As I sit here I'm thinking about all the food I normally would have woofed down by now: turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and sweet potato casserole and many other things I can't remember. Man, I really miss it along with the good family time. It's weird thinking about Thanksgiving at home because here it is just another day. It's about 86 degrees too.
I probably walked at least 4 hours today, no joke. I have lost probably 5-10 pounds since I've moved to Belo. I had already lost 10 or so in Rio but I'm walking much more here. My pants look like Bozo the clown pants on me.
I went to drop off my resume to two more schools and it turned out much different than I thought. Both schools had several locations but each had a place on a main street that I know. I usually take the metro and can get there no problem. I didn't pay attention to the building number because I had no idea where the numbers start close to the metro.
When I got downtown, I noticed the street numbers started in the 700s and the buildings I was looking for was in the 4000s. Each block isn't an even 100, sometimes each block is like 733-786 so I don't know how many blocks it was but it took me well over an hour to get there. When I get there, one of the schools didn't accept resumes in person, only on the internet. The other school closed that location but it was still showing on the internet.
The only school I dropped off my resume to was one that was handing out fliers as advertisements for students. I got a call from a school that I had dropped off my resume a couple of weeks ago for an interview tomorrow. I got an email from a school and have another interview next week with them. I also got a call from a guy whose mother I met at church. He's an English teacher here and gave me the name of a school I haven't heard of and he said he may give me a couple of private students that he didn't have time for. It was a productive day but not in the way I had imagined.
While I was way up in the 4000 range of blocks, I saw some signs of places to view the city. One is called Praca do Papai which is a little park that was built when the Pope came in the 80s. It's a neat place with a great view. I asked someone where Praca do Popeye was because that is how I thought it was pronounced. She said, do you mean Praca do Papa. Yeah, that's the one.
While I was way up there and had already walked an hour and a half, I see a sign for another place with an even higher view of the city. I thought, why the heck not. So I walked another 20 or 30 minutes to get up there. Really cool to see.
I walked back and finally got home not long ago. On the day when I normally eat so much I can hardly see straight, I walked so much I feel like I've lost another pound or two. Oh, the irony.
I would love to call my family and hear about all the wonderful things they've eaten but my modem won't pick up wireless internet so I'm having to plug directly into the router in the main room where everyone is and have no privacy. My brother is looking for a cheap laptop for me so he can mail to me. This one has other issues as well.
Oh yeah, the English pastor talked to me Tuesday night after service and said the Pastor wants to do a simultaneous translation of the services on Sunday and she was checking to see if I wanted to try and help out. I really need to work on my Portuguese but I'll give it a good Falkville try, for sure.
Well, Happy Thanksgiving to my peeps and family!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
New Adventures In Getting Lost in Belo
Finally got settled in. I'm renting a room from a lady and her husband. They have 4 other guys who live here but I've rarely seen them. It's a good ways outside the central part of the city, at least without my own transportation. If I had my own vehicle, it would be very easy to get to the central part of town.
I have my own bathroom and it's very airy. It doesn't have air conditioning but I really don't need it. I thought I would but it feels really good in my room. It's in a house that has a front porch and a place in the back, not a back yard because it has all bricks. They have a clothes line out there where I can hang my laundry. It reminds me of Mom having a clothes line when I was a kid. The lady was excited to know that I'm a Christian. She is also and so is her family. She took me by her family's house which isn't too far on Sunday and introduced me to them. They were extremely nice as well.
The only negative is that it's so far away from the two churches that I visited. A friend that I met through a friend of mine in Rio skyped me Sunday to tell me he would pick me up and take me to church if I wanted. Sure nuff. It was really good praise and worship and the people were so friendly. Afterward, he invited me over to his family's house and they had some leftovers for us and it was so good.
Yesterday the lady I'm renting from took me downtown to get a phone. For some reason, the phone I had in Rio won't work here. The electronics in general are very expensive in Brazil and I didn't want to pay a lot. She told me about a place where they have a lot of cheap things. My kind of place. It was huge! It didn't look big from the outside but it seemed like it kept going on the inside. I got a phone that looked like a blackberry with fm radio, mp3 player, tv, camera and 2gb of memory for $R55 which is less than $40 in the US. I love that place, I'll be going back for sho.
Today my mission was to drop off my resume to some schools and get some business cards made. I wanted to take the metro because that's what I was used to in Rio. It doesn't go to as many places as it does in Rio but I wanted to try it out. I definitely got my walking in. I got lost so many times I think I set a record. I was able to find the place where a friend told me I could get some cards made, which are pretty awesome. A little old lady walked with me to the place because I had asked her for directions. Very nice! I got lost another time and I was asking for directions and a lady overheard me asking and told the lady that she would show me because she was going that way. They are so friendly here, it's great.
A guy at the place where I had my cards made took one of my cards and said he was interested in class along with a couple of others. The one school I finally found said she isn't hiring but said she would pass my resume on to other schools she knew and if she had students who wanted classes at work or in their house she would send to me. She was very helpful.
I went to a mall close to where I live with the purpose of asking some of the stores if I could leave my business cards on the counter. I was nervous about this because I really don't like going up to people and asking for something. I had to do this even if I got shot down to prove to myself that I could. God is so good! Every person I asked was very nice and allowed me to do it. One guy who worked at a restaurant lived in Connecticut for 12 years and said his boss was wanting someone to teach the employees English and was wanting this guy to do it. He said he would pass my card along to his boss. It was a very positive experience today except for getting lost and walking around for about 6 hours but it's part of the learning curve.
Every day is a new adventure now. I like the new challenge. I feel like I'm in the right place.
P.S. One thing I forgot to mention about sleeping in the bus station was when I was walking around, probably after Barney Fife woke me up, I was charging my phone. As I was standing there, I heard some whistling. It was a familiar tune but I couldn't place it. Finally it dawned on me, it was an old hymn I heard growing up "Are You Washed In The Blood of The Lamb?". I kept listening because I thought that it couldn't possibly be but even when it got to the chorus it followed the same tune. I looked around but I couldn't see anyone whistling. There weren't that many people there so it shouldn't have been hard to see somebody whistling. Besides, how many times do you hear an old hymn being whistled at 3 am in a bus station in Rio de Janeiro. I'm not sure because it was my first time. Just thought it was an interesting thing to share.
I have my own bathroom and it's very airy. It doesn't have air conditioning but I really don't need it. I thought I would but it feels really good in my room. It's in a house that has a front porch and a place in the back, not a back yard because it has all bricks. They have a clothes line out there where I can hang my laundry. It reminds me of Mom having a clothes line when I was a kid. The lady was excited to know that I'm a Christian. She is also and so is her family. She took me by her family's house which isn't too far on Sunday and introduced me to them. They were extremely nice as well.
The only negative is that it's so far away from the two churches that I visited. A friend that I met through a friend of mine in Rio skyped me Sunday to tell me he would pick me up and take me to church if I wanted. Sure nuff. It was really good praise and worship and the people were so friendly. Afterward, he invited me over to his family's house and they had some leftovers for us and it was so good.
Yesterday the lady I'm renting from took me downtown to get a phone. For some reason, the phone I had in Rio won't work here. The electronics in general are very expensive in Brazil and I didn't want to pay a lot. She told me about a place where they have a lot of cheap things. My kind of place. It was huge! It didn't look big from the outside but it seemed like it kept going on the inside. I got a phone that looked like a blackberry with fm radio, mp3 player, tv, camera and 2gb of memory for $R55 which is less than $40 in the US. I love that place, I'll be going back for sho.
Today my mission was to drop off my resume to some schools and get some business cards made. I wanted to take the metro because that's what I was used to in Rio. It doesn't go to as many places as it does in Rio but I wanted to try it out. I definitely got my walking in. I got lost so many times I think I set a record. I was able to find the place where a friend told me I could get some cards made, which are pretty awesome. A little old lady walked with me to the place because I had asked her for directions. Very nice! I got lost another time and I was asking for directions and a lady overheard me asking and told the lady that she would show me because she was going that way. They are so friendly here, it's great.
A guy at the place where I had my cards made took one of my cards and said he was interested in class along with a couple of others. The one school I finally found said she isn't hiring but said she would pass my resume on to other schools she knew and if she had students who wanted classes at work or in their house she would send to me. She was very helpful.
I went to a mall close to where I live with the purpose of asking some of the stores if I could leave my business cards on the counter. I was nervous about this because I really don't like going up to people and asking for something. I had to do this even if I got shot down to prove to myself that I could. God is so good! Every person I asked was very nice and allowed me to do it. One guy who worked at a restaurant lived in Connecticut for 12 years and said his boss was wanting someone to teach the employees English and was wanting this guy to do it. He said he would pass my card along to his boss. It was a very positive experience today except for getting lost and walking around for about 6 hours but it's part of the learning curve.
Every day is a new adventure now. I like the new challenge. I feel like I'm in the right place.
P.S. One thing I forgot to mention about sleeping in the bus station was when I was walking around, probably after Barney Fife woke me up, I was charging my phone. As I was standing there, I heard some whistling. It was a familiar tune but I couldn't place it. Finally it dawned on me, it was an old hymn I heard growing up "Are You Washed In The Blood of The Lamb?". I kept listening because I thought that it couldn't possibly be but even when it got to the chorus it followed the same tune. I looked around but I couldn't see anyone whistling. There weren't that many people there so it shouldn't have been hard to see somebody whistling. Besides, how many times do you hear an old hymn being whistled at 3 am in a bus station in Rio de Janeiro. I'm not sure because it was my first time. Just thought it was an interesting thing to share.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sleeping in the Bus Terminal
I`m sitting in a bus terminal as I write this. I bought a ticket to move to Belo Horizonte this past week and told the guy I wanted to leave 12:30 am Nov. 5 because I wanted to get there in the morning and have all day to get adjusted to my new surroundings and go to the English service tonight at the church I am interested in.
A friend of mine came with me to the terminal and I go through the gates early and the bus that is in the slot that mine is supposed to be in just left. I showed a guy by the buses my ticket and he said, your ticket is for 12:30 pm instead of 12:30 am. I was pretty ticked because I thought I confirmed with the guy at the ticket office.
My option is to either go back home at 1 am and pay $R60 round trip for a cab ride home and back on Saturday or sleep in the terminal. Lately I`ve been looking for new adventure so I opted for sleeping in the bus terminal. Not sure if it was the wise decision.
The chairs are a slab of metal with legs and a bar in between each seat so you can`t spread out. I laid down on the cold concrete floor and this birdhead security guard hits my leg and tells me go get up. I didn`t know lying on the floor was a security issue.
I maybe slept two hours on and off throughout the night. I found a bench in another part of the terminal that was made of wood, a little more comfortable than cold steel and it didn`t have a divider so I could stretch out. Wouldn`t you know it that birdhead security guard comes over again and bumps me and tells me to get up. It`s a good thing he couldn`t understand what I said. I`m like, come on dude. There is hardly anyone here and no one is exactly fighting for a place on the bench. Oh well, here`s to my option for a new adventure.
It`s at least close to time to leave now. It feels like I`ve been here since April. On to my new home.
A friend of mine came with me to the terminal and I go through the gates early and the bus that is in the slot that mine is supposed to be in just left. I showed a guy by the buses my ticket and he said, your ticket is for 12:30 pm instead of 12:30 am. I was pretty ticked because I thought I confirmed with the guy at the ticket office.
My option is to either go back home at 1 am and pay $R60 round trip for a cab ride home and back on Saturday or sleep in the terminal. Lately I`ve been looking for new adventure so I opted for sleeping in the bus terminal. Not sure if it was the wise decision.
The chairs are a slab of metal with legs and a bar in between each seat so you can`t spread out. I laid down on the cold concrete floor and this birdhead security guard hits my leg and tells me go get up. I didn`t know lying on the floor was a security issue.
I maybe slept two hours on and off throughout the night. I found a bench in another part of the terminal that was made of wood, a little more comfortable than cold steel and it didn`t have a divider so I could stretch out. Wouldn`t you know it that birdhead security guard comes over again and bumps me and tells me to get up. It`s a good thing he couldn`t understand what I said. I`m like, come on dude. There is hardly anyone here and no one is exactly fighting for a place on the bench. Oh well, here`s to my option for a new adventure.
It`s at least close to time to leave now. It feels like I`ve been here since April. On to my new home.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro
Well, I finally did it. The Wednesday before I leave Rio I went hang gliding which I've been wanting to do for a long time. I've attached a few pics but I have a couple of videos and more pics on facebook.
The weather hasn't been good for the past few weeks when my friends from church could go. I had been praying for good weather. We were planning on going Sunday but when I called to confirm the guy said they weren't doing flights because the winds weren't good. I was disappointed but glad that they didn't want to just make some quick money and were taking precautions.
I started praying and put it down on my prayer list for good weather today because it's a holiday here and people from church could go. This morning was a little cloudy but I believed it would be a great day and the clouds starting breaking up the closer we got to the time to go.
The owner of this company has been doing this for 29 years and took Curt Cobain from Nirvana years ago. He was a very relaxed and reassuring guy. My instructions lasted less than a minute - bite your lip and run like heck. Not really but not too far off. He said to have one hand in this rope attached to my jacket and the other on his back. He said to just look at the horizon and run when he said run, that's it.
When it got to be my turn I tried not to look down, only at the horizon. It actually worked. I just started running and when we left the ramp it was just smooth. I felt like Superman. My brother John would love this. At one point as we were making a turn you could see Sugarloaf mountain an I could also see Christ the Redeemer in the distance. It was pretty awesome!
This was more than just hang gliding for me. I don't know if I told many or any about this story but I was reading a book that had inspired me to take action for this journey in the first place. I had been looking at language schools in different countries and for some reason Rio kept coming back to me. I was reading the 4 Hour Work Week on the way back from my wonderful Aunts in Mississippi when I read a chapter and it started with a guy going hang gliding in Rio. The whole premise of the story was that risks aren't as scary once you take them.
When I read that, I felt like Rio was the place that I needed to go. I still remember the moment riding in the car when I read this. So for me to do this was a big deal to come to the place where someone's story had inspired me to launch out and do what I wanted but was scared to do. Just like the hang gliding, the risk of coming to Rio hasn't been as scary since I've taken the step.
I'm moving to another city for the rest of my time here, called Belo Horizonte. It's the same city I've visited a couple of times. The scenery isn't as nice but the people are great. I think I've said before how they remind me of Southerners.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Lots of Stuff
All my classes were canceled today so I thought I would catch you up on stuff. It's been a while since I've updated anything. Let's start back at the earliest thing, my birthday. I went to Belo Horizonte with a buddy from church to visit his friends and my friends now. I met them the last time I went there and they really liked me and so did their dog, or my leg anyway. Just good people, they remind me of southern folk.
