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