Guys,
It’s been exactly a week since my landing in the
Memphis International Airport. The first day I got back I wanted to observe
American life as an outsider, someone who has never heard the distinct Memphis
accent, felt the suffocating humidity, and seen the rundown apartments along
the interstate. This strategy worked for so long. Trying to cling onto what I
learned in Brasil, I quickly learned that in order not to slip into depression,
this was going to take adjustment back to my home. There are still days,
restricted to moments, that are paralyzing for me. All I want to do is cry and
go back to Brazil. But then I think of my sustainability and know that without
MHIRT’s backing I would have not been able to survive there. Maybe I would have
found a job, but without a nice apartment to fall asleep every night, things
would have been a lot different.
My experience in Pr. Riso’s lab was mesmerizing, truly
captivating. Once I got acclimated to the lab, it seemed that I had to leave.
Living with Aminata and Winter, I found myself constantly comparing my
experience to theirs. Having a competitive spirit, since they were working more
on their own, it was very hard for me to have to work under someone else in the
lab. In addition, the only times I could initially go into lab was when Lucas,
aka the one who taught me what to do in the lab, was there. And that happened
only 2-3 times a week as he was a college student as well. However once I met
more people in the lab, I started going more days and started feeling included
in the lab and things started looking great.
I have never had an experience in a lab outside of
workstudy and CBU classes. The closest experience to being self-sufficient I
had was Organic Chemistry Lab with Dr. Peer. Wanting to be out of there early,
I was internally forced to work at break neck speed and not experiencing this
at a real working lab was refreshing.
The challenge for me during my stay in Florianopolis compared
to the struggles Aminata and Winter shared was having to work in a group
setting. Not being the one who was in charge was a little frustrating. It was
also freeing as responsibility was shared among many people and showed me how
labs are structured to also be learning centers and many times Lucas taught me
things while we were running a test.
In addition to what I learned in the lab, there were
many things that I learned about myself in Brasil. The first weekend I was
there, I learned of the South American Ironman Championships. When I was
getting my bags in the Florianopolis airport I had seen huge bags and once of
them said triathlon. Now it made sense! I had to learn of a way to get there. I
had arrived in the Hercilio Luz International Airport on a Friday and the
triathlon was the coming Sunday. I also needed a bike to get around the area
and to train for triathlon. So I went to work. I searched for nearby bike
stores and found once less than a mile away. So I went around 6:00 pm, already
dark in the winter of this city. I didn’t take much with me as I had been
warned this was Brasil. However, since I am very trusting, I wasn’t scared. I
felt safe. Fast forward to getting to the bike shop and being shocked by the
prices when I was looking for a very cheap bike to aid me for about 2 months.
Not knowing how to speak much Portugues I tried my hand with Google translate.
Something was lost in translation and the salesman referred me to a kind English
speaking brasileiro. I asked if he knew where there were lower priced options.
We talked. And then we exchanged numbers. It was through his help that I was
able to procure transportation to the Ironman. This was my first Ironman. I was
stoked. When I got dropped off, it was still before the sunrise and I didn’t
have any idea where I was. I freaked out a bit. However I soon saw people and
started following them and then I saw the headquarters for Ironman and felt
comfortable. I continued to find a place for myself to watch the swim. I ended
up at the front where triathletes were saying goodbye to their families for the
whole day while they try their hardest to bring closure to many months or years
of intense training. It was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by people who
cared about this sport as much or more as I do. Once the last swimmer was done,
I wanted to know where the bikes began. Right in front of me was a very irate
person with Ironman. Not seeing anyone else, being tired, and not wanting to
search for anyone else, I got this person’s attention and asked if they spoke English.
She said so-so, and I was off to the races at her amazement. Quickly I realized
she was not understanding and remembered the word for biking “pedalada” and
tried the best Portugues I had at that point. Somehow she understood and told
me where it was. Before this, there was the swimming finish, I had no clue
about and it was straight across the beach past an official barrier. She
invited me into behind the scenes territory and the rest of the day was a
blast! On this day of Sunday May 28, 2017 I had my first moto ride, my first
acai, my first ironman I spectated and made my first very close Brasileira
amiga.
Going forward to my future time in Brazil, I had many
adventures including a trip to Curitiba and Foz do Iguacu with Aminata and
Ashley along with Ashley’s roommate Camila. All the while I was exploring the
island of Florianopolis and training with my triathlon team Equipetime as much
as time and space allowed me. In addition, I also had a week in Rio where I met
the most amazing guy for whom a girl could ask. As I type this, he said he is
traveling to Mexico because it is closer to where I live.
I have many more stories to share about my MHIRT Brazilian
summer and it was an amazing time, indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment