when we are walking from the aeroporto to the carro, i first notice that its outside, we are standing outside without walking through doors. this is very common in brasil, everything is placed outside, like my school, because it is nice all year round. why not be outside?
we drive to my grandmother's house, (rogerio's mother) to spend the night there (ipatinga is four hours away from belo horizonte)
in one word, brasilains drive like crazy people! optional: stop (para) signs, hey if you don't need to stop, don't have to. speed limits, i know mph is different that kph, but i saw my father driving over 100, did not feel safe at the time. yeilding to pedistrans. if you walk in front of a car, you better walk fast.
anyway, at my grandmother's house (who does not speak english) she feeds us a huge lunch which is baked chicken, beans, rice, salada, and fruit. let's just say, my first brasilain meal was more than delicious.
after lunch, my mother tells me to go rest, considering i was running on maybe two hours of sleep from the plane ride. i saw my bed and i have never hit my pillow so hard. i woke up two hours later and i heard strange sounds from the kitchen and i instantly think "where the heck am i? what the heck am i doing here?" then i quickly realize that i am in brasil and those strange noises are my family speaking portuguese. instant headache.
my aunts, uncles and cousins come over and everybody is talking around me and all i hear are noises, sounds and a few words that i can make out, very few. then my cousin caroline turns to me and says, "ariana, would you like to go to a party with me tonight?"
first of all, i had no idea she could speak english and her words sounded so beauitful to my ears, exactly what i needed to hear. second of all, i am dead tired with a pounding headache.
what do i say?
"i would love to come with you, caroline :D"
i questioned what to wear. i would be around teenagers, beauitful beauitful brasilains and i have on a tee-shirt and jeans. sweet, ariana.
we eneter the party and i instantly notice, everyone is in fabulous fabulous clothing, stuff you wear to a freaking homecoming. wow, i look outta place. why don't we just write "foreginer" across my forehead in black ink. ooh wait, thats not needed.
but everyone comes up to me and kisses me, without asking my name. strange. the boys drink and the girls dance. lemme tell, they do not dance like us. very very sexy and with confidence.
me? i usually just drop it like it's hot.
me and caroline talk about what else?
boys and gossip and school. my portuguese and her english.
it was a wonderful time with her and i felt very much at home in her prescene.
the next morning, my father takes me around BH. we walk and we walk, everywhere. he tells me words in portuguese and i repeat like a child, slowly learning. i have a very strong connection with my father, a connection i didnt expect. él amo.
later, we drive the long distance to ipatinga and i see my new home. beauitful home. ipatinga is so different, it's so large that i haven't even seen half of it.
