thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
rain on my face as it didn't rain once in months in Texas. I almost forgot what it was like to see storm clouds, hear thunder, and jump puddles in the street.That same day, Ana invited me to her home for lunch. I met her son, Rafael, daughter, Duda (who is SO cute!), husband, Andre, and her dogs. Lunch was delicious, and it was fun to meet her family and play with the puppies. We had salad, beans, rice, a yummy beef dish, and peaches for dessert. To follow, I had some Twinnings tea. After lunch, we took Duda back to her school, and I went inside to drop her off in her classroom. The school was very nice with a large gymnasium and plenty of room for the kids to play. It was cool to see an example of what a school looks like for children here. Thanks Ana for having me over!The rest of the week passed smoothly and with little to write home about. Friday night, I went out with Andreia, Renata, Mateus, and Filipe to a bar/club in Laranjal called Moa. We arrived sometime around 11:30/midnight and were nearly the first people there. By 3:30am when we left, we were among the first to go. Its nuts how late "parties" start here! I was in a rather goofy mood that night and sometime around 2ish I thought it would be a good idea to break away from the gizillion people dancing and bumping into us to jump on the stage (about a foot and half higher than the floor) and dance up there by myself. I was up there for, I don't know..., maybe 5 seconds but that was long enough for security to come over and post a man on that corner of the stage to ensure no one else got the hairbrained idea to jump up there and act a fool. I would definitely say that I was in rare form that night in that I wasn't concerned one bit about how others might've perceived me haha. I was undoubtedly missing Bianca, my #1 Partner in Crime, especially when they played Soulja Boy's Superman song. I laughed out loud remembering her and Libby trying to teach me the dance and remembering Mrs. Guidry dancing to that song at Toy's wedding! Towards the end of the night, we ran into another friend, Mariana, and really had a good time. I was exhausted on Saturday though and spent much of the day recooperating from being up so late.I've been running almost every day here and am regaining some cardio endurance little by little. Maybe this week I'll check out a gym to vary my workouts to include some strength training.Lastly, Grandma is still improving and under the best of care in a top stroke facility. I've talked with Roy via Skype several times this week and am glad that technology allows me to stay connected. More prayers for her recovery as we are all convinced that it is helping. Winston is also improving but will hopefully see a
vet this week for a check-up to find out if we should be giving him any other treatments. He still walks a little awkwardly on his back legs but doesn't seem to be in any pain which is very positive. Only 19 days left until Aaron gets here! (Thanks Haley for going to the consulate for us) I'm really looking forward to our Brazilian Christmas. As for this next week, I'm not sure what if any adventures I'll get into, but I'll be sure to give updates next weekend!
Hello all. I just came back from a week in Recife (meaning reef) in the state of Pernambuco with a new tan and lots of great memories and pictures. Recife is located in the northeast of Brazil and is about 2000 miles north of Pelotas. My travel partner is a friend who I met through Samanta and Mario (Mario's mom, Nica) and the two of us had a very laid-back time seeing several beaches in the surrounding area. We left Pelotas late Thursday night to catch an early flight Friday morning in Porto Alegre. We ended up in Recife late afternoon. Saturday we went to Praia dos Carneiros, which I will say, was my favorite of all of our "passeios". We took a boat to go to this beach; the tide was low and the reefs were high out of the water, creating a barrier between the ocean and the area where we ate lunch. In these reefs, the water has, over many years, carved out natural pools where some people chose to get in. The tour guide warned us of sea urchins that if you step on one, you would need to be taken to the hospital. Therefore, I decided early in the day that I didn't need to get in the natural pool that bad....Before enjoying a satisfying lunch (I think we had carne do sol, french fries, and rice), we went on a two hour boat ride where we laid out in the sun and took in our surroundings. We stopped where many people were using a natural clay that is said to