A Day in the Life (or Diadia)

Well my recent adventures have been to attend a futebol game here in Curitiba- talk about dedicated fans! They stood up the entire time, chanting and playing the drums. The chants and cheers were a little bit difficult for me to understand, but I got the jist of "go home, suckers!" and "I'd rather be here than at home" kind-of stuff. Like the reggae concert, this was a whole new rythm for me, and it was exciting. I really liked feeling the beat of the drums from the crazy fans beside me, and if there were no drumbeats, people were clapping their hands together in rythmn, and still singing. Comparing that to the Gamecock fans who leave early if we're winning or if we're losing, and I see a completely different breed of fans here. There is a fan club for the team called "Os fanaticos", and they are just that- fanatics. Their mantra is "Atletico ate morte" and they really do take it seriously.

I also visited Ilha do Mel- a beautiful island off the coast of Paraná. They are very concerned about keeping the area clean and natural, so they only allow so many people on the island at one time, and therefore the beaches aren't crowded and there isn't alot of trash. The water was clean and lovely, and the hills surrounding the beaches were vibrant green and absolutly gorgeous. The island tempo is slow and relaxed- 'tranquilo' as they like to say here. It was like a Jimmy Buffet dream-land where you can waste away and enjoy your caipirinha (thats what is perferred here over a margarita) without a care in the world but your brand new tatoo. ;o)

But just to let you know how I spend my days when I'm not on the beach or underneath waterfalls, I'll give you a little run-thru.

I leave the house in Agua Verde around 7:50 in order to meet my friend at her house and walk to the bus station. I always pass the lady with the burgundy-red dyed hair and her bassett hound, and give a cheery "bom dia!" On the street right before Stacy's house I pass a small restaurant with the delivery truck parked on the curb (imagine getting fresh fruits and veggies every day at the restaurant!) and the passenger inside the truck is always alseep. Then as I make the turn towards Stacy's house I pass the Panificadora (bakery) which usually smells so good and I think with sadness about my poor bread and jelly and small apple I've gobbled down on my way out the door. But then it's on to face the onibus. It can be so crowded its hard to breathe and the whole thing smells of sweaty people, or there may be room to move and set down my backpack underneat my feet. One can never tell, but its always a bumpy ride, and usually lacking in incident. Although once on the way home from Yoga I happened to catch a duo of a tiny guitar like a ukelele and the panpipes playing and asking for donations. After that its classes about the portuguese language and the Brasilian culture, which like any other class is sometimes boring and sometimes quite interesting. Following that is usually a snack of some sort, chatting with the other American and Brasilian students, then a Yoga class, then I return home, where I grab some fruit juice (its the best fruit juice you'll ever have in your life, I swear) and maybe some rice and beans if I'm hungry and do my homework. After that my new favorite hobby is to watch ER followed by Friends on the cable channel. The shows are in English, but with Portuguese subtitles, and I've actually picked up on a few words and frases from watching the tv shows. Perhaps one day I'll dare myself to watch it in mute and only read the subtitles. But after that my host family comes home from work and we eat a little, perhaps go for a walk around the neighborhood, and then we absolutely have to be back by 11:00 for Big Brother Brasil! My host family doesn't miss an episode, and I accept it as part of the culture and join in the drama. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what is going on, but I sit there anyway. :o) After that I'm tired so I go to bed, to return to the regime in the next 8 hours.

It's really not a bad life when you think about it, and the new little things that I see every day are so worth it. Yesterday I saw some kids playing in the public fountain. I was so hot I wanted to join them, but altho it might be ok for the 7 year old boy, I think they might have a problem with the 20 year-old playing in the water.

My next adventures include going to Rio and then Salvador! I'm really excited and I think it will be another amazing experience! If you are a praying person, please pray for the safety of all the travelers during Carnaval, cuz it can get pretty crazy here.

Until next time!
Beijos!