Generally songs don´t usually have the power to put overwhelming amounts of rage into my heart, but occasionally it does happen. One I think of off the top of my head being Toby Keith´s "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue".
So now there´s another one. It´s been out for a while, but I never heard it terribly often in the US. However, lucky me, it is very popular here. The recipient of this rageful honor is... drum roll... "Don´t Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls. First of all, I am extremely irritated by the title. Let´s not write things like they´re pronounced, and this also goes for a slew of other songs such as "Stickwitu."
The reason I really hate this song is the message. You can google it if you want, but I´ll give you the gist of the lyrics. It´s a slutty woman singing about how she wants to steal some other woman´s boyfriend/husband, using convincing arguments such as "Don´t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me, a freak like me, raw like me, fun like me, etc etc..." I would like to add a verse that says "a disease ridden skank whore like me", but that doesn´t fit the beat.
I think the reason I hate this so much is because one of the basic principles that I have founded whatever relational philosophy I live by on is that I will never, I repeat never, never fight another woman for a man. By fight I mean compete. I´m sure that deep within this is some reason related to insecurity, but the primary reason is because I would never trust the character of a man who let two women compete for his affection. To me that is a sign of a man who wants way too much attention, and if he is willing to put two women he allegedly cares about through that kind of frustration, then who´s to say what he won´t do for attention as the relationship progresses.
And this isn´t just about men. I´ve seen women do it, too... stringing along a couple of guys as she decides who she loves more (or who loves her more) as pretty much everyone else in the world suffers for her selfishness.
So, yes, it´s a source of frustration for me. How do you guys feel about this? Am I over-reacting? Am I right (like always)? :)
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
I went to São Paulo!
Oi meu povo (my people)!
Since I have been going for the informative, to the point titles, you can see where this is going. I went to São Paulo for the weekend!
I have two good friends who live there, and so I went to visit them. They planned some really cool stuff. For one, I got to go to my SECOND Brazilian national sporting event (remember the volleyball game in Brasília)!!!!! This time it was the FIBA world women´s basketball series. And Brazil was playing the US in the match for the bronze! It was hard to know who to cheer for. So I cheered for both. :)
Soraya (one of my friends who lives in SP) and me at the game
Then we went to Ibirapuera Park, which is really a cool place. Great atmosphere with lots of nature and people having fun and things.
Me and Thiago (my other good friend in SP) at the park with some of the SP skyline behind us
We did lots of great things. I met so many wonderful people, including Felipe and Thauana. Felipe is Thiago´s roommate and Thauana is his girlfriend, and I absoutely fell in love with them. Hanging out with everyone this weekend was like I was with a group of old friends. It´s times like this I believe without a doubt that God is so merciful and kind and grants us just what we need when we need it in our lives.
Phil and Thauana
We did lots of cool things and I saw a lot of the city. I could drone on, but it´d probably be boring. It was a great weekend and I can´t wait to go back and see them all again!
Since I have been going for the informative, to the point titles, you can see where this is going. I went to São Paulo for the weekend!
I have two good friends who live there, and so I went to visit them. They planned some really cool stuff. For one, I got to go to my SECOND Brazilian national sporting event (remember the volleyball game in Brasília)!!!!! This time it was the FIBA world women´s basketball series. And Brazil was playing the US in the match for the bronze! It was hard to know who to cheer for. So I cheered for both. :)
Soraya (one of my friends who lives in SP) and me at the game
Then we went to Ibirapuera Park, which is really a cool place. Great atmosphere with lots of nature and people having fun and things.
Me and Thiago (my other good friend in SP) at the park with some of the SP skyline behind us
We did lots of great things. I met so many wonderful people, including Felipe and Thauana. Felipe is Thiago´s roommate and Thauana is his girlfriend, and I absoutely fell in love with them. Hanging out with everyone this weekend was like I was with a group of old friends. It´s times like this I believe without a doubt that God is so merciful and kind and grants us just what we need when we need it in our lives.
Phil and Thauana
We did lots of cool things and I saw a lot of the city. I could drone on, but it´d probably be boring. It was a great weekend and I can´t wait to go back and see them all again!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Como se chama???
Last night I had thought of a blog topic, but then this morning couldn´t remember. Now I do!
One interesting thing that I´ve noticed the past three months is that people here have found inventive and imaginative ways to mispronounce my name. Now, my name is really quite simple. Ann Marie White. Simple. Very. Even the Japanese could pronounce my name. Except for the "Ho-whito" part. :)
When I first came to Brazil, my team thought it was funny that people pronounce my name "awhn." In fact, Meredith (who´s name is even funnier in Portuguese) still calls me "Awhnie" at times. But by and large, my name was largely left in tact.
Not this time!
I am called a number of ways. Some people call me Ann. Some people call me Annie, and some people call me "Uhh-nee", for lack of a better what to write it. This one sweet lady found out my name was Ann Marie (Ana Maria here, very Brazilian), but when she tries to say it in English she calls me "Annie Mary". It´s really quite funny. :)
Ali Gonçalves came down here and started the Ana Branca revolution, which is Ann White translated into Portuguese. Lots of people call me Ana now. Generally, I used to be so against when foreigners came to America and changed their names to something super-American like Bob or Susie (I experienced this a lot with the Asian students I worked with at OC), but now I understand. It´s kind of better to be called a different name than to have your name hacked up. But in my defense, Ana is basically Ann.
So I´m Ana Branca a lot. Then this turned into Ana Branca Franga, because my dear friend Jandira started calling me Franga... she says it´s some slang term from the 70s for a girl. Then she dubbed me Ana Branca Franga da Silva, because she says all Brazilians have like, 7 names (which is totally true), and since White is a common name in the US, da Silva is very common in Brazil.
So there you go. I am Ana Maria Branca Franga da Silva.
Also, I found this toy on myspace. I thought it was a cool way to display a lot of pictures. Enjoy! Or don´t, it´s really up to you. ;)
One interesting thing that I´ve noticed the past three months is that people here have found inventive and imaginative ways to mispronounce my name. Now, my name is really quite simple. Ann Marie White. Simple. Very. Even the Japanese could pronounce my name. Except for the "Ho-whito" part. :)
When I first came to Brazil, my team thought it was funny that people pronounce my name "awhn." In fact, Meredith (who´s name is even funnier in Portuguese) still calls me "Awhnie" at times. But by and large, my name was largely left in tact.
