditioning. Sleeping is kind of difficult when you’re sweating and there is constant street traffic outside the window. It’s something else I will need to adapt to.




Like I mentioned, Solange is 70 years old, but when she was younger she looked exactly like Sophia Loren. Weird. She was showing me a picture of herself when she was younger, and I said, “Wow, that picture was taken a long time ago wasn’t it?” Haha. Idiot. Luckily she just laughed and gave me a loving slap on the shoulder.




I started my Portuguese class today, and I am actually not that bad. I know a lot of vocabulary and verb conjugations, and now I really need to work on the accent. I still get stares of confusion when I try to speak to the local people. Oh well, it’ll come with practice. We also visited one of the soccer stadiums in Sao Paulo and looked around its museum for a bit. It was really cool and I am very excited to go to a game on Saturday. The Brazilians are the ultimate definition of “super-fan.” After finishing up our cultural activities for the day, Solange picked me up at the CIEE headquarters and we proceeded to take the bus home. An hour and a half later, we finally had traveled the two miles to our apartment. Yikes. If it’s not pouring outside, I think I may just walk.

2/1/2010 – 2/2/2010 - I'm sick of trying to make the layout look nice...

We’ve done a lot of sightseeing the last couple of days. CIEE is a great program because they have so many knowledgeable people helping out with tours and giving us advice about everything Brazilian. We’ve been to a museum, visited the largest market in South America, eaten traditional food, seen the parks, learned to ride the metro, and so much more. I am learning how to fit in with every minute that passes. We also got stuck in our first torrential rain storm today. Apparently you are always supposed to have an umbrella with you because the weather changes so sporadically, but we were ill-prepared and consequently got soaked.

Side note* Last night I figured out how I am going to make my millions. We went to a bar called the Wall Street Bar, and the prices of the drinks are constantly changing as demand changes. Also, the menus are on the wall horizontally scrolling like stocks, and I spent the entire night just trying to spot the hottest deals. It’s really a fun place, and assuming the idea hasn’t been brought to the U.S. already, I plan on opening several of them. I think they could be a big hit!

1/31/2010 - Gluten Free

I met my host mother tonight. Her name is Solange and she is a 70-year-old divorced woman who lives alone in nice apartment (She is the woman on the right). I am actually very excited because she said she loves to cook and go out to see shows and concerts. However, I will have a bit of adjusting to do because she cannot eat gluten (shout out to Dudley and Kierstin!) She speaks Italian, Portuguese, and a little English, and I was very grateful that we could understand each other. After our little reception, Solange went home (I will be moving in with her in three days) and I got ready to go out for Karaoke. It was my first time ever doing Karaoke and for my first song, my roommate and I sang “Wanna Be” by the Spice Girls. Haha.

I am having a lot of fun with the other students in my group. It’s funny because we’ve got so many different stereotypes: The frat boy, the indie boy, the token black girl, the hippie, the male dancer, the southern belle, etc. Anyways it’s 3am here so I’m off to bed. Boa Noite

1/30/2010 - Hedgee Hodgee Chile Peppers

Orientation started today. The kids in my group are really nice and fun, and they are from all over the United States. Should be a good semester with them. We also found out our final schedule for the semester:

Portuguese Class: Now – February 11th
Carnaval Break: Feb 12th – Feb 17th
Module I: Feb 18th – April 9th
Break: April 10th – April 25th
Module II: April 26th – June 9th

On top of all the breaks, we also have three-day weekends. Legit.

We went out to dinner with Ana Luisa, Mauricio, and Fernanda. They will be our CIEE contacts throughout the semester. We talked a lot about the Portuguese language and learned that not all hand gestures mean the same thing here. For example, you would never want to give the OK symbol. It’s similar to flipping the bird. Also, Brazilians pronounce the “te” and “g” at the end of words like “gee.” And since “r” is not pronounced, there are some pretty funny translations:

Red Hot Chile Peppers = Hedgee Hodgee Chile Peppers
Rock = Hockey

1/29/2010 - Spitting Game

I met a guy today named Walter Hessert. He graduated several years ago from Notre Dame with a Latin American political science degree and is currently “playing” in Brazil. He is a nice guy, but not unusually interesting. The reason I mention him is because of the job he had for the past two years. He was basically a “manny,” which is a male nanny for those of you who don’t know. Shortly after finishing up college he met an Austrian-born American who also happened to be a self-made billionaire. This gentleman was getting older, but he still had teenage sons. Thus, Walter was hired to travel the world with the family so that the young boys could have a younger male influence. In his job, Walter was paid to sail across oceans, camp in the Sahara, and fly in helicopters over New Zealand, among other things. I was awestruck by this story, so I thought I’d mention it. Talk about the best job in the world.

Also, tonight was my first night out in Sao Paulo. I met some Serbian students who are studying medicine here for a semester, and we decided to buy some beer and then headed out to one of the local clubs (Bohemia beer is probably one of the best beers I’ve ever tried. Not too expensive either. Haha surprised?) Anyways, we found a bar that looked pretty bumpin’ so we decided to check it out. It was expensive to get in (R$30.00), but it was worth the experience. We were there at 11:00pm, which is a little early in South America, but as the night went on more and more people flooded the floors of the club. Between the blaring techno music and not being able to speak Portuguese very well, it was very hard to communicate and/or dance with the Paulanistas (the local girls). I don’t spit game very well in Portuguese (I guess I don’t do very well in English either, haha) Oh well, I’ve got a long time here to practice.

1/27/2010 - To End Is To Begin

We finished our travels today, and thus, I will be back in Sao Paulo for most of the next five months. Traveling was great, but looking back on it, we tried to do to many things in too short of a time. I was sleeping in a different bed in a different city almost every night, and I never really got time to take everything in. Traveling with others can be very frustrating at times, mainly because everyone is a little different when it comes to opinions on how to do things. However, at the same time, it has taught me to be much more tolerant and relaxed about things. Even during unsure times, my philosophy has been that everything will work out. No use fretting about things you cannot change or mistakes that you make. Not everything is going to go as planned, especially when you are traveling throughout countries that operate much differently than the United States. All in all though, I have some great memories and stories from Peru and Argentina.

Today was the first day that I really felt lonely. Granted I still have Paul here with me, but I’ve had most of the day to just sit around and think. I realized how foreign this place really is. I can barely even communicate with the local people, and the helpless feeling that comes with a language barrier is not very comforting. I guess my Portuguese can only get better from here though. For now I will resort to a lot of charades and sign language. I am getting excited to start orientation on Saturday. There are only eight other students in my program, which will hopefully be a recipe for close friendships. It’s getting late, and seeing as I haven’t had a long, refreshing sleep in a while, I’m going to take this opportunity to rest up. Boa noite!

1/27/2010 Global Identity

The University of Minnesota offers an online course for students studying abroad, and I decided to register for it because it seems like a great way for me to reflect on some of the important skills I am learning this semester. It is called Global Identity and the goal of the course is to help students connect their experiences abroad with future employment opportunities or graduate school applications. Also, it helps students become more articulate about their experiences and to reflect on things while we're immersed in a different culture, instead of coming home and trying to remember exactly what it was that we learned. Along with submitting the assignments via email, there are instructors to give feedback and help us to think about things in a different way, or to challenge us to try something new. Thus, I've decided to post some of the assignments that I'm required to complete because the topics are fairly interesting. This first assignment is about the expectations I have of my time in Sao Paulo, and I figure that since I will begin my actual program soon, it would be a good time to post this.

Assignment 1

The start of my business and culture program in Sao Paulo is quickly approaching and as each day passes, I am left feeling more excited and more nervous. Many times these two feelings are hard to distinguish from each other. Maybe anxious is a better word. I have heard that studying abroad is one of the best experiences a student can have, and I cannot wait to experience a different culture; academically, historically, linguistically, and socially.

Aside from not being great at Portuguese, I feel that I am somewhat prepared for what Sao Paulo has to throw at me. From what I gather, it is a huge melting pot of different customs and cultures, and I believe that I can relate fairly well to that type of city. Not only is Minneapolis full of diversity, but I have also spent a lot of time in Chicago and New York where adaptation is an essential part of survival.