be a skin rejuvenator and rubbing all over their bodies. Once dry, the clay appears like a white paint. We must have looked very...well...tribal, running around with this, covered from head to toe.Towards the end of the afternoon, Nica and I strolled down the beaches, the water was a beautiful aquamarine and tall palm trees cast long shadows that made for some good photos. I also reconsidered my earlier decision to skip on going into the natural pools and with my sandals on, took a dip. Not 10 seconds of wading around did I feel a prick on my big toe. When I got out, a tiny piece of what appeared to be that "dangerous" sea urchin quill was lodged into my toe. Despite my nervous anxiety about what reactions I might soon be facing, we walked back to the beach and removed it with some tweezers. Needless to say, nothing happened. I think the tour guide just tells people to wear sandals in the pools because of the scary sea animals so that people will actually listen and avoid stubbing their toes on the rocks. Who knows...Sunday, we took a city tour of Recife and Olinda. Many of the decorations for carnaval were still up and it seemed like carnaval in Recife is probably a cool thing to do for sure. A British tourist came on this tour as well, so the guide said most things in English as well as Portuguese. Not wanting the
whole group to know that I am American, I didn't say much and when I spoke to Nica of course, we spoke in Portuguese. However, when the guide was telling histories of buildings, stories of carnaval, or other miscellaneous facts to the Brit, I lurked around to listen. To my surprise, I confirmed that I had understood much of what he said in Portuguese! Weekly meetings with friends in Pelotas to exchange conversations in Portuguese are paying off!Monday, we headed to Porto de Galinhas (Port of Chickens). Story of why the city is called Porto de Galinhas: After slavery was outlawed in Brazil, many people continued to ship slaves in as this was an important piece of the very lucrative sugar cane business. Because of the illegal nature, slaves were hidden under chicken crates and when the ships came into port, "The new chickens are here!" would be called out to announce that another shipment of workers had arrived. The city had large sculptures of chickens that were each painted differently much like the guitars around Austin. The waterfront in Porto de Galinhas is really interesting. In the morning, the tide was high and nothing seemed to separate the beach from the ocean but as the day wore on and the tide went out, reefs began to jut out of the water. While the area was absolutely beautiful, I was a little annoyed by the many people who would pass by trying to sell things. The place had a very tourist-y vibe that I do not prefer.Tuesday, we went to Itamaraca. That day was very calm, nothing but sun tanning and a caipirinha to relax. There was an old fort (Forte Orange) that was built in 1631. I snatched a rock from it for Laura :) Wednesday, we travelled about 2 hours out of the city to Maragogi. What a tropical place!! The water was crystal clear and gorgeous. We took a boat out to a really nice area where the sand is more white and the water is very transparent. Another of these boats had its very own fitness instructor and many people exercised with noodle floats in the heavenly waters. I decided not to join in the activity, as I was on vacation! Wednesday night I convinced Nica to wake up with me and see the sunrise. We asked the reception desk at the hotel what time it came up and he said 4am. Yikes! Determined as I was, I set my alarm for 3:45 am and as we learned at 4am the next morning (thanks google, no thanks reception guy) the sun doesn't actually come up until 5:20am. So we went back to sleep for an hour and then headed out to Praia de Boa Viagem, a block from our hotel. There is something very peaceful about watching the sun rise up over the water, city still asleep, the world seemingly calm and ready to start fresh. Afterwards, we went back to sleep for a couple of hours then had breakfast and headed out to walk down Boa de
Viagem. After an hour of walking, we finally stopped to sun bathe. We found some reefs (safer area, away from the sharks!) and laid out to take in some rays. Once we got back to the hotel, we discovered that we had walked a total of 10km (6.2 miles). So much for not exercising on vacation :)We arrived back in Pelotas safe and sound on Friday. I had a great time. Thank you for inviting me Nica! Tomorrow I'm headed to Brasilia (the nation's capital) for a meeting. I will update you all next week!!
