Fútbol e Festa!!!

Novos amigos e el primeiro jogo da World Cup 2014

GREVE

View of our neighborhood from my window

USP campus

This is the guard gate that we go through to get to and from campus. Since the strike, many roads and paths are no longer available to the general public.  

Neighborhood street art

Our neighbors

A bonita cidade de Floripa

I have been in Brazil for a week and a half now and it has been a wonderful experience. Since the moment we arrived to Floripa people were warm and have graciously welcomed us to their country. Our mentors Dr. Marques, Dr. Padua, and Dr. Linder have shown us around a lot, specially the first few days. I have enjoyed exploring the island (even when it’s raining, which it has been often). Amaka, Elizabeth, and I learned to take the ônibus (public bus) almost as soon as we got here. Riding the ônibus is a must here. I have officially worked a week and I have already learned many new techniques and planned my project for the summer, well winter here. I enjoy the research a lot, but specially like meeting all of the people that work at LABCAI. I get to practice my Portuguese with them all day and I feel like I learn new words or phrases every day. I think I will end up saying “cara,” which is “dude,” by the end of the summer. The World Cup has officially started and Brazil won the first game! I watched it with my friends from lab at Juliana’s place. We had pinhão (hot pine nuts) and cachorros quentes (Brazilian hot dogs). The hot dog had corn, mayonnaise, cheese, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, and thin potatoes. It was delicious!! I wake up in the morning sometimes not believing that I am actually in Brazil meeting great people, doing interesting research, improving my Portuguese, and learning about a new culture. I am so thankful for this opportunity to do what I love and amplify my experiences in this beautiful country. Now we are off to our first festa junina- it should be a lot of fun! Até logo! J

The view of the Lagoa da Conceição on a cloudy day. It is beautiful and peaceful.

A Animada Cidade

I've been in Belem, Brazil for about two weeks now and things have been going great!

My favorite things about the city are the people and the food! It's very easy to meet people here because everyone is very friendly and loves to practice their English or to help you with your Portuguese. There's food everywhere! I don't believe you can walk more than a few steps in any direction without coming across a place to get something to eat...and that's not including the many street vendors!

I've met many people through friends of friends and also through going out with my new friends. Last night we went to a place called the Red Pub (entry fee was half off with a college id) and they were having a celebration for Chico Buarque.

He is a famous samba and bossa nova musician from Rio de Janeiro. Samba music was played the entire night and everyone was dancing and singing the words. It was definitely a great time!

As far as food goes, some of my favorite new dishes are picanha:

feijao tropeiro, which is essentially beans, eggs, farina, and fried pork skins:

arroz (rice) e vinagrete (tomatoes, peppers, onions, and vinegar, and other special seasonings):

as well as calabresa and onions.

The first time I had calabresa, it was on a very delicious pizza that I got from the Boulevard shopping mall close to my apartment. 

Here is a map showing the location of the Boulevard mall:

Some of the more interesting foods I've tried are tacaca: 

It is shrimp, jambu (which numbs your mouth, quite an interesting sensation), and a sort of broth. I would recommend trying it "sem goma,"which is without the tapioca gel substance. I tried it with goma and didn't end up finishing the dish. 

Additionally, there is a popular ice cream place here called Cairu. There is one in the mall and there are others in various locations around the city. I tried the Romeo e Julieta flavor. Romeo e Julieta, usually, consists of a sweetened guava type paste and cream cheese. In this ice cream, it seemed that there were small pieces of cheddar which was a very interesting surprise. It had a sweet and salty effect but I definitely wasn't expecting the large pieces of cheese that were in the ice cream.  

So far it's been a lot of fun and there are still so many things to experience! 

Ate logo, 

     Teera 

A magical journey thus far

Bom dia e bem-vindo! Vem comigo na minha viagem brasileira. Aqui, voce vai encontrar algumas fotos das duas semanas ate agora.

Hello and welcome! Come with me on my Brasilian journey. Here you will find photos that I have taken during my first two weeks in-country.

My aerial view on the descent into the Island of Magic, Florianopolis. This city lives up to its name.


A marina a few blocks away from our pousada in Lagoa da Conceicao. Fisherman and leisure boat riders alike can be found here.


A garden nestled behind the Faculdade da Farmocologia, Universidade Federale de Santa Catarina, where my lab is located.


First Brazilian pizza at Pizza da Pedra. My half was topped with sauted onions and charque, a salted, dried meat.


Myself with one of many mural paintings to be found in the area. The island is made colorful by both nature and art. I am loving it!