Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
As if Exchange was not hard enough..
It is just SO MUCH better
when you spend you whole day trying to learn portuguese
not only that but stuff like chemistry and physics...in portuguese
and try to talk and make friend with people in portuguese
and you have a really thick accent and it takes like two or three times for someone to understand you
which is discouraging on its own.
its pretty upsetting
when people are like semi upset with you telling me
"precisa aprender portugues RAQUEL.."
translation: you need to learn portuguese HA-KEL!
erg. I wish people understood how hard this is and oh i dunno recognize for three weeks I have a pretty nice beginners grasp....sorry I do not know every word...really...sorry I need people to repeat things because I still need to listen to word separately and sorry I do not have a firm grasp on all the verb conjugations.
yea I am in Brasil DUH I need to know portuguese. I got the basic introductions before I came here and enough words from spanish that I can understand some things but every time I open my mouth I just get stared at blankly...or people just say "fala en ingles" as in just give up and talk in english...or just use google translator. I feel like that is not exactly helping....
frustrated.
when you spend you whole day trying to learn portuguese
not only that but stuff like chemistry and physics...in portuguese
and try to talk and make friend with people in portuguese
and you have a really thick accent and it takes like two or three times for someone to understand you
which is discouraging on its own.
its pretty upsetting
when people are like semi upset with you telling me
"precisa aprender portugues RAQUEL.."
translation: you need to learn portuguese HA-KEL!
erg. I wish people understood how hard this is and oh i dunno recognize for three weeks I have a pretty nice beginners grasp....sorry I do not know every word...really...sorry I need people to repeat things because I still need to listen to word separately and sorry I do not have a firm grasp on all the verb conjugations.
yea I am in Brasil DUH I need to know portuguese. I got the basic introductions before I came here and enough words from spanish that I can understand some things but every time I open my mouth I just get stared at blankly...or people just say "fala en ingles" as in just give up and talk in english...or just use google translator. I feel like that is not exactly helping....
frustrated.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
:/ feeling
I really have to actively want to enjoy this.
Like three hours of the day are ohhh coool Brasil.
The rest is boredom or confusion or...boredom.
Like I know people will read this and tell me all sorts of like enjoy it blah blah blah
and I know...I tell my self that every morning. But for now it is really hard and I hope within the next few weeks I will not have to MAKE my self have a good time...
Like three hours of the day are ohhh coool Brasil.
The rest is boredom or confusion or...boredom.
Like I know people will read this and tell me all sorts of like enjoy it blah blah blah
and I know...I tell my self that every morning. But for now it is really hard and I hope within the next few weeks I will not have to MAKE my self have a good time...
Currency
So 1 Dollar here is 1.61 ish reals here
Which is an improvement from the last time I checked...
but that does not change the fact that I feel like everything is SUPER expensive.
Clothing I feel like I will not even buy at all its like 70ish reals for a really simple tank top.
Acai...my favorite Brazilian treat is 8-11 reals
its just like uggggg.
And my allowance from my rotary club is a 90 reals...which will literally last about two weeks..and that will be with me really stretching it.
Which is an improvement from the last time I checked...
but that does not change the fact that I feel like everything is SUPER expensive.
Clothing I feel like I will not even buy at all its like 70ish reals for a really simple tank top.
Acai...my favorite Brazilian treat is 8-11 reals
its just like uggggg.
And my allowance from my rotary club is a 90 reals...which will literally last about two weeks..and that will be with me really stretching it.
Water.
I do not see people drinking a lot of water
I drink like a bajillion cups a day because it is HOT
People here are always drinking CocaCola. Like all the time. like ALL the time.
oh and I do not like the whole having to pay for water everywhere I go...
Including Restaurants.
I drink like a bajillion cups a day because it is HOT
People here are always drinking CocaCola. Like all the time. like ALL the time.
oh and I do not like the whole having to pay for water everywhere I go...
Including Restaurants.
Highschool Round Two.
So for the whole cultural immersion thing I am at a highschool 5 hours a day. Last year when I applied I was like "Oh that will not be a problem bla hblah blah" but It actually is kinda blehggers. I hate the whole having to ask to go to the bathroom and waking up super early in the morning...and not making money.
I am in class with students who are 15 and 16 years old and really tiny.
Which at first I thought was a huge drag which in the whole like making super good friends it might be...
but they are actually really nice. All the girls invited me bowling...which I ended up not going because I went to my host cousins instead...but regardless it was a nice gesture. They msn messagner me all the time and help and correct me with Portuguese. People more my age are a little less understanding...like at the Gym or other random times I just get laughed at ...which let me tell ya blowss.
Back to highschool:
Class starts at 7am...kill me right?
But the school offered that I can go at 7 45
I accepted.
So I have not figured out the whole like what class is on what day but the courses offered or Portuguese english history math..math again...chemistry biology physics and sociology. physcology(sp?) And all the students stay in the class and the teachers are the ones who move from class to class.
Class is over at 12:30 so naturally there is not a lunch break but there are two 15 minute breaks and there is a little like snack area where everyone and goes gets well..a snack...which are no where near healthy let meh tell ya. Its big bags of ruffles and onion ringss and fried chickeny stuff and candy and coca cola..
So during these breaks...I GET SWARMED by people. Like SWARMED. It is different people all the time. If I decide to refill my water and just stay in class there is at most there was about 20 but its at least 12 people around my little desk asking me questions and asking me what I know in Portuguese. Then if I leave to the little snack area EVERYONE STARES most of the time I am in a group but one time I walked back from the kitchen thing to the class room and it was soo awkard to be just stared at and random typical 15 year old boys who think they are funny shouting out random words in english.
But yea school is pretty boring I do not have really much of any intentions of doing the school work. I do not even have the material. So I sit there and hope to learn portuguese.
I am kinda in a little bit of regret of doing this because I feel very "over" the highschool scene.... but hey I get a two month summer vacation in about a month so woot for that.
I am in class with students who are 15 and 16 years old and really tiny.
Which at first I thought was a huge drag which in the whole like making super good friends it might be...
but they are actually really nice. All the girls invited me bowling...which I ended up not going because I went to my host cousins instead...but regardless it was a nice gesture. They msn messagner me all the time and help and correct me with Portuguese. People more my age are a little less understanding...like at the Gym or other random times I just get laughed at ...which let me tell ya blowss.
Back to highschool:
Class starts at 7am...kill me right?
But the school offered that I can go at 7 45
I accepted.
So I have not figured out the whole like what class is on what day but the courses offered or Portuguese english history math..math again...chemistry biology physics and sociology. physcology(sp?) And all the students stay in the class and the teachers are the ones who move from class to class.
Class is over at 12:30 so naturally there is not a lunch break but there are two 15 minute breaks and there is a little like snack area where everyone and goes gets well..a snack...which are no where near healthy let meh tell ya. Its big bags of ruffles and onion ringss and fried chickeny stuff and candy and coca cola..
So during these breaks...I GET SWARMED by people. Like SWARMED. It is different people all the time. If I decide to refill my water and just stay in class there is at most there was about 20 but its at least 12 people around my little desk asking me questions and asking me what I know in Portuguese. Then if I leave to the little snack area EVERYONE STARES most of the time I am in a group but one time I walked back from the kitchen thing to the class room and it was soo awkard to be just stared at and random typical 15 year old boys who think they are funny shouting out random words in english.
But yea school is pretty boring I do not have really much of any intentions of doing the school work. I do not even have the material. So I sit there and hope to learn portuguese.
I am kinda in a little bit of regret of doing this because I feel very "over" the highschool scene.... but hey I get a two month summer vacation in about a month so woot for that.
Stereo types and bus.
"Why aren't you fat?
"Are college parties crazy and all girls flash cameras?"
"How often do you eat at mcdonalds?" I actually hate mcdonalds...and they just do not believe it!
"Do you make cheese burgers for breakfast?"
"Cheerleaders are the coolest girls at the school right?"
"do not worry Brazil has fried food too...not as much as America of course"
"You like fruit?!?! and water?!!? You are a strange American."
"You love Obama right? You don't? So you love war?"
"Are college parties crazy and all girls flash cameras?"
"How often do you eat at mcdonalds?" I actually hate mcdonalds...and they just do not believe it!
"Do you make cheese burgers for breakfast?"
"Cheerleaders are the coolest girls at the school right?"
