Dias primeiros

eThings are slow here because classes at AEC-TEA have not started yet - they begin in about a week and a half. My routine is simple but enough for now; I run, eat (rice, beans, fruit and vegetables every meal hehehehehe ahhh), clean (brasileiros are the cleanest people I have ever known), read, play capoeira, walk around town, go to the market, do some more housework, maybe a português lesson, maybe yoga, whatever I feel. We have teacher training on Monday and Tuesday, and in between now and then I am probably going to travel a little bit to find some water! Capim Grosso is H-O-T (I explain frozen yogurt every day to someone different - maybe I miss it?) and would you believe it there is not a single lake or pool here. So we will quest to find a waterfall. And later this month, Carnaval, stay tuned.

Seven people live in the volunteer house, and they are all nice, however only one is local. The rest are from Europa, and three of them speak zero portuguese so it is very frustrating for me to speak english with them. My brain is in full-speed-ahead português mode right now and I feel like it is a set back to speak so much english, so often.

HOWEVER! This will change when classes start. Because, along with classes, we can choose whatever projects we want to work on in the community - and nobody in the community really speaks english because in Capim Grosso, there is absolutely to reason to. I will offer yoga classes at AEC-TEA (in português...real life!) and I have my eye on two community projects: a mental health center and a village three miles out.

The health center offers classes and workshops (read: music, dance, capoeira, arts, yoga) for people with ´mental health issues,´also this term spans anything from depression to down syndrome to mild physical dysfunctions; because Capim Grosso is so small, they don´t have enough resources or people for such a separation.

I also want to go twice a week to this small small teeny tiny village, where unemployment is high and child prostitution and child labor are rampant. I would work with kids there twice a week, playing, teaching yoga, bringing the guitar, whatever. These two places are great opportunities for me to connect with people in the community, and while I am excited to teach english classes, I am really over the moon that I get the other opportunities as well!! My experience thus far with people in the community has been really special - these are some extraordinary people - and I am so excited to build deeper relationships in my time here!

Routine, Travel, Etc.

Capim Grosso! Wahooow. Lots has happened the last few days. I will begin first with my reflections on routine.

In the four days of traveling alone (verrrry alone), with only my carry-on (the airport left my baggage in Sao Paolo), in a state where, hello, the portuguese spoken is SO different than the one I learned (they swallow letters and syllables in almost every word - very african sounding), I realized that not only do I cling to routine, I strangle it. STRANGLE. I am addicted to routine, and when I don´t have one, I truly freak the F out.

And now, as far as traveling goes, I was stressed to the point where it was almost crippling. Like I said - portuguese here is really, really hard to understand. So the 25+ hours spent in airports, navigating my way through hostels, bus systems, my thought process looked a little like this: ´Is this my plane? Is this the right gate? What are they saying right now? Crap, are they saying my gate is changed? Should I ask that man in Portuguese? What if I mess up the phrase? Should I just wait? WHAT IF I MISS MY PLANE? Is this my bus stop? Crap, if I miss my bus stop, when is the next one?´ (etc, etc, etc.)

None of those things happened. I was FINE - but the knot I had in my stomach the entire time was indicative of how much stress was induced.

Now for the good things. I spent two (dirty dirty) days in Salvador at the Nega Maluca hostel (crazy black lady). Swimming in the thick portuguese and making some friends - we went to a few bars in the city and an electronico concert. I took a bus to Capim Grosso - a five hour ride - and the entire time, passing tiny, tiny, TINY towns in BFE, actually. I started to get nervous - did I choose to spend FOUR MONTHS on a patch of dirt with a market and a few houses??! Imagine my joy when we pulled into the centro of Capim Grosso and it is a hustling, bustling city. Phew. My new, dear friend Rosangela picked me up, I am working with a great crew of people at AEC-TEA (google it if you want to know more), I have a room, a navigable town, and most importantly ROUTINE at last!!!

Já estou pronta!

I said I wouldn't write a blog and I am - Mom is making me. "How are we going to know what you are doing halfway across the world??!" Ok mom here ya go.

To briefly explain the name of the blog - in português class, if we were being rowdy, Naomi would shout "Gente!!! Prontos?"

And we would dutifully reply, "Prontos, sim!"

And, sim, estou pronta para o Brasil. Pronta, sim!