My host mothers, Angela and Lidia, Lidia's brother and their friendThe thousands of people, parade, and insanity in front of our building.
Me and Elizabeth
Saturday, February 2, 2008
CARNAVAL!!
Thursady--The first night of Carnaval 
My host mothers, Angela and Lidia, Lidia's brother and their friend
The thousands of people, parade, and insanity in front of our building.
Me and Elizabeth
My host mothers, Angela and Lidia, Lidia's brother and their friendThe thousands of people, parade, and insanity in front of our building.
Me and Elizabeth
Friday, January 25, 2008
There ARE blondes in Brazil
13:00
And so the story continues,
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITEN TO ENTERTAIN ME, NOT YOU, I DO NOT SUGGEST READING THIS ENTRY ITS BORING. JUMP TO ***
Sal was replaced at the standby desk by Elizabete. She was not very friendly. Didnt smile at all. She was the messanger of bad news. The two other direct flights to Salvador were full and there is no chance im getting a spot on either of them. I will now be taking a flight that departs here at 17:25 and stops in Rio and Campo Grande and will HOPEFULLY be arriving in Bahia at 12:55am. grrrrrreeeaaaat (to be read in a very slow, low tone to imply pain of some sort). At to top all of that off, i get to kick it with my bags until then. I am at least glad that i am not having money issues as i have come prepared with over $1,300 in dollars and reais (pronounced hey-EYES) strapped to my abdomen under my hardtails. i then called angela and told her the bad news. she was very nice and said shed come to pick me up --"UMA DA MANHANA?? TA. A GENTE VAI A RECOGER" Said in her normal tone that sometimes sounds like yelling, "One in the morning? ok. We'll be there to get you." I said they didnt have to becuase it was so late but she said noo, noo which made me feel better becuase ireally dont want to take a (potnetially shady) taxi at one in the morning into the city (which is almost an hour drive). My next task was going pee. Normally this wouldnt be a task as a mere item to be done but with my 150lbs of baggage, i wasnt sure how i was going to get into a little stall and not get all my things robbed. Luckily there was a private stall for handicapped. Normally i try and avoid using the handicapped stall and leave it for the old ladies, but i decided, in this situation, i was an eligible candidate for the handicapped. Mission accomplised. Now, i thought, i have 4 hours to kill until i am to report back. I guess ill eat. And here i am. At a quaint place called BAR--OnTheRocks. I was hungry but unsure of what to eat that wouldnt make me feel sick so i got my Coca Lite (Ligh-chee) and a veggitable soup that was superb accompanied by a full bowl of sliced baugette. I am on my laptop now planning to USB this entry to the internet later and i must say, my laptop is quite comforting. Like a friend, almost. Since this restaurant isnt busy, i think im just going to take my sweet time at my table. I mean, isnt that what airport Bar/Restaurants are for anyway? People to kill time between flights? I think my short time at fish co made me very anxious about sitting at a table for longer than my designated hour to order and eat since all the waiters were like pimps husstling their seating seaction to get in and out while tipping big ...oh wait...what was that?? the waiter just took my bowl, plate of olive oil and almost full basket of bread. is he trying to hussle me??? shit. what to do. well i still have my coca lite...he cant kick me out yet. maybe i should put this friend of mine away.
this is the airport, imagine me inside that mess
***BEGIN READING HERE
ways to pass the time:
-pay by the hour at the internet cafe to check my gmail and fb.....eh not that great but a safe place to sit with my luggage
-spend way more money shopping to buy stuff i dont need and dont have space for
-keep sitting here...
-go somewhere less safe to type more or read or listen to music
-people watching...conclusion: There ARE blondes in brazil, just not in Bahia
17:15
(5 hours later)
The expected flight I was going to have was full.
My name is on another waitlist.
I feel like tom hanks in lost. Kinda going crazy, repeating thoughts inside my own head.
I think im starting to smell.
Developed new skill: sleeping in a busy, bustling airport with 4 bags of luggage inside the embrace of my 4 limbs.
Enjoying the book ellen lent me, The House of the Spirits
Talking to effy and sam on aim. Effy says this is an exciting beginning to my trip….i like her optimism.
My reoccurring thought is, will i ever get to Bahia???
And so the story continues,
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITEN TO ENTERTAIN ME, NOT YOU, I DO NOT SUGGEST READING THIS ENTRY ITS BORING. JUMP TO ***
Sal was replaced at the standby desk by Elizabete. She was not very friendly. Didnt smile at all. She was the messanger of bad news. The two other direct flights to Salvador were full and there is no chance im getting a spot on either of them. I will now be taking a flight that departs here at 17:25 and stops in Rio and Campo Grande and will HOPEFULLY be arriving in Bahia at 12:55am. grrrrrreeeaaaat (to be read in a very slow, low tone to imply pain of some sort). At to top all of that off, i get to kick it with my bags until then. I am at least glad that i am not having money issues as i have come prepared with over $1,300 in dollars and reais (pronounced hey-EYES) strapped to my abdomen under my hardtails. i then called angela and told her the bad news. she was very nice and said shed come to pick me up --"UMA DA MANHANA?? TA. A GENTE VAI A RECOGER" Said in her normal tone that sometimes sounds like yelling, "One in the morning? ok. We'll be there to get you." I said they didnt have to becuase it was so late but she said noo, noo which made me feel better becuase ireally dont want to take a (potnetially shady) taxi at one in the morning into the city (which is almost an hour drive). My next task was going pee. Normally this wouldnt be a task as a mere item to be done but with my 150lbs of baggage, i wasnt sure how i was going to get into a little stall and not get all my things robbed. Luckily there was a private stall for handicapped. Normally i try and avoid using the handicapped stall and leave it for the old ladies, but i decided, in this situation, i was an eligible candidate for the handicapped. Mission accomplised. Now, i thought, i have 4 hours to kill until i am to report back. I guess ill eat. And here i am. At a quaint place called BAR--OnTheRocks. I was hungry but unsure of what to eat that wouldnt make me feel sick so i got my Coca Lite (Ligh-chee) and a veggitable soup that was superb accompanied by a full bowl of sliced baugette. I am on my laptop now planning to USB this entry to the internet later and i must say, my laptop is quite comforting. Like a friend, almost. Since this restaurant isnt busy, i think im just going to take my sweet time at my table. I mean, isnt that what airport Bar/Restaurants are for anyway? People to kill time between flights? I think my short time at fish co made me very anxious about sitting at a table for longer than my designated hour to order and eat since all the waiters were like pimps husstling their seating seaction to get in and out while tipping big ...oh wait...what was that?? the waiter just took my bowl, plate of olive oil and almost full basket of bread. is he trying to hussle me??? shit. what to do. well i still have my coca lite...he cant kick me out yet. maybe i should put this friend of mine away.
this is the airport, imagine me inside that mess
***BEGIN READING HERE
ways to pass the time:
-pay by the hour at the internet cafe to check my gmail and fb.....eh not that great but a safe place to sit with my luggage
-spend way more money shopping to buy stuff i dont need and dont have space for
-keep sitting here...
-go somewhere less safe to type more or read or listen to music
-people watching...conclusion: There ARE blondes in brazil, just not in Bahia
17:15
(5 hours later)
The expected flight I was going to have was full.
My name is on another waitlist.
I feel like tom hanks in lost. Kinda going crazy, repeating thoughts inside my own head.
I think im starting to smell.
Developed new skill: sleeping in a busy, bustling airport with 4 bags of luggage inside the embrace of my 4 limbs.
Enjoying the book ellen lent me, The House of the Spirits
Talking to effy and sam on aim. Effy says this is an exciting beginning to my trip….i like her optimism.
My reoccurring thought is, will i ever get to Bahia???
Katherin at the Flight Center, we need to talk
11:59am
Guarulhos--Sao Paulo International Airpot
So there´s good news and theres bad news. which would you like first? the good news? i got through customs with an undeclared digital camera, still in the box, a $300 viedo game card, and other assorted gifts for 17 people with no problem. the bad news, the line for cutoms was horrendous (shit this computer doesnt have check as you go spell check, so now my true colors are going to shine through) and i arrived at the NEXT long line at the TAM ticket/check in counter at 10:30am (sao paulo time, 4:30am my time)--my flight to Bahia was departing at 10:35am. Shit. so i missed my connecting flight. what to do now? wait, hasnt this happened to me before in this same airport? yes, i think it did. oh right, it was when i was flying out of bahia to sao paulo on my way out of brazil. maybe i should inform my pal Catherin who books all my flights with me at the Flight Center on Whilshire and 11th that this deal isnt working for me. That i need more than one hour between arriving and departing at the Sao Paulo airport.
So, what to do from here? Well i was directed (thankfully this time around i speak portuguese) from one long line (that was at least moving) to a shorted line (that hardly moved for the first 15 minutes i was in it. Keep in mind this airport doesnt believe in aircondition and its about 80* F. taking into account the 150 lbs (thats a guesstamet--70lb bag plus 30 lb bag plus 30 lb carryon plus 20 shoulder bag) of weight i am carrying/pushing and the elevated heart rate from power walking accross tha airport and my nerves that i was missing my connection and well, i was hot. still am, come to think of it. im going to have to cut the details since the clock is a ticking--met a guy in line who is a professional referee for the brazilian basketball leauge. he was very polite and nice and hinted that he wanted my msn/hotmail to chat but i mislead him by implying that i dont have one. so when i fianally got to the front of that line with hopes to get a new ticket for the nest flight to bahia, they immediately told me the next two flights were full and i needed to go looking for Sal who was incharge of standbyes. Found sal outside by the drop off curbd and added my name at the sixth person to the waiting list for the next (full) flight to Salvador, bahia. it was 11 now. she told me to come back at 12:25. next move was to use my old calling card that i still had to call angela/lidia and tell them not to come pick me up at 12 noon. after about 6 failed attempts i got through and hurridly spoke with angela before my points on my calling card were all up. next i bought an international/national calling card and unsuccessfully called home (knowing it was before 6am there--oh well, the parents dont mind being woken up, right?) and well shit, its 12:15 now and i need to go meet sal to beg my way onto the next flighjt to bahia. story time will have to be continued at a later time. beijos, m
Guarulhos--Sao Paulo International Airpot
So there´s good news and theres bad news. which would you like first? the good news? i got through customs with an undeclared digital camera, still in the box, a $300 viedo game card, and other assorted gifts for 17 people with no problem. the bad news, the line for cutoms was horrendous (shit this computer doesnt have check as you go spell check, so now my true colors are going to shine through) and i arrived at the NEXT long line at the TAM ticket/check in counter at 10:30am (sao paulo time, 4:30am my time)--my flight to Bahia was departing at 10:35am. Shit. so i missed my connecting flight. what to do now? wait, hasnt this happened to me before in this same airport? yes, i think it did. oh right, it was when i was flying out of bahia to sao paulo on my way out of brazil. maybe i should inform my pal Catherin who books all my flights with me at the Flight Center on Whilshire and 11th that this deal isnt working for me. That i need more than one hour between arriving and departing at the Sao Paulo airport.
