Still Sleepy

I'm back! Given the absolute disasters that could have happened (I flew into and out of Chicago on United amidst a system-wide computer glitch: imagine long lines and mass chaos), it was relatively painless and my bags(absolutely amazing) and I arrived only 2 hrs later than expected. Then I ate a really good burger at the Ale House and watched the 4th of July fireworks (which oddly are never on the 4th). Then tumbled into a deep and dreamless sleep. The sleep of the exhausted traveler.

There is only one thing... I think my brain may still be somewhere stuck in O'hare ( I am still randomly speaking the few portuguese words I know and am having problems with simple tasks). Then again perhaps it is just tiredness. Either way, hope it finds its way home soon.

It's good to be home, but right now the whole trip seems somewhat surreal- hard to believe it actually happened. Also it is a little weird to see all this stuff that is mine, I got used to having a lot less. Makes me itch to clean stuff out. I bet that feeling lasts about one week.

Thats if for now, but be sure to check back to follow my continuing adventures...

The last weekend

Well, now that my presentation is finished I can focus on much more important things- namely talking about my last weekend here in Brazil. It was a big weekend, and I’ve lots to talk about, so here it goes.

The weekend started on friday night by going to the photo exhibition that Vanessa had pictures in. Then we celebrated Juliana’s successful completion of her qualification exam with some tasty sushi and tempura made by some friends. I of course ate more than I should have (big surprise). Then we watched a movie.

On saturday we did something I’ve been looking forward to for weeks: we went to a municipal market where there were stalls of foods and other goodies. This is how I ended up with and entire suitcase filled with food. I am not kidding. I have 2 Kg of peanuts. 2 kg! Am I crazy? Yes. But these peanuts are really, really good. If you are nice to me I might give you some. I also managed to acquire cachaça (the national liquor), doce de leite (two kinds), banana candies and hot peppers. I’m actually a little worried that all this food is going to put my bags over the weight limit, even though I left plenty of room for expansion when I came.

After the municipal market it was on to a birthday celebration with some very tasty feijoada, pork and black bean stew (a national specialty). Then we went to the Feira do Livros to browse the books. Finally, we got milkshakes (pinapple!) and managed catch a bus, dodging the big thunderstorm that hit around 5pm.

Saturday evening, I (sigh) had to work on my presentation for Monday, but managed to enjoy more sushi (made by Vanessa and Juliana this time) and the company of some good friends. Tired yet (believe me, I was)?

The reason I worked on my presentation Saturday is that I had big plans for Sunday. I was watching the Confederation Cup final with some Brazilian friends at bar. Not just any bar, it's called Agua Doce - a Cachaçareia. Its a big place and they had a projection screen to watch the match. In case you live under a rock, the match was the USA vs. Brazil, following the USA’s dramatic win over Spain in the Semis. In case that rock you live under is on a different planet, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: football (the game we know as soccer) is kinda a big deal here in Brazil (I think it may come before God and country). I’d say there were at least a hundred people in the bar- of which I was (I think) the only one cheering for the US. So I cheered very quietly, with tiny arm gestures- I have no death wish. By the end of the first half, my friends were threatening to disown me, as the US was up by 2 goals. Alas, that didn’t last through the rest of the game, and I was very sad to see the US lose. I won’t torture myself or you with anymore details except to say that our goalie was bloody amazing! The result of all of this football watching in Brazil is that I think I may have caught a bit of the football fever... be careful or I might spread it to you.

I now interrupt my weekend recap to say a few words about the way Brazilian women dress. Now, I am by no means an expert of fashion, and even if I were my expertise would be wasted in my current line of work (poor graduate student). But I’ve got to say, they have drape-y (that’s a technical term), sexy shirts down to an art form. I saw a plethora of bias cut soft knit fabrics in many colors and patterns gracefully adorning the upper halves of Brasileiras throughout the bar. I can’t say that I’m surprise by this, but it did have me feeling a bit frumpy in my pink Ann Taylor polo shirt. Now back to the update (its nearly done, for those of of you still actually reading).