Wednesday was my 25th birthday. It was strange celebrating a December birthday in the summer time and I'm sure I'll feel the same way about Christmas on Sunday. Most of the day was spent hard at work preparing manuscripts for submission and meeting about changes and details. I'm really enjoying the projects that I've been invited to work on so far and am looking forward to the next months in terms of research. When I got home from work, Deia had bought be some delicious candies from one of the docerias in town and I treated myself to one of the best chocolate covered strawberries I've ever eaten. Later that evening we went to Cruz de Malta for dinner and were joined by Rafa and Cauane, Carolina, Milena, and Maria Laura, Ana and Pedro. I ate a delicious steak with provolone cheese accompanied with of course a sweet caipirinha. Ana bought me a caipirinha kit (now I just have to figure out how to make them), Rafa, a great lotion, and Pedro thought an alarm clock would be a good choice for a gift (not sure why as I'm always early for work). And as to stick with tradition, I asked Deia to take some pictures of me for mom to remember the 25th. This is only the second year in my entire life that I haven't been with her to have pictures made on my birthday. I also greatly missed having Laura do my hair...Friday, after attending a seminar about accelerometry (which was very well delivered, thanks Felipe!), I met Deia's dad who had flown in to help us drive back to Floripa. My Portuguese on Friday was pretty good and we talked about his trip, what we like to eat, and how he has quit smoking. Deia also found out that she aced her PhD qualification exam so we went out to Nella Pietra for pizza to celebrate. The pizza was made fresh, and afterwards, we even ordered a dessert pizza with strawberries and chocolate. Saturday, I went with Samanta to Rio Branco. Now saying that I've been to Uruguay because I've seen Rio Branco is like saying that I've been to Mexico but have only seen Nuevo Laredo. Rio Branco is small with a main street that is made-up of duty-free shops. The Brazilians love it because no taxes is unheard of in Brazil it seems. There were quite a lot of people plummaging through the aisles, making last minute Christmas purchases. We ate panchos for lunch which are just hot dogs and then came back to Pelotas.Sunday, Deia, Paulo (her dad), and I got up early and hit the road by 8am to arrive in Florianopolis sometime around 5pm. The drive was long, and sitting in the backseat, I slept most of the way to avoid motion-sickness. Last night, we went to a Mexican food restaurant here called Guacamole because I've been dying for some tortillas. The food was pretty good and the margaritas were better so I can't complain! After dinner, Deia and I drove around and
saw some of the island by night. I can already tell I will really like this place and am looking forward to experiencing more of it this week.(As a side note, I forgot to bring the plug for the camera to download pictures so this week's and next week's blog post will be sans photos until I get back to Pelotas. Sorry for that!!)
Long time, no see Blogger world! I'll admit, I have simply lacked motivation to go ahead and write the last couple of weeks. The week before last, I travelled to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to attend a meeting with SESI to discuss an evaluation of one of their programs. Ana, Pedro, Caco, and I left for Porto Alegre on Monday afternoon due to really early flights on Tuesday morning to the nation's capital. We enjoyed dinner at an Outback Steakhouse which was no different than American Outbacks. We even ordered a Bloomin Onion. We spent Tuesday and most of the day Wednesday in Brasilia before heading back to Pelotas late Wednesday afternoon. Ana and I were able to sneak away for a little bit of sight seeing and I must say that Brasilia is a very unique city. Formerly, the capital of Brazil was Rio de Janeiro but sometime in the mid-1900s the government decided the capital should be located more centrally and decided to have a city built from scratch to accomplish this goal. When looking at a map of Brasilia, it is clearly shaped like an airplane and was designed to be very modernistic. The government buildings were commissioned with the intent to appear futuristic and I can say that 60 years later, they are still quite that. The national cathedral is shaped like no other building I've ever seen and reminded of a crown. Exactly identical buildings for each ministry in the govenment align a major road stretching down to the National Congress building. Ana and I walked this and noticed that each building was clearly marked with letters for easy identification of which ministry functioned there. Ironically, the letters for the Ministry of Labor and Employment had all fallen off and no lights lit the side of the building. I guess perhaps the economy has been affected down here too? I took pictures of the Health Ministry and the Ministry for the Brazilian Airforce. Interestingly, while the branches of the US military all come together under one governmental agency, in Brazil, the army, navy, and airforce are housed in separate ministeries. I was told that separation allows for easier hiring and appointment of more friends by the big wigs. The Congressional buildings were very odd but after reading the concept for the design, I appreciate them much more. The "convex House of Representatives symbolizes that it is open for all ideologies while the concave Senate building symbolizes the idea that within this space, thought, consideration, and equilibrium should reign". We also saw the opening night of an art exhibition for a famous Brazilian artist, Ziraldo at the National Museum which is shaped like a large dome and really does look rather alien. Ana and I browsed Ziraldo's cartoons and as we walked I began to notice that many were re-makes of famous photos and art. I was really excited to see one entitled: A Verdade or The True (see below)After catching a glimpse of the artist himself, we called it a night and headed back to the
hotel. The next day after morning meetings, we had just enough time to see where the President of Brazil lives (equivalent to the US White House) and to see a very modernistic bridge that is apparently well known here. We left Brasilia and arrived back in Pelotas at around midnight. Glad to be back and thankful for the opportunity to see the capital, I slept well.To completely switch gears, last weekend, I celebrated St Patrick's Day at the Irish Pub here in town. Before going, I called first to make sure that they would indeed be hosting a party for the holiday as I wasn't sure how legit an Irish pub in Pelotas could be. Much to my surprise, not only did they know, they were well prepared with four leaf clovers painted on the bartenders' faces and green beer to go around. I made sure to wear green and had a great night listening to a cover band and hanging out with Ana. The next day, I met with Marysabel, Pedro, Andrea, Natalia, and Lucas for some horse-back riding. I loved it!! I didn't have to fill out any liability paperwork first and there was no guide in-tow telling us to pull back and keep the horse at a walk the way it is when you do a trail ride in the US. This place rented out horses with the only rule being that we should return them in an hour. We rode down the road to the beach at Laranjal. I galloped ahead of the group and felt the wind through my hair. It was exactly what the doctor ordered and I loved every second of it. After the ride, I went back over to Marysabel's house for a nice afternoon of churrasco and family time. BBQ and horses, what more could a Texas girl ask for?!
