Written on August 22nd, 2009
Wow, what a summer. That’s really all I can say. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago and I was in Brazil enjoying my last couple of weeks of Brazilian life. I really immersed myself into the culture during those weeks. I spent my second to last week in Manaus with two professors learning about the research they do there.
I learned how hot and humid Brazil can get in the North, tried Amazonian fish, and flew (in an airplane) over the Amazon. I spent my second to last weekend in a smaller city, a five hour bus ride away, in the city of Sao Mateus in my friend’s home where I was surrounded by dozens of his family members. And I spent my final weekend walking up to a convent that is known for having the best views of Vitoria, the city I was in. I made pesto and cookies for dinner for a few new friends during my final week. Pesto was a mess trying to figure out how to make; first, I couldn’t find basil in Brazil, then once I learned the Portuguese word for basil, I couldn’t find pine nuts, then once I substituted walnuts for pine nuts, I realized that we didn’t have a food processor and that the blender that we did have wouldn’t do the trick, then I realized that I had no choice but to use the good ol’ fashioned mortar and pestle. I learned later, through Wikipedia, that pesto actually came from the word pestle, so I actually was doing it the traditional way.
I had some adjustment to make when I got home. I was so excited to get home, especially after a four-hour delay in Sao Paulo. I think by the end of it I was ready to go home. Although I really enjoyed the people I meant, the places I visited, and the things I learned, I missed having another American with me to enjoy the trip with. Do I wish I hadn’t gone? Definitely not. I was amazed when I came home to be able to read everything again and to be able to understand the people around me and to not have to pretend to understand what people were telling me in stores when they came over and started talking to me. I honestly did enjoy Brazil and wasn’t lying when I told the people that I met that I would be back. I think Brazil will begin to appear in some of the essays that I write for school. I also honestly feel that people seem to be misinformed and uneducated about Brazil. As a BRIC economy, with Russia, India, and China, I feel as though Brazil is the one people hear about the least. I was happy to see Brazil on the front page of the New York Times today, but that doesn’t seem to happen enough. So often I have been asked if I had enough Spanish to get by in BraziI, I then have to correct them that Brazil’s language is Portuguese not Spanish. Though I hate to admit it, I really do think that the Brazilians know far more about the Americans than we know about them. Although, the Brazilians are exposed to American culture far more than we are to theirs.
Honestly, I don’t think I have fully-adjusted to the American way. I haven’t been able to feel stress like I used to and this has definitely resulted in me not being as productive as I have been. I’m hoping moving back to Baltimore a week early to help for orientation and then beginning my days of handling five classes while balancing 10-12 hours of work and being heavily involved in two groups will quickly give me enough to do to re-learn how to get the most out of the day.
Once I got home, I was thrown back into my old ways and the “real” world–although passing by slums in Brazil was real enough for me–I went to my regular doctor appointments, mourned the passing and attended the funeral of my boyfriend’s grandfather, had wisdom tooth surgery (and three follow-up appointments), which went surprisingly well, and watched quite a few winning Yankees games. I actually am currently sitting in the Savannah, GA Airport on my way home from a five-day trip to Hilton Head, SC with my boyfriend’s family. My first time to the South and I must say I was happy to hear so may y’alls and to feel such warm ocean water.
It’s time to start looking ahead. The summer is winding down. I’ll be back on-campus on Tuesday. I currently feel as though I have no home. I know my mother finds this statement depressing, but honestly I feel as though I am constantly packing and unpacking whether its for a three-day weekend trip in a new Brazilian city or is if it is a for a four-month semester at Hopkins. I don’t think that this feeling will be leaving me for at least a couple of years now as I plan to just keep moving. I don’t know what’s more scary that I have two days to pack for third-year of college or that I am entering my third-year of college. But all I do know is that it’s time to start looking ahead.