We got there Saturday and went to a different church that my buddy wanted to visit. It's a different church than they attend. It's much smaller, only 30,000 members. They had a young adult service that was really cool. It was long like all services but it really held my attention. A preacher would come up and read a scripture and talk a bit and then people would come up and act out the verse he had talked about. It was really, really cool. They also had some street dancers do a couple of numbers. I felt like getting up there with them and doing the worm, my only break dance move, but I refrained myself.
We ate a meal when we got back with cheese fondu, meat and bread. Really good! The next day the wife woke up really early and blew up red and white balloons because they know I'm a big Alabama fan. She also printed off the Alabama logo off the internet and gave me a CD of my favorite Brazilian Christian artist, Fernandinho. (Side note: He used to be a truck driver and not a good person. His wife started going to church and one night he got angry at her and got a gun and was going to shoot her and she cried out to God to help her and the gun wouldn't fire. He ran out and got in his truck and kept thinking about what happened and came to a church that was still in service and surrendered his life to God.)
Before we had lunch on my birthday the wife wanted to say a few things and my buddy interpreted and she said that when they first met me that they invited me into their house because it was the Christian thing to do but now they invited me because they feel that God put me in their life and many nice things like that. Then the husband prayed and thanked God for me and asked God to bless me with a great wife and for his blessing on my life. I'm not an emotional person but I told them after the prayer the only thing I could say was "Thank You" because words couldn't say how much I appreciated it but the real reason was I didn't know if a tear of two might sneak out, of course I could have blamed it on allergies.
I actually got a couple of birthday cards which was a great surprise. A lady from my office at Blue Cross bought a card and had people sign it and another friend from Blue Cross mailed me one. It really did my heart good. I really miss the people that I worked with. When you're somewhere for almost 11 years you build a lot of good relationships.
I also got another care package from home last week. It had some Christmas presents in it which I've been told not to open, but what they don't know won't hurt them. I actually haven't eaten all the oatmeal cream pies yet nor the swiss cake rolls. I think it's some sort of record for me. I've been feasting for the past few days.
Oh yeah, weirdest thing so far. A week or two ago on Sunday night I hear this really loud music outside and I think,"Oh, it's some sort of street party." So I decide to go outside and see what's going on. I go outside and the first thing I see is a guy with his arm around another guy. The first thought in my mind was,"I think the guy is hurt and his friend his holding him up." Not so much. It was a gay parade in Copacabana. I start looking around and seeing all kinds of crazy things, things you don't see in Falkville. It doesn't take me long to figure out what I've stumbled into and go back to my room. My buddy from church calls me and said he and his brother are going to get some ice cream so I said sure because it would be good to get away from the area for a little bit. I go to the Metro and the line is all the way out to the street. I've never seen it like that before. I then decide it's better to stay home. I wanted to go back and take a shower. The paper the next day said 1.5 million people were in Copacabana for it. Craziness!
We got there Saturday and went to a different church that my buddy wanted to visit. It's a different church than they attend. It's much smaller, only 30,000 members. They had a young adult service that was really cool. It was long like all services but it really held my attention. A preacher would come up and read a scripture and talk a bit and then people would come up and act out the verse he had talked about. It was really, really cool. They also had some street dancers do a couple of numbers. I felt like getting up there with them and doing the worm, my only break dance move, but I refrained myself.
We ate a meal when we got back with cheese fondu, meat and bread. Really good! The next day the wife woke up really early and blew up red and white balloons because they know I'm a big Alabama fan. She also printed off the Alabama logo off the internet and gave me a CD of my favorite Brazilian Christian artist, Fernandinho. (Side note: He used to be a truck driver and not a good person. His wife started going to church and one night he got angry at her and got a gun and was going to shoot her and she cried out to God to help her and the gun wouldn't fire. He ran out and got in his truck and kept thinking about what happened and came to a church that was still in service and surrendered his life to God.)
Before we had lunch on my birthday the wife wanted to say a few things and my buddy interpreted and she said that when they first met me that they invited me into their house because it was the Christian thing to do but now they invited me because they feel that God put me in their life and many nice things like that. Then the husband prayed and thanked God for me and asked God to bless me with a great wife and for his blessing on my life. I'm not an emotional person but I told them after the prayer the only thing I could say was "Thank You" because words couldn't say how much I appreciated it but the real reason was I didn't know if a tear of two might sneak out, of course I could have blamed it on allergies.
I actually got a couple of birthday cards which was a great surprise. A lady from my office at Blue Cross bought a card and had people sign it and another friend from Blue Cross mailed me one. It really did my heart good. I really miss the people that I worked with. When you're somewhere for almost 11 years you build a lot of good relationships.
I also got another care package from home last week. It had some Christmas presents in it which I've been told not to open, but what they don't know won't hurt them. I actually haven't eaten all the oatmeal cream pies yet nor the swiss cake rolls. I think it's some sort of record for me. I've been feasting for the past few days.
Oh yeah, weirdest thing so far. A week or two ago on Sunday night I hear this really loud music outside and I think,"Oh, it's some sort of street party." So I decide to go outside and see what's going on. I go outside and the first thing I see is a guy with his arm around another guy. The first thought in my mind was,"I think the guy is hurt and his friend his holding him up." Not so much. It was a gay parade in Copacabana. I start looking around and seeing all kinds of crazy things, things you don't see in Falkville. It doesn't take me long to figure out what I've stumbled into and go back to my room. My buddy from church calls me and said he and his brother are going to get some ice cream so I said sure because it would be good to get away from the area for a little bit. I go to the Metro and the line is all the way out to the street. I've never seen it like that before. I then decide it's better to stay home. I wanted to go back and take a shower. The paper the next day said 1.5 million people were in Copacabana for it. Craziness!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Hanggliding, Favelas & College Football
Tudo bem? It's been a while since I've updated. I've attached a few pics from a place I visited in Rio called Pedra Bonita. It was absolutely amazing. Some friends of mine came in town from Belo Horizonte and we went there a Saturday a few weeks ago. I didn't know this was the place where people can hangglide or paraglide down to the beach. If I had known, I would have brought enough money to do it. It costs $R250 which is around $150. I just knew we were going to a mountain. What is interesting is that several cariocas that I told about this place never heard of it. I want to hangglide and paraglide before I leave, for sho.
Last week I wanted to visit Jardim Botanico which is a botanic garden. I waited kind of late to go. To begin my journey I printed out directions from google maps. I wanted some exercise so I decided to walk instead of taking a bus. Well, I started walking and started noticing I was going up hill and there was a lot of doggie doo on the sidewalk. The climate of people seemed a little different too but I kept on trucking. It kept going uphill and the area didn't seem to improve. I finally see these police officers and one kind of speaks English and they are talking to this couple. I'm kind of thinking that I'm in a favela and turns out I was right. I ask them for directions and what I can understand is that Jardim is very difficult to get to from here. I'm not good with directions that involve more than two turns in English much less someone giving me detailed directions in another language. They stopped this motorcycle taxi and asked how much he would charge to take me there and he said $R15 which is pretty expensive for a mototaxi. Yeah, it's a motorcycle where they slap a helmet on you and take you to your destination. Not my first choice so I said that was too expensive and I would walk back to where I came from. Because of my late start I did get there but had to meet a friend and didn't have time to go in and have time to enjoy it but I did see it from the outside and it looked nice. I'll catch it from another day.
I'm currently looking for another apartment because this one is so expensive and the pay as a teacher is not stable. My schedule is pretty full and if everyone that is scheduled comes to class then there would be no problems but life as an English teacher here is not stable. You never know who is going to cancel. I'm gonna have to find a place with a roommate and that will save me a lot of money plus it will help me with learning Portuguese. I found this site and have been emailing apartment owners and it hasn't been promising so far but I know I'll find the right place.