After the disappointing loss (and more food), Vanessa and some photographer friends picked me up and we went to the final free concert at the Feira do Livros. This is where I really wish I had had my camera. We were at the very front of the crowd and I could have gotten some really cool pictures. The music was really good, however my eardrums may never recover. I don't think I've ever stood that close to gigantic speakers. After the concert we piled back in the car, picked up some pizza and headed home to eat a late dinner.Thats it! Pretty much the whole weekend- and now I need another weekend to recover, but I wouldn't have miss a bit of it. This may well be my last post from Brazil. I leave tomorrow and am not sure if I'll have internet access then.

So for now, Tchau, Ate mais!

Can I stay and go?

I can't believe that my visit to Ribeirão Preto is almost over. In just one week (give or take a couple hours) I'll be on my way back to Ithaca.

Crazy.

As I suspected, the time has flown, and now I'm a jumble of conflicting feelings. I'm looking forward to home just about as much as I'm regretting the fact I have to leave so soon. Anybody found a way to be in two places at once?

Here are some things I'm looking forward to on my return:

1)not wearing the same 10 things over and over and over (and over). As a corollary, I'm also looking forward to more than 2 pairs of shoes.

2)phone calls with my sister

3)the gym (no, I'm not crazy- besides I'm a little afraid of the prospect of a swimsuit)

4)being covered with clay

5)friends and family

6)the lake:

Here are somethings that have me totally bummed about leaving:

1)missing the food; especially biscioto

2)not learning nearly enough portuguese (I feel like I'm just starting to get somewhere)

3)all the great people I've met (in and out of the lab) who have made me feel so welcome

4)that I haven't seen nearly enough of the country

5)Sophie (the cat) and Teela (the dog) (maybe I can fit them in my suitcase?)

6) and definitely, these guys, my totally awesome roommates... they better come visit me.

Disconnected

I just finished 72 hrs without internet access. Yes that is right, 3 whole days without email. Without cnn.com. Without blogs. Without all the things I normally waste hours of my life on, say for example, this.

I assume that most of you are quite horrified.

I keep telling myself it is good for me- to get out and see the world. However, I've got to say I do miss it, just a little bit.

Other than that, it was another great weekend here in Brazil. Saturday I stuffed myself silly at a barbeque my hosts, Zeki and Rose, had at their apartment. I couldn't eat for nearly 12 hours afterwards. The food was really good! Then on saturday night I saw free concert at the Feira do Livro, this big 10 day book fair with free concerts. Sunday for lunch I cooked some Indian food for my roommates; they like it, so that was a success.

Oh and I spent some quality time with her:

Curítiba!

After a 10 hr bus ride (at night, thankfully) I arrived in Curítiba. It is a beautiful city! I was well taken care of by Vanessa's (my roommate) family and had a great time. One of my favorite sites: Jardim Botânico (botanical garden).

Curítiba has a special bus line that hits all the tourist sites, which is very conveinent, so one day we took a tour around the city. One surprising feature of the city: it has probably the best organized bus system I have ever seen. It is a bus system that is run essentially like a subway, with these tubes located all over the city and separate bus lanes.

Also it has a great system set up for recycling (and quite possibly the cutest stickers associated with recycling)...

Other highlights: food and craft markets(yum)! Festa Junina/Baby shower (a funny tradition: everyone brings diapers to the baby shower...)! Pinhão nuts (seriously, the biggest pine nuts ever)!

Thanks again to Vanessa's wonderful family for a great time!

Food from Norahland... The Tapioca Edition

Okay.

So I know you are all thinking, "I know what tapioca is- why is Norah wasting her time with this silly post?"

The tapioca you and I know is something like this: The floaty, chewy balls in bubble tea, maybe a the thickener used in pies, or that yummy pudding you eat with raspberries every summer. Maybe you even remember my previous post on biscoito.

So when I said tapioca to my brazilian friends they said (looking rather amazed), "You know what tapioca is?"