So, what to do from here? Well i was directed (thankfully this time around i speak portuguese) from one long line (that was at least moving) to a shorted line (that hardly moved for the first 15 minutes i was in it. Keep in mind this airport doesnt believe in aircondition and its about 80* F. taking into account the 150 lbs (thats a guesstamet--70lb bag plus 30 lb bag plus 30 lb carryon plus 20 shoulder bag) of weight i am carrying/pushing and the elevated heart rate from power walking accross tha airport and my nerves that i was missing my connection and well, i was hot. still am, come to think of it. im going to have to cut the details since the clock is a ticking--met a guy in line who is a professional referee for the brazilian basketball leauge. he was very polite and nice and hinted that he wanted my msn/hotmail to chat but i mislead him by implying that i dont have one. so when i fianally got to the front of that line with hopes to get a new ticket for the nest flight to bahia, they immediately told me the next two flights were full and i needed to go looking for Sal who was incharge of standbyes. Found sal outside by the drop off curbd and added my name at the sixth person to the waiting list for the next (full) flight to Salvador, bahia. it was 11 now. she told me to come back at 12:25. next move was to use my old calling card that i still had to call angela/lidia and tell them not to come pick me up at 12 noon. after about 6 failed attempts i got through and hurridly spoke with angela before my points on my calling card were all up. next i bought an international/national calling card and unsuccessfully called home (knowing it was before 6am there--oh well, the parents dont mind being woken up, right?) and well shit, its 12:15 now and i need to go meet sal to beg my way onto the next flighjt to bahia. story time will have to be continued at a later time. beijos, m
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
the final countdown: 3 days until i leave
hello? is there anybody there? i guess if youre reading this youre either my mother, overeager to devour each word as i write it, or someone else less likely to check my posts as frequently as her or read them as completely. vvvelcome to all. feel free to leave when youre bored and please dont judge me. i have no time to be judged. let me say now, while conciseness has always intrigued me, we've never gone well together, unless the topic is golf or bon jovi--neither of which i plan to mention again. in other words: im a wordy motherfucker. a talker. diarrhea (whoa, hard word to spell) of the mouth, one might say. but since i have to depend on my fingers to type in this case, i guess there is a possibility of briefness. or maybe ill be too high on life once im in brazil/argentina to ever get back to this web-log or blog as we call it.
ANYWAYYYYYS im going to be flying to Salvador, Bahia (pronounced bah-EE-ah not ba-HE-ah), Brazil in um three days, thursday. the 24th of january, 2008. i will be in brazil 3 weeks with a brief cameo in Rio at the end of carnaval and then head over to argentina for some expected good times. i will be in cordoba from the 15th to the 4th and then after 6 weeks of hopefully exhausting partying, in which i will hopefully still be alive (someone knock on wood), i plan to fly in to the lovely aired city of Buenos Aires (did anyone get the redundancy (whoa, i was trying to spell the word redundance for ever until i realized its not a word...whoa there)of that??? are you paying attention?) to "study" for 6 months (ie find myself a sexy argentine boyfriend and future fiance??). then i will fly back on the 31st of july and travel cross country with the migs (for those of you who dont know who the migs are...i dont even know were to begin with that one). steph t, youre planning it right? cant wait!! so thats the really brief overview/plan. can you keep up??? prove it to me in posts
so i wanna add pictures, just for kicks, so here are some exciting snap shots of me and my mother skiing and attempting to ski in Big Bear this last weekend. I will be proud to say soon enough that in one week i went form Californian (fake) snow to Brazilian beaches, and these pictures will help prove it :)
unfortunately this worthless piece of shit blog already has something against me as it will not let me post another picture so for now, all you will get is the goddess of the moon, aka my mom anne
ANYWAYYYYYS im going to be flying to Salvador, Bahia (pronounced bah-EE-ah not ba-HE-ah), Brazil in um three days, thursday. the 24th of january, 2008. i will be in brazil 3 weeks with a brief cameo in Rio at the end of carnaval and then head over to argentina for some expected good times. i will be in cordoba from the 15th to the 4th and then after 6 weeks of hopefully exhausting partying, in which i will hopefully still be alive (someone knock on wood), i plan to fly in to the lovely aired city of Buenos Aires (did anyone get the redundancy (whoa, i was trying to spell the word redundance for ever until i realized its not a word...whoa there)of that??? are you paying attention?) to "study" for 6 months (ie find myself a sexy argentine boyfriend and future fiance??). then i will fly back on the 31st of july and travel cross country with the migs (for those of you who dont know who the migs are...i dont even know were to begin with that one). steph t, youre planning it right? cant wait!! so thats the really brief overview/plan. can you keep up??? prove it to me in posts
so i wanna add pictures, just for kicks, so here are some exciting snap shots of me and my mother skiing and attempting to ski in Big Bear this last weekend. I will be proud to say soon enough that in one week i went form Californian (fake) snow to Brazilian beaches, and these pictures will help prove it :)
unfortunately this worthless piece of shit blog already has something against me as it will not let me post another picture so for now, all you will get is the goddess of the moon, aka my mom anne
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