Not this time!
I am called a number of ways. Some people call me Ann. Some people call me Annie, and some people call me "Uhh-nee", for lack of a better what to write it. This one sweet lady found out my name was Ann Marie (Ana Maria here, very Brazilian), but when she tries to say it in English she calls me "Annie Mary". It´s really quite funny. :)
Ali Gonçalves came down here and started the Ana Branca revolution, which is Ann White translated into Portuguese. Lots of people call me Ana now. Generally, I used to be so against when foreigners came to America and changed their names to something super-American like Bob or Susie (I experienced this a lot with the Asian students I worked with at OC), but now I understand. It´s kind of better to be called a different name than to have your name hacked up. But in my defense, Ana is basically Ann.
So I´m Ana Branca a lot. Then this turned into Ana Branca Franga, because my dear friend Jandira started calling me Franga... she says it´s some slang term from the 70s for a girl. Then she dubbed me Ana Branca Franga da Silva, because she says all Brazilians have like, 7 names (which is totally true), and since White is a common name in the US, da Silva is very common in Brazil.
So there you go. I am Ana Maria Branca Franga da Silva.
Also, I found this toy on myspace. I thought it was a cool way to display a lot of pictures. Enjoy! Or don´t, it´s really up to you. ;)
Monday, September 18, 2006
10 Years
10 years ago today I was baptized at Graham St. Church of Christ in Stephenville, Texas by my father. I grew up in the church, I was hyper-involved, and I always knew one day I´d be baptized. As I sat in my Wednesday night Bible class I decided it would be that day. I´m not sure why. See You at the Pole was that day, and maybe that had something to do with it, I´m not sure.
In our youth group Bible class here, we have been having an ongoing discussion on when salvation occurs. Goodness knows this has been talked about for pretty much forever, and I´m pretty sure no one knows the answer, but it´s an interesting conversation.
Here´s my opinion. Our salvation comes through God´s unfailing, unflinching, unconditional love for us. That is a relationship. The Bible compares our relationship with God to that of a husband and wife or father and child. Relationships don´t just happen at one moment. With a marriage, you could say that the relationship started when they first met, their first date, first kiss, marriage ceremony, and I´m not married, but I would think that there are couples who are together 10, 20, 50 years and still feel like everyday is a new beginning because they learn more and share more.
Or a parent and child. When does that relationship start? When the child is born? At conception? Or when two people decide to commit to starting a family together?
Baptism is important. I believe it is a holy and sacred event, the depths of which we can´t understand this side of heaven. But I will say that although incredibly important, my baptism didn´t mark the beginning or the culmination of my Christian walk.
So today I look back and thank God for where I´ve been, where I am, and where I´m going. And I thank all of you for walking down this road with me.
In our youth group Bible class here, we have been having an ongoing discussion on when salvation occurs. Goodness knows this has been talked about for pretty much forever, and I´m pretty sure no one knows the answer, but it´s an interesting conversation.
Here´s my opinion. Our salvation comes through God´s unfailing, unflinching, unconditional love for us. That is a relationship. The Bible compares our relationship with God to that of a husband and wife or father and child. Relationships don´t just happen at one moment. With a marriage, you could say that the relationship started when they first met, their first date, first kiss, marriage ceremony, and I´m not married, but I would think that there are couples who are together 10, 20, 50 years and still feel like everyday is a new beginning because they learn more and share more.
Or a parent and child. When does that relationship start? When the child is born? At conception? Or when two people decide to commit to starting a family together?
Baptism is important. I believe it is a holy and sacred event, the depths of which we can´t understand this side of heaven. But I will say that although incredibly important, my baptism didn´t mark the beginning or the culmination of my Christian walk.
So today I look back and thank God for where I´ve been, where I am, and where I´m going. And I thank all of you for walking down this road with me.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Say no to speedo
I´ve been planning a trip to the beach with my friends in a couple of months, and today the thought struck me that some of the men might wear speedos. I can´t tell you how disturbing this is to me. I really think I´ll never recover if I see my male friends in speedos. Not that they´re ugly by any means, if you´ve noticed in my pictures on here Brazilians are exceptionally beautiful. But a speedo? Dude, please. I know this is a cultural issue that I have to get over... but it will take an act of God, I´m pretty sure. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... even exposure to speedos.
For those Simpsons fans out there, I would like to recall the episode where the Simpsons go to Brazil and Homer wears a speedo. He actually wears like, 4. Great moment. :)
For those Simpsons fans out there, I would like to recall the episode where the Simpsons go to Brazil and Homer wears a speedo. He actually wears like, 4. Great moment. :)
Friday, September 15, 2006
Stroganoff
Right now I´d like to take some time to make you all wish that you were here in Brazil, not only to bask in my fine company, but also to eat the amazing food.
If you don´t know Brazilian stroganoff, you have not lived. :) Haha, kind of a dramatic statement, huh? I always considered stroganoff to be of the Hamburger helper variety and a German food, but like many things, the Brazilians have taken it and made something beautiful from it.
A few of my friends and I have been doing these dinner night things where we get together and I cook and we have a nice meal together. Last week my friend Jandira taught me how to make stroganoff! It´s really surprisingly simple. You kind of pan grill strips of chicken, then add cream, mustard, ketchup, worschsershire sauce (I don´t know how to spell or say that), and garlic of course. I think Americans generally eat stroganoff with noodles, but Brazilians eat it with rice and shoe string potatos. Oh my heavens, it is so good.
Here is a video of Jandira making it and Ivan begging for tastes.
I don´t think I´ve done a sufficient job of making it sound as good as it is, but trust me, it is. I will start taking requests for me to make it for you when I go back to the States.
Anyone else know Brazilian stroganoff? Want to give a testimony? :)
If you don´t know Brazilian stroganoff, you have not lived. :) Haha, kind of a dramatic statement, huh? I always considered stroganoff to be of the Hamburger helper variety and a German food, but like many things, the Brazilians have taken it and made something beautiful from it.
A few of my friends and I have been doing these dinner night things where we get together and I cook and we have a nice meal together. Last week my friend Jandira taught me how to make stroganoff! It´s really surprisingly simple. You kind of pan grill strips of chicken, then add cream, mustard, ketchup, worschsershire sauce (I don´t know how to spell or say that), and garlic of course. I think Americans generally eat stroganoff with noodles, but Brazilians eat it with rice and shoe string potatos. Oh my heavens, it is so good.
