Made many mistakes before coming:

-Not being proactive, waiting, being passive. Si fuera Comandante, daria ordenes firmes y siempre se haria lo que yo quiero
-Should have apologized to mom. Si fuera buena hija, le hubiera dicho de que me falta mucho por aprender pero de que lo poco que se lo he aprendido de ella. Que aunque he logrado hacer muchas cosas, me siento derrotada y de que en este viaje tratare de mejorar como persona. Le hubiera dicho de que perdonara todas mis faltas de respeto y mi silencio orgulloso. Le hubiera dado las gracias por tener tanta paciencia con migo.
-Should've shopped there, everything here is just as expensive and inconvenient because I don't know where things are located and do not have a car. Si fuera millonaria, esto no seria un problema.


1) Didn't sleep on the plane. I usually have no problem entering a temporary coma when I travel but I was uncomfortable and uneasy. The woman sitting next to me was from Minas Gerais and was coming back from a 7-y hiatus from the US after finishing her Masters in Education at UIUC. Small world. She invited me over to her house. I hope to make it in May. This was my first Brazilian hospitality encounter.

2) Talk about the kindness of strangers. Thank you Mr Antonio Soares for lunch, pick up at the airport, calling card, getting wet under the rain to get my luggage and the hugs and laughter. Speaking Spanish, English and Portuguese at the same time we are able to understand each other. Although I know that I would do this and more for anyone, it is so amazing to find this hospitality and genuine warmth in a complete stranger.

3) Hostel was like an understatement in my life. Everyone on their own tune. Exhausted. Not shy but not friendly. Got some good tips but it wasn't the atmosphere of friendly travelers I had expected. >> http://okupe.net=

4) Moises, my landlord, is absolutely gorgeous. As he read my contract and paused to see if I undesrtood I couldn't help but giggle like a 16-y old girl.

5) The big Yellow House: Pretty and big, lots of outdoor space. 4 big rooms, 2 small- mine being tiny: a glorified bathroom I call it. Everything is messy, and dirty since none of the other roommates have been here for almost a month. Rooms are big and spacious (except mine) with lots of light. I love light.
Roommates are 4 French (2 guys, 2 girls) and 2 Brazilians (both guys). Apparently this is the big party house where all the students from the program come and get trashed and leave the house the same. Although this seemingly exciting social scene should excite me, it does not. At all. *sigh*
We'll see how it all goes, at least when I'm tired of partying I am already home ;)

6) The area I live in is called Perdizes/Vila Madalena. Closest Metro line is Green (my favorite color). I am 15 minutes (40 by Metro) away from Downtown Sao Paulo (SP from now on) and 40 minutes (Metro/driving) from University of Sao Paulo (USP, like US then P, from now on). That is without traffic. Traffic adds like 30+ minutes.
Thank Google for Google Maps.



7) So far I have walked around my neighborhood to see what is close to me and rode the Metro lines to see distances and get a better idea of how immense this city truly is. There are 11 Metro line. Yes, 11 and two more under construction. They have a ridiculous number of buses that go everywhere in Downtown and Greater SP area. There are no maps for these, unfortunately, and since they aren't like in Chicago that go up and down the same street, you gotta get to know the crazy routes they take by asking (NOT an option for me) or trial-and-error
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8) Pictures of this adventure to follow. I already ordered my SD Card Reader, just waiting for it to come

9) My Portuguese is terrible.
It is so similar to Spanish that I understand everything if the person speaks slowly and if I speak Spanish I am also understood. I try to speak as much Portuguese as much as I can though and people are extremely patient and kind with me. I can form simple sentences and got all the basics down from saying the same things over and over but my accent needs lots of work. For now, it is more important to get everything right and the accent will come later ;) For now, it is a mixture of Span-guese and lots of hand motions and intonation. Falo um pouquinho do Português

10) People I have met are mostly European since my roommates all go to the same school in France. So at least at home I get to speak English/French/Spanish. This has been a rude awakening to meet so many well traveled kids. They speak 3 languages and are learning more, have lived in different countries and plan on doing so in the future. Their parents are pretty wealthy and visit them often. They are CEO's of Banks, are Ambassadors/Diplomats in Brazil, or Investment Bankers. Damn *sigh* When I think of Americans I think they are lagging, but then again... I am not in that crowd back at home

So far so good, I'll be writing more later in the week when I can upload pictures. Plus, this is long enough =P