Rio de Janeiro and Salvador!

Oi gente,

This past month I traveled to the "Cidade Maravilhosa"... Rio de Janeiro and also to Salvador for the last time during my exchange. So much has happened since then that hopefully I won't forget about anything.
I stayed the first half of the time with my (real) dad (who was in Brazil because of work) and our Brazilian friends (that I have known since I was little), and the other half  with Sylvia and her family.
The first couple of days we stayed in our friend's weekend house in Barra da Tijuca. A neighborhood that feels more like Miami than the more European influenced neighborhoods of Rio's Southern zone.
 I went to the beach various times and had a great time with my dad.

After the weekend was over I went with my friends to their normal house in Urca, a neighborhood in Rio's Southern zone located under Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain). They had work since in Rio break hadn't started yet, so I hung out with Sylvia annd Lara (her host sister a lot). Some things we did were:

•  Hiked up Pao de Acucar on this really cool trail through the forest and watched the sunset.
• Went to Centro and Lapa, and saw a staircase made out of tiles, the arches of Lapa, and The church of Rio de Janeiro
• Went to the Hippe Market. A market of various clothes and crafts that is held in Ipanema every sunday.
• Kayaked in the ocean twice and saw a sea turtle and entered in a cavern that we found.
• Walked from Leme to the of Leblon and night.

Used public transportation alone which I thought was cool because it made me feel very independent.


I'm sorry I'm not going more into detail but I'm leaving in two days and I have so much to do!


I also went to Salvador with Jennifer some of the things we did were:

• Walked around Salvador alone (first time I had done that)
• Went to the Elevador Lacerda, Mercado Modelo, and Pelourinho
• Went the the Museum of Modern Art and saw a concert.
   

I'm really stressed out so this post is kind of vague

,
Nevo

Aracaju!

Oi gente,

   I've been a little bit slow with my blog and for that I do apologize. Last week I went on the best trip I've taken in Brazil (so far)! I traveled to Aracaju, Sergipe and visited one of my best exchange friends, Sylvia for 6 days!
   The night before the trip I could barely get any sleep. One, because of how excited I was, and two the bus left Feira at 1:30 a.m..  That's ok though becuase I took an express bus (which had surprisingly comfterable seats) to Aracaju and I was able to sleep during the six hour bus ride. I arrived in Aracaju at about 6:10 and waited anxiously to be picked up by Sylvia's family and Brenner ( a family friend who I stayed with). When I met Sylvia's family, I was greeted with hugs and kisses. From that moment until the moment I left I was treated with so much kindness and I thank them for that so much! After freshening up at my new temporary home I went to Sylvia's apartment. We decided that to start off my visit with a day at the beach! We went to a really nice beach called Parati and spent almost the whole day there. We ate, talked, laughed, and even went on a two hour walk! After that we continued our way to Orla a beachfront neighborhood that has many good restaurants and a market with touristy crafts, shirts and such. We had  a tasty dinner and then strolled through the market. We then met up with Manga, Sylvia's boyfriend who we hung out with the rest of the night.
The beach in Aracaju!


Sylvia and me at the beach!

On the second day we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Lara ( Sylvia's host sister) and Brenner  at Brenners apartment. That was followed by a visit to Jardims Shopping to meet up Anna, a fellow Afser from Germany that had already been living in Aracaju for almost a year. The girls decided to go shopping so I just sat on a bench and so time to reflect so far on the great things I had done so far. We planned to meet up with Michael and Paula (Sylvia's friends) and Anna later at Orla for some Caranguejo (crab) one of the foods Aracaju is best known for. Instead of only Michael, Paula and Anna showing up, half of Sylvia's class was there! At first I was kind of shy, but once I felt more comfortable it was really good time. Also, I learned how to smash crabs to be able to eat the meat! At about midnight we took a taxi, I returned to Brenner's apartment and Sylvia and Lara returned to their apartment.

