Spring (Fall) Break in Brazil

So I have been absolutely terrible about blogging, but unless you care to hear about me going to the beach every single day and drinking caipirinhas all night, there really hasn't been too many exciting events to tell. Right now I am chilling at the São Paulo airport waiting for my connecting flight to Rio!!!  I am so excited!  Despite getting robbed at knife point by 4 kids last year and losing a bunch of my stuff, it still is my favorite city!  I can't wait!

So what have I been up to?

I have been going to several of the beaches here and believe I am up to about 13 of the 42 beaches the lovely Island of Florianópolis has to offer.  Besides working on my tan, I have also been working on my surfing.  My friend took me on his short board a few weeks ago, and I also had a lesson.  The lesson was also in pretty much Portuguese, which turns out, I pretty much understood all of it, mainly due to  my Jiu Jitsu classes.  Besides that instruction, I have been surfing most days here and am still only ok.  I heard it takes about a year of going almost daily to get decent so I don't feel too bad, besides this is fun practice!!

Two Saturdays past, I went to a music festival here that played a variety of music.  It was $40r or $20usd for all the vodka/beer you could drink and included the entrance fee.  For the fist hour of the festival, only the ladies were allowed in. The girl from the hostel I went with and I thought it was that way so the girls would get all liquored and loosened up for the boys, but after one drink and 20 minutes we knew why - male strippers!!  They were originally dressed as the Brazilian army and navy.  

But then they got down to this!

I even got pulled up for a dance.

And for some reason a giant duck was there as well.  It was a good time.

 

Another day here I did an organized hike to Lagoina de Leste.  It was an hour hike to the beach and made me realize I was in no way prepared for Maccu Picchu.  It was a good opportunity to start to break in my boots.  

This past Saturday, I went to an amazing party called Carnafacul.  It was a Carnaval style party and was amazing!  It was in the center of the city and before you even went in you could by drinks/food locals were selling for cheaper than inside.  The other hostel-ers I went with and I had a few drinks, got our shirts included with the ticket, reconstructed the shirts abd went on in.  Let me just say, the Brazilians very much dress up whenever they go out.  These ladies had completely decked out their shirts with sequins, adornments and styling that you wouldn't even recognize the original shirt.  Anyway, the festival itself had so many people and a massive tour bus drove by with a band/dancers/djs on top throughout the crowd.  It was basically a massive street party.  What I really love about Brazil, is so much happens outside.  I eat outside, surf outside, dance, drink, etc. outside.  I think all this fresh air (and sleep) is doing wonders for my health.  

Here are some sweet photos from the party!

Another interesting thing that has happened was I went to eat and had feijoada, which is a typical Brazilian dish made with rice, beans and meat.  I was trying to cut the piece of meat and it wouldn't cut!  On closer inspection, I realized it was the nose of the pig!!!!  Ewww!!!  You can definitely see the nostrils and even tiny hairs on it.  Yuck.  I doubt that would pass health code laws in the U.S. 

Although what does pass in the U.S. is Diet Coke! Apparently any drinks with aspartame are not allowed here.  Not happy.  They do have coke zero, but I am just not a fan.  I hope Colombia, the next country I head to June 13, allows Diet Coke!  I have a craving!!!

Anyway, off to go board my plane.  But, now that I am traveling more, I anticipate more exciting things to write about and more time waiting for my method of transit and hope to post more!

Beijos,

Kendra

Maxing and relaxin

Right now I chilling in a hammock and enjoying the beautiful weather.  Apparently it is fall/winter here, but I can easily swim, work on my tan and run around in shorts.  The only way I know it is winter is the sun sets around 6pm.  Tough life. 

Friday night the hostel I am staying at had a delicious Brazilian Barbecue for dinner.  After that I drank caipirinhas with some new friends.  I even got to go behind the bar and have a lesson in making the drinks with one of the guys who works at the hostel.  After a few more drinks, the hostel organized a trip to a bar where I danced until 4am and finally fell asleep in my new bed.  

The next day I went to Campeche Island with a group from the hostel. It was a 30 minute van ride followed by a 40 minute boat ride.  The somewhat long (and bumpy!)  journey was absolutely worth it.  Campeche island is absolutely beautiful and very empty.  Brazil itself is absolutely beautiful with the mountains, the ocean, the city and the jungle. Campeche Island though would be a great spot to camp on the beach.  Anyway, when we arrived, I was absolutely famished, so me and some friends had a marvelous lunch of salad, rice and fish for around $8.50 usd each.  I swear the fish had been caught that day.  

After lunch, I relaxed on the beach, drank some skol (brand of cheap beer) given to me by some old Brazilian men I spoke to in Portuguese for a while, did some yoga and had a capoeira lesson from one of the guys who works at the hostel.  Capoeira is a form of Brazilian martial arts that somewhat resembles a dance.  It was started by slaves who styled it like a dance so they could practice and people would think they were just dancing, not practicing a martial art.  It was a lot of fun to do and I want to see more of it while I am here.  

Amazing fish for lunch!!

 

You only live once (so why not be happy and live as a citizen of the world?)

Me on Campeche Island!!