Last week was a pretty good one. Monday night, I introduced my roommate to margaritas with 1800 and Cointreau; we sat up singing karaoke with YouTube videos. Some of the songs we got the biggest kick out of included: Tina Turner's Rolling Down the River, The Eagles' Hotel California, and Britney Spears' Hit Me Baby One More Time. It was a lot of fun to just relax and have a good time :) Thursday, after some serious last minute planning, Ana, her daughter Duda, and I took a weekend trip to Punta del Diablo, Uruguay. On our way, we drove through an ecological reserve called Taim where we saw a variety of animals and one of the most beautiful rainbows I've ever seen. We stopped in the border town of Chuy and traded our realis for pesos but not before stopping in one of the duty-free shops to find a toy for Duda. While there, a couple of kids (probably 9/10 years old) ran out of the store, a disgusting smell trailing behind them. Upon reaching the toy section, we discovered those kids had POOPED on the floor! I couldn't believe it! I felt so bad for the lady who had to clean it up; and for the rest of the weekend we giggled about the half-grown kids who would do such a thing. We stopped just to take a pic!We arrived in Punta del Diablo where it was raining and after having chuvitos for dinner, we finally, after a long day of driving, settled down in a hotel which I believe was called Hosteria Pescador. We also learned that most, if not all places, in Punta del Diablo (PD) do not accept credit/debit cards and cash must be used. Friday morning, we had to drive back to Chuy to exchange more money to make sure we were set for the rest of the weekend.Friday afternoon, we hung out at the beach which is surrounded by rock structures which reminded me of Torres but there aren't hills/mountains in PD. The sea is strong and there were many surfers braving the somewhat cold water to catch a good wave. Duda ran back and forth from our little spot on the beach to the water and played in the sand while I took in some much needed sun and relaxation. After leaving the beach, we found an apartment to rent that faced the water and included a kitchen. It wasn't too fancy but very cozy and also about half the price of the hotel we stayed in the night before. We ended up spending Friday and Saturday night at those apartments, Casablanca. After settling in, we prepared mate and took our chimarrao down to the beach. I love the sound of the ocean, the waves crashing on the rocks is so soothing. View from the Casablanca!For dinner, we popped a pizza in the oven and then went out for a stroll through the town. PD is very calm, tranquil even. The only paved street is the one going in and out of town, and
there's a heavy hippie/rasta feel that is young and hip. I bought some gifts at the little shops and enjoyed browsing through the arts and crafts. I also quickly realized that my Spanish has almost been completely replaced with Portuguese, and even when I tried to use it, the Portuguese tended to override. The Spanish in PD had a very different cadence and sound than what I am used to hearing in Texas and from what I heard while in Spain and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing people talk. I understood much of what people asked and said to me in those little shops as well as in the restaurants which I was very pleased about. Saturday morning was overcast and chilly, so we waited until the afternoon to hit the sand for some fun in the sun. We had asada, french fries, and salad for lunch at one of the local restaurants and then walked out onto the rocks to get a closer look at the small lighthouse structure that we had seen blinking the night before to warn ships and boats. Afterwards, we hung out on the beach for a couple of hours then headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up and head back into town (all of this by foot) just to look around some more. We stopped at a little stand where 2 women were making churros and filling them with a variety of things. I ordered a churro filled with dulce de leche which was absolutely delicious! Later that night, walking back to the apartment, I turned around to look at the ocean and saw an incredible moon-rise over the water, a faint orange glow. It was spectacular and in that moment my belief in a Creator was renewed. Sunday morning, we packed up and headed out; after a great weekend of site-seeing and speaking nothing but Portuguese with my travelling partners (Ana and Duda), I was ready to get back to start the work week on Monday. I got to drive most of the way back to Pelotas, listening to my favorite Texas country artists thanks to the CDs Lindsey burned! All in all, I can say that I loved our trip and would like very much to take another road trip to Uruguay; next on my list is Punta del Este and maybe Montevideo!