I went to a place Wed night and they had two rooms in this place with 3 other people who seemed nice but the two rooms were smaller than a prison cell (don't ask me how I know how big a cell is). They wanted $R800 for the smaller room and $R900 for the "big" room. Nah! I said "Thanks"and smiled and thought "There is no way I'm gonna pay that much money to live in a glorified closet."
Today I went to a place that I really wanted because of the price. I needed someone who spoke Portuguese so I took a friend with me to help negotiate. I found out why it was so inexpensive. Yeah, another favela. The house was kind of dark and gloomy and I didn't have a good feeling but I was so focused on the price I was ignoring the bad vibes. I'm glad my friend came with me because she talked some sense into me after it was over. My friend I went with reminds me of my uppity cousin Lee Ann who is one of my favorite people. I'll keep looking and my goal is to find the right place this month. Just pray for me to get the right one and the best price.
Today I was in crisis mode because it's the first Saturday of college football and I couldn't watch. It was difficult. I was supposed to get cable this week but there was some sort of issue so hopefully it will be in time for next week. I did find ESPN streaming radio at night so I did listen to some football and got a Domino's Pizza and Coke and listened. It felt so good. I did have a Portuguese class with another teacher from the school I got my certificate from. She speaks very little English and I speak very little Portuguese so it was a good match. It was very helpful for me. Sorry for the long entry, it's been a while. I'll try to update more.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Southern Hospitality In Minas
At a lake in Belo Horizonte
My JCPenney look
Lake in Belo
Tudo bem? I'm just showing off my little knowledge of Portuguese. It just means "Is everything good?" It's a common greeting and I use it all the time. After that, I got nothin' else for you as far as conversation goes.
Last weekend I went to Minas Gerais which is another state here in Brazil. A friend of mine had an engagement party there and I went with a friend of mine from church. I've met a few people from Minas here in Rio and they're so friendly. I had expectations of what I thought the people were like in Minas and I wasn't disappointed.
At the engagement party, there was a couple there who's getting married in December and they invited me to their wedding. Another lady there was talking about setting me up with some girls. A couple that we stayed with in Belo Horizonte were sooooo nice. We went to their church Sunday which has around 45,000 people. It has a main building which has services going on all the time and there are several blocks of buildings that they use as well.
The couple we stayed with bought me a Brazil shirt with a faith shield on it. They said "Joel, we like you so much we wanted to give you this shirt." I was like "Man, these could be southerners. They're just good people." The city where we stayed was called Belo Horizonte which has around 3 million people. It reminded me of Birmingham a little bit. If I come back to Brazil, that is where I would live next time. It's not as pretty as Rio but I just like it, mainly because of the people that I met there.
I added about three more students since last time. I've started working with another school which pays more than the others and I picked up two more private students. The private students are just coming from word of mouth. One of my new students asked me a question about present perfect in our first class and I was able to give him the correct answer. He said "You are good. I've asked that to other teachers before and they couldn't give me an answer." I did my Barney Fife sniff and was like "Well, that's how I roll."
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
I Just Got Scalped
I'm going outside of Rio for the first time this weekend with a friend from church. His roommate who is a friend of mine as well is having an engagement party in another state so we're taking a road trip. I'm looking forward to it. I've heard the people in Minas Gerais are very friendly and there's a church in Belo Horizonte we're going to visit that has around 40,000 people.
My hair was getting a little shaggy so I wanted to look decent to meet a lot of new people this weekend. I went to the place I normally go for a haircut and they were booked but I wanted to go ahead and get it cut now because I had a cancellation this morning and was the best time for me.
So I go down the street a couple of blocks to another place because there are salons on every other corner. I haven't had a bad haircut since I've been here so I figured why not. Either I didn't communicate my idea very well or he's part Indian and needed to fill his quota for a scalping.
I felt like I was in 3rd grade when my Dad did the same thing and cut every portion of bangs off me in perfect timing for picture day. I tried to tell him I only wanted a little bit cut off. I think he interpreted it as I only wanted a little hair left when he got done. He wanted to shake my hand after he was done. Why would I want to shake your hand after that? Then I have to pay for it. Come on man!
I keep going back to the mirror and hoping that I'll think "Oh, it's not that bad" but it hasn't happened yet. The word that comes to my mind every time is "Dang!". Good news is I won't need a haircut for about 6 months. By the time I come home I'll still be riding the effects of this haircut probably.
Just had to share.
My hair was getting a little shaggy so I wanted to look decent to meet a lot of new people this weekend. I went to the place I normally go for a haircut and they were booked but I wanted to go ahead and get it cut now because I had a cancellation this morning and was the best time for me.
So I go down the street a couple of blocks to another place because there are salons on every other corner. I haven't had a bad haircut since I've been here so I figured why not. Either I didn't communicate my idea very well or he's part Indian and needed to fill his quota for a scalping.
I felt like I was in 3rd grade when my Dad did the same thing and cut every portion of bangs off me in perfect timing for picture day. I tried to tell him I only wanted a little bit cut off. I think he interpreted it as I only wanted a little hair left when he got done. He wanted to shake my hand after he was done. Why would I want to shake your hand after that? Then I have to pay for it. Come on man!
I keep going back to the mirror and hoping that I'll think "Oh, it's not that bad" but it hasn't happened yet. The word that comes to my mind every time is "Dang!". Good news is I won't need a haircut for about 6 months. By the time I come home I'll still be riding the effects of this haircut probably.
Just had to share.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Getting Married In Rio...
Ha! Just wanted to see how many people would read this with that headline. Who knows what will happen here, I may bring someone home when I come back. You just never know.
Since that's out of the way, I thought I'd give an update because it's been a while. My recent highlight was getting a care package from home. Man, it felt like I had won the lottery with oatmeal cream pies, pringles, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc. Oatmeal cream pies...gone in less than 2 days. I haven't eaten everything yet because I'm trying to make it last but the oatmeal cream pies didn't have a chance.
I found out that the tutor that gave me a couple of students when he had to leave the country in April is coming back in September. One of the students is a high school kid who is going back to the US in October so I was planning on losing him but the other students are a husband and wife couple that I tutor twice a week. It's a pretty good chunk of change from those two students.
I found out from a friend of mine about another school that pays better than any of the other schools. I emailed the lady this week and she gave me three times where she needed a teacher. I should be able to rearrange my schedule and get those three classes. Those three classes will completely replace the income I am losing from the two students I'm losing in October. God is good!
I've added a couple of new private students that are really nice. Most of my students are from one company which is a bank. It all started with a friend from church sending a notice to people at the company about my classes. One of them said her boyfriend wants to take classes too so that will be great. I'm really thankful that I really have a great group of students.
I'm also trying to get some other students to give myself some cushion. I found out that in December, January & February that it's pretty slow for teaching so I may come home in December. I'm not sure yet, I'll just have to play it by ear. I don't want to just be sitting here and paying rent without teaching. It all depends on my situation at that time.
I just found out tonight that I sold my Alabama tickets for the year. I will miss the Alabama games so much this year. I'll figure out a way to watch them on the internet somehow.
I found out this weekend that some people I know from Alabama were in Rio and preaching at a church outside of Rio. I googled the address and it would take 3 hrs to get there by bus. If I had a car it would only take 1 hr. At first I wasn't going to but I talked to my brother and he said if I didn't have anything else going on I could do some good reading on the bus ride. I decided to go do it and waited about 45 minutes for the bus and it never came. If it had come I would have been about 45 minutes to an hour late and then have another 3 hr bus ride home. So I just came back to the apartment. One thing I miss is being able to get in my car and go where I want. Even though I have no desire to be in this traffic its the principle of going where I want to go and when I want.