When I returned that night, I had a delicious Mexican feast at the hostel (the food here is amazing and affordable too - I paid $18R or around $9 usd for all I could eat fresh Mexican food).  I will likely eat here most nights.  

After some more relaxing after dinner, we went to what is now my favorite bar here - I actually went to this same bar last year.   It is called Casa le Noca.  Below is a photo in the daytime.  They had a live band, 3 caipirinhas for $20R (USD $10 - total bargain!!!), and I love the balcony upstairs.  When I eventually settle down, I am getting a place with a balcony. I had a great time dancing and hanging out with more new friends.  I tend to get much better at speaking Portuguese after I have a few caipirinhas, so it was great to practice my Portuguese with them as well.  I have had a lot of time to think while I am here, and have realized Portuguese sounds so much like a song.  It really is a beautiful language.

Well,Tchau for now.  I need a nap in this glorious hammock.

Xoxo

From Step 1 to Step 2

This has been a crazy week.  I finished up my classes at Step 1 and am now settled into Lagoa, a neighborhood much closer to the beach and nightlife in Florianópolis.  I hope I can improve on my surf skills and language skills by sipping on cocktails with Brazilians! 

Yesterday, I went to Berimar shopping to pick up some hiking socks for my upcoming trek to Macchu Piccu.  After finally finding socks and refusing to buy hiking pants as they are absolutely hideous, I treated myself to an iced latte.  I paid $5usd for 8ounces (MAYBE) of coffee.  I really miss Starbucks and large beverages in general (my 20oz Diet Cokes come to mind).  Apparently, they have Starbucks in Rio (20 days!!).  I have a feeling I will be making frequent visits to Starbucks while there.  But really, I should not complain.  I AM LIVING IN BRAZIL.  Look how happy I am!!!

What else happened this week?  Ah, yes I had several Jiu Jitsu classes that went much smoother.  Me, being the dedicated student that I am, made notecards with all the body parts and positions in Portuguese.  I think they look a but perverted(decide for yourself in the pic below!), but it got the job done and I understood much more that was being taught in class.   I am not sure what is harder, learning Jiu Jitsu or the Portuguese!

On Wednesday I think it was, I took a good hard look at my budget and a good hard look at my hair, and realized something had to be done.  The cost of highlights is a bed in a hostel for a week.  Week of heaven versus nice hair?  That coupled with I am not sure which was more terrifying to me, going to a salon and having to explain what I wanted or attempting to fix it myself by reading portuguese instructions in the box.  But for $10, I figured I would give "hair color in a box" a shot.  Let me just say I have no future as a hairstylist.  It's not awful to the point I need to cry and hide, but when I get to São Paulo, I will likely be getting it fixed.  It looks slightly better than before, but basically I threw $10 away.  

What else, what else?  This week hasn't been too crazy compared to last weekend.  I am excited though to make new friends at the hostel and be around a lot of organized activities.  Today, they have Brazilian BBQ for dinner for $22 reais (usd$11).  Tomorrow, I believe I am going to Campeche Island.  Well, Tchau Tchau!  

Beijos!!!!

Today was a great day!

This morning it started with a great Portuguese class! I actually understood what was going on and feel great about the progress I have made so far. The school I go to is called Step 1 Idiomas and I highly recommend it. It can get very frustrating (see earlier posts!) because they only speak to you in Portuguese, but I feel it forces me to understand more Portuguese in my day to day activity.

I really enjoy the task of trying to learn a new language. It works a different side of my brain than I am used to using, plus I want to get to know as many people and make as many friends as possible! The option for new friends with a different background is the biggest motivator (that being said, it is crazy how more similar than different we are - (cue the kumbaya music)). Portuguese is of the top languages spoken in the world and by knowing it, I can communicate with so many more people. What worries me is I know I will really need to keep motivating myself to keep this up when class ends this week, especially when I go travel to the Spanish speaking countries in South America and then back to Chicago. If anyone has tips for learning a language while living at home, please share!!

Back to my day, after class, I went jogging on the ocean path. It is absolutely breathtaking. Check out the photos!! It reminded me a bit of running along the path in Chicago. I ran about 5 miles and it felt great to burn off a few of those Caipirinhas these weekend! So far I have had caipirinha with lime (traditional), with kiwi (amazing), with passion fruit (also amazing), strawberry (eh), and with vinho(my fav!!) I will definitely be adding these drinks to my already impressive list of cocktails I make amazingly well.

Once I was ate lunch and cleaned up, I headed to the city center and mall to buy hiking boots for the 5 day Macchu Piccu hike I am going on in early July(I wanted to get the boots early so I could break them in). Whenever I have a specific item to buy (see phone mentioned in earlier post), it is always a challenge because words like "waterproof" and "breathable" aren't among the first words taught in class! My lack of language skill coupled with the fact I don't normally hike, was a recipe for another disaster!

Brazil (and several other countries I have been to) tends to have smaller stores than the US. A department store here is about 1/10th of the size of one back home (I still am not sure what I prefer). Meaning, I wasn't about find a Dick's sporting goods store anywhere. After browsing for an hour at several smaller, I finally found a store with boots! I had to ask the clerk for help with sizing etc. and managed to have the entire conversation in Portuguese!! Granted the grammar sucked and my verb tenses needed help, but I am now the owner of water resistant hiking boots!! Yay me!!!