Here is a video of Jandira making it and Ivan begging for tastes.
I don´t think I´ve done a sufficient job of making it sound as good as it is, but trust me, it is. I will start taking requests for me to make it for you when I go back to the States.
Anyone else know Brazilian stroganoff? Want to give a testimony? :)
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Asian Invasion
You won´t even believe what I did today. Honestly, I still can´t believe it myself. Here´s a hint:
Yes, people, I ate Japanese food.
Okay, here´s a moment of brutal honesty, because it´s my blog and I should be honest. I don´t like Japanese food. The Japanese food I like is mostly actually Chinese (yakisoba, gyosa). I do like tempura, and I think that´s actually Japanese. But generally, no I don´t like Japanese food. I don´t like seaweed, I don´t like fishy fish, I don´t like soy sauce, I don´t like misso. And let´s not even talk about natto. Just being honest, people. :)
But today after church I was invited to go to a pretty authentic Japanese restaurant in the next city called "Yoshi´s Japanese Restaurant." That´s really what it was called. Japanese restaurant in Brazil with an English name. Go fig. Anyhoo, I have a short antedote and I´ll post some pictures.
First, we were eating a buffet style meal where they bring things by your table for you to eat (rodizio). The first big plate that was brought were these sushi rolls like I´d never seen before. They were about the size and shape of a conical ice cream cone (made of seaweed of course), filled with rice and then with a lot of this red stuff on top. Now, I could have SWORN that the waitress said it was tomato. Yes, that´s weird, but it´s Brazilian sushi after all. So I take one and take a big bite. Then a few minutes later as I´m looking at the remainder of this HUMONGOUS sushi roll, I realize it is not tomato, but in fact raw salmon. As if that´s not bad enough, about halfway through our meal my friend leans over to me and says, "You´re going to finish that, right? You know you have to pay extra for what you don´t eat." I wish I could have seen my face at that moment, because I had a pile of raw salmon on my place about the size of a very generous scoop of ice cream. I tried, I tried valiantly, but I couldn´t do it. Some things are worth paying extra for. Mental peace is one. But really, I´m still not convinced that my friend wasn´t kidding. He swears he wasn´t, but it would have been a pretty funny joke, huh? :)
Here are some pictures!
Uma barca de sushi! A boat of sushi!
Phyllis and Ako, our wonderful hostess. Yes, her family is Japanese. :)
Ivan (happy with sushi) and Ann (happy without sushi)
Jorge and Antenor
Really, the food was actually really good and the company was wonderful. It brought back lots of memories! :) Itadakimasu! Gotsosamadeshita!
Yes, people, I ate Japanese food.
Okay, here´s a moment of brutal honesty, because it´s my blog and I should be honest. I don´t like Japanese food. The Japanese food I like is mostly actually Chinese (yakisoba, gyosa). I do like tempura, and I think that´s actually Japanese. But generally, no I don´t like Japanese food. I don´t like seaweed, I don´t like fishy fish, I don´t like soy sauce, I don´t like misso. And let´s not even talk about natto. Just being honest, people. :)
But today after church I was invited to go to a pretty authentic Japanese restaurant in the next city called "Yoshi´s Japanese Restaurant." That´s really what it was called. Japanese restaurant in Brazil with an English name. Go fig. Anyhoo, I have a short antedote and I´ll post some pictures.
First, we were eating a buffet style meal where they bring things by your table for you to eat (rodizio). The first big plate that was brought were these sushi rolls like I´d never seen before. They were about the size and shape of a conical ice cream cone (made of seaweed of course), filled with rice and then with a lot of this red stuff on top. Now, I could have SWORN that the waitress said it was tomato. Yes, that´s weird, but it´s Brazilian sushi after all. So I take one and take a big bite. Then a few minutes later as I´m looking at the remainder of this HUMONGOUS sushi roll, I realize it is not tomato, but in fact raw salmon. As if that´s not bad enough, about halfway through our meal my friend leans over to me and says, "You´re going to finish that, right? You know you have to pay extra for what you don´t eat." I wish I could have seen my face at that moment, because I had a pile of raw salmon on my place about the size of a very generous scoop of ice cream. I tried, I tried valiantly, but I couldn´t do it. Some things are worth paying extra for. Mental peace is one. But really, I´m still not convinced that my friend wasn´t kidding. He swears he wasn´t, but it would have been a pretty funny joke, huh? :)
Here are some pictures!
Uma barca de sushi! A boat of sushi!
Phyllis and Ako, our wonderful hostess. Yes, her family is Japanese. :)
Ivan (happy with sushi) and Ann (happy without sushi)
Jorge and Antenor
Really, the food was actually really good and the company was wonderful. It brought back lots of memories! :) Itadakimasu! Gotsosamadeshita!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Curitiba-- Congresso 3 em 1
Part II of Curitiba!
The purpose of this trip was to go to the church conference, Congresso 3 em 1. It was really, really wonderful. I got to see a lot of people I didn´t expect to see, because a lot of the leaders of the church in the southern half of Brazil were there.
The theme was basically about the Shepherd and His Flock. I was so tickled because my Portuguese is to a point where I could easily follow the classes and lectures (although I did have to learn quickly some sheep vocabulary). It was so gratifying to not only be able to understand the classes, but to also really take spiritual nourishment from them.
This is the praise team from the Igreja de Vitoria in Rio de Janeiro. They´re praise ministry has done so much and I am sure will continue to do so much for the Churches of Christ in Brazil. They lead the praise all weekend.
I took a whole lot of pictures, which can be viewed in my webshots album, but here are a few.
The purpose of this trip was to go to the church conference, Congresso 3 em 1. It was really, really wonderful. I got to see a lot of people I didn´t expect to see, because a lot of the leaders of the church in the southern half of Brazil were there.
The theme was basically about the Shepherd and His Flock. I was so tickled because my Portuguese is to a point where I could easily follow the classes and lectures (although I did have to learn quickly some sheep vocabulary). It was so gratifying to not only be able to understand the classes, but to also really take spiritual nourishment from them.