Smashing Carangeujo!
   The third included visiting many cool parts of the city! We (Sylvia, Manga, Brenner, Lara and I)  first went to Parque da Cidade (the city's park), there's a lift (pretty much a ski lift, but without the snow obviously) that takes you above the zoo and through parts of the Mata Atlantica that have been left in Aracaju. The central market came next, it also had many touristy things such as statues, hats, shirts, magnets etc.. After that we met up with Michael at the Sergipe museum. The museum was all about the state's history and culture. It was really cool to get to know so much about Sergipe, because in  some ways it's really similar to Bahia but in other ways it's totally different. We rested a little bit and then made our way to McDonald's for a real "American" dinner. We then finished the night off at a Forro at one of Lara's friends house. For those of you who don't know what that is, A Forro is a big party (and a type of dance and music) always thrown around Sao Joao. Sao Joao is holiday which is celebrated throught out Brazil, but is most popular in the Northeast. Usually people dress up for the Forros, guys in plaid shirts, and girls in traditonal dresses or plaid shirts as well.  The Forro has many traditonal foods and liquors. It also has a lot of dancing, like the Quadrilha (which is similar to square dancing) and Forro (a couples dance).  I know its really confusing but hopefully you got a little feel for how it works. So now I know how to dance Forro, and I'm not gonna lie I dance well for not being Brazilian. I'm proud of myself for knowing how to dance Forro, Arrocha, and Pagode. I love Forros and I can't wait to go to more!
   
Me, Manga, and Sylvia at the Market!

Yeah McDonalds!

One of the unfinished venues that many Forros will be held at during Sao Joao.

View from Parque da Cidade.

The fourth day was dedicated to our international lunch. Sylvia made American Pancakes and I made Latkes (Jewish potato pancakes) and Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles). Sylvia's family made Brazilian food. It took us a while to make everything, but in the end everything was delicious and everyone enjoyed sitting together and talking.
  
Our international meal!

Cooking with Sylvia's host mom!

On the fifth day I went to school with Sylvia. At first they didn't let me in because I didn't have the school uniform and you have to wear one to be able to get in. After an hour of negotiating later, the school headmaster let me in. I was brought up to the classroom and greeted with applause. Again I was really shy in the beginning, and yet again things were great when I started talking to everyone and singing and dancing all the music and dances from Bahia. Everyone in Sylvia's class was really cool and I wish I got to hang out with them longer. After school, we left to go eat lunch at Brenner's house.
During the evening we went to Jardims again and ate sushi for my last dinner in Aracaju.
 
The sixth was pretty much just me sleeping and packing for the trip back to Feira. I had some huge problems on the way back but that's another story. I'll be posting about school soon, hope you liked hearing about my trip.

Ate Mais,

Nevo




   

Orientation!

Oi todo mundo,

   Last weekend I had an orientation in Lauro de Freitas (a suburb of Salvador)! It was like vacation from being an exchange student if that makes any sense. I finally got to see Jennifer and Sylvia (two of the other four American exchange students that  arrived with me in February) again since we first arrived here. It was a lot of fun reuniting, getting to hang out, talk, play games, etc. Other than us their were six Thai girls, a Japanese girl and boy, and a Latvian girl. I learned how to make origami  and how to say hello in Thai. It was a weekend filled with many different cultures.  Something I realized is that while in another country I am way more patriotic then I am in the U.S. I brought the American flag with me to the orientation and Jennifer, Sylvia and I took many pictures with it.  Not only that, but we sang a bunch of patriotic songs like: "I am proud to be an American" and "America, America", hahaha It was pretty funny.

   I was supposed to go with Fisk (classes where Brazilians go to learn English) on an English tour of Salvador tomorrow, but it's been raining  a lot so they postponed it until next Saturday. Also, on Sunday I will only have two months left! Can you belive it?! Where has the time gone? I've been talking to AFS Brazil and I have been talking to them about doing a "mini exchange", which is when you pick any region in the country and stay there for a week or two thus being called a "mini exhcange". I really want to go to o sul  (the south) because it is so much different than the Northeast and all the places I've already been to in Brazil. Never the less I have so much pride in being a "Baiano" and I know that I will always have a part of Bahia and Brazil in me. Only now I'm starting to regret choosing the semester program...


Ate mais,

Nevo


 

                                                                 Everyone at the Orientation

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from Micareta and Salvador:

                                                                    Me in Seu Maxixe's bloco

                                                                 Micareta from the  Camarote

Ivete Sangalo, one of the most famous singers in Brazil!

Tomate's bloco

The Mercado Modelo from the inside

                                                                The Elevador Lacerda

                                                                 A church in Pelourinho

                                                                     A street in Pelourinho

                                                            Another church from a far

                                                       The Elevador Lacerda after the sunset

                                                       The beach in Barra,Salvador                        

                                                            Another Picture at the beach

                                                                 After Bahia won the game!  

