thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
or so, we finally found them and relaxed in the sand. Valerie and I tried our hand at some paddle ball game...we werent very good. An hour or two later we got hungry and had lunch at a little restaurant back in town where we had baurus (or as Pedro described them...a sophisticated hamburger). Its basically bread with lettuce, tomato, shoestring fries, a thin slice of steak and sometimes a fried egg. It was quite delicious. Sophisticated? No, but it was tasty! After lunch we headed to the HUGE jetti in Cassino. The jetti has a railroad track along the top of it with these small sail cars that will take you out to the end (about 4 kilometers from the beach). The wind always blows hard in Cassino so these cars really get moving on their way to the end. It was really a fun little ride out there. We stopped and took pictures along the way when we had to let other cars pass (it was single track only). At the end we took a few more pictures and watched a few dolphins swimming off in the distance before heading back along the railroad tracks toward the beach. When we got back to the beach we drove down to take pictures in front of the sign claiming that Cassino was the longest stretch of beach in the world. Then we met up with Ana for some chimarrao on the beach before driving back to Pelotas for the evening. That evening we had dinner at Cruz de Malta in Pelotas. Both of us shared filet mignon steaks with melted smoked provolone cheese on top. Thats it, just meat. Those Brasilians from Rio Grande do Sul sure do love their meat! It was really delicious, one of the better cuts I think we had that week.Friday we took our time getting ready and headed back to Cassino to meet with Anas family for some traditional Brasilian churrasco (BBQ). They were kind enough to invite us over for drinks and a family bar-b-que at the little house they were renting for vacation. We arrived and were quickly shown how to make a proper caipirinha. Lime, Sugar, and Cachaca. Pretty simple and very delicious. Then I was escorted out to the back yard where the magic happens. Nearly every house, apartment, and even hotel room (with a balcony) is equipped with the traditional stone hearth used to make churrasco. Its a simple brick pit with holes drilled in the back panel and rods placed across the front. The holes hold the skewers that the meat is pressed on to hold it over the fire. Pretty simple design with really great results. We took lots of pictures of the meat cooking. There was beef ribs, sausage and a large cut of beef (Im not sure what cut though). Andre told me that the only seasoning on the meat was salt. While the meat was cooking we enjoyed a few drinks. I found a Brasilian beer that I really enjoyed and will try to find here
in the states called Itaipava. The meat was wonderful. Simple flavor that really focuses on the smoke and meat flavors. Its different than our bbq though. Theres no dry rub, wet rub, sauce, marinade or anything. Meat & salt, thats it. To go with the meal we had a simple salad of lettuce, onion and tomato. Typically though, for a traditional bbq there will be just meat and maybe a small amount of bread. After we ate, we sat around and talked for awhile. Valerie brought up the fact that I had brought her boots down to Brasil and they were in the car. She pulled out a CD that had some Texas Country on it, put on the boots, and we gave a short demonstration of some Texas country dancing. We did a 2 step, a waltz and a 1 step. I was nervous because I was out of practice, but we did just fine, and got a nice ovation after we finished. I really enjoyed the day because we got to look into the family life of southern Brasil. That evening we drove back to Pelotas and wandered around the city a bit more taking pictures of the fountain in the square and a few of the older buildings in the area.Saturday, New Years Eve, we walked around the city quite a bit. We walked past a restaurant called Restaurante Texas Grill. Apparently us Texans are famous, even in South America. Then we walked through a huge farmers market. It was probably a half mile stretch or more of the main avenue and people had truck and table after truck and table of all sorts of produce for very very cheap. I told Valerie that if I were living there Id be shopping there once a week for sure! So much good stuff. Then we walked down to the cathedral which was really neat, but couldnt get many good pictures because it was overcast and raining. We walked all the way down to the Centro (downtown area) to do some window shopping. We bought some chocolates and some chimarrao (tea) from a few of the shops. We were having trouble understanding the gentleman at the tea shop and ended up buying the forte (strong) version of the tea (which I found out once I got back home). Man is that stuff potent! On our walk back we passed a Masonic Lodge that we previously found and took a few pictures in front of it. Turns out it was built in the mid-1800s and is the main lodge in Pelotas. There is lots of rich Masonic history in Pelotas. Back on the avenue by Valeries house there was a street flower stand where people were going crazy buying flowers. They had some of the most beautiful flowers of all different sizes and colors. We wandered through for a few minutes and I offered to buy Valerie some New Years Flowers. On New Years, colors are very important to Brasilians. Flowers, and things you wear, represent what you are hoping for during