I talked to a couple of friends this week and one of my brothers which made it a great week. It always does my heart good to talk to someone and be able to communicate. It's the simple things that I miss like basic communication. Well, tchau for now amigos e amigas!
Since that's out of the way, I thought I'd give an update because it's been a while. My recent highlight was getting a care package from home. Man, it felt like I had won the lottery with oatmeal cream pies, pringles, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc. Oatmeal cream pies...gone in less than 2 days. I haven't eaten everything yet because I'm trying to make it last but the oatmeal cream pies didn't have a chance.
I found out that the tutor that gave me a couple of students when he had to leave the country in April is coming back in September. One of the students is a high school kid who is going back to the US in October so I was planning on losing him but the other students are a husband and wife couple that I tutor twice a week. It's a pretty good chunk of change from those two students.
I found out from a friend of mine about another school that pays better than any of the other schools. I emailed the lady this week and she gave me three times where she needed a teacher. I should be able to rearrange my schedule and get those three classes. Those three classes will completely replace the income I am losing from the two students I'm losing in October. God is good!
I've added a couple of new private students that are really nice. Most of my students are from one company which is a bank. It all started with a friend from church sending a notice to people at the company about my classes. One of them said her boyfriend wants to take classes too so that will be great. I'm really thankful that I really have a great group of students.
I'm also trying to get some other students to give myself some cushion. I found out that in December, January & February that it's pretty slow for teaching so I may come home in December. I'm not sure yet, I'll just have to play it by ear. I don't want to just be sitting here and paying rent without teaching. It all depends on my situation at that time.
I just found out tonight that I sold my Alabama tickets for the year. I will miss the Alabama games so much this year. I'll figure out a way to watch them on the internet somehow.
I found out this weekend that some people I know from Alabama were in Rio and preaching at a church outside of Rio. I googled the address and it would take 3 hrs to get there by bus. If I had a car it would only take 1 hr. At first I wasn't going to but I talked to my brother and he said if I didn't have anything else going on I could do some good reading on the bus ride. I decided to go do it and waited about 45 minutes for the bus and it never came. If it had come I would have been about 45 minutes to an hour late and then have another 3 hr bus ride home. So I just came back to the apartment. One thing I miss is being able to get in my car and go where I want. Even though I have no desire to be in this traffic its the principle of going where I want to go and when I want.
I talked to a couple of friends this week and one of my brothers which made it a great week. It always does my heart good to talk to someone and be able to communicate. It's the simple things that I miss like basic communication. Well, tchau for now amigos e amigas!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Hillsong Comes To Rio & The Tide Rolls In Rio
As I'm sitting here watching my Brazilian soap operas (it helps with my listening comprehension), I thought I would give an update. I forgot to email about something that happened several weeks ago. I was walking down one of the main streets in Copacabana and I'm waiting for the green light to walk across the street, I start hearing shrieks and screams behind me.
I turn around and I see this big rat running right down the middle of the sidewalk and people are dodging right and left like they're avoiding a locomotive. He's hoofing it and takes a right turn into this women's clothing store that had its door open. I see all these people almost immediately jump onto chairs and tables. He was in there for about a minute and I guess he didn't see anything that would fit so he came back out and went back in the direction where he came from. It was like his sole purpose was to go into that store. That was so funny! It made my day.
This past weekend Hillsong came to Rio and the church where I attend sponsored it. It was Darlene Zschech and her band from Australia. There was 4 different acts before them. It was supposed to start at 4 so I get there a little early. I should have factored Brazil time into the equation because it started close to 5.
Hillsong actually started around 8 and went until close to 10. Then our pastor came out and I guess he was giving an altar call. He can be really long winded and I wasn't exactly sure if the concert was over or not because a lot of people were leaving so I left too. It wasn't exactly in the best part of town so I didn't want to stay really late. As I was outside the stadium I heard them playing again. It was a very worshipful experience and did me so much good. I'm not good with numbers but there was probably 20,000 or more there.
I've had a lot of students on vacation or canceling classes lately so I've had a lot of free time. I've been walking or running by the beach a lot. Well, Monday as I'm running I have on my Alabama shirt and then I hear this family that is going the opposite way yell "Roll Tide!". I thought "Hallelujah, country folk!" and almost thought I heard angels sing. I yelled "Roll Tide" back and had a huge smile on my face the rest of the day. A couple of weeks ago I saw a guy on the metro with a University of Alabama ball cap on. We're international baby!
I've had some nice comments on my last post and I appreciate them. In case anyone is interested here's the link to the free 8 day email course on changing your thoughts and focusing on what is going right in your life - http://www.the48principle.com/toolbox.php. It's called the 8 day challenge.
Oh yeah, last night I was coming back from one of my classes and took this little van. The cost was $R2.30 and I gave him a $R5. He gave me some change and I started to look at it pretty closely, which I don't always do. He only gave me .70 back. I almost didn't say anything but I thought, "No. I can't let these people walk over me just because I'm a foreigner." I was trying to figure out how to say it but I told him "You gave me..." and then pointed at the change. He was like, Oh, I'm sorry (in Portuguese of course) and kind of smiled. He knew what he was doing.
Some of the people in the van started saying something to him and I heard United States and English with my translating skills. The guy who shortchanged me was saying something and making a face like "I didn't do it on purpose" or that's the feeling I got. It seemed like those people were taking up for me. Regardless if they did or not, that's the way I choose to think about it. I was still nice to the guy and slapped on the back and said "Obrigado amigo" when I left.
I turn around and I see this big rat running right down the middle of the sidewalk and people are dodging right and left like they're avoiding a locomotive. He's hoofing it and takes a right turn into this women's clothing store that had its door open. I see all these people almost immediately jump onto chairs and tables. He was in there for about a minute and I guess he didn't see anything that would fit so he came back out and went back in the direction where he came from. It was like his sole purpose was to go into that store. That was so funny! It made my day.
This past weekend Hillsong came to Rio and the church where I attend sponsored it. It was Darlene Zschech and her band from Australia. There was 4 different acts before them. It was supposed to start at 4 so I get there a little early. I should have factored Brazil time into the equation because it started close to 5.
Hillsong actually started around 8 and went until close to 10. Then our pastor came out and I guess he was giving an altar call. He can be really long winded and I wasn't exactly sure if the concert was over or not because a lot of people were leaving so I left too. It wasn't exactly in the best part of town so I didn't want to stay really late. As I was outside the stadium I heard them playing again. It was a very worshipful experience and did me so much good. I'm not good with numbers but there was probably 20,000 or more there.
I've had a lot of students on vacation or canceling classes lately so I've had a lot of free time. I've been walking or running by the beach a lot. Well, Monday as I'm running I have on my Alabama shirt and then I hear this family that is going the opposite way yell "Roll Tide!". I thought "Hallelujah, country folk!" and almost thought I heard angels sing. I yelled "Roll Tide" back and had a huge smile on my face the rest of the day. A couple of weeks ago I saw a guy on the metro with a University of Alabama ball cap on. We're international baby!
I've had some nice comments on my last post and I appreciate them. In case anyone is interested here's the link to the free 8 day email course on changing your thoughts and focusing on what is going right in your life - http://www.the48principle.com/toolbox.php. It's called the 8 day challenge.