This is the praise team from the Igreja de Vitoria in Rio de Janeiro. They´re praise ministry has done so much and I am sure will continue to do so much for the Churches of Christ in Brazil. They lead the praise all weekend.
I took a whole lot of pictures, which can be viewed in my webshots album, but here are a few.
This is Antenor Gonçalves speaking on the subject "I am the door" from John 10. Really excellent lesson.
This is Allen Dutton Jr. speaking on the importance of being aware of the lost sheep of our flock.
This is our beautiful group! We were really a combination of the churches in Itu and Salto. Salto is a new church plant in the city right next to Itu (really, only about 10 minutes away). We had 5 families from Salto go! That really touches me because it shows such powerful dedication and leadership of the families working there.
This is a video of the entire audience singing this beautiful Brazilian hymn. I am so frustrated because I don´t know the name! But I will find it and tell you. The message is about the family of Christ standing firm together as we look to Jesus to lead us, and being able to withstand attacks from Satan through our unity. It was a really powerful moment for me to hear a group of 200+ Brazilians singing this.
I was so blessed through this opportunity. And I ask you to continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in Brazil as they work for the kingdom with you, wherever you might be.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Book Thing and Video
1. One book that changed your life: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck made me see the true power of words and helped me fall in love with literature.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Leaving Ruin by Jeff Berryman. I don´t even know how many times I´ve read it, but I fall in love with the characters every time.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Fighting the temptation to say something smart alecky like, "how to survive on a desserted island," I will instead say Life of Pi by Yann something or other. Little Pi had some great ideas about how to stay alive.
4. One book that made you laugh: Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy. Holy moly, this book is hilarious. Blake gave it to me for my college graduation and I took it to Brazil to read, and I was laughing out loud with every page. I would read passages outloud (through fits of laughter) to my friend Taylor who appreciated the humor. Seriously, this probably one of the funniest books ever.
5. One book that made you cry: Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein (I mean the triology in general, but really the last book-- Return of the King-- had me very teary).
6. One book you wish had been written: I have no idea.
7. One book you wish had never been written: Anything that was written by any political hack, either side of the spectrum. Oh, or any book that tries to sell a feel good or a health and wealth theology.
8. One book you’re currently reading: I have a terrible habit of reading more than one book at a time, so let me choose since now I have about 5. I am re-reading A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm. Old book, but great book. Classic.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Gee, there are lots. I guess if I have to choose one I´ll go with the next Harry Potter.
10. Tag five others: Homey don´t play ´dat. ;) But if you do choose to post it, please leave a comment so I can go check out your answers.
Next installment of the Curitiba series is coming! Please be patient! But in the meantime, here is a video I took at the Botanical Gardens that I forgot to include last time.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Leaving Ruin by Jeff Berryman. I don´t even know how many times I´ve read it, but I fall in love with the characters every time.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Fighting the temptation to say something smart alecky like, "how to survive on a desserted island," I will instead say Life of Pi by Yann something or other. Little Pi had some great ideas about how to stay alive.
4. One book that made you laugh: Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy. Holy moly, this book is hilarious. Blake gave it to me for my college graduation and I took it to Brazil to read, and I was laughing out loud with every page. I would read passages outloud (through fits of laughter) to my friend Taylor who appreciated the humor. Seriously, this probably one of the funniest books ever.
5. One book that made you cry: Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein (I mean the triology in general, but really the last book-- Return of the King-- had me very teary).
6. One book you wish had been written: I have no idea.
7. One book you wish had never been written: Anything that was written by any political hack, either side of the spectrum. Oh, or any book that tries to sell a feel good or a health and wealth theology.
8. One book you’re currently reading: I have a terrible habit of reading more than one book at a time, so let me choose since now I have about 5. I am re-reading A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm. Old book, but great book. Classic.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Gee, there are lots. I guess if I have to choose one I´ll go with the next Harry Potter.
10. Tag five others: Homey don´t play ´dat. ;) But if you do choose to post it, please leave a comment so I can go check out your answers.
Next installment of the Curitiba series is coming! Please be patient! But in the meantime, here is a video I took at the Botanical Gardens that I forgot to include last time.
Monday, September 04, 2006
I went to Curitiba!
Hello loyal followers!
I think the subject sums it up. :) Last Thursday through Sunday I went to Curitiba (pronounced kur-a-chee-bah), a city father south in Brazil, for a church conference. It was really fun and I am so thankful I got to go. Like for my Brasília trip, I will break this trip down into parts. Just 2 parts this time, though. :) One for our sightseeing and one for the church stuff.
All Brazilians say Curitiba is a city very different from the rest of Brazil, and very representative of the southern part of the country. The south has been very heavily influenced by European settlers from Italy, Germany, and Portugal while the north has more African and indigienous influence. I guess we in the middle are somewhere inbetween. :)
Our sightseeing day was Friday, and as my luck would have it, it rained nearly all day. Much like my trip to Rio 4 years ago. But the rains did stop and we did get to sightsee 2 beautiful locations, the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens) and the opera house, Casa de Arema. Here are some photos. Yes they´re mostly of me. I am vain. :)
The first three are from the Botanical Gardens and the last two are from the Opera House.
While it rained we went to a mall. A very chic mall! They offered all kinds of services in the bathroom, including free dental floss!!! If you know my love of dental hygiene, you know how happy this made me!!!!!!!!!! :)
I think the subject sums it up. :) Last Thursday through Sunday I went to Curitiba (pronounced kur-a-chee-bah), a city father south in Brazil, for a church conference. It was really fun and I am so thankful I got to go. Like for my Brasília trip, I will break this trip down into parts. Just 2 parts this time, though. :) One for our sightseeing and one for the church stuff.
All Brazilians say Curitiba is a city very different from the rest of Brazil, and very representative of the southern part of the country. The south has been very heavily influenced by European settlers from Italy, Germany, and Portugal while the north has more African and indigienous influence. I guess we in the middle are somewhere inbetween. :)
Our sightseeing day was Friday, and as my luck would have it, it rained nearly all day. Much like my trip to Rio 4 years ago. But the rains did stop and we did get to sightsee 2 beautiful locations, the Jardim Botânico (Botanical Gardens) and the opera house, Casa de Arema. Here are some photos. Yes they´re mostly of me. I am vain. :)
The first three are from the Botanical Gardens and the last two are from the Opera House.
While it rained we went to a mall. A very chic mall! They offered all kinds of services in the bathroom, including free dental floss!!! If you know my love of dental hygiene, you know how happy this made me!!!!!!!!!! :)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Feliz dia de ficar*!
Last night was a fun night to celebrate my not leaving Brazil for a while longer, because yesterday is when I was originally scheduled to fly out. So I had the wonderful privledge to have dinner with some of my favorite people here and in the world.
These guys are my family here and no matter where I go or what I do in life, I will always carry them in my hearts.
Marúsia, Ann, Jandira
Aníbal, Ivan, Leandro, Marúsia, Ann, Jandira-- I love these guys so much!
*This means happy staying day, more or less, although I´m probably missing a preposition or something. :) It´s funny because "ficar" in Brazil also has the same meaning as NCL for your OCers, or when you just randomly make out with someone you have no romantic relationship with. Yay for learning Portuguese!
These guys are my family here and no matter where I go or what I do in life, I will always carry them in my hearts.
Marúsia, Ann, Jandira
Aníbal, Ivan, Leandro, Marúsia, Ann, Jandira-- I love these guys so much!
*This means happy staying day, more or less, although I´m probably missing a preposition or something. :) It´s funny because "ficar" in Brazil also has the same meaning as NCL for your OCers, or when you just randomly make out with someone you have no romantic relationship with. Yay for learning Portuguese!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Calma, calma...
Hello my friends from morning in Brazil.
I am asking for prayers, for myself and for my friends here. For myself because I am getting culture shocked, culture stressed, or whatever you want to call it. I really think that culture shock is a process that is worked through and I´m just in a icky phase of it now, but whatever. The problem is that I am very easily irritated these days. I´ve found myself being over sensitive and easily annoyed at my friends here, which has in turn prompted me to last out and snap at people. So I ask for prayers that God will chill me out. I also have some very stressful situations that are trying to get resolved, so without going into too much detail pray for those.
Secondly I ask for prayers for my friends here to have patience with me and try to understand where I´m coming from and what kind of stress I´m under, and to have an extra measure of mercy on me. They are wonderful, and I pray I don´t wear their patience thin.
Thank you my people. :)
I am asking for prayers, for myself and for my friends here. For myself because I am getting culture shocked, culture stressed, or whatever you want to call it. I really think that culture shock is a process that is worked through and I´m just in a icky phase of it now, but whatever. The problem is that I am very easily irritated these days. I´ve found myself being over sensitive and easily annoyed at my friends here, which has in turn prompted me to last out and snap at people. So I ask for prayers that God will chill me out. I also have some very stressful situations that are trying to get resolved, so without going into too much detail pray for those.
Secondly I ask for prayers for my friends here to have patience with me and try to understand where I´m coming from and what kind of stress I´m under, and to have an extra measure of mercy on me. They are wonderful, and I pray I don´t wear their patience thin.
Thank you my people. :)
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Strange things
So, living in a different culture, experiencing new things, you notice some strange stuff. Here´s a snippet of the strangeness of my life lately.
- Men´s underwear here has no flap in the front. I´m not sure what to make of this, but I´m too embarrassed to ask anyone and honestly don´t want to admit that I´ve noticed it. And for the record, I noticed it on manequins in the mall. :) Honestly, I could probably do a whole blog series on the weirdness of Brazilian underwear.
- The staff at McDonalds knows me. And they all know exactly what I order. Oh my goodness, this is so embarrassing. Que vergonha! My friends think this is really funny and an indication that I eat there all the time. In reality, I don´t eat there all the time, maybe once a week. And some people think that´s awful, and for a long time had me believing it was awful, too. But you know what! I decided last week that I can like and eat at McDonalds without shame! I am proud to be a McDonalds fan! ;) I actually have one friend here who also loves McDonalds. I call him my McMigo (get it, Mc + amigo (friend)... I think it´s terribly clever! Maybe even more clever than "obrigadeiro"...)
McMigos-- because every blog deserves a picture
- I would also like to say in relation to the above weird thing that a LOT of people know me. Itu isn´t a small town (maybe for Brazil, but it has 150,000 people), but they don´t see a lot of foreigners (except for the mountains of gringos that flood in during campaign season), so a lot of people like to talk to me at bus stops or in the grocery store or wherever. So in reality, the staffs of pretty much every store at the mall know me. Not just McDonalds. :) Superstar!!!!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Dirty Words
In good essay writing you generally start with a broad statement then work your way own to a more concise point, so here goes.
Learning a second language is hard.
:)
Okay now for my real point. Before I came to Brazil, I really worked hard studying books and such to learn Portuguese. Hence, I was a good writer and reader but listening and speaking were hard. Since I´ve been here my primary method of learning has been through what I hear around me. This is good because I can hear how people actually use the language and correct pronunciation and all, but it has it´s downfalls, too.
First of all there is the human error factor. As you know in English as well, some people use language correctly and some people do not. The problem is here I don´t know exactly which are which, so I have to be careful who I model myself after.
Next is the slang factor, which is somewhat related to the above issue. Most slang is fine, I think, but sometimes it´s just wrong and I don´t want to learn ghetto Portuguese.
Closely linked to the slang factor is the dirty word factor. Let me give you an example. I have a dear friend here who I spend a good deal of time with, yet this person has a... ahem... colorful vocabulary in Portugese. So, although I adore this person, I have to be careful and not repeat what they say. Which is really difficult, because I´m realizing how infantile I´m becoming in my language learning here (which is natural). I am sort of like a parrot, and I have started talking like my friends and saying what they say. But the problem comes when they´re saying things that I don´t need to repeat, and I don´t realize it.
The complicating factor is that "dirty words" are so subjective. You all know, of course, that we have varying degrees of dirty words in English. There are the boogers, butts, freakin´s, craps, and the list goes on. So one day a couple of weeks ago I sat down with a good friend of mine here who I trust in judgment and Christian wisdom (and she´s my age, so my generation speaking), and I kind of went through the list of questionable words I know in Portuguese to get her opinion on whether I should say them or not. I think that was a good move.
I´m not a language prude. Language is my business, I´m a fairly artsy person, so I have a sort of liberal attitude about this issue. I don´t run around shooting my mouth off, but sometimes I think a "dirty word" is a extremely appropriate, more so than other words. But the root of this issue is that I want and need to know exactly what I´m saying. Words are powerful, and can be used for great good and evil. Proverbs says they´re like arrows-- so I want to be sure I´m shooting straight.
Learning a second language is hard.
:)
Okay now for my real point. Before I came to Brazil, I really worked hard studying books and such to learn Portuguese. Hence, I was a good writer and reader but listening and speaking were hard. Since I´ve been here my primary method of learning has been through what I hear around me. This is good because I can hear how people actually use the language and correct pronunciation and all, but it has it´s downfalls, too.
First of all there is the human error factor. As you know in English as well, some people use language correctly and some people do not. The problem is here I don´t know exactly which are which, so I have to be careful who I model myself after.
Next is the slang factor, which is somewhat related to the above issue. Most slang is fine, I think, but sometimes it´s just wrong and I don´t want to learn ghetto Portuguese.
Closely linked to the slang factor is the dirty word factor. Let me give you an example. I have a dear friend here who I spend a good deal of time with, yet this person has a... ahem... colorful vocabulary in Portugese. So, although I adore this person, I have to be careful and not repeat what they say. Which is really difficult, because I´m realizing how infantile I´m becoming in my language learning here (which is natural). I am sort of like a parrot, and I have started talking like my friends and saying what they say. But the problem comes when they´re saying things that I don´t need to repeat, and I don´t realize it.
The complicating factor is that "dirty words" are so subjective. You all know, of course, that we have varying degrees of dirty words in English. There are the boogers, butts, freakin´s, craps, and the list goes on. So one day a couple of weeks ago I sat down with a good friend of mine here who I trust in judgment and Christian wisdom (and she´s my age, so my generation speaking), and I kind of went through the list of questionable words I know in Portuguese to get her opinion on whether I should say them or not. I think that was a good move.
I´m not a language prude. Language is my business, I´m a fairly artsy person, so I have a sort of liberal attitude about this issue. I don´t run around shooting my mouth off, but sometimes I think a "dirty word" is a extremely appropriate, more so than other words. But the root of this issue is that I want and need to know exactly what I´m saying. Words are powerful, and can be used for great good and evil. Proverbs says they´re like arrows-- so I want to be sure I´m shooting straight.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Brasília-- the wrap up
It was a fun trip, and I´m so so glad I went. I knew in going that I was going to put myself in a major case of self induced culture shock, because I was traveling with all Brazilians, to the capitol of Brazil, to a Brazilian wedding and to see a Brazilian national sporting event. And culture shocked I did get, for about 3 hours on Friday. But even when I was frustrated out of my mind, I knew that in a week I´d look back on it and think it was one of the funnest times ever. Now it´s been a week and I can readily say that yes, it was. :)
Here are some random favorite photos!
Ivan, Enidilson and Jorge-- manly men!
Enrique, possibly the cutest kid ever. :)
This picture kind of freak me out, but I think it´s really cool. Aníbal does really cool stuff without a flash on his camera.
Aníbal took this picture on our late night tour of Brasília with Enidilson and Enrique. From left to right it´s Ivan, Edinilson, Enrique, me, Jandira.
Another one of those non-flash photos. I like the colors in this one so much. I knew Aníbal was getting ready to take a picture, but I didn´t know when he took it. Hence the half-posed look. Very cool.
Ha, I love this! Another irreverent picture in the Congressional Palace. :)
I love this picture too! Liberdade!
A too-sweet, Janibal special. :) And I took it, thank you very much. ;)
Jandira and I
Remember the blog about being late to the airport? This is a picture from that time... look at those faces! hahahahaha... :)
That´s all folks! And as always, there are more great photos (at least I think so) in the album. Yay webshots! Yay advertising! Yay give me free stuff! ;)
Here are some random favorite photos!
Ivan, Enidilson and Jorge-- manly men!
Enrique, possibly the cutest kid ever. :)
This picture kind of freak me out, but I think it´s really cool. Aníbal does really cool stuff without a flash on his camera.
Aníbal took this picture on our late night tour of Brasília with Enidilson and Enrique. From left to right it´s Ivan, Edinilson, Enrique, me, Jandira.
Another one of those non-flash photos. I like the colors in this one so much. I knew Aníbal was getting ready to take a picture, but I didn´t know when he took it. Hence the half-posed look. Very cool.
Ha, I love this! Another irreverent picture in the Congressional Palace. :)
I love this picture too! Liberdade!
A too-sweet, Janibal special. :) And I took it, thank you very much. ;)
Jandira and I
Remember the blog about being late to the airport? This is a picture from that time... look at those faces! hahahahaha... :)
That´s all folks! And as always, there are more great photos (at least I think so) in the album. Yay webshots! Yay advertising! Yay give me free stuff! ;)
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Brasília-- the wedding
The whole point of our trip was to go for the wedding of our friend, Luís. It was pretty interesting. I was surprised at how... normal it seemed. :) I just thought maybe weddings would be a lot different here. Probably Catholic weddings are, but for us Evangelicals, it´s not too different.
The major different I guess to me was that they don´t have wedding parties like we have in the States. Instead of groom´s men for the groom and bride´s maids for the bride, each couple has a designated number of couples. And traditionally they´re real couples (dating, engaged, married), but not always. And everyone wears their own clothes that they choose. They actually try NOT to match! :) Cool! There was a bit of talk at this wedding when one of the madrinhas (little mothers literally, but bride´s maids) wore a white pants suit. She looked hot though! :)
So here are some pictures. Yes, there´s a lot of me, but it´s my blog and I can be vain if I want to. ;)
The beautiful bride and handsome groom-- Dora e Luís.
My beautiful, beloved friends.
Me and Antenor
Antenor and Phyllis
If you don´t know Antenor and Phyllis, you´re missing out. They are some of the greatest folks ever.
Marúsia and I lookin´ hot... I think perhaps I look a little too hot. Try to ignore the bright pink sunburn. :)
Guto and I-- we were apparently the unofficial photographers for the wedding, with 5 cameras between us. :)
Jorge´s tie getting cut. Apparently it´s a tradition to cut off pieces of the groom´s tie and "sell them" at the reception to help fund the honeymoon for the couple. But our group was occupied with pictures, so they got his brother to stand in instead.
