For the Love of Culture

I think it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy trips like this, and I happen to be one of them. I could go to rich countries or cities and enjoy all that the tourist areas have to offer, with cushy hotels, over-the-top monuments, and world-class restaurants. The paths well-traveled. Some of those things seem great- I would love to see the Taj Mahal, for example, but more than anything else, I love to see what lies beneath the gilded edges. I thrive on the culture and seeing who the people really are. I love the people. It is the beautiful thing about having friends in other countries. They will show you all the wonderful fruits that the local scene has to offer, while not wanting you to miss out on the bigger monuments either. They want you to stay safe, so will steer you away from dangerous areas, while still giving you a taste of what the country is really like.

There is a mixture of stunningly beautiful architectural buildings with humble homes. Graffiti is normal despite what side of town you might be on. I am currently in a good part of the city.

The past two days were spent in part with my host and his family. He lives alone, but his grandmother is less than a two minute walk from his apartment, which makes it easy to enjoy both a family life and personal space. Saturday, we met at a tapiocaria.

I have tried to make the thin tapioca pancakes since my last visit to Brazil to no avail. There is a special method to creating the perfect, thin tapioca pancake that I have yet to master. Tapioca pancakes begin as a flour, which is sifted into a pan and fried. You can eat the tapioca alone or with toppings in a pancake, which has a slightly gritty but chewy texture. They seem to generally be paired with savory toppings like cheese or chicken, but as the tapioca has little flavor, it would also pair nicely with something sweet. I ate it a lot when I had stomach problems during my last trip here. It's a safe food for me to eat, with no worries of ulcer agitation.

We didn't stop at tapioca. This dessert was made with banana, cinnamon (I think), cheese, some kind of bread, and Dulce de Leche. It reminded me of French toast, but better.

I enjoyed the evening coffee and tapioca, attempting to keep up with the melodic Portuguese. Grandma has a very sweet and loving demeanor, with a joyful laugh and personality. Despite not knowing everything she said to me, I felt very welcomed by her. Grand Aunt spoke quietly and not as often, but still was pleasant. My host's mother was vivacious, excited to be able to talk with me again about shopping, nails and hair, and of course, my family. I have always felt that when I come here, I am like the daughter she never had, but would have loved to have had. She loves everything about being a woman, enjoying fashion and getting her nails painted, and I think she has always craved to have a mother-daughter relationship that she could share these things with. I love talking to her, because she doesn't mind that I am a little slow to pick up on her conversation, and she has a wonderful sense of humor about it. She joked that spending time with her would be like an intensive course in Portuguese, which I really have to agree with. She doesn't let it slow her down.

One of many gifts given to me by Sra. Terezinha.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Paulo, my host, and I met with his family at his grandmother's house, where I gave his mother the gifts I brought her from America. Together, Grandma, Grand Aunt, Aunt, Paulo's Mother, Paulo, and myself all went to a restaurant for lunch. They serve more communally here, which is something that confused me when I first came to Brazil. You don't order your own plate of food- you order several things which come out on plates, which are passed around for everyone to take from. We had a plate of steak, Macaxeira Frita (like french fries, but not potato.) rice and beans, and a vinaigrette, which is actually like a salsa with vinegar. We enjoyed the afternoon talking and eating, until we returned home for our second showers of the day and to rest before we went back out for Pizza Hut and shopping at the fair along the beach. The fair is actually more like an open-air market. There are several tents with merchants selling goods, which to me seem mostly cheaply priced. There are plenty of handmade goods, and goods that are unique to the area.

Paulo's Mother (Sra. Terezinha), Paulo's Aunt, and Grandma, all looking lovely for Mother's Day lunch

When we finished up, we returned to his grandmother's home, where I showed them how to make coffee with the Vietnamese one-cup coffee maker I gifted to his mother. She had told me last time I visited that she wished she could make one cup of coffee more simply. I had bought one of these coffee makers at World Market previously, and thought it would be perfect for her. His grandmother shared some juice from her home-grown Acerola fruits, which resemble tiny red pumpkins, but taste nothing like pumpkin. They are tart, and have one of the highest natural amounts of Vitamin C of any fruit- just one satisfies the daily adult requirement of Vitamin C, and they are very tiny, about the size of a cherry tomato. The juice was delicious, and while I was feeling like I was getting sick from a sinus infection for the past two days, I feel much better today, which I am sure the fruit helped with.