Oh yeah, last night I was coming back from one of my classes and took this little van. The cost was $R2.30 and I gave him a $R5. He gave me some change and I started to look at it pretty closely, which I don't always do. He only gave me .70 back. I almost didn't say anything but I thought, "No. I can't let these people walk over me just because I'm a foreigner." I was trying to figure out how to say it but I told him "You gave me..." and then pointed at the change. He was like, Oh, I'm sorry (in Portuguese of course) and kind of smiled. He knew what he was doing.
Some of the people in the van started saying something to him and I heard United States and English with my translating skills. The guy who shortchanged me was saying something and making a face like "I didn't do it on purpose" or that's the feeling I got. It seemed like those people were taking up for me. Regardless if they did or not, that's the way I choose to think about it. I was still nice to the guy and slapped on the back and said "Obrigado amigo" when I left.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Quick Testimony
I just had to update on this week. This is probably more for my benefit than for anyone else. This has just been a good week and today was the best of all. Just lots of little things.
You see, I had allowed myself to get pretty negative about some things. It hasn't been all beaches and bikinis, there have been some rough patches. I told God last Sunday that I needed to hear from Him that night at church. He really showed up and the pastor gave a great message about how changing your negative thoughts and replacing them with God's Word can change your life and situation. I took so many notes and really got me encouraged to take action.
I had taken a free 8 day course a few years back regarding changing your thoughts. He's a Christian author that I had read before and really like called Tommy Newberry. I signed up again Sunday night and started getting the emails Monday morning. I could tell a difference already on the first day. It helped me out soooooo much.
Today's email was on being grateful for what you have. He said gratitude is focusing your attention and energy on what is working instead of what isn't. The more you appreciate, the more you notice things to appreciate. I've been doing that today and it was just a good day. I got an email from a guy who knows a friend of mine that used to work at Blue Cross. I think he does some sort of mission work here and I'll meet him tomorrow. That will give me another contact here which is great.
I was on the bus to see a student tonight and this pretty girl sat beside me and recognized me and spoke to me. I couldn't for the life of me remember who she was. Note: In Rio, when you see so many beautiful women every day, they almost run together and you can't remember which ones you saw the day before. Just unreal. Well, she could tell I didn't remember and reminded me that she had helped me before with directions and we got off the bus and talked for a while. Nothing major but just talking to a pretty and sweet girl can always brighten your day.
Finally when I got home tonight I had a card slid under my door. It was the first piece of mail I've received since I've been here because I just had a permanent address recently. It was a letter from the online campus at my church in Bham signed by everyone. It did me so much good. I had to write and encourage myself with this and share it with everyone else as well. Gratitude is something I will continue because it can change a dim outlook into a sunny day. There's so much to be grateful for, for sho. Word!
You see, I had allowed myself to get pretty negative about some things. It hasn't been all beaches and bikinis, there have been some rough patches. I told God last Sunday that I needed to hear from Him that night at church. He really showed up and the pastor gave a great message about how changing your negative thoughts and replacing them with God's Word can change your life and situation. I took so many notes and really got me encouraged to take action.
I had taken a free 8 day course a few years back regarding changing your thoughts. He's a Christian author that I had read before and really like called Tommy Newberry. I signed up again Sunday night and started getting the emails Monday morning. I could tell a difference already on the first day. It helped me out soooooo much.
Today's email was on being grateful for what you have. He said gratitude is focusing your attention and energy on what is working instead of what isn't. The more you appreciate, the more you notice things to appreciate. I've been doing that today and it was just a good day. I got an email from a guy who knows a friend of mine that used to work at Blue Cross. I think he does some sort of mission work here and I'll meet him tomorrow. That will give me another contact here which is great.
I was on the bus to see a student tonight and this pretty girl sat beside me and recognized me and spoke to me. I couldn't for the life of me remember who she was. Note: In Rio, when you see so many beautiful women every day, they almost run together and you can't remember which ones you saw the day before. Just unreal. Well, she could tell I didn't remember and reminded me that she had helped me before with directions and we got off the bus and talked for a while. Nothing major but just talking to a pretty and sweet girl can always brighten your day.
Finally when I got home tonight I had a card slid under my door. It was the first piece of mail I've received since I've been here because I just had a permanent address recently. It was a letter from the online campus at my church in Bham signed by everyone. It did me so much good. I had to write and encourage myself with this and share it with everyone else as well. Gratitude is something I will continue because it can change a dim outlook into a sunny day. There's so much to be grateful for, for sho. Word!
Monday, May 30, 2011
It's Been A While
This is a pic of my new friends I made from one of the companies where I teach.
I'm sitting here waiting for my first class of the day and thought I would update a little bit. I normally have a class at 8 & 10 on Monday but the 8 canceled and the 10 is in the US for a couple of weeks. I picked up a new student that starts today from 12-1. I'll have him on Mondays and Wednesdays...more money.
The weather is actually cooler than I thought it would be. I thought they only had one season - hot but I was wrong. Some of the nights have been in the 60s but it felt good. The days are in the 70s and I love it. It makes me think of football season.
I met a friend at one of the companies where I teach and I went the past couple of Sunday mornings to hang out while she took photos. She works for a company that photographs walks & runs like last week was a breast cancer walk and yesterday was some sort of 5K and 10K run. She told me I could make some money by handing out their company flier to runners after they were finished. Maybe it will be steady thing, that would be great. It's easy money and maybe I can meet some more people.
I'm trying to plan ahead for money because the student I tutor will be leaving at the end of July and going back to Florida. That is a pretty good amount of money per month. I could probably handle one more private student plus the new student and photo company gig will more than compensate for it.
I ordered a 3 inch foam mattress pad and had it sent to my brother in Bham. He mailed to me last week and it should be here this week or next. I can't wait to sleep in comfort again. The bed is not bad but it's not what I was used to in the States.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
New Apt, Sugar Loaf Mountain & Marijuana
It's been a while since my last post. A lot has happened since then. I got moved into my new apartment in Copacabana. It's two blocks from Copacabana Beach and three blocks from the metro. It's a perfect location. It's really small, I mean really small but it's home. The rent includes a/c, wireless internet, utilities, a washer for the tenants of this guy I'm renting from and there's a terrace on the roof only for tenants of the same guy and it's beautiful up there. It has a couple of tables, a grill, a small pool and a pool table. I haven't been up there much but I need to. He said not many people go up there because most people would rather go to the beach.
I have it rented through the end of January which is what I wanted. At first he said I only had it for a couple of months, then he had a cancellation and it worked out to have it until the end of January. God worked it out perfectly. My window looks at some mountains and I can see Christ the Redeemer statue, it's really cool. I'm so thankful to have a/c. That is one of man's greatest inventions, no doubt. Now I need to buy something for the bed to make it a little more comfortable then I'll be set. I bought a microwave and a sandwich maker yesterday. It's starting to feel more like home.
Late yesterday afternoon I went to Sugar Loaf. Man, the pictures I've attached don't even come close. It's absolutely amazing...just so beautiful. You have to go up two different cable cars. You go on the first one to a smaller mountain then take another one up to Sugar Loaf. I was there when the sun went down so it was great timing.
I went to the beach yesterday afternoon and did some reading. There's all sorts of vendors going back and forth selling stuff on the beach. Some are more aggressive than others like try to sell you sunglasses and put them on your face when you tell them you aren't interested but most aren't that bad. Well, one guy came by yesterday with cigarettes. He asked me if I wanted some and I told him I didn't smoke. So he proceeds to ask me if I want some marijuana. A little shocked, I told him that I didn't need marijuana because I had Jesus. So he takes it a step farther. He asks me if I want cocaine. Now that is a first. I felt like I was in some sort of movie. I ain't in Falkville no more, for sho. Again, I told him that I had Jesus and didn't need it. Then I told him he didn't need that and he needed Jesus. He took that as his cue and gave me the thumbs up and moved it. I started laughing, it was just funny to me.
Tonight I walked down Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Arpoador beaches which are all right together. It took me about 2 1/2 hours. I did that last week too but not as long. I went to the end of Arpoador this time just to see how far it is, and it's pretty stinking far. I've attached some photos of my walk last week. There's this big rock in Arpoador that you can look down Arpoador beach and down Copacabana too. It's really awesome. A lot of people go there at sunset.
Everything else is good. I think I'm gonna check out a different church next week. I got some names of other churches from some missionaries I know that live in another area of Brazil. I figure it is worth a shot. I want to find a church that has some sort of small groups or Sunday school or something.
Sugar Loaf Pics
Copacabana is the top two and Arpoador is the bottom two pics
I have it rented through the end of January which is what I wanted. At first he said I only had it for a couple of months, then he had a cancellation and it worked out to have it until the end of January. God worked it out perfectly. My window looks at some mountains and I can see Christ the Redeemer statue, it's really cool. I'm so thankful to have a/c. That is one of man's greatest inventions, no doubt. Now I need to buy something for the bed to make it a little more comfortable then I'll be set. I bought a microwave and a sandwich maker yesterday. It's starting to feel more like home.
Late yesterday afternoon I went to Sugar Loaf. Man, the pictures I've attached don't even come close. It's absolutely amazing...just so beautiful. You have to go up two different cable cars. You go on the first one to a smaller mountain then take another one up to Sugar Loaf. I was there when the sun went down so it was great timing.
I went to the beach yesterday afternoon and did some reading. There's all sorts of vendors going back and forth selling stuff on the beach. Some are more aggressive than others like try to sell you sunglasses and put them on your face when you tell them you aren't interested but most aren't that bad. Well, one guy came by yesterday with cigarettes. He asked me if I wanted some and I told him I didn't smoke. So he proceeds to ask me if I want some marijuana. A little shocked, I told him that I didn't need marijuana because I had Jesus. So he takes it a step farther. He asks me if I want cocaine. Now that is a first. I felt like I was in some sort of movie. I ain't in Falkville no more, for sho. Again, I told him that I had Jesus and didn't need it. Then I told him he didn't need that and he needed Jesus. He took that as his cue and gave me the thumbs up and moved it. I started laughing, it was just funny to me.
Tonight I walked down Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Arpoador beaches which are all right together. It took me about 2 1/2 hours. I did that last week too but not as long. I went to the end of Arpoador this time just to see how far it is, and it's pretty stinking far. I've attached some photos of my walk last week. There's this big rock in Arpoador that you can look down Arpoador beach and down Copacabana too. It's really awesome. A lot of people go there at sunset.
Everything else is good. I think I'm gonna check out a different church next week. I got some names of other churches from some missionaries I know that live in another area of Brazil. I figure it is worth a shot. I want to find a church that has some sort of small groups or Sunday school or something.
Sugar Loaf Pics
Copacabana is the top two and Arpoador is the bottom two pics
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Scariest Day Yet
I know it sounds a little dramatic but getting my first haircut in a foreign country was a daunting task for me. I tried to wait as long as I could and even tried to convince myself "Oh, it looks good like this" but I knew deep down that it looked like a clown wig.
I looked up on Google translate and found out what to say for "Don't cut it very short" and told my barber. He made a motion around my ears and I nodded not really knowing what would happen. He then throws a Playboy magazine in my lap to read while I'm getting my hair cut. I smiled and told him that I didn't need it. He looked a little confused and finally put it back on the table. He probably doesn't get that much.
I have to give it to my Carioca friend, he did a bang up job. It actually looks good. I even gave him a tip and saw him a couple of times throughout the day because their shop is right around the corner from where I live. Every time I passed by I gave him the thumbs up, universal for "Good haircut Dude."
Well, my schedule is filled up. I have all the students I want now and it pays the bills. I picked up two more private students and have a few with a couple of schools as well. I met with one of the private students tonight. It's a married couple from Bolivia but the husband's job brought them here. They used to take lessons from a guy who went to the same school I finished with. His Mom got sick and he had to go home but he gave the couple my info. I already got another student from him. They are really nice and I talked to them for another 20 minutes after class. They said they liked it. It only took me an hour to get back home. I found the right bus that took me straight to my street. I told the guy who takes the money on the bus which street I needed in Flamengo and he told me he would let me know when to get up. That was the best bus experience by far.
Oh, I gotta tell you this story from tonight. Okay, I was walking to my students apartment. I got there early because a nice girl who spoke English helped me out. I was trying to waste time by just walking around and realized I didn't have the apartment room number. I see a hedge and I put my notebook on it with all my notes, info on all my students, and passport picture so can dig around and find the number. Well, I soon realized that the hedge was covering up a fence for an apartment. The fences for apartments completely surround them. Its not like I can just walk around the fence and grab it.
No sooner did put the notebook on the hedge that it slipped over the fence. I was in a panic. I walked around to the entrance of the apartment and the guard was sitting there with the fence open. He had seen the whole thing. Hallelujah! God helps me even when I do stupid stuff. Note to self: don't ever put anything on a hedge for safe keeping...Ever. He guard said something but it seemed to me that he was saying "Its a good thing I was here" and started laughing. I started laughing and gave him the thumbs up.
My other private student came from a referral that a guy I know from church. He had given a colleague my info and the guy contacted me last Friday and had a trial run class that afternoon. He said he liked the class so we'll continue next week. This week everyone is off Thursday and Friday. Thursday is a national holiday that happened to fall on Easter week and off for Good Friday.
Things are starting to feel more normal to me. I move in to my apartment next week and that will give me a feeling of stability, having my own place. I will miss the meals and help with laundry that I have now. I was in college for 6 years so I know how to survive with small meals.
I'm so glad I made this move. This past Sunday I was looking at the moon as the sun was setting and looking at Sugarloaf Mtn and the other mountains and thinking "I'm really here. This is so cool. I couldn't have made a better decision." I wish everyone who reads this could see what I am seeing. It's so beautiful that I want to share it with everyone.
I looked up on Google translate and found out what to say for "Don't cut it very short" and told my barber. He made a motion around my ears and I nodded not really knowing what would happen. He then throws a Playboy magazine in my lap to read while I'm getting my hair cut. I smiled and told him that I didn't need it. He looked a little confused and finally put it back on the table. He probably doesn't get that much.
I have to give it to my Carioca friend, he did a bang up job. It actually looks good. I even gave him a tip and saw him a couple of times throughout the day because their shop is right around the corner from where I live. Every time I passed by I gave him the thumbs up, universal for "Good haircut Dude."
Well, my schedule is filled up. I have all the students I want now and it pays the bills. I picked up two more private students and have a few with a couple of schools as well. I met with one of the private students tonight. It's a married couple from Bolivia but the husband's job brought them here. They used to take lessons from a guy who went to the same school I finished with. His Mom got sick and he had to go home but he gave the couple my info. I already got another student from him. They are really nice and I talked to them for another 20 minutes after class. They said they liked it. It only took me an hour to get back home. I found the right bus that took me straight to my street. I told the guy who takes the money on the bus which street I needed in Flamengo and he told me he would let me know when to get up. That was the best bus experience by far.
Oh, I gotta tell you this story from tonight. Okay, I was walking to my students apartment. I got there early because a nice girl who spoke English helped me out. I was trying to waste time by just walking around and realized I didn't have the apartment room number. I see a hedge and I put my notebook on it with all my notes, info on all my students, and passport picture so can dig around and find the number. Well, I soon realized that the hedge was covering up a fence for an apartment. The fences for apartments completely surround them. Its not like I can just walk around the fence and grab it.
No sooner did put the notebook on the hedge that it slipped over the fence. I was in a panic. I walked around to the entrance of the apartment and the guard was sitting there with the fence open. He had seen the whole thing. Hallelujah! God helps me even when I do stupid stuff. Note to self: don't ever put anything on a hedge for safe keeping...Ever. He guard said something but it seemed to me that he was saying "Its a good thing I was here" and started laughing. I started laughing and gave him the thumbs up.
My other private student came from a referral that a guy I know from church. He had given a colleague my info and the guy contacted me last Friday and had a trial run class that afternoon. He said he liked the class so we'll continue next week. This week everyone is off Thursday and Friday. Thursday is a national holiday that happened to fall on Easter week and off for Good Friday.
Things are starting to feel more normal to me. I move in to my apartment next week and that will give me a feeling of stability, having my own place. I will miss the meals and help with laundry that I have now. I was in college for 6 years so I know how to survive with small meals.
I'm so glad I made this move. This past Sunday I was looking at the moon as the sun was setting and looking at Sugarloaf Mtn and the other mountains and thinking "I'm really here. This is so cool. I couldn't have made a better decision." I wish everyone who reads this could see what I am seeing. It's so beautiful that I want to share it with everyone.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Wal-Mart - Hallelujah!
I've never been so glad to see a Wal-Mart in my life. It wasn't the same as the ones in the US but it was still nice to have a store with a little of everything. They didn't have what I was looking for - an egg crate for my bed. I haven't found one in Rio yet. They did have a printer that I may buy. Sometimes I need to print stuff and its just easier to have your own plus I need to scan and email stuff back from time to time. I could email the attachment to my school and they can print but its such a hassle to do that.
It was such an ordeal getting there. I thought I remembered where it was but obviously I didn't. I got off the bus when I didn't see it where I thought it was and just started walking. I probably walked for at least an hour and maybe two and asked several people but they didn't understand Wal-Mart. Good heavens I need to learn Portuguese faster.
I was determined to find Wal-Mart if it took me til 11 pm. For me it was a personal thing. Being in another country, not speaking the language, not knowing where I was - I wasn't going to let this situation defeat me (I don't know if that makes sense or not). I had to prove to myself that I could do this.
I finally got on a bus that went to Wal-Mart and I felt like a victorious gladiator as I walked throughthe doors . I also went to another mall that has the Statue of Liberty out front. I've never seen a mall that big. It was an inside mall and seemed like it went on forever. My sister-in-law Susan would love this place. I walked and walked and don't think I got through half of it. I did buy some pants and they have to alter and I need to go back next week. I wasn't intending to buy anything but I went in because I saw a pretty girl in the store and thought she should have the privilege of helping me and then I ended up liking some pants.
Coming home was an ordeal because the bus didn't stop close to the apartment again. This time they took me farther away than both times combined. I hit the button like three times for him to stop and he just kept turning it off. I said "Hey" and he didn't even flinch. He finally stopped and the girl who takes the money said something to me and I just motioned with my hands which meant "forget you!"
I was so far away I didn't know where I was. I saw a hotel and went inside and asked for the metro. She spoke English and told me to get a taxi because it wasn't safe to walk to the metro. I told her about my ordeal with the bus and she said certain buses don't stop where I wanted him to stop. It makes no sense to me - if there is a bus stop ahead and someone hits the button, let him off. I guess I'm just a simple minded gringo. At least I know now.
For me it was the best day I've had so far. I met several people today on the bus and at the mall. I gave a few people my business card. They were all so friendly. One family was in the store where I was buying my pants and they were helping the sales girl with translating. He heard me say I was in Flamengo and said he used to live there. Then his family and I started talking and they were so nice.
I started talking to a girl on the bus and she spoke English and was very nice too. I don't know - just talking to some nice people, finding Wal-Mart and not quitting and going to Barra da Tajica was a great day. Barra is my favorite place in Rio. I don't know, there's just something about it that I like. It seems so clean but its so far away. I think it will be a little closer when I move to Copacabana.
Oh yeah, I got in trouble when I came home. I'm not used to people looking after me. I hadn't seen my host when I left close to 1 and I got home around 7:45. We normally eat at 7 but I didn't call her to let her know I'd be late. I thought about it but thought it wouldn't be an issue. She wondered why I didn't call her. I told her I would just eat an apple. She said no, she would heat up the food for me. I could tell she was aggravated so I said I was sorry several times and asked her if she still loved me. She started laughing and said she did. She said if she didn't she wouldn't have warmed up the food for me. Its all good.
Sorry for the long post. Just a lot happened today. It was a good day.
It was such an ordeal getting there. I thought I remembered where it was but obviously I didn't. I got off the bus when I didn't see it where I thought it was and just started walking. I probably walked for at least an hour and maybe two and asked several people but they didn't understand Wal-Mart. Good heavens I need to learn Portuguese faster.
I was determined to find Wal-Mart if it took me til 11 pm. For me it was a personal thing. Being in another country, not speaking the language, not knowing where I was - I wasn't going to let this situation defeat me (I don't know if that makes sense or not). I had to prove to myself that I could do this.
I finally got on a bus that went to Wal-Mart and I felt like a victorious gladiator as I walked through
Coming home was an ordeal because the bus didn't stop close to the apartment again. This time they took me farther away than both times combined. I hit the button like three times for him to stop and he just kept turning it off. I said "Hey" and he didn't even flinch. He finally stopped and the girl who takes the money said something to me and I just motioned with my hands which meant "forget you!"
I was so far away I didn't know where I was. I saw a hotel and went inside and asked for the metro. She spoke English and told me to get a taxi because it wasn't safe to walk to the metro. I told her about my ordeal with the bus and she said certain buses don't stop where I wanted him to stop. It makes no sense to me - if there is a bus stop ahead and someone hits the button, let him off. I guess I'm just a simple minded gringo. At least I know now.
For me it was the best day I've had so far. I met several people today on the bus and at the mall. I gave a few people my business card. They were all so friendly. One family was in the store where I was buying my pants and they were helping the sales girl with translating. He heard me say I was in Flamengo and said he used to live there. Then his family and I started talking and they were so nice.
I started talking to a girl on the bus and she spoke English and was very nice too. I don't know - just talking to some nice people, finding Wal-Mart and not quitting and going to Barra da Tajica was a great day. Barra is my favorite place in Rio. I don't know, there's just something about it that I like. It seems so clean but its so far away. I think it will be a little closer when I move to Copacabana.
Oh yeah, I got in trouble when I came home. I'm not used to people looking after me. I hadn't seen my host when I left close to 1 and I got home around 7:45. We normally eat at 7 but I didn't call her to let her know I'd be late. I thought about it but thought it wouldn't be an issue. She wondered why I didn't call her. I told her I would just eat an apple. She said no, she would heat up the food for me. I could tell she was aggravated so I said I was sorry several times and asked her if she still loved me. She started laughing and said she did. She said if she didn't she wouldn't have warmed up the food for me. Its all good.
Sorry for the long post. Just a lot happened today. It was a good day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)