As mentioned above, I am not that great at speaking Portuguese. I have had about five semesters of Spanish, but I still expect the language barrier to be quite difficult to overcome. At the same time, I will really enjoy this challenge, and apparently there is no better way to learn a language than full immersion. However, I have a feeling that English will be spoken quite a bit, especially at FGV (the university where I will be studying) where knowing English is required to be a part of the global community there. I have thought about this quite a bit, and I feel a little embarrassed that I do not necessarily need to know the native language of Brazil, even though I am the foreigner.

Also, I am expecting that staying with a host family will greatly help me in learning Portuguese. I think that my homestay will be a place where I feel comfortable asking questions about language and culture, and hopefully I will be able to learn and experience a lot with my family.

I have heard from several people that Brazilians are some of the nicest and most welcoming people in the world, so based on this, I am expecting to be welcomed wholeheartedly from the students at my school. The one thing I am nervous about however is my status as American. Americans are known to have bad reputations across the world; we are arrogant, ignorant, loud, etc. I do not consider myself to be any of the aforementioned traits, and hopefully I am not just simply molded into the stereotype.

Also, I have read that the exchange rate between the real and dollar is constantly shrinking, and it appears now that the purchasing power of a dollar in Sao Paulo is almost equivalent to being in Minneapolis or another big city. I am expecting the social scene to be quite tempting and thus quite expensive, but I am by no means a stereotypical “rich American,” so I will need to be careful about budgeting my money.

I am very much into theater, music, and eating at home in Minneapolis, and I am really looking forward to experience the arts and dining in Brazil. I am expecting quite a large variety of entertainment and types of food, based on the cultural diversity in Sao Paulo. Also, I am hoping that I have time to possibly learn a new instrument in my spare time.

As far as personal expectations, I have learned to be independent throughout my years in college, but I am anticipating that I will learn a much different type of independence while abroad. I generally consider myself a shy person, and while I do have good people skills, I think that the experience of meeting people abroad and practicing a new language will help me feel more comfortable with initiating conversation, which I think is an extremely important skill to have in any profession. Also, I am going to try and be spontaneous and immerse myself in the culture of Sao Paulo, and I hope that learning to navigate a completely different social scene will make me a more confident person in general.

I am very excited to begin my studies abroad and I understand that not all of my expectations will be met, but I also know that some will be surpassed beyond what I could imagine, and that I will experience things that I never even dreamed of. Also, I am very glad to be doing this online course. Writing things down has always helped me to reflect on experiences, and I believe my work over the course of this semester will be very useful in the years to come. Obrigado e Ate logo!

-Tony Grandelis

1/22/2010 - 1/26/2010 Fergalicious

I don't have too many crazy or interesting stories from Buenos Aires. We actually used this part of our trip to relax seeing as we had been getting up at 6am for the past week and a half. Nevertheless, I’ve got a few pictures for y’all. (Oh and I have a couple pics from our two hour stop in Lima too).


Lima:





































My mom is obsessed with taking pictures of her kids next to the Snoopy statues downtown St. Paul, so the picture of me next to the cow is dedicated to her. They have these cows all over Lima, and they are all decorated in a different style.

Argentina: The first night in Argentina, we went to one of the most famous steak houses in Latin America. It was called La Cabrera's and it had some of the most delicious food I have ever had. We had to wait about one hour to get in, and while we waited, they served us free appetizers and Champagne! I shared a juicy cut of steak with Megan, and the meat was served with dozens of different types of salsas. Also, rumor has it that Fergie is a fan of this place, so it must be good.Below are some pictures of the famous cemetery in BA. I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty arrogant to build yourself a million dollar tomb. Maybe I'll do that someday.

The remaining pictures are of Megan and Paul on the Subway, me trying to get a tan while standing in the shade, Paul and I trying to learn how to Tango (haha), and a beautiful view of 'The Woman's Bridge' in the ritzy part of Buenos Aires. Also, this concludes the end of my travels so I will be heading back to Sao Paulo to start my program. Stay tuned for more adventures.