tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12923570224902429562011-11-22T20:39:44.301-03:00...and other reflections on a semester in BrazilKatie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-2579066733078008332009-12-30T12:17:00.000-03:002009-12-30T12:17:44.803-03:00

Well, I'm back in the U.S.A. Coming back involved lots of complicated feelings, of course. Mostly I was really happy to be able to see my family and friends. But not speaking Portuguese is pretty strange, for sure. In some ways, my time in Brazil passed by quickly, but it wasn't just like a vacation: I wasn't just a tourist there. I had a regular old Brazilian life: I went to school every day

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-81120011066965779292009-12-22T19:55:00.005-03:002009-12-22T20:08:29.568-03:00

So I'm here in São Paulo (Sampa if you want to abbreve), and I am really enjoying it, despite quite low expectations. Everyone who I talked to before coming here warned me: it's not a tourist city. You won't find much to do there. But I've had three pretty full days here: Sunday was not actually all that full. I woke up late, had a leisurely breakfast at my hostel, and wandered around Vila

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-23198290215798807152009-12-19T23:49:00.001-03:002009-12-22T19:58:36.890-03:00

I have finally, finally, arrived at my hostel in São Paulo. I say this because I left the airport at 9PM. shoot. after grabbing my luggage, putting the big bag in storage til I pick it up the 23rd, then taking a 2-hour bus across the city, then a 2-hour CAB RIDE (yes, it was expensive) back across (at least it seemed that way) I am finally here in Vila Madalena...except now I don't want to even

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-89620689785674061132009-12-18T18:44:00.000-03:002009-12-18T18:44:04.499-03:00

Well, I left Fortaleza with more hecticness than was necessary, mostly due to forgetting my camera at the house and realizing it when I was in the ticket line at the airport. whoops. The situation was resolved by Fatima sending the thing via mototaxi, which was expensive but not as expensive as airmailing it to iguaçu...which would have meant I would have spent the first day without the camera.

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-27142297923162991252009-12-14T11:49:00.000-03:002009-12-14T11:49:24.548-03:00

I think the weirdest sensation is no longer being able to fully express oneself in just one language. The best one-word example of this is the word Saudade, which actually has no translation. It's a feeling, that expresses loss. So if you say you're going to feel saudades, it means you're going to miss them, only like times 13249847549832749. "I miss you" doesn't cover it. But I didn't really

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-70986717455165487102009-12-11T12:55:00.000-03:002009-12-11T12:55:17.782-03:00

...vai voltar." whoever drinks the water from here is going to come back. It's a popular saying around here and after three and a half months here I believe it. Just a quick entry to reflect on the fact that I'm all done with my program and I am headed out on TUESDAY, which I do NOT believe. Tomorrow is the host family party and Manu Chao/Roberto Sa (haven't decided which) tomorrow night.

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-6076165841980893412009-12-07T17:25:00.000-03:002009-12-07T17:25:23.751-03:00

I just handed in my ISP. 49 pages. Four weeks worth of existence in one academic document. It is all nice and prettily bound with a photo on the cover and footnotes and a table of contents and acknowledgments and everything. No more Fall Semester.* Crazy. *Well, I still have an oral presentation. But I like to talk so that'll be easy

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-16357233068869922252009-12-01T09:31:00.000-03:002009-12-01T09:31:54.939-03:00

I just got caught in a full-on tropical rainstorm. I was about 3 blocks away from IBEU, where we had Portuguese classes, and where there are computers/internet available for free, when the skies just opened up, no warning, and it was pouring. Ten minutes later and I ducked out from the overhang under which I´d taken shelter, squelching on. I am now staring out the window at a beautiful rainbow

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-56856932447345957152009-11-29T18:41:00.001-03:002009-11-30T11:39:43.458-03:00

Dec 15 4:20PM Depart Fortaleza Dec 15 9PM Arrive São Paulo Dec 15 11PM Depart São Paulo Dec 16 1:35AM Arrive Foz de Iguaçu Dec 19 7PM Depart Foz de Iguaçu Dec 19 9PM Arrive São Paulo

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-1220791980558496012009-11-25T15:37:00.000-03:002009-11-25T15:37:12.671-03:00

Wow, quite a spate of posts recently--either I´ve been too busy or not busy enough...not actually sure which! Today´s class was primarily dedicated to children´s games. We started off talking about typical food in the US and I waxed lyrical about the wonders of peanut butter, which is a surprisingly regular occurence. I thought it was important to talk/answer questions about food for a couple of

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-51244380082189607932009-11-23T17:35:00.000-03:002009-11-23T17:35:23.005-03:00

After the usual questions about where I’m from and how long I’m here for and what I’m studying, it goes something like this (in Portuguese): “So, do you have a boyfriend back home in the States?” “No.” “You don’t?” “Nope.” “What about here? Do you have a boyfriend here in Fortaleza?” “No…” “Really?! But you’re so beautiful! I can’t believe you don’t have a boyfriend!” “Nope, don’t have a

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-19061123823243228502009-11-23T17:33:00.001-03:002009-11-23T17:33:59.594-03:00

So last Thursday, I got horribly lost on the bus. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I usually take the bus line ‘Grande Circular 2’ to CUCA, but I wasn’t really paying attention, and I ended up getting on ‘Circular 2,’ which is a completely different route. …Only it goes a while on the same route before turning into a completely different route, so I was sitting on the bus for quite

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-91028008586246113782009-11-22T11:47:00.002-03:002009-11-22T11:49:34.786-03:00

…Two more to go before write-up and presentation time; then it’s off to the south of the country (not exactly sure where, yet…), then…? I can’t believe the time—it’s just flying by. The week has been particularly hard, for a number of reasons. I am really starting to miss some of those true constants: family and the ability to make it back to Brunswick from school in three hours or less; friends

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-46605659105404370822009-11-18T09:06:00.000-03:002009-11-18T09:06:17.287-03:00

I think the key is to move your feet really fast, have fun, and not care about whatever atrocity you're committing to the name of 'Samba'. Seriously, I think I'm getting it.

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-11760021326189107942009-11-13T09:52:00.000-03:002009-11-13T09:52:39.260-03:00

Ahoy! I'm sitting in a grocery store that's right under my apartment, with great internet. They have tables so I don't feel really strange, only a little bit. I have gotten a couple of looks and I am the only one with a computer right now but I'm not the only one that has used this space as an internet café, so I don't feel super sketchy. I am now officially a 'professora'! I taught two

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-15857029587083706472009-11-09T12:59:00.000-03:002009-11-09T12:59:54.929-03:00

Well, I'm back in Fortaleza! We got back yesterday afternoon, leaving three students behind in Salvador for their independent studies. Today marks the beginning of the field study period, something that's pretty exciting. I don't know how much I've said about my project, but I'll be working at a government-funded center that offers classes for youth ages 15-29 in the city. And while doing my own

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-89838762254690813062009-11-05T18:08:00.001-03:002009-11-05T18:10:19.672-03:00

Oi! After a long span of little to no internet, I am here in Salvador at an internet cafe with quick internet and a webcam/headset, so I´m a bit more accessible and have enjoyed a few skype conversations with family/friends! Look for me online; I´d love to chat. Salvador is a beautiful, historic city (actually Brazil´s first city and capital, founded in the first decade of the 1500s) and I´ve

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-48291761488844120872009-10-23T19:28:00.002-03:002009-10-23T19:28:28.781-03:00

Today was my last day of formal classes! I finished up my Portuguese class with a final exam yesterday--today was a field trip to a school where our oral exam was a conversation with the students. We had our last lecture this afternoon and a briefing on the next component of our program: travel! We’re headed to Recife, the interior of Pernambuco, and a couple of cities in Bahia, including

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-40044672176408974252009-10-23T19:24:00.000-03:002009-10-23T19:24:27.923-03:00

So yesterday, I went to an ‘intercambio’ dinner at the house of the Portuguese III professor, directly after class ended. Annede also teaches english so both classes ate and conversed together. I had a lot of fun, and we ordered banana pizza so the universe was at peace. We spoke english for about half the time and Portuguese for the other half. It was actually really neat because the students

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-86365775024078229292009-10-15T09:04:00.002-03:002009-10-15T09:05:44.034-03:00

I've finally found a semi-fast internet connection and I've uploaded some more photos! You can see my photos from the MST and Canindé here, and some new photos from around Fortaleza here. I think this blog is turning into a food blog of sorts, and I've decided it's for a couple of reasons. 1. I like to eat, and 2. I think it's interesting how we all have to eat but we choose to eat such

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-26914913099607782182009-10-12T18:13:00.000-03:002009-10-12T18:13:11.272-03:00

...and relax. 100% relaxation is impossible here; my mind is always turned on and I'm hyperaware of everything, I've noticed. But this weekend came close! Fortaleza is known for its sand dunes, and I spent part of Saturday climbing them and sliding down on a sandboard! It was so much fun; there was a lake at the bottom and a couple times I made it all the way to the lake. I went with my family

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-30685543926647217732009-10-08T16:42:00.001-03:002009-10-08T16:42:35.030-03:00

...Which is evidenced by tan lines; a language barrier that’s rapidly decreasing; and, of course, lots of new experiences. I really enjoyed my trip to the interior. I got to see a different side of Brazil, that’s for sure. The MST assentamento was really interesting. I got to meet lots of new people and the food was amazing! Fresh fruit, milk straight from the cow, and yes...freshly butchered

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-89009595032663815172009-09-30T14:05:00.000-03:002009-09-30T14:05:07.560-03:00

Tomorrow we leave at 7 AM for the wild blue yonder, a.k.a. the interior. We're going to be spending 5 days at a settlement started by the MST (Movimento de Trabalhadores Sem-Terras), a HUGE movement here in Brazil. As many of you may know, Brazil is big on agriculture--it produces a whole lot of the world's corn, sugar, coffee, just to name a few crops, as well as over a third of the world's meat

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-35171574153334610392009-09-27T22:34:00.003-03:002009-09-27T22:38:24.766-03:00

This weekend mostly involved me getting over a cold (almost all better now, thanks to Fátima’s hideous-yet-functional garlic-lemon tea concoction and lots of sleep), so my adventures were somewhat unexciting. I’ve spent much of my time this week/end on the couch, absorbed in a Brazilian Manga series entitled Turma da Mônica (team Monica) that my 11-year-old host sister Duda introduced me to.

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-36845234680823428082009-09-25T16:47:00.001-03:002009-09-25T16:48:06.229-03:00

So my Dad asked me the other day what it’s like to live in a tropical climate, and I’ve been thinking about that question quite a bit over the past few days. But it’s hard to separate what’s ‘tropical’ without writing about what’s uniquely Brazilian. I’ll attempt (probably poorly) to highlight some of the most striking things I’ve observed...while taking you through my typical day here. Every

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-1652824596772708512009-09-14T14:17:00.005-03:002009-09-14T14:24:42.486-03:00

I haven't taken many photos yet, but I've finally uploaded the ones I have taken:I learned how to eat an abacate (avocado) properly yesterday. You scoop it out into a bowl, pour an appropriate (read: incredible) amount of sugar on top, maybe some granola too if the mood strikes, and mush it all up with a fork. I told Fatima that in the States we eat it with salty food and she just laughed. She

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-55914362487173983552009-09-10T14:08:00.001-03:002009-09-10T14:26:12.577-03:00

One of the hallmarks of SIT's program is called the Drop-Off. It takes place during the first week or two of the program, and it involves students venturing out on their own to different locations. No phrasebooks, no translators, just a notebook, $R15 (for lunch), a phone card, a map, and an address. It's an interesting name--the Drop-Off. I immediately think of that point in the ocean where it

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-37431022129108657072009-09-08T08:55:00.003-03:002009-09-10T14:25:02.758-03:00

Okay, this one's late too but I only wrote it last night. Today was Brazilian independence day and my first day with my host family! I must say now--and I’m sure this will be a much-echoed complaint--that I cannot wait to learn Portuguese. Communication is beyond difficult right now. Yesterday night we were all waiting at IBEU, the center where our classes our held, waiting for our host

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-29913468271793506722009-09-08T08:51:00.002-03:002009-09-10T14:23:24.740-03:00

note- I'm posting this now though I'd written it earlier because I've had very limited access to internet for the past weekWell, after traveling for more than 31 hours, I finally made it to Fortaleza late Wednesday night. The travel experience, considering, wasn’t excruciating or difficult, just exhausting. After the plane from Atlanta to Sao Paolo was already over Cuba, the captain came on the

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-22916145837864061442009-09-05T22:15:00.000-03:002009-09-05T22:15:53.666-03:00

And so far, it´s fabulous. I´ve had a great few days of orientation with my program--we´re staying at a house on the beach a bit out of town, and we have gotten to do so many really neat things over the past few days! I´ll have much more regular access to internet after monday so I´ll plan on posting more thoughts then!

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1292357022490242956.post-46892839976038614002009-08-30T15:48:00.073-03:002009-08-31T23:25:19.162-03:00

It's hard to figure out how to start your first blog post. What makes it possibly more difficult is that my introduction is similar to so many others'. I'm a college junior, and in two days' time I'll be in the airport on my way to Fortaleza, Ceará, for a semester abroad. So for now, I'll be writing here about my experiences while I'm there. I am sure I'll have some; I just hope they're

Katie Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02238760506428640200noreply@blogger.com1