Buttons and Driving

Oi! (Hello!)

I would like to say "obrigado" (thank you) to all reading this blog. I hope that you are learning a little about Brazil's culture, lifestyle, and people. Hopefully, you will gain just a little glimpse into how rich and diverse these people are.

Living with my new family has been great and they have really treated me very nicely. A lot of my "conversation" with my family includes me typing multiple words into google translate and somehow we manage. I am still adjusting to the cultural "norms". In the states I typically take 2 showers a day, but in Brazil you take at LEAST 3 and typically 4 a day. Minimum. As many of you know, I LOVE coffee and Brazil has delicious coffee. I of course fill my cup up every time to the brim when I am in the states, but here that is just not how you do it. You only pour yourself at the most half of a glass and that is it. If you do pour anymore than that (like I did the first day....) then you get some glares. This is all part of living with the culture and learning their way of life. By no means am I complaining, but instead just adjusting to their lifestyle.

Today I had to face one of the things that I had been most nervous about and that was taking the bus to the SIT office where our seminars and such are held. Your family is supposed to take you back and forth to school until you feel comfortable doing it on your own. Well in Salvador, "normal" people board and pay for the bus fare from the back and exit through the front. BUT if you are pregnant, a child, or OLD (like my Brazilian father), then you board from the front. This information was shared with us during orientation, but in the heat of the moment during boarding the bus this morning that somehow slipped my mind. I have never been so nervous and felt my heart beat so fast as my dad motioned for me to get on the bus. Right as I began to step foot onto the bus he then turned around and walked away!

"Wait, I thought they were supposed to come with us."
"Where is he going? Why is he walking away from the bus."
"Oh my lanta! I can't back out with all these people because I can't even politely say 'Excuse me.'"
"How and where will I know when to get off? Or pull the cord?"

These were the thoughts that were running through my head as I saw my dad begin to walk away from the bus. And then it hit me. He was just walking to the front to board because he was an older man! WHEW! Crisis averted. Thank God!

Well, I believe that just because I was solely focused on my dad leaving me behind and stranded on a bus in Brazil I was not paying attention to what was going around me. As I stepped forward on the bus, I was somewhat tugged backwards. So I tried to move forward again and then I felt pressure on my back pocket. As soon as I felt that, scenes of last week's encounter flooded my mind and I whipped around expecting to catch someone trying to pick pocket me or something. Instead, I find that my back button on my pocket had somehow been tangled on a ladies shirt that had "fringes" hanging off of it. Both she and I awkwardly picked at my button and her shirt for 15 minutes, and finally she had to just cut those few "fringes" on her shirt. During this whole encounter we were receiving many glares and looks on the bus, and of course all I could say was...well nothing. After this minor incident with my button and her shirt, my dad motioned to get off at the next stop and then he took me to the SIT office.

Today we had to wrap up some visa registration with the Federal Police (which was a complete was of a long bus trip and time because we all have to go back next week), went to a mall, ate, purchased cell phones, and called it a day. It was good to see all of my new friends and to get to hear about their experiences with their families. All in all it was a great day, but I am very tired and ready for some sleep!

Until next time remember..."If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone." - John Maxwell