His grandmother gifted me a lovely pair of earrings before I left. Gift-giving seems to happen very frequently here, and it seems as if people just have a very natural generosity. The gifts don't necessarily need to cost a lot, but it is the fact that they are thinking about you that is so special. Being surrounded by such loving people makes me feel warm and accepted. There are, of course, bad people everywhere. It is unavoidable. They exist no matter what country you live in... but I have personally experienced an overwhelming sense of positivity and goodwill here.

Lovely earrings from Grandma.

It also disheartens me, however, as I have experienced moments in the USA where some people have been very unwelcoming. My own family has always been welcoming to Paulo, but while working retail, I had a few foul customers that could only remark negatively to those speaking another language around them. Often, those people speaking another language would then turn to me and speak perfect English. I have never felt like I was unwelcome here for not speaking Portuguese fluently, or talking to Paulo in English.

As an example of this acceptance, when Paulo and I went to get dinner the other night, one of our servers was excited by my English, and tried to learn some words from me. He said he learned some words from their chef, who was French, and that he enjoyed learning languages, always picking up words when he could. I think it would be a better world if everyone could think like this- that language is not something that separates you and me, but that language is a chance to learn, and an opportunity to experience another culture. It isn't you vs. me. It is us, together in this human experience, with knowledge to share that we can mutually benefit from.

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Viva Brasil

I wanted to post again when I reached Brazil yesterday, but with next to no sleep on the overnight flight to São Paulo, I decided that I would refrain from sharing any sleep-deprived mumblings I might have. 

When I reached São Paulo, I made it through customs in about five minutes- a strong contrast to the hour or so I waited when I flew here in 2010. I made it to the gates rather quickly. The gate changed twice- once right after I reached my first one, and once right before takeoff. I can't say I am very good at Portuguese, but I am good enough to make sure they know why I am giving tem a blank stare. (Eu não entendo Portugués muito bem.) This helped, and any request for directions was then pointed out on the map I had brought. 

I was incredibly relieved to finally reach Fortaleza. To be quite honest, if my butt ever resembled a pancake, it likely did then. I was very pleased with United Airlines, but the seats were economy, and as expected, not comfortable.

I don't know if it is the delirium that follows a near 26 hours of no sleep, or just the excitement of finally making it to your destination, but there is something really magical about that very last descent. It was evening when I arrived, and the sun had set on land, despite being able to see it above the clouds.

 Faint outlines of ghostly mountains shifted into view, and I could only hold my breath as millions of lights encrusted the landscape in gold and silver stars. I could see where the land ended, seemingly the dropping off into the edge of a flat world, though I knew it was kissing the waves of the ocean, whose edge bled into a musky skyline of navy. We lowered closer, and the stars became streetlights, and the headlights and taillights of vehicles created pulsing veins of light- a vivacious city filled to the brim with people living their everyday lives, going home to enjoy dinner with their families.

If cameras had been permitted at that point, I would have taken a photo to share. 

As of now, I am relaxing in 86 degrees of still, wet air. The fan keeps me comfortable. Later, my host and I will go to greet his mother, and we will go to the store to gather the things I left out of my bags, but will be needing in the upcoming week.

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Hello, Texas!

My first plan of action upon arriving at IAH was to find medicine for nausea and a migraine. After a quick ride to my terminal, I tracked down Advil and Dramamine. Followed by some iced coffee from the Starbucks across the way. Aside from my motion sickness, the flight was pleasant enough. The typical complaints about riding economy, but I was expecting that. I got into the plane very quickly, which is fantastic.

My neighbor on the plane was friendly and quiet during the flight. 

My personal item is a laptop bag given to my grandmother, who has a passion for Chihuahuas. The bag is covered in chihuahua print and was awarded with a long, amused stare from my roomie. She laughed at me after I told her about my grandmother, and she said I was going to find a person in my travels that will be in love with it, and tell me all about their army of small dogs.

Congratulations, Rachel- you were right. The bag ended up being a conversation starter for my neighbor, who proudly named off the breeds of her five dogs, and told me she also had horses and cats. I have no chihuahua, but I was at least able to relate to her by telling her about my (very much adored) cat, Mucha, and about how I aspire to have a beagle as a companion some day also.

On that note, I will leave you for now, and will see you on the other side of the Americas!

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Airport sitting

I am a nervous flier and always try to be at the airport with plenty of time to spare. I have already passed through security, eaten lunch, and am now sitting and waiting for my flight. I was disappointed that my carry-on had to be checked. I was over the situation before it even happened, though, and didn't argue. 

The next few posts will likely be somewhat boring with various check-ins and some observations while people-watching. 

When you fly, (especially out of country) it seems a little easier to talk to your neighbor. You have something in common, simply by being on a plane together. The destination, the experience of traveling.. You can choose to remain quiet if you wish, or you can enjoy a new friendship. Last time I met a nice young woman from São Paulo. We talked for a while on our trip to the GRU airport. Planes are your chance to ask people about their stories. There are so many strangers that pass in and out of my life daily, that I can't help but wonder what their stories are.

See you in IAH.

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Morning Thunderstorms

I woke up this morning to very loud thunder. I would usually love to sleep in a little longer to the clouds' rumbling heartbeats, but this morning it sent me to my go-to weather app, Intellicast, to make sure that the biggest storms will clear by my takeoff time. 

I am much better about flights these days, but there are still few things I hate more than stormy lift offs or rough flying conditions - not that anyone really enjoys them. It removes any sense of control you feel about where you are, which is really where most phobias originate. 

The next few hours will be busy. One last run-through of my luggage. I found out that I could not print my boarding pass ahead of time, as they need to check my passport at the airport prior to my receiving one. I remember that from last time now. 

Well, I had better get started. The storms have cleared already. All that remains is the electricity of my own excitement.

The above image shows my parents' backyard post-storm. A pretty sight first thing in the morning.

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Trip to Brazil

Tomorrow's the day. 

My excitement has been building for the last two weeks for my trip to Brazil. Today, I am tingling with energy and my mind feels alert and hyper-sensitive to every noise around me, yet I am also partially checked out of my surroundings. It is a strange sensation; I am noticing everything around me in great detail, yet am focused on the trip. It reminds me a bit of meditation- clearing your mind and focusing, hearing everything in surprising detail, with a river of consciousness rushing past you. Sometimes thoughts drift toward you, and you pick them up, gaze at them, but then gently give them back to the river, where they flow somewhere downstream. It is slightly more restless than meditation, however. Some worries loop in the river, revisiting me frequently: "Did I forget anything?"

I am nervously watching flights to see whether they are generally on-time or delayed, kindling that fierce love-hate relationship I have for flying and airports. I've always been afraid of heights. The first time I was on a plane, I had a panic attack before take-off. Now I dare my fears by always taking a window seat and forcing myself to look out the window. It's not so bad, and I've grown to like watching the clouds and "tiny big cities" below me. Mammoths reduced to anthills. Now all that scares me are international airports and flight delays, which all become more easy to swallow once you have been through it a few times.

One thing I can say to first-time travelers is this: Don't be so afraid that it stops you. It's natural to be nervous, but route that nervous energy in a positive and helpful way. Use it to ignite your awareness. Never leave bags unattended. Watch your pockets. Do not, under any circumstances, agree to take packages from strangers to transport to one of their "friends" in a city you are going to. Do not accept gifts from strangers. Be smart with your money and where you store it- maybe keep a $20 bill in your pocket and hide the rest in your sock, bra, and/or a security belt.

Another thing: I do not, by any means, make lots of money that I can just throw around on plane tickets. What I do have is willpower to save, especially when there is a goal I'm trying to make. Friends in the destination country also makes a massive difference in price to you. I feel lucky to know so many people abroad. It reduces the cost from several thousand, to just a little more than the price of your plane ticket, as room and board can be just as expensive or more expensive than the flight, depending on how long you stay and where. Don't let your dreams be dashed. If you can save $10/week, you will have $520 saved in a year. If you can save $20/week and have someone to stay with in your destination country, you can be there in a year or so. If you can only do $10/wk, you can still make a dream vacation in a couple of years, and it is something to look forward to.

I have only added a couple of entries to this blog thus far, but it's about to flesh out. If there is one thing I love, it's sharing the experiences, thrills, and new knowledge that comes with international travel. I hope that you will join me as I make my trip. I hope that I am able to update from the airports and/or on board the planes. If not, I'll see you there!

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