This weekend edition begins on Saturday, as Friday night was particularly uneventful, only passed with grocery shopping, movie watching, and skype chatting. Saturday I was scheduled to take a bus departing from Campinas to meet Rodrigo in his city, Valinhos, located about 20 minutes down the highway towards Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, after a thirty minute walk and frantic ten minute search for the bus stop that included asking various strangers in broken Portuguese, I concluded I missed the bus. The next one wasn't for another 90 minutes, so I called Rodrigo and he found a friend to pick me up an hour or two later.
I eventually made it to Valinhos after Rodrigo, his girlfriend Lygia, and his best friend Cahoel came to pick me up from the house. We headed over to one of their friends' houses, where we were set to have a poker tournament. The field was 21 strong, but I held my own for most of the game, playing conservatively but picking my spots to be aggressive. I ended up finishing in fourth place, though I was short-stacked for much of the final table. Rodrigo also had a strong showing, finishing in third.
Saturday also happened to be Rodrigo's sister's birthday, so we headed over to his house after poker to congratulate her. Rodrigo and Lygia had gifts for her, but I of course did not. I did, however, watch Stardust with her and her friends. Later that night, Rodrigo's cousin came over, and we hung out, playing computer games for a while. Rodrigo's cousin then took us outside to take a look at his brand new car, a Volkswagon Polo that he had done some additional work on. The car was very nice, and featured many amenities that, although standard in American cars these days, are rare luxuries here in Brazil. These included a side mirror that tilts down when the car is put into reverse, mirrors with lights behind the sun visors, and an onboard computer.
We took a spin around the block, and then Lygia drove for a little bit. Rodrigo's cousin then asked if I knew how to drive, and more specifically if I could drive manual. I replied (in Portuguese), "Kind of; I don't have many opportunities to drive manual in the states." But he asked if I would like to take the car for a short trip, and I couldn't resist. To my surprise, I found driving stick not much harder than a car with an automatic transmission, since I spent most of my time in second and third gear. I was pleased with my driving overall, and I'm now considering opting for manual when I get a car back home.
Sunday was quiet as usual. I spent some more time in the morning talking to Rodrigo's parents before we ate lunch - a couple of lasagnas. They were pretty good, and a nice departure from the other food I've been having. The heartbreak, however, came with regards to watching the demise of the U.S. international squad as they floundered in the second half of the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil. What was a 2-0 lead at the half quickly evaporated, and was eventually reversed to a 3-2 deficit due to a passive and purely defensive tactical approach. Given enough time, which took about 40 minutes, Brazil picked us apart for 3 goals. Truly tragic. I then skyped some more, checked fantasy baseball, and watched Knowing on my computer. It was quite horrible - something like a mix of a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie with Nicholas Cage and his dreadful balding mullet and diminishing acting capacity.
Anyway, work tomorrow. Amazon in approx. one week! Excited!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday-Thursday: Presentation, Transformers, Festa Junina
The past few days have been somewhat mundane, as the middle of the week usually is. Tuesday, however, I was finally able to present my report to the company. It's titled "Telemedicine Review: Telemedicine in remote tropical and equatorial regions." Sounds fascinating, right? Well Professor Sabbatini, Rodrigo, Alex, and I gathered in the conference room, where I presented my slideshow and lecture using an online webapp called DimDim. This way, the remote members of Edumed dispersed all throughout Brazil would be able to connect and listen in. Unfortunately, we didn't have any remote listeners. My lecture was recorded, however, to be uploaded to a Moodle module that I would have to manage later. Overall, my presentation went well, and Professor Sabbatini gave me valuable feedback at the end.
Rodrigo went next, presenting his telemedicine software system called MeET. While I had presented in English, Rodrigo made his presentation in Portuguese, and I had to concentrate to follow along. Being able to read the slides while listening to him explaining them certainly helped. Later, Rodrigo told me that he was speaking very slowly in his presentation so that I would understand better. I still thought it was a pretty good clip.
It turned out, though, that in the process of recording Rodrigo's presentation, mine was erased, so I was forced to repeat my lecture the following day, to no live audience. Desperate for some sort of pressure to keep me focused while presenting, I asked my mother to join in via DimDim. She did, and though it was still difficult speaking without any immediate feedback from the faces of my audience, I pulled through. If you're interested, you can watch the video of my lecture, with slides and audio, here.
Also on Wednesday was the thrilling 2-0 upset of the Spanish international squad by a brave and, at times, lucky United States selection. I was able to watch most of the second half, including the sealing goal in the 74th minute. A lifelong naysayer of the United States soccer program, I must admit that the squad that defeated Spain Wednesday truly impressed at times, showing great courage in playing gritty defense, and capitalising on the few opportunities that befell them. The team faces Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup on Sunday, which I'm sure will be very interesting to watch from here.
The rest of Wednesday was quiet, as I went home on the bus, watched a movie, and skyped with friends and family, as usual. Thursday, however, was more eventful. After beginning the next phase of my project - writing a paper based on my report - I went to the movies with Rodrigo to see Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. While I by no means call it a great movie, Transformers 2 was sufficiently entertaining to garner better than the 21% it sits at on Rotten Tomatoes. I know I got what I expected out of the film: cool CGI of big robots fighting each other, massive explosions, a saturday-morning-cartoon worthy plotline, enough Shia LaBeouf to make me sick for days, and plenty of suggestive shots of Megan Fox involving cars and other things that go fast.
After the movie, we ate dinner in the shopping mall's food court, and I got my first taste of Brazilian Chinese food, although it was Chinese fast food, which is probably more American than Chinese in the first place. The food was okay: the flavors were a little off and the sauces a little too thick at times and a little too runny in other instances. But it certainly did stave off the longing I had for some sort of Chinese cuisine. One can only eat so many meals of beans and rice, after all.
I didn't get home until about 11:30, and when I arrived, the guys were getting ready to go out to a party at UNICAMP. Of course, I couldn't resist tagging along, so around midnight we headed off to a Festa Junina. Rodrigo told me that June parties are usually quite tame, and this one certainly fit that description. Most people were standing around and talking, drinking hot wine and cold beers, and eating assorted cakes. There was some traditional dancing going, but I wasn't too keen on trying my hand (or my feet rather) at it. We stuck around for a while before walking home and eating a late snack.
Today has been pretty quiet at work. I don't think I'll be doing much this evening, either, but I am looking forward to tomorrow night. Rodrigo has invited me to a friend's house for their monthly game of poker. I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow morning, but I'm excited to meet some more of his friends, as well as his girlfriend, who is arriving from Sao Paulo tonight. Hope the week has been treating you well!
Rodrigo went next, presenting his telemedicine software system called MeET. While I had presented in English, Rodrigo made his presentation in Portuguese, and I had to concentrate to follow along. Being able to read the slides while listening to him explaining them certainly helped. Later, Rodrigo told me that he was speaking very slowly in his presentation so that I would understand better. I still thought it was a pretty good clip.
It turned out, though, that in the process of recording Rodrigo's presentation, mine was erased, so I was forced to repeat my lecture the following day, to no live audience. Desperate for some sort of pressure to keep me focused while presenting, I asked my mother to join in via DimDim. She did, and though it was still difficult speaking without any immediate feedback from the faces of my audience, I pulled through. If you're interested, you can watch the video of my lecture, with slides and audio, here.
Also on Wednesday was the thrilling 2-0 upset of the Spanish international squad by a brave and, at times, lucky United States selection. I was able to watch most of the second half, including the sealing goal in the 74th minute. A lifelong naysayer of the United States soccer program, I must admit that the squad that defeated Spain Wednesday truly impressed at times, showing great courage in playing gritty defense, and capitalising on the few opportunities that befell them. The team faces Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup on Sunday, which I'm sure will be very interesting to watch from here.
The rest of Wednesday was quiet, as I went home on the bus, watched a movie, and skyped with friends and family, as usual. Thursday, however, was more eventful. After beginning the next phase of my project - writing a paper based on my report - I went to the movies with Rodrigo to see Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. While I by no means call it a great movie, Transformers 2 was sufficiently entertaining to garner better than the 21% it sits at on Rotten Tomatoes. I know I got what I expected out of the film: cool CGI of big robots fighting each other, massive explosions, a saturday-morning-cartoon worthy plotline, enough Shia LaBeouf to make me sick for days, and plenty of suggestive shots of Megan Fox involving cars and other things that go fast.
After the movie, we ate dinner in the shopping mall's food court, and I got my first taste of Brazilian Chinese food, although it was Chinese fast food, which is probably more American than Chinese in the first place. The food was okay: the flavors were a little off and the sauces a little too thick at times and a little too runny in other instances. But it certainly did stave off the longing I had for some sort of Chinese cuisine. One can only eat so many meals of beans and rice, after all.
I didn't get home until about 11:30, and when I arrived, the guys were getting ready to go out to a party at UNICAMP. Of course, I couldn't resist tagging along, so around midnight we headed off to a Festa Junina. Rodrigo told me that June parties are usually quite tame, and this one certainly fit that description. Most people were standing around and talking, drinking hot wine and cold beers, and eating assorted cakes. There was some traditional dancing going, but I wasn't too keen on trying my hand (or my feet rather) at it. We stuck around for a while before walking home and eating a late snack.
Today has been pretty quiet at work. I don't think I'll be doing much this evening, either, but I am looking forward to tomorrow night. Rodrigo has invited me to a friend's house for their monthly game of poker. I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow morning, but I'm excited to meet some more of his friends, as well as his girlfriend, who is arriving from Sao Paulo tonight. Hope the week has been treating you well!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday: Capoeira!
At work, Monday was just like any other Monday. The most exciting thing, perhaps, was when we bought ice cream from a store down the street after lunch. Rodrigo and I walked over and sampled almost all of the flavors before settling on a liter of Cookie and a liter of Creme. The ice cream was quite good, and we didn't finish all of it until today. After work, though, I was very excited to accompany Tiago and Fucho to learn some Capoeira. If you recall, I was going to learn about a week ago, but that never materialized. This time was for real. Let's just say the hundred pushups is on hold for now.
Tiago drove me home to pick up a change of clothes and then we headed off to meet Fucho at the fitness center to learn. We were on Tiago's bike when we came across Fucho walking up the hill, so we made room and the three of us buzzed up the street, garnering sideways glances from everyone we passed. We arrived at the place and met the Capoeira instructor. He was a very nice man and began class after a few more kids arrived. We were by far the oldest ones there. Fucho had trained before as a kid, and was looking to pick it back up. Tiago, like me, were experiencing it for the first time.
The Capoeira Professor, a young student, and me
We started off with a general warmup that began with jogging and running and gradually got more Capoeira-specific. After about an hour of these exercises, my muscles were already fatigued, though we had yet to begin the real Capoeira. Finally, I was taught the basic movement of Capoeira - a rhythmic, side to side step with the feet essentially tracing an X. I caught on pretty quickly, and the Capoeira Professor was surprised. He asked if I had ever trained Capoeira before, and I replied no, although I did tell him of my previous experience in martial arts.
The basic step
I then learned another move, called "martelo voador," which means Flying Hammer. This move is a sort of spinning outside-inside kick that maintains a straight line from the head to the kicking foot. Capoeira involves plenty of turning motions, and I found my head spinning on numerous occasions. It was all great fun, though, and it reminded me of my days with Tang Soo Do. I kind of miss that stuff now. We talked a while to the Professor after the class, and we're going to return to train again tonight. I'm super excited, though I woke up extremely sore this morning.
Tired after a good workout
Tiago drove me home to pick up a change of clothes and then we headed off to meet Fucho at the fitness center to learn. We were on Tiago's bike when we came across Fucho walking up the hill, so we made room and the three of us buzzed up the street, garnering sideways glances from everyone we passed. We arrived at the place and met the Capoeira instructor. He was a very nice man and began class after a few more kids arrived. We were by far the oldest ones there. Fucho had trained before as a kid, and was looking to pick it back up. Tiago, like me, were experiencing it for the first time.
The Capoeira Professor, a young student, and meWe started off with a general warmup that began with jogging and running and gradually got more Capoeira-specific. After about an hour of these exercises, my muscles were already fatigued, though we had yet to begin the real Capoeira. Finally, I was taught the basic movement of Capoeira - a rhythmic, side to side step with the feet essentially tracing an X. I caught on pretty quickly, and the Capoeira Professor was surprised. He asked if I had ever trained Capoeira before, and I replied no, although I did tell him of my previous experience in martial arts.
The basic stepI then learned another move, called "martelo voador," which means Flying Hammer. This move is a sort of spinning outside-inside kick that maintains a straight line from the head to the kicking foot. Capoeira involves plenty of turning motions, and I found my head spinning on numerous occasions. It was all great fun, though, and it reminded me of my days with Tang Soo Do. I kind of miss that stuff now. We talked a while to the Professor after the class, and we're going to return to train again tonight. I'm super excited, though I woke up extremely sore this morning.
Tired after a good workoutMonday, June 22, 2009
Weekend Edition: Rodeio, Derby, Sinuka
On Tiago's bikeThe weekend began on Friday night for me as I went out with Tiago, Fucho, and Rosana to a "country party" in Americana, a city about 25 minutes' drive from Campinas. A rodeio, the party was essentially a concert held at a rodeo grounds where I presume they had held events for the past week or so. The party included a fair-type layout with food stalls, boardwalk games, western-themed shops, and a dance area. The concert, however, was held in the actual rodeo arena, and it was overflowing with people. Tiago estimated that 50,000 people had gathered from all over this side of Brazil for this annual event.
The rodeo groundsThe concert itself featured the duo Victor & Leo, a Brazilian-country-music tandem that sang songs about love and the like. I, of course, struggled to understand the lyrics, especially with everyone around me singing along. They performed for a good 2 hours before closing the show around 2:30 or 3 in the morning. Overall it was a very enjoyable time, though I was tired after my night out with the guys on Thursday.
Victor & LeoSaturday we got up around noon and got ready to go to a soccer game. Not just any soccer game, but the Derby game between Campinas rivals Ponte Preta and Guarani. Fucho, a big fan of Ponte Preta along with his whole family, arranged for us to go to the game, as Ponte Preta was playing host to Guarani. The game was slated to begin aroun 4, but we left at 2:30 to get to the stadium in time to settle ourselves before the match began.
Ponte Preta
GuaraniThe real exciting/slightly scary part, though, was the famous rowdiness of the fans. During halftime, some sort of brawl broke out between the Guarani fans and the police officers holding the line between the Guarani and Ponte sections. We saw as four officers carried away an unconscious colleague, and dozens more rushed towards the conflict. Later on, we saw a Ponte fan coming back, blood dripping down his face from a gash on his head. After the game, as we were walking back to the car from the stadium, we saw an angry Ponte fan kicking at the windshield of a car stopped at a red light. After a couple unsuccessful attempts, the man took a few steps back and leapt at the window, forcing it in with his foot. Moments later, after he and his friends had run away, police were swarming in cars, all armed to the teeth with shotguns, pistols, and other weapons. I would not be surprised if there were other violent incidents across the section of the city.
Sunday was a much quieter day. We relaxed all afternoon, and I once again did my laundry at Tiago's house with the assistance of his mother. That night, Tiago and I picked up Fucho and Rosana and first went to a shopping mall. Originally, the goal was to find a place for me to get my hair cut, but both the salons in the mall were very expensive (50 reais = $25 for a cut, wash, and dry). Looking for something more to do, we drove around for a while, flirting with numerous ideas of going to other cities. Finally, we decided to play sinuka (snooker) and drove to a place nearby.
Breaking
Making fun of RosanaThe game was very similar to normal 8-ball in the states, but instead of stripes and solids, we played evens and odds, with the one ball being the last to be pocketed for the win. Tiago and I teamed up against Rosana and Fucho, who was by far the best of us. After seven rounds, including one very sick shot executed by yours truly to win a round, Tiago and I emerged victorious, 4-3. The shot that I'm so proud of came at the end of the third game. Only the 1-ball was left on the table, and I nailed a difficult bounce shot to pocket the 1-ball off of the side rail.
The showdown
The face of concentration
After playing the rounds of sinuka, Fucho and I pitted our mini-soccer skills on the foosball table. Playing a best of three, I took the series 2-0-1, with the tie coming when the table only deposited 6 balls instead of 7. I was quite pleased to have secured a foosball win against a Brazilian, as they are renowned for their football prowess. On the real field, though, I'm sure I would have no such success.
"Yay friends!"
Hope you're all well wherever in the world you're reading this from. I've been here for 4 weeks now and I only have 8 left. The Portuguese is still improving, and I'm greatly looking forward to using it in the Amazon in a couple of weeks.
The showdown
The face of concentrationAfter playing the rounds of sinuka, Fucho and I pitted our mini-soccer skills on the foosball table. Playing a best of three, I took the series 2-0-1, with the tie coming when the table only deposited 6 balls instead of 7. I was quite pleased to have secured a foosball win against a Brazilian, as they are renowned for their football prowess. On the real field, though, I'm sure I would have no such success.
"Yay friends!"Hope you're all well wherever in the world you're reading this from. I've been here for 4 weeks now and I only have 8 left. The Portuguese is still improving, and I'm greatly looking forward to using it in the Amazon in a couple of weeks.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday: Sao Paulo, Churrasco, Festa
Thursday morning I took the bus again, and once again ran into Gabriela. We spoke for a while, and once again parted ways at the bus terminal. I called Rodrigo to tell him I would be a little late to work, and he told me we would actually be heading to Sao Paulo. So we headed off towards Sao Paulo, and along the way we stopped for lunch at a very interesting restaurant beside the highway. The place was called NYC Burger, and it was decorated with plenty of American memorabilia, along with antique cars and a yellow taxi cab out front. The sign outside advertised, "taste the flavor of America." We ate burgers and took a bunch of pictures with the different artifacts while listening to a live performer playing popular American oldies on an electric guitar. Then we continued on the way to Sao Paulo.
Rodrigo with the yellow cab out front of NYC Burger
The table we ate at
Football Rollin
We arrived at the convention center that housed the Franchising Expo, the reason for our trip to the city. Only Professor Sabbatini and Rodrigo went in, though, and Tiago was assigned to show me some of the sights of Sao Paulo. As we drove through the bustling streets of the massive city, I was at times reminded of many other cities in the world. One moment we would be driving through the small hilly streets of San Francisco, making our way to the snaking overpass highways of Hong Kong, and on to the high-walled freeways of L.A. Our first destination was the Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo's equivalent of Fifth Avenue. The street was 8 lanes wide, with lines of tall buildings on either side, housing banks, tv stations, and other office buildings.
Tiago and Rodrigo outside the convention center
Looking in the direction of the center of the city - note the change in sky color
After strolling along the avenue for a while, we drove off to Parque Ibirapuera, the big park in the middle of the city - somewhat of a mix of central park and the national mall. The park had a very nice lake and beautiful views of some of the buildings in the area. The park also has an obelisk, somewhat like the Washington Monument, except less pointy at the top. We walked around the park for about 45 minutes, before driving back to pick up Rodrigo and the professor. Getting out of the city took over an hour, with stop and go traffic from the center to the outskirts. I didn't arrive home until 10 o'clock.
The guys at the house were having a churrasco, or barbeque, to see off Freek, the Dutchman. Last night was his final one here in Campinas, as he was headed back for home on Monday and would spend the weekend in Sao Paulo. By the time I arrived, home, however, there was nothing left but beer. So we drank and partied before heading out to a festa, or party, at UNICAMP. Almost all of the guys in the house went, and we were singing and yelling and drinking all along the road on the way there. The party was plenty of fun, and we stayed out until 3:30 or so, then Freek, Kevin, and I sat around watching Crank on tv, eating Freek's extra pizzas from the freezer, while Renato was passed out half-drunk behind us. We went to bed at 5, and I truly felt as though I was losing a good friend, or at least someone who could have been a good friend had we had more time.
The guys
Rodrigo with the yellow cab out front of NYC Burger
The table we ate at
Football Rollin
Tiago and Rodrigo outside the convention center
Looking in the direction of the center of the city - note the change in sky color
Parque Ibirapuera:
The guysWednesday: Getting to Know UNICAMP
Dra. Silvia needed her notebook charger back after work on Wednesday, so I have been unable to update this blog since then for lack of power to my laptop. So today I'll be posting multiple entries, as one aggregated post would be supremely long and tiresome both to read and to write.
Wednesday morning I had to wake up especially early because I was accompanying Dr. Sabbatini and Rodrigo to a seminar on the future of learning being held at UNICAMP, the main university of Campinas. Dr. Sabbatini was slated to be one of the speakers at this seminar, so we had to arrive early. The professor's house is about 3 blocks away from where I am staying, so he picked me up at 8 in the morning and we drove down to the university together.
Professor Sabbatini speaking at the seminar
The conference itself was particularly exciting. Professor Sabbatini's lecture was probably the most interesting of the three included in the seminar, but, seeing as everything was carried out in Portuguese, I had a difficult time following all of it. The highlight was "coffee break," a 15-minute intermission that turned out to be much more than just coffee. There was mini all kinds of foods, including pastries, sandwiches, and brownies.
After the seminar Dr. Sabbatini gave me a driving tour of UNICAMP's campus, which is very interestingly designed. It consists of multiple, essentially concentric rings that house the different departments of the university. In the middle is Ciclo Basico, where the introductory classes for freshmen and sophomores are housed. As you travel further out in the rings, the disciplines become more specialized. Professor Sabbatini said the university was so designed in order to minimize the walking time for students to get to the places they need to go. Quite interesting.
The campus, from above. Note the rings
UNICAMP's logo is actually a iconical representation of the campus
We then went to a very interesting place for lunch. The restaurant was filled with American-style memorabilia such as signs, movie posters, model trains running on tracks near the ceiling, and even a large collection of warner brothers and disney figurines. Apparently this restaurant was Dr. Sabbatini's favorite during his tenure at UNICAMP. Rodrigo and I ate feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. Apparently Wednesday is feijoada day all across Brazil, so you can eat feijoada pretty much anywhere on a Wednesday. The dish itself has an interesting history, as it originated from the food the slaves would make with the leftover scraps of pork that they were given.
Professor Sabbatini told us plenty of stories that day, including stories about some of the brilliant students he had come across in his time at UNICAMP. He started a division there of Bioinformatics, the discipline that telemedicine most readily falls under. In his words, he saw "all of the crazy people" that didn't quite fit into medicine or computing, but were rather interested in both, like himself. It turns out that Professor Sabbatini has two Ph.D's to go along with his MD, and is also very well studied in engineering. He's certainly one of the smartest people I've ever met, and yet he is very nice and loves cracking jokes. His favorite thing, I've come to realize, is telling stories, as it seems like he is always giving a brief history lesson when we have a convesation. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, though I did go to the supermarket to recharge some of my dwindling supplies. Post about Thursday's events and observations coming soon.
Wednesday morning I had to wake up especially early because I was accompanying Dr. Sabbatini and Rodrigo to a seminar on the future of learning being held at UNICAMP, the main university of Campinas. Dr. Sabbatini was slated to be one of the speakers at this seminar, so we had to arrive early. The professor's house is about 3 blocks away from where I am staying, so he picked me up at 8 in the morning and we drove down to the university together.
Professor Sabbatini speaking at the seminarThe conference itself was particularly exciting. Professor Sabbatini's lecture was probably the most interesting of the three included in the seminar, but, seeing as everything was carried out in Portuguese, I had a difficult time following all of it. The highlight was "coffee break," a 15-minute intermission that turned out to be much more than just coffee. There was mini all kinds of foods, including pastries, sandwiches, and brownies.
After the seminar Dr. Sabbatini gave me a driving tour of UNICAMP's campus, which is very interestingly designed. It consists of multiple, essentially concentric rings that house the different departments of the university. In the middle is Ciclo Basico, where the introductory classes for freshmen and sophomores are housed. As you travel further out in the rings, the disciplines become more specialized. Professor Sabbatini said the university was so designed in order to minimize the walking time for students to get to the places they need to go. Quite interesting.
The campus, from above. Note the ringsUNICAMP's logo is actually a iconical representation of the campusWe then went to a very interesting place for lunch. The restaurant was filled with American-style memorabilia such as signs, movie posters, model trains running on tracks near the ceiling, and even a large collection of warner brothers and disney figurines. Apparently this restaurant was Dr. Sabbatini's favorite during his tenure at UNICAMP. Rodrigo and I ate feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. Apparently Wednesday is feijoada day all across Brazil, so you can eat feijoada pretty much anywhere on a Wednesday. The dish itself has an interesting history, as it originated from the food the slaves would make with the leftover scraps of pork that they were given.
Professor Sabbatini told us plenty of stories that day, including stories about some of the brilliant students he had come across in his time at UNICAMP. He started a division there of Bioinformatics, the discipline that telemedicine most readily falls under. In his words, he saw "all of the crazy people" that didn't quite fit into medicine or computing, but were rather interested in both, like himself. It turns out that Professor Sabbatini has two Ph.D's to go along with his MD, and is also very well studied in engineering. He's certainly one of the smartest people I've ever met, and yet he is very nice and loves cracking jokes. His favorite thing, I've come to realize, is telling stories, as it seems like he is always giving a brief history lesson when we have a convesation. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, though I did go to the supermarket to recharge some of my dwindling supplies. Post about Thursday's events and observations coming soon.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Eventful Tuesday... Who Would Have Thought?
Part I: The Ride to Work
This surprisingly busy day began with a few rain drops. My usual arrangement with Tiago goes as follows: if it isn't raining, he comes and picks me up at 9 AM; if it is raining, I take the bus. But as menacing as the skies appeared, it only began to drizzle, a few sporadic drops at a time, beginning right around 9 o'clock. Now Tiago is usually late anyways, so I decided to wait a little longer before heading out to the bus stop a few blocks away. I would learn later that he had sent me a simple SMS at 8 that read "go bus." I somehow failed to receive it. When he still had not arrived by 9:25, I decided it was time, and started off down the street.
I got to the bus stop and sat down, waiting for the next bus to arrive. After a few minutes, a girl, somewhat close to my age but perhaps a couple years younger, walked up and sat down, evidently waiting for the same line. We sat in silence for about five minutes before a car pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down and a woman the girl knew offered her a ride to the bus terminal. Then they asked me if I was headed there too, and promptly gave me a lift as well. I ended up sitting in the middle of the back seat surrounded by two child seats, one of which was occupied by a cute little girl of about 6 years (I am absolutely horrible at guessing the ages of children, though, so I'd put a +/- 2 on that figure).
At first I sat in silence as the two in the front conversed in Portuguese. Eventually, though, I had to explain in my terrible Portuguese that I was American, from New Jersey, here for an exchange with a company that works with telemedicine. Luckily, however, the woman spoke English very well, and the girl understood well, but spoke with some difficulty. On the way, I learned that the woman was originally from Argentina, so I of course told her of my 2 month stay in Neuquen four years ago. The girl, Gabriela, is a student at PUC-CAMP, a private university here in Campinas, and is studying medicine. We parted ways at the bus terminal with an enthusiastic goodbye.
Part II: Lunch
Instead of the usual lunch at the padaria (bakery) across the street from Edumed, I accompanied Tiago, his mother, and Rosana, Edumed's secretary of sorts, to the Don Pedro mall to eat a hot dog. The food wasn't the interesting part, though the hot dog was quite massive and filled with all sorts of wild toppings. More fascinating, perhaps, was the fact that I saw the first distinctly American people I've seen here in Brazil. They also happened to eat at the hot dog place, and their struggles with Portuguese were quite apparent. Even their mannerisms seemed American to me!
Another interesting tidbit I came across was the first girl that I've seen here truly supermodel worthy. The kind of girl most American men (and maybe women) think of when they here the word "Brazilian." She was quite beautiful indeed, simply walking through the foodcourt of the shopping mall with a couple of bags in each hand. Her hair even had that supermodel bounce to it. Fascinating.
Part III: After Work
At the end of the workday, I left with Tiago as usual. He said that he was going to a churrascaria for dinner, and asked if I would like to go. First, though, he was going to work out with Fucho to continue preparing for the physical test for the police force. He said that they were going to do some Capoeira, so obviously I asked if I could work out with them first, too. So Tiago brought me back to the house and waited in the car as I packed a bag with a change of clothes. We went back to his house, changed, picked up Fucho, and went to the athletic center, comprised of a gravel track surrounding a soccer field, and an indoor area where teams were playing handball. Much to my disappointment, we didn't do any Capoeira.
Later, we returned to the house to clean up and head out for dinner. Tiago's mom and sister came, as well as Fucho. Tiago's father wasn't home, as he had business to conduct in Rio. We squeezed into the car and drove over to the churrascaria, and ate back all the calories we had burned and then some.
The grill
A picture at Frango Assado after dinner
From left: Tiago's mom, me, Fucho, Tiago, Tiago's sister
This surprisingly busy day began with a few rain drops. My usual arrangement with Tiago goes as follows: if it isn't raining, he comes and picks me up at 9 AM; if it is raining, I take the bus. But as menacing as the skies appeared, it only began to drizzle, a few sporadic drops at a time, beginning right around 9 o'clock. Now Tiago is usually late anyways, so I decided to wait a little longer before heading out to the bus stop a few blocks away. I would learn later that he had sent me a simple SMS at 8 that read "go bus." I somehow failed to receive it. When he still had not arrived by 9:25, I decided it was time, and started off down the street.
I got to the bus stop and sat down, waiting for the next bus to arrive. After a few minutes, a girl, somewhat close to my age but perhaps a couple years younger, walked up and sat down, evidently waiting for the same line. We sat in silence for about five minutes before a car pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down and a woman the girl knew offered her a ride to the bus terminal. Then they asked me if I was headed there too, and promptly gave me a lift as well. I ended up sitting in the middle of the back seat surrounded by two child seats, one of which was occupied by a cute little girl of about 6 years (I am absolutely horrible at guessing the ages of children, though, so I'd put a +/- 2 on that figure).
At first I sat in silence as the two in the front conversed in Portuguese. Eventually, though, I had to explain in my terrible Portuguese that I was American, from New Jersey, here for an exchange with a company that works with telemedicine. Luckily, however, the woman spoke English very well, and the girl understood well, but spoke with some difficulty. On the way, I learned that the woman was originally from Argentina, so I of course told her of my 2 month stay in Neuquen four years ago. The girl, Gabriela, is a student at PUC-CAMP, a private university here in Campinas, and is studying medicine. We parted ways at the bus terminal with an enthusiastic goodbye.
Part II: Lunch
Instead of the usual lunch at the padaria (bakery) across the street from Edumed, I accompanied Tiago, his mother, and Rosana, Edumed's secretary of sorts, to the Don Pedro mall to eat a hot dog. The food wasn't the interesting part, though the hot dog was quite massive and filled with all sorts of wild toppings. More fascinating, perhaps, was the fact that I saw the first distinctly American people I've seen here in Brazil. They also happened to eat at the hot dog place, and their struggles with Portuguese were quite apparent. Even their mannerisms seemed American to me!
Another interesting tidbit I came across was the first girl that I've seen here truly supermodel worthy. The kind of girl most American men (and maybe women) think of when they here the word "Brazilian." She was quite beautiful indeed, simply walking through the foodcourt of the shopping mall with a couple of bags in each hand. Her hair even had that supermodel bounce to it. Fascinating.
Part III: After Work
At the end of the workday, I left with Tiago as usual. He said that he was going to a churrascaria for dinner, and asked if I would like to go. First, though, he was going to work out with Fucho to continue preparing for the physical test for the police force. He said that they were going to do some Capoeira, so obviously I asked if I could work out with them first, too. So Tiago brought me back to the house and waited in the car as I packed a bag with a change of clothes. We went back to his house, changed, picked up Fucho, and went to the athletic center, comprised of a gravel track surrounding a soccer field, and an indoor area where teams were playing handball. Much to my disappointment, we didn't do any Capoeira.
Later, we returned to the house to clean up and head out for dinner. Tiago's mom and sister came, as well as Fucho. Tiago's father wasn't home, as he had business to conduct in Rio. We squeezed into the car and drove over to the churrascaria, and ate back all the calories we had burned and then some.
The grill
A picture at Frango Assado after dinnerFrom left: Tiago's mom, me, Fucho, Tiago, Tiago's sister
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Weekend Edition!
Pic taken while waiting for the guysFriday night came and I had plans to go out to a club called Zzier with Tiago and Fucho. As usual, they were late coming to pick me up, but soon enough we were on our way. It was super cold out, and we stopped at a gas station next to the club to get some drinks before heading in. I had tought Fucho and Tiago how to shotgun a couple of weeks ago, and they've fallen in love with it. Now, every time we drink a beer, Fucho yells "shotchegun." We also bought a bottle of Jurupinga, a type of Brazilian alcohol that google apparently translates into "Mistelle" - a sweetened and alcoholic grape juice. At any rate, it was quite tasty when mixed with a drink similar to Mike's Hard Lemonade or Smirnoff Ice.
JurupingaP.S. Birthday shoutout to Jake - happy 21st!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Valentine's Day
So today marks the Brazilian equivalent of Valentine's Day. Apparently, during the month of June, Brazil celebrates three holidays that commemorate 3 Catholic Saints: St. Anthony (June 13), St. John the Baptist (June 24), and St. Peter (June 29). During this time, Brazilians hold parties on the eve of each of these days called festas juninas - june parties. As Professor Sabbatini explained to me while driving me home today, the 12th is then Valentine's day because St. Anthony is known as the patron saint of the unwed. So, on Valentine's day, some couples make pledges to St. Anthony sacrificing something from there lives if St. Anthony wiill bless them with a successful engagement.
Seeing that only about 60% of the country remains Catholic, however, so most couples celebrate by simply having a meal together and exchanging gifts, just like we do back home. In fact, I went to the mall earlier this week to help Rodrigo buy his girlfriend a gift. He decided to buy her a stuffed tiger from a place very much like Build-a-Bear back home. So he picked out the tiger, got it stuffed, and selected an outfit - a duck bathrobe, complete with duck-billed hood and cute duck slippers. He had also wanted to add a sound chip that he could record a message on, but the store had none left. Regardless, it was a super-cute gift and I'm sure his girlfriend loved it.
Before I learned that Valentine's Day, or Dia dos Namorados, had anything to do with a religious observance, I thought that it was funny that Valentine's Day somehow finds a way to fall during the w inter. Back home, it's obviously in February, typically one of the colder months of the year. And now in Brazil, it's situated in June, right at the beginning of the winter. Guess it gives couples a good reason to snuggle up.
Anywho, Week 3 of the hundred pushups was successfully completed while writing this blog post, so on Monday it's on to Week 4! Much love to you all on this day!
Seeing that only about 60% of the country remains Catholic, however, so most couples celebrate by simply having a meal together and exchanging gifts, just like we do back home. In fact, I went to the mall earlier this week to help Rodrigo buy his girlfriend a gift. He decided to buy her a stuffed tiger from a place very much like Build-a-Bear back home. So he picked out the tiger, got it stuffed, and selected an outfit - a duck bathrobe, complete with duck-billed hood and cute duck slippers. He had also wanted to add a sound chip that he could record a message on, but the store had none left. Regardless, it was a super-cute gift and I'm sure his girlfriend loved it.
Before I learned that Valentine's Day, or Dia dos Namorados, had anything to do with a religious observance, I thought that it was funny that Valentine's Day somehow finds a way to fall during the w inter. Back home, it's obviously in February, typically one of the colder months of the year. And now in Brazil, it's situated in June, right at the beginning of the winter. Guess it gives couples a good reason to snuggle up.
Anywho, Week 3 of the hundred pushups was successfully completed while writing this blog post, so on Monday it's on to Week 4! Much love to you all on this day!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Holiday: Corpus Christi
Brace yourselves: this will be a longer post with more pictures. Hopefully it doesn't deter any of you from reading this. If you can't bear to read the text, just check out the pics. :)
So. I only had a few goals for the day: 1. explore, 2. buy groceries, 3. get money. I ended up sleeping in until 11 or so, and didn't get out the door until after lunch - the rest of the box of frozen chicken nuggets from my last grocery run. After eating, I packed my water bottle, my passport holder, my copy of Neuromancer, and my camera into a backpack and set off to explore.
I headed down to the lake attached to UNICAMP's campus to try and walk around. Both Rodrigo and Professor Sabbatini had told me multiple times how nice the lake was, so I wanted to check it out. It took about 10 minutes to walk down to the lake, but there was a fence that separated the road from the trail and the water. I finally found the gate to the fence, and decided to walk around the trail.
The lake
A bench on the path
I took some pictures along the way, and finished the 1.6 kilometer circuit - just about 1 mile, and decided to continue on my way of exploration. Next, I found the strip of restaurants that Professor Sabbatini had showed me during my first week here, but most of them were not open for lunch. By then I had walked around for a good 3 hours, so I decided to head back to the house to rest up before taking a bus to the center of Barao Geraldo. During this break I somehow managed to talk to my parents, check fantasy baseball, and sublux my shoulder.
Street of restaurants
I eventually arrived at the bus terminal, which was less crowded than I had seen the night before. So I set off to find some groceries and a place to eat dinner.
The center of Barao Geraldo was not very busy, but I found a number of restaurants along the main street, a Citibank where I successfully completed objective (3), and, of course, a McDonalds. I also found a grocery store where I was able to stock up on plenty of food supplies. My shopping cart included miojo (brazilian ramen), nutella, heinz ketchup, french's mustard, bread, sausages, frozen chicken nuggets, froot loops, cookies, mangos, and oranges.
Me conquering my (significantly less) sizeable dog
So. I only had a few goals for the day: 1. explore, 2. buy groceries, 3. get money. I ended up sleeping in until 11 or so, and didn't get out the door until after lunch - the rest of the box of frozen chicken nuggets from my last grocery run. After eating, I packed my water bottle, my passport holder, my copy of Neuromancer, and my camera into a backpack and set off to explore.
I headed down to the lake attached to UNICAMP's campus to try and walk around. Both Rodrigo and Professor Sabbatini had told me multiple times how nice the lake was, so I wanted to check it out. It took about 10 minutes to walk down to the lake, but there was a fence that separated the road from the trail and the water. I finally found the gate to the fence, and decided to walk around the trail.
The lake
A bench on the path
Street of restaurantsSo after my break I walked back out onto the street and over to the bus stop. As I was turning the corner, I saw one of the buses I could take pulling away. It turned out I had to wait for another 20 minutes before the next bus came, so I had some time to take some pictures. Apparently even Kumon has made its way to Brazil.
The center of Barao Geraldo was not very busy, but I found a number of restaurants along the main street, a Citibank where I successfully completed objective (3), and, of course, a McDonalds. I also found a grocery store where I was able to stock up on plenty of food supplies. My shopping cart included miojo (brazilian ramen), nutella, heinz ketchup, french's mustard, bread, sausages, frozen chicken nuggets, froot loops, cookies, mangos, and oranges.
No city is complete without Blockbuster and McDonalds...
I rode the bus back home and was in the middle of watching Bolt when Tiago messaged me on msn, proposing a hot dog run. I agreed, and about a half hour later Fucho, Alex (Gordao), and Tiago showed up and we went off. The hot dogs at the place were monstrous! Well, they were really as big as you wanted them to be. Fucho and Gordao made simply gigantic dogs, Tiago's was midsize, and mine was quite modestly proportioned. And they were only 5 reais apiece ($2.50). Unbelievable. So I went home with all my goals satisfied and then some.
Alex (Gordao), Tiago (Jack), and Weverton (Fucho)
Fucho tackling his absurdly monstrous dog
Alex (Gordao), Tiago (Jack), and Weverton (Fucho)
Fucho tackling his absurdly monstrous dog
Me conquering my (significantly less) sizeable dogWednesday, June 10, 2009
Power Outage
The sky had been dark all day and it began to rain when I headed home from Edumed around 6. The real storm, however, didn't arrive until after dinner. The sky lit up as lightning flashed and torrents of rain poured onto the roof slats of the house. Then, all of a sudden, as I was in the middle of watching a recently acquired copy of Eagle Eye, the lights shut off and, then blinked on, then turned off for good. All the power in the house had turned off.
Since this is a holiday weekend, very few people were around at all. Only Kevin and Walter, who will be leaving tomorrow, remained. We gathered in the kitchen, and Walter brought a couple candles that he happened to have in his room. Kevin cooked himself dinner on the gas stove lit by a match, and Walter and I settled down to a game of chess. Much to my surprise, I played a decent game, although I lost in the end. It had been years since I had played chess at all. After the game I returned to my movie, and as the film was reaching its dramatic finale, the lights turned back on as power was restored.
Tomorrow, I plan on exploring Barao Geraldo, the university neighborhood where I live, and running some errands like grocery shopping and going to the bank. I'll be sure to check back in with a report of my adventure.
Since this is a holiday weekend, very few people were around at all. Only Kevin and Walter, who will be leaving tomorrow, remained. We gathered in the kitchen, and Walter brought a couple candles that he happened to have in his room. Kevin cooked himself dinner on the gas stove lit by a match, and Walter and I settled down to a game of chess. Much to my surprise, I played a decent game, although I lost in the end. It had been years since I had played chess at all. After the game I returned to my movie, and as the film was reaching its dramatic finale, the lights turned back on as power was restored.
Tomorrow, I plan on exploring Barao Geraldo, the university neighborhood where I live, and running some errands like grocery shopping and going to the bank. I'll be sure to check back in with a report of my adventure.
Beer, Cheese, Meat, and Hot Sauce
Last night after work, I once again left with Rodrigo and accompanied him home to Valinhos, a small city about 20 minutes away from Campinas by bus. We were to meet some of his high school friends and head to a bar for some drinks. Unfortunately, their favorite watering-hole was closed, so after some discussion, we headed off to a Pizzeria/Bar a little ways away. There I continued my Brazillian cultural education with a type of beer called chopp.
The four of us began with a round of Brahma Black, their favorite chopp. The method of keeping tabs at the bar was particularly interesting. We had a slip of paper assigned to our table, with the numbers 1-50 arranged in a 5x10 grid. Every time the waiter brought another round of beers, he would cross of the corresponding numbers. I jokingly asked Rodrigo if he had ever finished an entire card in one night. Not yet, he said.
Beginning around 6:30, we continued drinking, chatting, laughing, and eating plates of cheese and smoked meat, accompanied by a deliciously spicy hot sauce. Along the way, a couple more of their friends arrived and joined the table. I also sampled a Caipirinha, essentially the national cocktail of Brazil. It was quite strong. By the end of the night, I was falling asleep in my chair, and we had collectively drank 54 beers! The entire first card was filled out, and a second card started. Fortunately, the place had a drink special with all the beers half priced, so we didn't quite break our wallets.
Turns out tomorrow is a holiday and a long weekend here in Brazil, and I've been invited to a few parties with Rodrigo's friends, even though he will be in Sao Paulo seeing his girl.
The four of us began with a round of Brahma Black, their favorite chopp. The method of keeping tabs at the bar was particularly interesting. We had a slip of paper assigned to our table, with the numbers 1-50 arranged in a 5x10 grid. Every time the waiter brought another round of beers, he would cross of the corresponding numbers. I jokingly asked Rodrigo if he had ever finished an entire card in one night. Not yet, he said.
Beginning around 6:30, we continued drinking, chatting, laughing, and eating plates of cheese and smoked meat, accompanied by a deliciously spicy hot sauce. Along the way, a couple more of their friends arrived and joined the table. I also sampled a Caipirinha, essentially the national cocktail of Brazil. It was quite strong. By the end of the night, I was falling asleep in my chair, and we had collectively drank 54 beers! The entire first card was filled out, and a second card started. Fortunately, the place had a drink special with all the beers half priced, so we didn't quite break our wallets.
Turns out tomorrow is a holiday and a long weekend here in Brazil, and I've been invited to a few parties with Rodrigo's friends, even though he will be in Sao Paulo seeing his girl.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Weekend Update
Spent another weekend at Tiago's house, since Rodrigo went to Sao Paulo to see his girlfriend. Saturday night was spent at a friend's house for a barbecue party of sorts. On our way over, we picked up the meat and the beer from a little supermarket. We bought 4 Kilos of meat!!
Meat anyone?
Thus the night continued with eating, drinking, and playing truco, a traditional card game. I had played a game called truco in Argentina during my stay there, but Tiago quickly explained that the Brazilian counterpart is slightly different. Read about it.
In other news, I'm about 1/3 of the way through William Gibson's Neuromancer and enjoying it thoroughly. The Hundred Pushups continue at a slow pace. I fear that I'll have to repeat a few of the weeks to get through them. Tomorrow, Tiago can't come to pick me up before work, since he's taking Professor Sabbatini, the director, to Sao Paulo for business. An adventure is sure to ensue as I try to figure out how to get to Edumed by bus.
Meat anyone?
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Finally, a Hot Shower!
Actually, it was more like a warm shower. But when compared to the frigid water that I had been reluctantly taking 2-minute speed showers in downstairs in the house, this shower felt like heaven. My mission to find a hot shower actually began Friday morning before work. I hadn't showered the night before, so I woke up with the desire to take a nice, hot shower to wake up and start the day right. To my dismay, the showerhead spouted nothing but arctic seawater no matter how much I fiddled with the single knob. After a few minutes of shivering in my towel, I gave up and tried the next shower upstairs. Same result. By then it was already late, and Tiago would be arriving any minute. So I decided to put the quest on hold until after work.
When I got back to the house, it finally occurred to me that I should ask one of the guys for advice on a hot shower. Unfortunately, it was Friday, and once again the house was deserted. The only one around was Kevin, who was entrenched in the middle of a computer game. I decided to wait. Finally, after doing the first day of the Hundred Pushups Program Week 3, I had to take a shower. Once again, I made my way from the ground floor of the house up to the 3rd story. Luckily, I found Francisco coming back from UNICAMP and, dressed only in my towel, accosted him. Laughing, he pointed me to the bathroom on the top level of the house. I raced, up the stairs, turned on the shower, and waited anxiously for things to heat up. Furtively, I extended my hand to feel the water. It was warm! Quest completed, I took the longest and most satisfying shower of my time here so far.
When I got back to the house, it finally occurred to me that I should ask one of the guys for advice on a hot shower. Unfortunately, it was Friday, and once again the house was deserted. The only one around was Kevin, who was entrenched in the middle of a computer game. I decided to wait. Finally, after doing the first day of the Hundred Pushups Program Week 3, I had to take a shower. Once again, I made my way from the ground floor of the house up to the 3rd story. Luckily, I found Francisco coming back from UNICAMP and, dressed only in my towel, accosted him. Laughing, he pointed me to the bathroom on the top level of the house. I raced, up the stairs, turned on the shower, and waited anxiously for things to heat up. Furtively, I extended my hand to feel the water. It was warm! Quest completed, I took the longest and most satisfying shower of my time here so far.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Green Hills and Clay Roofs
Yesterday, Tiago and Rodrigo, another Edumed colleague and friend, had both mentioned the possibility of me accompanying Tiago on a business trip to Sorocaba, another city about an hours' drive away. I was undecided whether I would tag along, and this morning Tiago brought it up again, saying that he had cleared it with Professor Sabbatini (the director) and that we would leave after lunch.
So after chowing down on some Burger King (not very different from it's US version), Tiago and I hit the road in Dra. Silvia's Volkswagon Gol. Soon, I was glad that I had left the office, as the monotonous reviewing of telemedicine literature was replaced by a glimpse of the Brazilian countryside. From my vantage point inside the car, speeding down the highway at 120 km/hr, I was able to snap a few photos of the sprawling green hills that made up the space between each city along our route. Every so often, this grassy and forested expanse would be suddenly split by an explosion of civilization, like a handful of weeds shooting out of cracks in the sidewalk. These small cities inbetween Campinas and Sorocaba were mainly comprised of dense concentrations of low buildings, all with red, clay-colored roofs.
This landscape that continued to pass through my window frame seemed so different than what I had become used to, both home in New Jersey or down at Duke. I tried explaining this to Tiago, how the cities in the states seem so metropolitan and plain in comparison - almost lifeless. How the highways are rarely surrounded by broad countryside between cities. Back in the states, the spot of green that specks the area off of the NJ Turnpike seems out of place. Here in Brazil, the cities themselves seemed like the intruders.
So after chowing down on some Burger King (not very different from it's US version), Tiago and I hit the road in Dra. Silvia's Volkswagon Gol. Soon, I was glad that I had left the office, as the monotonous reviewing of telemedicine literature was replaced by a glimpse of the Brazilian countryside. From my vantage point inside the car, speeding down the highway at 120 km/hr, I was able to snap a few photos of the sprawling green hills that made up the space between each city along our route. Every so often, this grassy and forested expanse would be suddenly split by an explosion of civilization, like a handful of weeds shooting out of cracks in the sidewalk. These small cities inbetween Campinas and Sorocaba were mainly comprised of dense concentrations of low buildings, all with red, clay-colored roofs.
This landscape that continued to pass through my window frame seemed so different than what I had become used to, both home in New Jersey or down at Duke. I tried explaining this to Tiago, how the cities in the states seem so metropolitan and plain in comparison - almost lifeless. How the highways are rarely surrounded by broad countryside between cities. Back in the states, the spot of green that specks the area off of the NJ Turnpike seems out of place. Here in Brazil, the cities themselves seemed like the intruders.
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