There are lots more great photos in my online webshots photo album, for which the link can be found at the right. In fact I just got all of my friend Aníbal´s photos and put them in an album today. In a few days I will meld them together into my original Brasília album, but for now they´re separate so you die hard Sojochick Blog fans won´t need to look through all the repeats to see the new ones. Aníbal is a pretty cool photographer, so check it out. :)
This is the penultimate post on Brasília. I plan to do just one more "what I learned from this trip" and random photo blog. Thanks for sticking with me through this!
Sorry my pictures are screwy. I am having a dang hard time finding a good way to put pictures on my blog. Any advice?
The major different I guess to me was that they don´t have wedding parties like we have in the States. Instead of groom´s men for the groom and bride´s maids for the bride, each couple has a designated number of couples. And traditionally they´re real couples (dating, engaged, married), but not always. And everyone wears their own clothes that they choose. They actually try NOT to match! :) Cool! There was a bit of talk at this wedding when one of the madrinhas (little mothers literally, but bride´s maids) wore a white pants suit. She looked hot though! :)
So here are some pictures. Yes, there´s a lot of me, but it´s my blog and I can be vain if I want to. ;)
The beautiful bride and handsome groom-- Dora e Luís.
My beautiful, beloved friends.
Me and Antenor
Antenor and Phyllis
If you don´t know Antenor and Phyllis, you´re missing out. They are some of the greatest folks ever.
Marúsia and I lookin´ hot... I think perhaps I look a little too hot. Try to ignore the bright pink sunburn. :)
Guto and I-- we were apparently the unofficial photographers for the wedding, with 5 cameras between us. :)
Jorge´s tie getting cut. Apparently it´s a tradition to cut off pieces of the groom´s tie and "sell them" at the reception to help fund the honeymoon for the couple. But our group was occupied with pictures, so they got his brother to stand in instead.
There are lots more great photos in my online webshots photo album, for which the link can be found at the right. In fact I just got all of my friend Aníbal´s photos and put them in an album today. In a few days I will meld them together into my original Brasília album, but for now they´re separate so you die hard Sojochick Blog fans won´t need to look through all the repeats to see the new ones. Aníbal is a pretty cool photographer, so check it out. :)
This is the penultimate post on Brasília. I plan to do just one more "what I learned from this trip" and random photo blog. Thanks for sticking with me through this!
Sorry my pictures are screwy. I am having a dang hard time finding a good way to put pictures on my blog. Any advice?
Brasília-- Government Stuff
Brasília is the capitol of Brazil, and it´s actually an interesting story. The city was designed in the 50s and 60s by civil engineers for the purpose of being a very modern, organized, capitol city for Brasil. The original shape of the city was a cross, but as it´s grown it´s become more of an airplane. And the city is much different from any other Brazilian city I´ve been to-- so organized!
So we did some sightseeing and took the opportunity to see some government stuff. Honestly, this didn´t interest me much because I don´t know that much about these buildings and monuments and such. But it was cool and we did have some fun. :)
My favorite place was the Congressional Palace, which I guess is like our senate place thing. I am really ignorant about this stuff. :) I liked it because it was inside and air conditioned. Ha, no it was very cool, no pun intended.
As you can see it´s a very modern building, with the cereal bowl and upside down bowl things. I´m sure it´s all very symbolic, I just don´t know what it means. And then behind it is the building with the towers. Very beautiful!
I won´t bore you with a civics lesson, so here is some of the fun we had there. We were, ahem, a little irreverent at times I think. :)
This is Aníbal arm wrestling a statue.
Me sticking my head through a piece of national art.
Ivan pretending to be a senator
This was an interesting man. He saw me reading the famous quotes from the inaguration of Brasília inscribed on the wall, and came up to me and said, "I´ve been reading this for 50 years, and it is more beautiful every time." I´m not exactly sure what his political connection is, but he was apparently at the inagural mass for the city of Brasília. (yes, the inagural mass-- Catholic countries can do that!) Very nice guy, 78 years old.
This night we also took a late night tour of Brasília with one of our friends (the same ones who took us to the airport in the earlier post).
This is Jandira and I in front of Lula´s house. He´s the president.
And this it the JK Bridge. Very beautiful. JK stands for Juscelino Kubitschek, the President of Brazil who directed the building of Brasília. Pretty much half the city is monuments to this guy. :)
That´s all the photos I´ll put here, but you can see more at my webshots page.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Karma, Chocolate Chips, and Big News!
In case you were ever wondering what the karma would be for a person who records her friends running across a street for their lives while laughing hysterically, then posting it to the internet for everyone to laugh at, here it is.
Yesterday I was going home by bus after doing some heavy duty grocery shopping, so my backpack was full of stuff and I was carrying 4 loaded sacks. The bus drops me off outside my neighborhood, and to get into it I have to cross a freeway type thing. It´s not super busy, but busy enough. So as I, loaded down like a donkey, tried to cross the street yesterday, I tripped over a reflector and fell sprawled out in the middle of the highway with all my four sacks sprawled in various places near me. There was a group of about 10 people watching me from the other side, but no one offered to help. Jerks.
So my mind´s going 100 miles a minute trying to decide what to do. First and foremost I haul my butt up and do a quick check of where traffic is. Then I notice where my sacks are amongst the highway and decide if I have time to get them or should abandon them. I decided to go for them. And by the grace of God I got all of my stuff and didn´t get smashed like an American pancake. :)
I knew I fell on my hand yesterday but it didn´t hurt, but today my right hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder are all pretty sore. That´s what I get for laughing at my friends! :)
--------
I found a place in Itu to buy chocolate chips yesterday!!!!!!! You really truly have no idea how happy this made me.
--------
Now the BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!
This has actually been planned for quite some time, but only became official today.
No, I´m not getting married. :)
But I am staying in Brazil until November! YAAAAAAAAAY!
Today I went to the Federal Police in the next city and applied to renew my tourist visa, which by the grace of God they did!
I have a lot of people to thank for this, especially Phyllis for finding out all the information for me to do it, my parents for helping with the last minute (seriously!) paperwork of things, and my dear friend Leandro who gave me a ride and helped me out with the Federal Police. And all of you my wonderful friends who have supported me throughout everything.