the coming year. White for peace, red for passion, pink for love, and yellow or green for money. There were a LOT of people buying white flowers. I think thats the go-to color. So we bought a bouquet (which cost all of about $9) and headed to find some coffee (I had been craving and missing coffee since I got down there). We found a little shop (that fortunately was still open, most shops had closed by now) that had some very delicious and fancy coffee drinks. Valerie got a white chocolate one, and I got one made with Amarula (a liqueur from Africa). They were very delicious and really hit the spot. After coffee we tried to find a place to eat a nice New Years dinner, but everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, was closed. Its tradition for families to spend the New Years together, and so all stores and restaurants close for two days. So, we ended up coming back to Valeries apartment and I whipped up a little noodle dish that we enjoyed. Since everything was closed, and the weather was foul, we decided to stay in for the New Years and just enjoyed being with each other. We watched some fireworks through the rain on Valeries balcony, watched the celebrations in the bigger Brasilian cities on TV, and enjoyed a glass of champagne at midnight. It was a great way to spend the end of 2011.New Years Day, my last day, greeted us with warm temperatures and sunshine...of course, the only day its sunny and warm is the day I leave. We woke up later than expected, after staying up celebrating the New Year, and headed to Lobao for lunch. Lobao is what we think of as a traditional Brasilian BBQ restaurant where the waiters (gauchos) bring meats to the table and slice off a piece for you. It was very very delicious, and I think there are a few places in the states that get it close to the way they do down south. Valeries friend Rafaela met us up there, her family was celebrating her grandfathers birthday I believe. I stuffed myself on about 15 different kinds of meat and a really great side dish buffet bar. Rafaela ordered us a special dessert, roasted pineapple with sugar and some cream sauce. Im not a big fruit person, but this was incredible. Im going to figure out how to make it because it was so delicious. We were taking pictures of the logo of the restaurant and the waiter saw us contorting ourselves in awkward positions to get the logo from the side of a plate with something in the background. A few minutes later he came back to the table with something wrapped up and said this is a gift for you, but dont let anyone see. We were really confused, but when we finally opened it, we understood. He had grabbed a cup and saucer from the restaurants kitchen that had the logo on it and given it to us. It was a very
nice gesture, one that I dont think he would have done had Rafa not mentioned to him out loud and to everyone around that we were Americans from out of town. Thanks Rafa, haha! After lunch we walked back down to the cathedral to see if it was open, thinking surely it would be open on a Sunday. No luck. However, since the weather was better we got some great pictures from the outside. We also found a large Masonic monument in the courtyard of the cathedral that we hadnt noticed the day before. We walked back to Valeries house in a little bit of a funk, knowing that I would be leaving in a few hours, but we tried to keep our heads up. Around 5pm we left her apartment, headed for the bus station where we sat and waited for my bus to arrive. She and I have had to part several times, and each time has been by car (where one of us is driving), or plane (where you cant see the other person once they board). Leaving by bus is different. You board and then have to wait while the bus loads and pulls away. We waved bye for probably 15 minutes before the bus finally pulled away. It was a tough way to say goodbye.My return trip wasnt quite as easy as the trip down there. The 3 hour bus ride turned into a 4 hour 15 minute bus ride because of traffic. This left me with about 1 hour to get to the airport, check in, and board before my plane closed the doors. My heart was racing. Once I got to Porto Alegre I had to try and ask if the bus was going to the bus station, it wasnt. So then I had to get a taxi, but the line was (and Im not exaggerating) about 100 people long. Fortunately there were a LOT of taxis that shuttle people through the line quickly. Once I got in the cab, I told the driver, in broken Portanol (Portuguese & Espanol), that I had a flight in less than an hour and I had to get to the airport as fast as possible. I got my point across because he flew out of the bus station and was probably going twice the speed limit and running red lights and stop signs like it was going out of style. Fortunately I made it, checked in, and was able to board as one of the last few passengers to make it. From there I flew to Sao Paolo where I had 1 hour to get my bag, go out of security, check in with American, go back through security, and board the next flight. All of that isnt a difficult task, unless you dont speak the native language, and then it becomes quite intimidating. Sao Paolo, being a bigger airport, had more people who could speak English, so I wasnt left high and dry and it all worked out fine. I slept most the way to Miami and
watched a beautiful sunrise over the Florida Keys as the sun came up. Since we were flying West (away from the sunrise) it extended the length of the sunrise to about an hour. I could see straight to the bottom of the ocean in a few places because the water is so clear there and there were little islands popping up all over the place with reefs between. I wish that I had a better camera to take pictures with, the iPhone just didnt do any justice to the beautiful sights below. Miami was a breeze to get through and I was off to Houston in no time. Houston to Corpus was uneventful and after more than 24 hours of travel (26.5 I think) I was finally back at home in my apartment.All-in-all it was an amazing trip and I couldnt have had a better travel partner. We hiked, swam, ate, drank, drove, rode, shopped, took pictures, and in general just enjoyed each others company. I cant wait for our next great adventure, who knows where that will be!
Hope everyone had a great Fat Tuesday and are recooperating today! Last Wednesday I went to a Xavante game (Brasil de Pelotas) and was glad to experience a Brazilian futbol (soccer) game. I was informed that the game was a friendly one, more or less like a scrimmage in preparation for more intense, important games in the coming weeks. Despite this fact, I learned more Portuguese slang and curse words in the span of ten minutes than I've learned the entire time I've lived down here. This sport and its fans seem to have a culture all its own and I find it absolutely fascinating. The home team came away with a 2-0 win (hate to know how the fans are when they lose...) Can't wait for the next big game!This past weekend, instead of trying to twist someone's arm to see some of the Carnival activities in Pelotas, which the locals I talked to say is not anything to rave about, I went with Renata to her family's 25th annual reunion. Much like my family, they get together for a weekend camping trip and enjoy each other's company for a couple of days. This takes place every year on a farm located about a half hour outside of Pelotas around the time of Carnival. When we arrived, we set up our tents and of course, without fail, the weather turned ugly. A strong wind and heavy downpour rolled in and completely destroyed our campsite. My tent had broken poles, all things were drenched, soaking wet. Did that stop us? Of course not! Renata's grandfather had brought a heavy duty, old-school, military-style type tent that was pitched and Renata, her boyfriend Matheus, and I shared. We stayed up Saturday night after cleaning up what we could of the camping area and sang songs and laughed and told stories of what had just happened a couple of hours before and how funny it was to see everyone out in the rain trying to save the barracas. The next day more people arrived and a large churrasco was made with more meat than you can believe. People were seemingly curious about me, and I met many members of the family and friends. Sunday was a scorcher so when we just really couldn't take the heat any longer we walked down to the tank and waded around in the water to cool off. After a delicious meal, Renata, myself, and Mateus decided that since the night before we had been plagued by mosquitos and little frogs that found our tent to be a nice place to stay dry, we would head back into Pelotas instead of braving another night underneath the stars. After attempts by several family members to persuade us into staying, we got on the road at about 6pm. I would like to say, Thanks Renata for having me be a part of your family reunion! Howdy folks! So it seems that I looked up and three weeks have passed since I last posted to the blog. My apologies! The last couple of
weeks have been rather trying for me. I received a call on Monday January 16th, Martin Luther King Jr Day, that my grandma who had been steadily recovering from a stroke in November, passed away. Grandma meant so much to me as I'm sure many people's grandmas do, but I was and continue to be very sad about losing her and I keep her in my heart and dreams daily. Upon hearing the news, I immediately booked a flight home, leaving Pelotas on Wednesday and arriving in Austin on Thursday the 19th. Friday, my mom, cousin Sarah, and Aunt Jenny drove to Longview to be with family and friends. We spent Saturday there and it was very good to see everyone but also very difficult. Sunday, we returned to Austin where I borrowed Aaron's mom's car (thanks Shelley!) to drive to Corpus Christi to spend a couple of days with Aaron. While he was busy studying and flying, I had some time to rest and relax a bit before hopping on a plane Wednesday evening to return to Brazil after a whirlwind week.Saying goodbye AGAIN to Aaron, Austin, my family, and Winston (my dog) was rough. I had developed a routine in my new home in Pelotas and returning to the US for that week has really thrown me for a loop. I am, however, beginning to settle back into my day to day activities here and am even planning some upcoming adventures (details to come soon ;) ). Last weekend, I spent Saturday in Laranjal with Samanta and Mario's family. They are so much fun to hang out with! In the afternoon, we splashed around in the pool, watching their two girls play and learn how to put their heads under water without getting a nose full! I also played cards with Mario's mom and grandma. The first game was Canastra which is more or less the same as Canasta and very similar to my grandma's favorite card game Hand and Foot. Playing with them reminded me of sitting around a table playing cards with Grandma. I know I will really miss that. We also played Portinho (I think that is how you spell the game) which I found easy enough to learn but much harder to master the strategy. After putting down my two realis to play, I was quickly schooled! We all enjoyed a delicious churrasco and a home-made cake that was still warm. All in all, I am so grateful for having been invited to spend the day with such great people!Until next time!
This week has been very good to me down here in Pelotas. I met with both Andrea and Samanta to practice Portuguese and English and am learning a little more everyday. I was asked to give a presentation on Friday for the GEEAF English seminar. To simplify my life, I decided to use my thesis presentation. To complicate my life, I decided to transform my somewhat boring Powerpoint presentation into an interactive presentation using a software program called Prezi. Of course, it would have been really impressive for the group had the Prezi functioned during the seminar, but there was some problem between the Flashplayer of the program and the projector we were using so I was forced to present the same 'ol PPT. I hope the group still gained something from the presentation as I was somewhat disappointed because it definitely would have been more entertaining with the alternative. Also, Friday was Rafaela's birthday; she brought a delicious cake that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. I should get the recipe!Friday night, I went out with one of our neighbors here in the apartment complex that I live in and of course, we were out until the wee hours of the morning (which I've decided I'm too old for haha). I managed to get up early on Saturday (by early I mean 11am as this time allowed me 6.5 hours of sleep) and was very productive. I did some laundry, washed the dishes, swept and mopped the floors, ate lunch, and called Pedro with my first medical problem. Earlier this week, I went to the gym and lifted really more than I should have. I was working with a trainer who I didn't want to have thinking I was weak as I have a tendency to be somewhat prideful at times, and I simply went too hard. The next day I was very sore, and the next, and the next. However, by Saturday, my left forarm and elbow were not only sore, but also swollen twice the normal size and tingly. Pedro invited me to see his sister, who is a doctor, after joining he and his family for Marcelo's four-year old's birthday party. I was prescribed stronger anti-inflammatories, and I think the swelling has gone down significantly. Today is the first day since Wednesday that I have been fully able to extend my left arm haha. That'll teach me to lighten the load at the gym when I know I am out of shape! Today I was invited by Samanta and Mario to visit their new home in Laranjal which was very beautiful and I'm excited to see what it will look like when they are all settled into it. Mario made his famous churrasco and I agreed that it was very good; I especially like the linguisa (sausage). Samanta, Manuela, and I went to walk down the beach and see the sights. The flowers along the way are very beautiful and I snapped several pictures. Later, we went to the pandaeria (bakery) for some fresh bread, ham, and cheese. I learned that
it is common for people to have 4-5 meals a day here. So at around 5ish we had a cafe da tarde (afternoon breakfast or basically a snack). I learned a few of the names of things in the bakery and am looking forward to trying to buy something by myself in a bakery soon. I got a little sunburnt today hanging out by their pool but a little color never hurt anyone and I'm hoping to darken up a little bit. I really enjoyed spending time with the family today and met Mario and Samanta's two daughters, Manuela and Marina, and also Mario's mother, and Samanta's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. I love how families get together here on the weekends and think that that piece of the culture is often missing in America. This upcoming week will certainly bring new experiences, and I will be sure to give everyone the updates next weekend! On Sunday, I will be travelling to Florianapolis and may be a day or two behind on the blog but will do my best to maintain consistency and post on Sunday.
Hi all, its been a hectic couple of weeks and regretably, I have not had much time to blog. Also, I will be posting a blog soon that reflects on the week before Christmas in Florianopolis and my week with Aaron for the holidays but for now, I will just give a brief update about this week!This was my first week back to work since December 16th! The end of 2011 flew by and before I knew it I was back to the grind and looking at a new calendar. For the most part, nothing especially extraordinary happened; I'm working on getting back into a running schedule and retraining myself to wake up early. For some reason, I've felt quite tired most days this week. Haley (my roommate at TLU) and I used to joke about my chronic fatigue and my propensity for long afternoon naps, but I thought those days were, for the most part, behind me. However, this week felt much like that, and I did take several naps whenever I could sneak one in. Thursday was hard, as Aaron discovered that two really close friends had been involved in a fatal car accident and me not being physically available to support him was tough. I'm praying for peace for their families and friends and know that these situations are incredibly difficult if not at times impossible to cope with. Yesterday, I went with Pedro, Lucas, Andrea, and Natalia to Pedro's family's house for some pool time and a BBQ. As always the churrasco was delicious and the company was a lot of fun. Spending time with people whose families are very close and get together often is something that I really enjoy and admire. Today, I was invited to go to Laranjal to catch some rays at Rafa's family's pool. The weather was perfect and the water temperature in the pool was lovely. Guess what we had for lunch. BBQ! Yum! I really am eating more red meat here in Brasil than I've ever eaten at home, but who could complain about having good steak 2 or 3 times a week? Not this girl! After lounging in the pool, talking about American football and basketball, and teaching Rafa's grandma a few words in English, we headed back to town. It was a really nice way to end the week and I'm very glad to have been included in Sunday Funday :) It rained here on Tuesday morning and I decided to work from home until it stopped since I don't have an umbrella. Sometime around 10:30 it stopped so I decided to go into the office. Of course, as is always the way things happen, I got no more than a few steps outside before it started pouring again. I ran to find shelter under a gas station awning and waited about 5 minutes for the condition to change. When it didn't, I grew impatient and ran the rest of the way to the center. I guess now thinking back on the situation, I rather liked the feeling of