Hope you've enjoyed them,

Nevo

Oi todos,

   "Wow", is the first word that comes to mind when I think about Micareta (my city's carnival). It is a smaller version of Salvador's carnival, but not any less fun. I'm so glad I went to Carnival before because I got to know all the music and get a taste of what Micareta would be like. It went on for five days , and I went out during every single one.  Some days with friends, others with my host sister and her boyfriend and even with some of my AFS volunteers. The singers I saw included: Ivete Sangalo, EVA, Seu Maxixe, Tuca Fernandez, Pablo, and Seu Maxixe The first four days I went out in a bloco. For those of you who don't know what a bloco is, here is a brief explanation. So every singer has a huge truck with a stage on top that he or she sings on. Surrounding the truck there are ropes, and you can only be inside the ropes if you buy the ticket for the bloco. During the night you move with the truck and the crowd  through the circuit that is set in the city.It was very crowded, but a lot of fun. On the last day, I went to a Camarote ( a balcony type lounge where you are above the street), and to my surprise it happened to belong to one of my friends from school! It was awesome to spend the last night of Micareta, with my host sister and friends. Micareta, was one of the best events I have experienced here, and I am positive I won't forget it.
 
 Last weekend I traveled with my family to Salvador and it was one of the best trips I've had here! Here's a list of what I did:

• Visited the Mercado Modelo, a former slave market that now is a touristic market with many souvenirs.
• Visited Pelourinho (the historic part of Salvador that has many Portuguese style buildings) and the Elevador Lacerda (the first elevator in Brazil)
• Went to the zoo which had many tropical animals that the Denver Zoo does not have.
• Swam at the beach in Barra!
• Watched a soccer game, Bahia against Vitoria da Conquista (Bahia won)!
• Shared great moments with my host family!     

May 15th I might be going to Salvador to see Bahia play again, and on the 19th I'll be going to Salvador for an orientation where I will be seing Sylvia and Jennifer! I can't wait!

Tchau gente,

Nevo

Daily routine

Hey Everyone,

   This post is dedicated to my daily routine and an update. When I read other people's blogs before my exchange, I thought to myself why don't they update their blogs very often? The reason is, while on  exchange there is so much going on that it is hard to find the time to sit down and write and for that I do apologize. 

    Before starting everything I have a quick story to tell. About three weeks ago,  I went bowling with my friends.  When I entered the bowling alley a doorman gave me a card which the expenses are put on that apparently I was supposed to keep with me the whole time. So after we were done bowling, we went to go eat and I forgot my card on the table. Later I found out that you have to give the card to the doorman to be able to leave and if you lose it you have to pay 190 dollars. I went and looked for it multiple times, but it was gone. My friends and I went to talk to the employees I pretended that I didn't know any portuguese , and everytime they tried talking to me I shook my head and mumbled in english. After 15 minutes one of the employees just gave me another card. Sometimes being a foreigner can definitely give you an advantage in difficult situations.    

  In the past couple of weeks I have gone out a lot with friends which has been really fun! We went bowling, to the mall, to the movies, and to a couple of parties. I'm really close to my friends here and I know that leaving them will be one of the hardest parts!

 This part of the post should have probably been written the first week I was here and I really don't know why I haven't written it until now. So here is my long anticipated daily routine! 

6:20: wake up and take a shower

6:30-7:00: get dressed and have breakfast
7:10: the taxi that takes me to school arrives. 
7:20: school starts and I have three classes that vary depending on the day.
9:50-10:20:  have recess, which is really fun because my friends and I hang out in the class and play card games like Uno and talk a lot.
10:20-12:40:  have three more classes and then school ends.
1:00: the taxi takes me back home
1:10-3:00:   have lunch and my daily conversation with Lulu (Luiza) the maid who I am very close too.
3:00-10:30:  This is the time in between lunch and sleep, I usually watch TV, or on the computer, running, and sometimes cooking. I usually have dinner by myself which has been hard to get used too and then go take a shower and go to sleep.


Well that's pretty much it. Yeah it's quite boring but oh well. Tomorrow Micareta starts, which is the Carnaval  in my city. I'm really excited and will post about it soon!