I said yes, and then tried to describe all those tapioca-y things familiar in the US. The amazed looks turned to confused, and they said "that's not tapioca...". This is tapioca:

The tapioca known to brazil is a kind of empanada/omelet-y/crepe like item that is (I am told) common in northern brazil. I was lucky enough to try one at a market in Curítiba. They take coarse tapioca flour, which I am coming to appreciate as a great ingredient (I sure hope there is a source in Ithaca, as I'm not sure how much will actually fit in my suitcase), and put it a hot pan. With a little water, this makes the base of the tapioca- a chewy crepe type circle. Then it gets filled with whatever you want, salgado (salty) or doce (sweet), in my case it was mozzarella, coconut and butter. Then the round gets folded ,empanada or omelet style, and sealed together. Eat it hot or at room temp- it is delicious!

And so my love affair with tapioca continues...

Curítiba bound

Okay... I'm sorry, I really meant to post earlier this week, but somehow it never quite happened... I have new appreciation for people who manage to post everyday (or even more frequently)!

I had a really great time last weekend. I attended my very first Festa Junina. Festas Junina are traditional celebrations in June that center around the three saints days during the month (don't ask me to name them!). The parties involve music, dressing up like country-folk (caipira), and of course lots of good food and drink. Foods like corn on the cob, a tasty hot dog (cachorro quente) dish, corn cake, and various sweets made from peanuts. There also is usually a 'bride' and a 'groom' and a host of little plays and jokes that are traditional.

This weekend I'm headed to Curitiba,in the south of Brazil, with my roommate and her friend Fabio. I expect to have a great time, and hopefully will have plenty of pictures to show for it.

Muito Frio

I know I've spent the last couple weeks saying how beautiful and warm it is here. I can't say that any more.

Well it is still very beautiful- lots of blue sky and sunshine. However, warm? Not so much.

Apparently, my boasting of warm weather was enough to curse most of Brazil with cold, cold weather. Last night the temperature fell below 40- which when houses aren't equipped with heat is pretty darn chilly. Lucky for me I have lots of blankets and heeded the warning that I should bring some colder weather clothes, although now I'm kind of wishing I brought a hat!

Everyone tells me this is abnormally cold, so I'm hoping it warms up again soon!

Rock n' Roll and Biscioto

Good Monday morning! I had a great weekend, and you? It went something like this: sleeping, beer, food, sleeping, food, snooker, ice cream, sleeping, beer, classic rock, more beer, snooker, more beer, more music, food, sleeping, food, successful skype downloading (finally), food, and finally more sleeping. The perceptive of you may have noticed a small imbalance in the quantity of each events listed above....

Now for a few more details.

By the end of last week I was pretty tired, and so were my roomates, so even though we had planned on going out friday night, we ended up just doing a lot of sleeping interspersed with a beer or two and some pizza frigideira.

Saturday started out another relaxing day involving a nice place to eat where I had feijoada (a classic brazilian dish of black beans and pork), more food, and really, really good fresh fruit juices. Next it was on to counting votes at USP. Vanessa had to count votes for student elections, so I tagged along and practiced my portuguese listening- I swear everyone here must think I'm a mute (which I'm sure is amusing to those of you who know me). Then I proved, in case there was any doubt, how god-awful I am playing pool in a fun game of snooker. This was followed by some really good ice cream- the place was amazing- an ice cream buffet where you get whatever kind of ice creams you want with all the imaginable toppings. Oh man was it good! Then it was time for a little nap... you see we had to rest up for a night of rock n' roll. We met up with my friend Marcela and some of her friends at a bar in downtown Ribeirão Preto called Vila Dionísio where they serve up cervejas & rock n' roll. I, being more scatterbrained than usual, forgot my passport for identification. Luckily I was able to cob together appropriate identification to prove my advancing age. It was a great bar and a great time, I recommend it if you are ever here. They had two live acts which mostly played classic american rock- think a lot of Beatles and other classics- they were great! I talked to some people, and had consumed enough alcohol that I was less embarrassed about trying out my Portuguese. We were out until nearly 4am- ending with a late night stop for Kibe and some other tasty middle eastern fare whose name escapes me at the moment (it might have something to do with the advanced hour or the few cervejas I consumed). Then sleep.... a lot of sleep.

Sunday was a very relaxed day of which the highlight was good lasagna and, finally, a successful download of Skype on my computer. For some reason, it has been very difficult for me to get it. I decided that maybe I should try to download it from the Brazilian version of the site instead of US, in case the downloading server was different. I don't know if that was the reason, but it worked. The amusing part is I now get emails from Skype in Portuguese, so I guess I'll get some reading practice in.

And now for the section I will christen Food from Norahland... today, Biscioto:

Friday afternoon concluded with a fun and entertaining discussion of biscioto. Now I though biscioto meant cookie in Portuguese, but after a lot of discussion and some helpful diagrams from my fellow labmates- and taste testing, of course- I learned about this delicious snack. These biscioto are rather like cheesy poofs minus the cheese, and these in particular are made of polvilho, a flour made from mandioca (which I believe is yucca). They taste amazing and totally addictive- finally I had to have Marcela take them away from me so I would stop eating them!

X-Tudo

Hope everything is well out in non-Norahland! Things are going well here. I'm now getting over the little cold I acquired earlier this week. Otherwise it has been a fun week of work, parties and (of course) food. Laila brought some salami from her town- Dumont, and we had a little afternoon picnic at work- complete with Guarana soda, it was such a treat!

Every day, Marcela and I go to lunch, and I get to ask her questions about all the food and try to expand my portuguese vocabulary... which mostly consists of food words. Yesterday I also went to a defense party and drank a good amount of Skol beer. Then Vanessa and I went home to get some dinner, and I finally get to the title of today's blog: X-Tudo!

Down the street from our casa is a little truck... akin to Louie's or Hot truck for you Ithacans... and they have these sandwiches... the ones we got were, of course, called X-Tudo. This sandwich had the following inside its roll: hamburger, ham, cheese, sausage, egg, bacon, tomato and lettuce. All in one sandwich... Tudo means everything... so it certainly is an apt description! Now for a picture of this masterpiece:

It was really tasty- you should give it a try sometime!

A few pictures...

Just a quick message... I thought I'd make up for lost time and post a few pictures.

1) Here is Ribeirão Preto, on my walk home from lab...

2) My temporary kitchen... and yes it is about 6 times the size of my kitchen in Ithaca...

3)The weather really is beautiful here....

And how are all of you?

Food!

I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed with food (but most of you already knew that).

And the food here, it is good... when I come back to the states I'm going to be the size of a house. A few nights ago we went to a little bar and had espetinho, which are skewers of meats or cheeses or pão de alho (garlic bread), barbequed- YUM! There also seemed to be an endless stream of beer.

This weekend I went to a Pizza Rodízio- a restaurant like the Brazilian barbeque places in the US, but this one doesn't serve meat, but pizza. So they bring around all sorts of pizza and you can eat as much as you want- you can eat until you die, they say. I had no idea pizza was so popular in Brazil- but it is very good and comes in every imaginable combination- even sweet pizza with ice cream on top!

I also had pão de queijo (cheese bread) which is amazingly good. I also went to a barbeque where I had my very first brazilian caipirinha (amazing!- I'm going to learn how to make them) and some more grilled meats.

I went to one more place this weekend, and surprise, I ate some more. I went to Curupira, a park in Ribeirão that has great views of the city, and where I also had a dish of frozen açai pulp with fruit (see the picture above). Yup, going to be the size of a house!

Just so you don't think I only eat, I also tagged along on my roommate Vanessa's photography class to an old train station in a small town near here. It was really pretty there... below is just one of the many, many pictures I took, but it will give you a bit of an idea of what the landscape around here is like.

Você fala português?

Hey everyone!

Who knew communication could be so exhausting? Things are great here in Ribeirão Preto, but my Portuguese is still extremely shaky- I have picked up some words, but sentences are still beyond me. My lab mates are great! They are always helping me and mostly speak to me in English when they can, which I know makes more work for them, so I really appreciate it. Hopefully by the end of this trip it will be easier for all of us. But right now, I'm sleeping really well at night!

The food here is great! Lunch is generally the biggest meal of the day, and the Cantina near the Pharmacy lab (where I work) is a good place to eat. Today I had a tasty salad, eggplant, fried fish, some gound meat and potatoes, fresh cheese (that was just for you Megan), rice and beans. I'm eating very well, but my roommates worry that I am not eating enough- so they are trying to fatten me up :)

I'm attempting to do cyclic voltammetry- which I know next nothing about, so its been interesting to say the least (thank you, Laila for all your help). Soon I will start work on some other experiments. But who really wants to hear about work...