"do not worry Brazil has fried food too...not as much as America of course"
"You like fruit?!?! and water?!!? You are a strange American."
"You love Obama right? You don't? So you love war?"
hahahahah
and today on a Brazilian bus
there was a seat soley for obese people....it was accomanied by a picture of an obese person..sitting on the seat :(
(I wanted to get a picture with it BUT did not want to offend anyone ;/ hahahahha
speaking of brasilian buses.....
There is like the bus driver...then the person who collects fees....like you get on the bus....then pay then she presses like an okay button or whatever and you can go through a little metal thing...and then you are on the bus...
okay its hard to explain.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Day 5ish I think.
Well... where to start?
The first like three days...I was SO tired. and just wanted to sleep...so I pretty much did. And it was a lot of just being talked to in Portuguese...and me kinda just staring blankly.
My room is pretty simple. I have to share with my older host sister for now because my host fathers mother is sick.
...I feel like I have nothing to say
yikes.
Well the second day i started going to the gym...and it is super tight! It has like the workout area and a biking room and what not..but then there are two pools.. one for WOHOO swimming and a waterslide...then the other for laps. There are outside tennis courts and futbol field. And inside futbol field and volleyball court and basketball court. and a restaurant and like this little cabana type thing where they have like fruit salad and coca cola and juice and what not. It was pretty cool. I went with my younger cousin who speaks a little english he is really cute and really nice!
My host family is nice. I got to meet two host cousins, Carol and Gabby who I love! they are both so much fun...and they know english so I got to actually learn some Portuguese. We went to a bar...which is literally about 20 feet from my house...i will post a picture later... and the bar is really fun....like the waiters just carry around food and you just randomly take something and they mark it on this little paper...you CAN order...but I thought this was more fun.
Oh and here everyone goes out at like 11 pm and gets home at like 5 am......
So far the biggest thing I am getting use to is everyone is always in like my bubble...like near me ... all the time. I kinda like my space...but that is Brasil so I need to get use to it.
Oh and I went to the beach. Ubatuba. It was fun...everyone thought it was cold...but I thought it was pretty warm!
And then I stayed the night with Carol at her like "farm house" which it's not...but that is the only word I can think to describe it. It is so beautiful!! Like there is thehouse and its so open and then a lawn and you walk outside to the kitchen and there is a place to make pizza and what not...and there is a pool and soccer field and just its hard to explain but its beautiful!
So tomorrow I meet the other exchange students
And the next day I start school..blah.
so more posts later :)
The first like three days...I was SO tired. and just wanted to sleep...so I pretty much did. And it was a lot of just being talked to in Portuguese...and me kinda just staring blankly.
My room is pretty simple. I have to share with my older host sister for now because my host fathers mother is sick.
...I feel like I have nothing to say
yikes.
Well the second day i started going to the gym...and it is super tight! It has like the workout area and a biking room and what not..but then there are two pools.. one for WOHOO swimming and a waterslide...then the other for laps. There are outside tennis courts and futbol field. And inside futbol field and volleyball court and basketball court. and a restaurant and like this little cabana type thing where they have like fruit salad and coca cola and juice and what not. It was pretty cool. I went with my younger cousin who speaks a little english he is really cute and really nice!
My host family is nice. I got to meet two host cousins, Carol and Gabby who I love! they are both so much fun...and they know english so I got to actually learn some Portuguese. We went to a bar...which is literally about 20 feet from my house...i will post a picture later... and the bar is really fun....like the waiters just carry around food and you just randomly take something and they mark it on this little paper...you CAN order...but I thought this was more fun.
Oh and here everyone goes out at like 11 pm and gets home at like 5 am......
So far the biggest thing I am getting use to is everyone is always in like my bubble...like near me ... all the time. I kinda like my space...but that is Brasil so I need to get use to it.
Oh and I went to the beach. Ubatuba. It was fun...everyone thought it was cold...but I thought it was pretty warm!
And then I stayed the night with Carol at her like "farm house" which it's not...but that is the only word I can think to describe it. It is so beautiful!! Like there is thehouse and its so open and then a lawn and you walk outside to the kitchen and there is a place to make pizza and what not...and there is a pool and soccer field and just its hard to explain but its beautiful!
So tomorrow I meet the other exchange students
And the next day I start school..blah.
so more posts later :)
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