Ann and Leandro with my visa extention
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Here´s a picture of me and Leandro in Sorocaba with my visa. :) :) :) YAY! Please excuse the mess of my hair. I forgot to use product today. :)
Yesterday I was going home by bus after doing some heavy duty grocery shopping, so my backpack was full of stuff and I was carrying 4 loaded sacks. The bus drops me off outside my neighborhood, and to get into it I have to cross a freeway type thing. It´s not super busy, but busy enough. So as I, loaded down like a donkey, tried to cross the street yesterday, I tripped over a reflector and fell sprawled out in the middle of the highway with all my four sacks sprawled in various places near me. There was a group of about 10 people watching me from the other side, but no one offered to help. Jerks.
So my mind´s going 100 miles a minute trying to decide what to do. First and foremost I haul my butt up and do a quick check of where traffic is. Then I notice where my sacks are amongst the highway and decide if I have time to get them or should abandon them. I decided to go for them. And by the grace of God I got all of my stuff and didn´t get smashed like an American pancake. :)
I knew I fell on my hand yesterday but it didn´t hurt, but today my right hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder are all pretty sore. That´s what I get for laughing at my friends! :)
--------
I found a place in Itu to buy chocolate chips yesterday!!!!!!! You really truly have no idea how happy this made me.
--------
Now the BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!
This has actually been planned for quite some time, but only became official today.
No, I´m not getting married. :)
But I am staying in Brazil until November! YAAAAAAAAAY!
Today I went to the Federal Police in the next city and applied to renew my tourist visa, which by the grace of God they did!
I have a lot of people to thank for this, especially Phyllis for finding out all the information for me to do it, my parents for helping with the last minute (seriously!) paperwork of things, and my dear friend Leandro who gave me a ride and helped me out with the Federal Police. And all of you my wonderful friends who have supported me throughout everything.
Ann and Leandro with my visa extention
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Here´s a picture of me and Leandro in Sorocaba with my visa. :) :) :) YAY! Please excuse the mess of my hair. I forgot to use product today. :)
Monday, August 14, 2006
Brasília-- the volleyball game
One of our number of happy travelers realized a few weeks back that we were going to be in Brasília during a game of the world men´s volleyball championship-- Brasil vs. Finlandía. So he arranged for/insisted that we all go watch.
Now I´m just a little Texan girl, so I didn´t even really know there was such a thing as men´s volleyball. But apparently it is HUGE in Brazil.
So we went and got our tickets Friday after arriving in Brasilía, and as we were walking back to the center of the city my sharp friend Marúsia noticed that there was a bus parked in front of a hotel that had a sign saying "World League Volleyball-- Delegação do Brasil (delegation from Brazil)". There were some official looking people standing there so we went over to check it out. Turns out that was the hotel where they were staying, and although they weren´t there then, they would be there at 5pm (this was about noon). We hung out there for a little while talking with the security and bus drivers, and as we did guess who arrived at the hotel! The national team of Finland!!! So we all cheered for them as they arrived.
Yay Finland!
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
The Finnish team arriving
Má, Ann, Security with bus
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Marúsia, Ann, and the security in front of the Brazil bus
So we ended up returning to the hotel at 5pm to welcome the team. Security asked us to be pretty cool about the whole deal, but it was pretty exciting! Here is some video of them arriving and my friends rushing for pictures. It ends abruptly because I was taking pictures with other peoples´ cameras.
In case you don´t feel like watching the video (I won´t take offense), here are a few pictures. They´re not very good because they´re actually taken out of the video I shot.
Dude and Guto
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Má, Aníbal, Dude, Jandira
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
?, Jandira, Dude, Ivan
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
My peeps!
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
All in all, it was a blast and I´m so happy I got to go. And by the way, Brasil won!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah, I also want to mention that on our flight back to São Paulo, 2 of the volleyball players were on the plane with us! We stopped one and got our picture with him, at which point one of our friends told him that we were there at the hotel the other day and saw them, and at the game. Yeah, he probably thinks we´re stalkers by now. :) Ha! What a blast!
Now I´m just a little Texan girl, so I didn´t even really know there was such a thing as men´s volleyball. But apparently it is HUGE in Brazil.
So we went and got our tickets Friday after arriving in Brasilía, and as we were walking back to the center of the city my sharp friend Marúsia noticed that there was a bus parked in front of a hotel that had a sign saying "World League Volleyball-- Delegação do Brasil (delegation from Brazil)". There were some official looking people standing there so we went over to check it out. Turns out that was the hotel where they were staying, and although they weren´t there then, they would be there at 5pm (this was about noon). We hung out there for a little while talking with the security and bus drivers, and as we did guess who arrived at the hotel! The national team of Finland!!! So we all cheered for them as they arrived.
Yay Finland!
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
The Finnish team arriving
Má, Ann, Security with bus
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Marúsia, Ann, and the security in front of the Brazil bus
So we ended up returning to the hotel at 5pm to welcome the team. Security asked us to be pretty cool about the whole deal, but it was pretty exciting! Here is some video of them arriving and my friends rushing for pictures. It ends abruptly because I was taking pictures with other peoples´ cameras.
In case you don´t feel like watching the video (I won´t take offense), here are a few pictures. They´re not very good because they´re actually taken out of the video I shot.
Dude and Guto
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Má, Aníbal, Dude, Jandira
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
?, Jandira, Dude, Ivan
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
Then Saturday was the actual game. It was SO FUN! I have never been to a Brazilian sporting event before, and to be at one for a national team was awesome! They had an MC who kept the crowd cheering and dancing through the whole game. And we won! Here are some of my favorite pictures. More are in my webshots album.
Volleyball game
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
My peeps!
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
My friends at the game
Being suffocated by the flag
Originally uploaded by sojochick1.
This might require some explanation. I don´t know if you can really see it, but they unfurled a huge Brazilian flag thing that I happened to be sitting on the edge of. It was my duty as a spectator and fan to get under the flag and wave it. You can see here that I almost fell down. :) It was so funny!
This is a video of the crowd singing the national antem.
All in all, it was a blast and I´m so happy I got to go. And by the way, Brasil won!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah, I also want to mention that on our flight back to São Paulo, 2 of the volleyball players were on the plane with us! We stopped one and got our picture with him, at which point one of our friends told him that we were there at the hotel the other day and saw them, and at the game. Yeah, he probably thinks we´re stalkers by now. :) Ha! What a blast!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)