In other news I've been absolutely horrible about taking pictures- I hope to fix that situation very soon! Once I do, I'll try to post a few.

Tchau

Made it!

Well I made it. Yay me! So here is what I've done since I last posted:

Friday: My first day in Brazil... um, I mean Washington DC.

I knew the chances of my 4 connecting flights going smoothly were quite small, and I was right. Due to weather/mechanical problems my flight out of NYC was cancelled and all the other flights delayed. As a result, I got to DC 5 minutes after my connection to São Paulo left. The only flight of the day. So…. I got to spend 24 hrs in DC.

United was nice enough to put me up in the Landsdowne Resort; pretty posh place! I got to know a great lady from Denver who stuck in DC too (thanks for the company Jennifer!). And my cousin picked me up at noon and we spend a great afternoon at the zoo and had a couple beers (thanks Brian!). It was a fun little vacation! Caught my connection to Brazil Friday night, and lucky me, due to some problem with my initial seat assignment I got bumped to business class. It made the flight so much more comfortable, I’m going to miss that on the way home.

Saturday: Really my first day in Brazil.

I arrived early in São Paulo, but unfortunately my checked bag didn’t. It decided to take a later flight from Washington, but I should be getting it today. Then after a few more delays I caught my flight to Ribeirão Preto. My new roommates Vanessa and Juliana, and my new lab-mate Marcela all came to the airport to pick me up. They are all very nice and are very patient with my non-existent Portuguese, but I am trying to force myself to try to speak a little. They all speak English very well, so it is easy to slip into the habit of just speaking English.

Sunday: Seeing important things around Ribeirão

A fun day filled with at walk around the University of São Paulo (USP), a concert and a Chopp (draft beer) at a famous bar here in Ribeirão called Penguim. Chopp is very good; it is very light and very cold, as well as very tasty and refreshing!

Today: My First day at USP

I was a little nervous about my first day, but everyone is being so nice, so I have relaxed quite a bit. I try to ask how to say things in Portuguese whenever I can and am attempting to write things down so I can practice at home. Rose and Zeki, my hosts, welcomed me and have been showing me around. I'm planning on starting experiments very soon. I guess that is all for now. It feels like I've done a lot in just a few days, but I'm looking forward to all that is yet to come.

I'd love to hear from any of you either here or via email!

Tchau! (good bye)

Waiting....

Well I did it. I left my apartment, and it is actually mostly clean. Amazing. For the most part, I feel fairly calm. Also amazing. I felt the weirdest about dropping off my car at Sarah's this morning (thanks again for the garage!). Somehow, that more than anything, cemented in my mind the reality of this trip.

Now I'm just waiting in the tiny Ithaca airport for the first connection on my marathon flight ( I have 4 flights...), and it is already a little delayed. I did make several interesting discoveries:

1) South American travel doesn't count for free checked baggage- US air now has $15 of my money.

2) I have so many connections they had to hand issue my baggage claim ticket ( the computer couldn't handle it)

3) I love having free internet in the airport.

T minus 41 hrs

Right... so today I realized that two days really is a rather short period of time to do all the things I should do before I head south. Wish I would have figured that out a bit earlier, but I guess instead I am just embracing my procrastination genes. However I have managed to do a couple of things:

1. got my suitcase out of hiding

2. made it look like someone ransacked my bedroom

3. went to the library to get language CDs in a futile attempt to learn (more) Portuguese

I for see a long night in my future, but hey, in under two days I'll be in Brazil... so worth it.

In the beginning...

Welcome to my adventures!

I leave for Brazil in less than 4 days... yes less than 4 days! It seems totally unreal to me, but apparently whether I manage to pack up the necessary items (sunscreen, check) or learn more than rudimentary Portuguese (Eu queria uma cerveja, check), off I go to Ribeirão Preto. I am amazingly excited about this trip... but right now I'm also going a little crazy at the thought of being gone for 6 weeks. I know the time will fly when I'm there and I'll wish like crazy to slow it down, but right now my bigger concern is getting everything taken care of here before I jet. Wish me luck!