Um abraco,
Nevo  

Oi gente,


   Last weekend was a lot of fun! On Saturday I had to prepare for my AFS' welcome party ( I think it's funny calling it a welcome party, since I was already there for a month). For the party I had to make a presentation about Boulder and also bring a food from my culture. Being from the states, I made it easy as can be and prepared hot dogs. Now here in Brazil, they only have cachorro quente com molho (hot dogs in  sauce), the sauce is tomato based and also has onions, peppers, and sometimes beans in it. The idea of a hot dog only with the bun seemed really strange to them. I then explained that we eat hot dogs with many condiments such as: ketchup, mustard, onions, relish etc. which helped brighten the idea of eating  an "american hot dog (without sauce)" as they would say. Takgiie from Thailand made Coconut curry and Risa from Japan made delicous Japanese sandwiches with Japanese pickles and a savory sauce.  The future Brazilian AFSers  made Guacamole (Mexico), Croissants (France), and a Danish Desert. We also had a "talent show", and I don't really have a talent so I spoke Hebrew to them.
     After the party, I went to the amusement park we have in the city and met up with my friends from school! After we went on all the rides, we sat down and started had a deep heart to heart. I really enjoyed the night becuase I feel like I got to know everyone way better and vice versa.
     School has been really hard lately because we've had a lot of tests. It's hard because I spend most of the time with my dictionary translating everything rather than actually getting the test done. Then there are some classes where I don't even know what the teacher is talking about all the time, so I don't even know how to answer the questions. I guess it's ok because I have only been here for seven weeks and I shouldn't expect myself to be getting good grades when I'm not even fluent (yet) in the language.
    I'm supposed to have a regional orientation in Lauro de Freitas with Sylvia and Jennifer and I'm really excited to see them and the rest of the exchange students that will be going. I'm also going to go bowling next weekend with my friends from school which will be really fun! Hope all is well with you.

Ate logo,
Nevo

                                           From left to right: Risa, me, and Takgiie

Hey Everyone,

    I feel really guilty for not posting as much as I should and I have a lot to tell you, so here goes.
Last friday night I went to a concert with my host sister, her boyfriend, and another friend of hers. Before going to the concert I asked everyone at school If they liked Pablo (the name of the singer), and mostly everyone said he was terrible and they didn't like him, and so I went to the conert expecting the worst. While waiting in line a few gunshots were fired and suddenly everyone around me was laying down on the ground. It was kind of scary, but it happened really fast so it didn't affect the rest of my night. We quickly entered the venue and headed for the camarote. It was different than one in carnaval, a bit more simple and amatuer looking, but a camarote is a camarote and their is no complaining. The opening band was cool playing music varying from samba to pagode and axe to funk. And then there was Pablo. I didn't think he was that bad. He is just different from your typical Brazilian Music.  Although I didn't know all of the songs it was fun moving along to all the different beats. I even learned how to dance arrocha ( a dance defined by the sharp swaying of the hips).  The night went on and the music kept playing until it was time to leave. As we arrived home
I was exhausted, so I slipped into my bed and closed the curtains as the sun was rising. The following day consisted of mostly sleeping and recovering from the long night of dancing.
    The day after my family and I went to Salvador for a sunday lunch/family reunion (sunday lunches are always a big event in Brazil), becuase my host dad's grandma wanted to see everyone. She lives in a favela (a Brazilian term for a slum) and at first I felt really uncomfortable. After some time and a stomach  full later I was feeling comfortable, but that was right before we left. Later, we headed to Salvador Shopping, a huge and modern mall located near my other host grandma's apartment. Gustavo and I decided to go watch a movie, while Camilla and Angela went to do some shopping. Gustavo wanted to watch Ghost Rider 2 so we watched that in 3D. It was so so, you know just a typical Nicolas Cage movie. Anyways, the next day we  went to go make my Brazilian ID at the airport. We had some troubles, because we didn't schedule an appointment before arriving at the airport, but in the end everything was resolved.
    This past week was boring and consisted mostly of school, but I went out with some friends from school to eat lunch, which was nice. This weekend we went to the beach in Cabucu. We stayed in a really small house with basically two rooms. It was a really different, but that's what this whole exchange is about, right? I feel like I haven't dedicated one post to my daily schedule, so I guess that's what my next post will be about, that and some other events that are bound to happen. I almost forgot, yesterday was my month mark which is crazy because I don't feel like I have been here for that long.

Ate Logo,

Nevo

                                                                    The beach in Cabucu                                  
  


   

Crazy Carnaval

Oi gente,

    These past three days I had the great privelege of traveling to Salvador and expieriencing Carnaval!
    As a foreigner I hadn't really understood what Carnaval was all about and why it was such a big deal, until now.  Carnaval is happiness. It's the loud music. The dancing. The different colors and so much more! In Salvador, it's basically one huge street party. Massive trucks will be riding around through different set circuits with different Brazilian singers on them. The trucks provide the singers with a stage, and room for their bands and fans. I feel like I'm not explaining it very well, but it will make more sense once you see the pictures below.
   I went to Carnaval two nights, but I will only be talking about the first one. So The first night we went ( my host sister and her boyfriend and my eldest host brother) we had bought tickets to see Carnaval from a camarote, A camarote is an exclusive place where you can see and expierience Carnaval, with not  having to be on ground level with the rest of the crowd. In the camarote there is a DJ and different booths that offer a variety of foods and drinks. The different singers and groups I saw were: Ivete Sangalo, Chichlete, Daniela Mercury, Claudia Leitte, Eva, and Parangole. At about 1 I was just so tired that I went to go sit down and rest. We left for Carnaval at 5 p.m. and arrived back home at 5 a.m.. For all those who haven't expierienced Carnaval there is nothing else like it and I really recommend going. 
   We also went to the beach which was really fun (even though I got sunburnt) and I also got to try many new delicous foods. I feel way more comfortable in my new home and so glad that I went to Salvador.

