Happy New Year’s Eve and Happy New Year to those on the other side of the world :P
This post here will be my last about Brazil. I just feel it fitting since the year is about to end.
Eleven days out of Brazil and I’m looking back at those first few days. I remember arriving in Rio, awestruck by the landscape, architecture, SHIT ton of people in the street. Then somewhere along the way everything became normal….I have no regrets whatsoever about my decision to come here. To be honest I had NO IDEA what I was really getting into when I emailed Professor Lambert in November of last year.
With nothing to do in Virginia Beach, it’s nice to look back on all the things I’ve learned and done within the past six months:
1. How to learn! - Especially with a language
I came to Brazil knowing practically nothing in Portuguese. I had a tutor the semester before heading to Brazil but this training was minimal (only 2.5 hours a week on top of the busiest semester in my college career). Actually, if someone told me they were going to a foreign country with little language training and were going to take classes in that language, I would tell them they were completely nuts. Thankfully, we had Molly who had taken a year of Portuguese before we got to Rio (we would have been lost those first few days without her).
We arrived in Rio 1 month before the supposed start of classes with the original objective to take a Portuguese course. Because of the strike, we took an intensive course at a private school in Copacabana called Carioca Languages. That was three hours of instruction per day, 5 days a week. It was during this first month that my learning increased at the fastest pace - (from absolute zero to a substantial understanding).
When classes finally started, I was still struggling to understand and articulate myself. On September 19th, I took a one-month challenge to speak only Portuguese (this marked exactly one month until my parents arrived in Brazil). I spent a lot of time in the pousada kitchen just talking to people about random things, like their days and what was playing on TV. While in the end I technically failed the goal (I did speak some English - it was very difficult when there were people who only spoke English around), I gained so much from the experience. During this phase, my spoken Portuguese improved greatly - flowed much more naturally.
While I’m not 100% fluent (nor do I think I will ever be or should strive to be), I can survive, ask for directions, order food, etc.
I could write a whole entire post about the joys and struggles of learning a language (we’ll save that for another blog :P) but here I’ll just name a few. For one, I never realized how important certain words are and how little of vocabulary you need to function day to day. I now know that before traveling to another country it’s helpful to know: numbers, time, how to ask for directions, how to say “excuse me” (this would have helped in Bogotá), and simple polite phrases such as “good bye” and “thank you.” Just knowing a little helps ten-fold.
Also, what’s the best way to learn a language? JUST SPEAK. I think of all those language courses we take in high school, which amount to nothing. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Also, once you overcome the fear to speak, you are golden. During my month hiatus, I learned so much even if it meant talking around a word I didn’t know.
Most importantly (especially for me), patience. When you start (and with anyone), you are going to suck at it and that’s okay… Learning anything takes time and we all learn at different speeds. Like a baby moving from crawling to walking, you need to stumble and learn for yourself how to get onto your feet.
I am amazed looking back when I only knew how to say “Olá, tudo bem?” to where I am now and can understand at least 85% of everyday conversation and can function in conversations. I still have a ways to go with Portuguese… but I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come :)
Also, once you know how to learn one, it’s so much easier to learn others. Next goal: tagalog and/or French..
2. Brazil or the U.S. or perhaps from anywhere in the world - People are essentially the same.
I’ve heard this from other people before that as you travel you learn that people are the same everywhere. This means that people have the same goals and desires to better their lives and those of the ones they love, despite the fact they speak different languages or have different values. I always find it so interesting that there is a “pattern” to people’s personalities, in that you can categorize them. I’ve had many moments where I’ve thought, this guys reminds me of someone I know.
Of course, I’m only comparing two countries here. Means I’ll have to travel more to prove this theory for myself ;)
3. How to samba and Forró.
Eu sou brasileira na minha coração por que adoro dancar! Oh did I mention I did win a samba contest at a Salgueiro rehearsal one time. Thanks mom for pushing me into that circle… smh.
4. Patience is truly a virtue.
Bus didn’t show up? Stuck in rush hour traffic for two hours? Friends running on Brazilian time and you’re about to miss the last boat off the island? Can’t speak Portuguese even though you’ve studied all your verbs for 2 weeks? School is on strike and you have to wait for the administration to sort that out for you?
Yeah, I’ve learned to take a deep breath and always bring your I-pod with some good songs to pass the time. haha
5. I am incredibly blessed to have my family and to have been born in the United States.
Coming back to the U.S., I definitely appreciated little things, such as how calm traffic is in comparison to Rio, how clean the streets are in Virginia Beach, how I don’t have to wash clothes by hand anymore, and how you can actually throw your toilet paper in the toilet! (Yeah that was a hard habit I had to learn in Rio!) I’ve come to the realization how incredibly easy our lives are here in the United States in comparison to other parts of the world. Sadly, we take that all for granted.
I had a unique opportunity to visit two favelas as we were conducting research for our project: Rio das Pedras and Rocinha. The buildings were so haphazardly thrown together, crowded, and full of safety and sanitation concerns. A big problem in Brazil is that many people do not have access to education to better themselves and their families.
To think I never appreciated that fact that I could even go to college… Wow…
It always amazed me that the United States has some of the highest depression rates, with Haiti having the lowest in the world. It’s funny how when you’re basic necessities are met and are surrounded by excess, competition, societal expectations – you just have more time to think and be depressed.
It’s definitely put a lot of things in perspective for me.
6. More who I am as a person
It’s always when you step outside and encounter the unknown, you learn so much more about yourself as a person. Being in Brazil, I definitely learned more about my own strengths and weaknesses. Also in terms of career goals, I can finally say I have a direction now J, or at least have decided on one.
7. CALM THE FU@# DOWN! No matter what, you will be okay.
Plans are good, but clinging to them blindly is suicide. As an American, I definitely feel that pressure to live up to the standard pattern of graduate, get a good job, then work my butt off and earn lots of money. If you don’t have a plan, you are screwed. Unfortunately, society and school doesn’t teach you how to deal with change. Uncertainty is scary, fear it! From elementary school to high school, your goal is to get good grades so that you can go to college. In college, you can feel a bit more lost but pick a major to get a sense of direction. It’s finally when you graduate and you realize the immense sea of opportunities that it’s easy to panic. Now, no one is telling you what to do. You are on your own. Damn, that’s scary!
Also, I used to have this subconscious belief that once you start working, the fun ends. No more partying, no more exploring, etc. But having made friends for the first time with professionals (a majority of my friends were working, rather than students), I realize life and the fun doesn’t just end when you get a job – it’s your choice. Of course, you’ll have to adjust to new responsibilities and challenges but rarely is there ever a time where you are completely, utterly stuck. (This being before kids, of course, that’s when it gets really serious).
I could not have imagined anything that happened in Brazil. After surviving the unpredictability of the strike among other things, I think I have come to terms a bit more with everything. A sense of, no matter what, things will turn out fine. I’ll be coming back to my last semester of college. While I know I’ll be sad when it’s over, I’m actually excited for what there is to come.
8. Love and friendship is universal.
I have made some incredibly amazing friends in Rio.
It’s nice to know you’re loved in another country :).
Miss you guys, have a fantastic New Years. Enjoy those fireworks in Copacabana for me!
Brazil, what an adventure! Here’s to more to come!
Happy New Year to all and thanks for reading.
I left my heart in Rio <333
Keia