After rewarding myself with an iced coffee (I truly miss Starbucks and my venti iced coffees - an iced coffee is typically maybe 8oz - I am much less caffeinated now than before), I was off to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where again I had a great class! I picked up on many more words and actually was able to complete the new moves they showed us. I wish I had a video to show you me doing Jiu Jitsu!

Well, now I am about to do my homework and teach myself some words that may be useful for Jiu Jitsu (elbow, knee, push, pull, etc.!)

Beijos,
Kendra

Wow it has been a while

I have not posted in a while because the weather is so nice and I can't justify not being at the beach! I guess I can thank the rain for one thing.

I have been very busy having fun, drinking caipirinhas and checking out several of Florianópolis's 42 beaches!! It is quite a rough life!

Besides working on my tan, I have also been busy with Portuguese classes. This is much more difficult than I had originally thought. For one, in class the teachers only speak Portuguese, apparently this is to help learn by immersion, but it can get frustrating quickly. It is very hard to understand concepts when they are explained with other words that you do not know. It sometimes feels like I am hearing simply noise. I also am now the only student in my class, which is a bit odd. I definitely prefer the smaller group.

JIU JITSU
I also have been busy taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes as a way to immerse myself in the culture and language. I was invited by a friend on the beach and had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into! 1. I took tae kwon do growing up. I thought it would be similar. Nope. It is basically wrestling or as one guy in my class said "Chess of the Body". 2. It is all in Portuguese! It is hard enough to learn a new skill, even more so when you don't understand the language. I was practicing with a Brazilian girl, accidentally elbowed her in the face and said "obrigada" (thank you!) instead of "disculpe" (sorry)! Thankfully she was very understanding and just laughed!

The first day of Jiu Jitsu I was pulled aside by the instructor as I had to learn the basic moves. It was a bit hilarious as each time we had to switch from attacker to victim he would say "ok, now i dominate you." With my dirty mind, this was very amusing. It also didn't help I have been reading Brazilian Cosmo to help learn Portuguese! If you thought American Cosmomwas raunchy, pick up an issue of Brazilian Cosmo. It helps learn more common words/Brazilian slang.

At the end of the first day of class, I was given my belt. The lead instructor called me up (in Portuguese) in front of the whole class to give it to me. I had no clue what was going on and must have turned 50 shades of red. It felt somewhat like an initiation to be called in front of everyone to get my belt after training all class with my "kimono" flapping without it. I do like Jiu Jitsu and hope to keep training when I go back to Chicago.

Aniversario!
I had my birthday this past Monday. To celebrate, I treated myself to new sunglasses and a cute outfit. I also extended my trip two months!!

My itinerary is as follows:
Now until May 30 - Florianópolis
May 30-June 7: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-June 12: São Paulo, Brazil
June 12-June 17: Medellin, Colombia
June 17-June 22: Bogota, Colombia
June 23-July 3: Lima and Cuzco, Peru
July 3- July 10: Chile
July 10-July 24: Mendoza and Buenos Aires, Argentina
July 24-26: Iguazu
July 26-28: São Paulo
July 28: Chicago

This weekend I met new friends from São Paulo and Floripa. We met at one of my favorite beaches, Praia Mole (which means soft sand beach). They told me at first they thought I was Argentinian until they saw me try to order a guarda de sol (beach umbrella) and realized I was American. They invited me to join them for some cervejas. We drank all afternoon, ate pastel (fried dough w stuffing) and enjoyed the sun. Later, we moved to a cabana for my favorite, the Veuve! Seriously, drinking Champagne on the beach in Brazil, I could get used to this life!! After that I went home, went to language exchange at the school (speak 30 minutes portuguese, 30 minutes English), had my new favorite drink (caipirinha com vinho e pouco acucar - caipirinha (limes, sugar cane rum) with wine and little sugar), and met my new friends for more drinks and sushi at a place called Mumbai Taiko. Check out the below Sushi Boat! It was a great time.

The next day we went to Praia Jurere Internacional (apparently the rich people beach), which was a lot of fun. They have great music and cabanas to lounge in. This beach and Praia Mole are my favorites so far. I want to visit them all!! After a few hours here and a quick dip in the ocean, we went to Berimar shopping as I decided I needed new clothes to look like a Brasileira! I bought two new skirts, a top and some shoes. See photo below! I think I turned out okay!!

That night we went to a Brasilian country bar called Fields. It is way different than American country, but I like it. Most people know Michael Telo. As per usual, I had a great time. Several Brasilian men tried to teach me how to dance. I am not quite a full Brazilian woman yet!

At the end of the night (4am?) my friend dropped me off at we had Cachorro Quente (Brazilian hot dog!). So so so good! They have jet ketchup, mustard, mayo, corn, peas, potato chips (see photo below!) and probably some other stuff. That with a diet coke, is the best way to top off the night!!!

Tchau Tchau!! Xoxo