Hope this post was as interesting as my trip,

Nevo

Eva, on stage ,which is on top of the truck

The front of Chichlete's trucks

My host sister camila, her boyfriend, and I at the camarote.  

One of the beaches we visited.

Ahhh!

Oi Everyone,


   So much has happened since I've left Colorado; that I'm not sure I will be able to summarize everything. Let me just start by saying that it hasn't been easy, but I know that as each day passes it becomes easier and easier.
   It seems like a year since I left Colorado but in reality it has only been one week. Before getting to Brazil, I had a one and a half day orientation in Miami with the other exchange students. When I arrived in Miami, I had forgotten how much I hated humidity until I walked out to catch the shuttle to the hotel. With me on the shuttle was Sylvia, one of the other 4 exchange student that were going to Brazil. As we made our way into the hotel we were greeted by two AFS volunteers and the rest of the exchange students.  Going to Brazil were: Jennifer, Nikita, Cori, and Sylvia (obviously). Going to Paraguay were: Marley, Kate, and Erin. The rest of the day consisted of orientation and a horrendous dinner at Bennigans. The following day we had orientation for 2 hours in the morning and lunch, until we started heading back to the airport.
   On the plane to Sao Paulo I sat next to a woman and her young daughter. For some reason AFS couldn't seet us together. It was a 7 hour flight and I only got about 45 minutes of sleep the whole way. Landing in Sao Paulo was exciting but the 9 hour layover Jennifer and I had waiting for us was not. We almost missed our flight to Salvador because of miscommunication we had with some Brazilian airport employees but surely we made it on. After more than a day of traveling, I finally landed in Salvador.
   The first couple days at my host family's home were one of the hardest I have expierienced in my life. I was in major culture shock and every little thing would make me feel homesick. I thought that right from the begining I would be enjoying myslef, but this was not the case. I knew it was going to be hard, but NOT this hard. At one point, I had even questioned why I had wanted to go on this trip at all. For future exchange students, all I have to say is that the first couple days will be hard, but remember to always be optimistic.  It took me a couple days to get used to my new home and I'm still adjusting. Next was school.
   The school that I go to is really nice but really hard. The first day, the kids in my class were all so excited to meet me. They asked me so many questions and talked so fast that most of the time I couldn't even understand what they were saying. Not only that, but some of the classes are so confusing especially math. I thought it was going to be the easiest one since math is a universal language but honestly, it's my hardest. Tommorrow is my third day of school and I hope it will be better than the first two. This weekend I'm going to Salvador for 3 days for carnaval and I'm really excited! I will be posting soon after this weekend.

Hope all is well with every one.

Sincerely, Nevo




                                                               Landing in Salvador


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                     My school!

Oi Gente,

Yesterday I had an orientation  with three other future exchange students in Denver! At first, everyone introduced themselves and said: how old they were, where they were going, and where they were from. We then had a discussion with the returnees where they answered all our ridiculous questions. We then split up into two groups, the students and returnees and the parents (obviously I was with the students). We discussed how to react to different situations that we would be facing while abroad, and asked even more questions. Later the two groups conjoined into one again, and took a little "quiz". It was pretty much trivia about AFS and the world and if we answered a question right we received little AFS trinkets like pens and key chains. Towards the end of the orientation, the returnees called us up for a ceremony where we received our AFS Colorado shirts and took a group picture. I thought it was pretty cool because we all chose the same color to show unity between us. The last activity was writing a letter to ourselves about what we think everything will be like halfway through out the exchange, that eventually would be sent to us while we're abroad. After finishing our letters, we thanked all the returnees and volunteers for the orientation. We wished one another good luck and said our goodbyes. I thought it was a great orientation and good time to meet everyone from the Colorado chapter. In addition to that, today is my one month mark! I sent in my visa application to Houston last week and hopefully I'll get it back soon. When people at school ask me if I'm excited, I say "yeah", but it still hasn't hit me that I'm leaving in a month and I don't think it will until the car ride to the airport. I forgot to put a picture of my host city so I'll put that on right now.

Hope everything is well with everyone,




Nevo

Here is a picture of my host city Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil