Update on Brazil trip and goings on ^_^
I was writing an email to the rents and family at home and figured that it was a really good summary for anyone who's interested in how Brazil's going. It's a long entry so I put it under the cut to save space on your-all's friends' pages. ^_^
Ok, Here'll be the best I can do for an update on my trip.
Weather: The Weather here has been not very warm, overall. It is
similar to our weather in Late September/October. They are going into
their autumn season, so that makes sense.
Classes: We attend class Monday through Thursday, from 0900 to 1300.
Our schedule changes every other day. We take Spanish, Portuguese,
and Brazilian Culture classes. An hour for each period, i.e. Four
periods a day.
Spanish Class: Our group of 14 students on this trip is split into
two levels of Spanish, an intermediate level and an advanced level. I
am in the advanced level with approximately 1/2 of the group. Our
teacher is from Uruguay and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English
fluently. Her name is Andrea. [...] We are in this class
for a total of four hours during the week.
Portuguese Class: The students in the Advanced Spanish section are
also taking Instrumental Portuguese classes. Our professor's name is
Santa Inês. She speaks only Spanish and Portuguese. Our class is
conducted in Portuguese. In this class, we are learning basic
Portuguese. [...] It is quite similar to Spanish but the two languages are
not always mutually intelligible. We are in this class for a total of
six hours a week.
Brazilian Culture Class: All of the students on this trip are
enrolled in this course taught by Jane Brodbeck. She is from Brazil
but, as she is a professor of English and American Culture, she speaks
English comfortably. She conducts our class in English. [...] We are in this class for a total of two hours a
week.
Free time: Given the aforementioned class times, you see that only
twelve hours of the week are accounted for. The rest of our waking
hours are allotted for either free time or excursions. The excursions
are all not as exciting as the term may lead one to believe. Some are intriguing. We have gone to various vineyards, we went to see some waterfalls in Canela, we went to Gramado and had a meal called a "Café Colonial" (basically a very large breakfast with many many plates of food), and we have gone to several restaurants called Churrascarias.
The Vineyards: We went to some Vineyards here last week. They explained to us (via our teacher, the impromptu interpreter) how they make wine. We got to go to a few wine-tastings too. ^_^ I had this AMAZING sweet white wine, "Malvasia", and then some not-so-hot dry wines. We also tried some sweet champaigne. That was really good too. ^_^
Churrasco: Churrasco is the name of the food one eats at a Churrascaria. Churrasco is a dish natively found in Rio Grande do Sul (<--The southernmost state of Brazil in which we are currently studying). People outside of this region do not typically eat this kind of food, unless it has been brought into their region by a Gaucho (<--the term for a person from Rio Grande do Sul.) Churrasco is meat which is cooked on a very large skewer over a fire. This sword-length skewer is then brought around the restuarant by the servers and the meat is cut directly from the skewer and put onto your plate. I could not have prepared myself for the amount of meat provided by the meal of churrasco. They, throughout the meal, continually bring skewer after skewer of meat from the back of the restaurant. Some of the meats they may serve are Chicken Hearts (yes, I tried them), Pork, Chicken, Filet, Steak, Beef, Lamb, etc. No less than fourteen cuts of meat are brought and presented to the restaurant-goers seated at tables. To describe it as a truckload of meat gives a feeling similar to that which one feels at a Churrascaria.
Some of the other culturally Gaucho foods that I've tried are Pinhão, Chimarrão, Caipira, and Quentão. There is not much to be said about these other than what they are like. I'll explain them next.
Pinhão: This is similar to a nut but it is cooked in a pressure cooker for about three hours. Sometimes they are salted. Pinhão looks like a very large piece of a pine-cone. The fleshy inner part (the part one eats) is similar to a large pine-nut. I like pinhão. ^_^
Chimarrão (also called Mate {mah-tay}): This is a drink which is similar to tea. It is drinked from a cup that is made from a gourd. This vessel is called a cuia (pronounced coo-yah). An herb that is a similar texture to tea leaves is then put into the cuia loose and moved to the top of the cuia. Hot water is then added. A special straw called a bomba is used to drink Chimarrão. The bomba is metal and has a filter on the end to keep most of the bigger parts of the herb (called er-va) in the cuia. Hot water is added periodically as the chimarrão is drank. I like chimarrão and bought the things needed to make it. Some of the other students said that it tasted like a weak green tea or like grass. There are usually pieces of erva in the chimarrão that you drink. (It takes a little getting used to.) It seems quite acceptable and even sometimes expected for the cuia to be passed around a circle or group of friends and for everyone to drink from the same bomba.
Caipira (also called Caipirinha): This is an alcoholic drink. It is made with sugar, lime, and a liquor called "cachaça" (ca-sha-ssa). The glass (a stout glass is used) is filled about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with dry sugar and lime slices. A pestle is used to grind these into a paste in the cup. Then, ice and cachaça are added and it is served. This drink is quite strong.
Quentão: This is a hot drink similar to hot apple cider. The difference is that this drink is made with red wine. Red wine, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and water are the primary ingredients used to make this. It is prepared in a pot and served hot. It is called quentão because it makes you warm ("quente"). Being served hot and the alcohol in this drink make it very good at doing that. :) I plan to try to make some for y'all when I get back. ^_^
The Locals: We are staying in a hotel here in Canoas (the city we're in). The people who work at the front desk are very nice and quite understanding, as far as our infantile level of fluency in Portuguese. All other people we have encountered have been nice and understanding as well.
I am having a good time and I can't believe that our trip is half-way over already. I am also looking forward to returning to the States (amazingly). I have mixed feelings on it.. It'll be really nice to go back to where everybody speaks English. It's nice to be abroad but I'll be happy once I get back home. :)
Well, I hope that gave y'all something to chew on for a while. :-p Sorry I didn't send it earlier. When you're here, it all just melts into one experience that you forget to explain to those not here. Anyways, I'll let your eyes rest.
Tchau!
-Misha
=^^= ~~
Ok, Here'll be the best I can do for an update on my trip.
Weather: The Weather here has been not very warm, overall. It is
similar to our weather in Late September/October. They are going into
their autumn season, so that makes sense.
Classes: We attend class Monday through Thursday, from 0900 to 1300.
Our schedule changes every other day. We take Spanish, Portuguese,
and Brazilian Culture classes. An hour for each period, i.e. Four
periods a day.
Spanish Class: Our group of 14 students on this trip is split into
two levels of Spanish, an intermediate level and an advanced level. I
am in the advanced level with approximately 1/2 of the group. Our
teacher is from Uruguay and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English
fluently. Her name is Andrea. [...] We are in this class
for a total of four hours during the week.
Portuguese Class: The students in the Advanced Spanish section are
also taking Instrumental Portuguese classes. Our professor's name is
Santa Inês. She speaks only Spanish and Portuguese. Our class is
conducted in Portuguese. In this class, we are learning basic
Portuguese. [...] It is quite similar to Spanish but the two languages are
not always mutually intelligible. We are in this class for a total of
six hours a week.
Brazilian Culture Class: All of the students on this trip are
enrolled in this course taught by Jane Brodbeck. She is from Brazil
but, as she is a professor of English and American Culture, she speaks
English comfortably. She conducts our class in English. [...] We are in this class for a total of two hours a
week.
Free time: Given the aforementioned class times, you see that only
twelve hours of the week are accounted for. The rest of our waking
hours are allotted for either free time or excursions. The excursions
are all not as exciting as the term may lead one to believe. Some are intriguing. We have gone to various vineyards, we went to see some waterfalls in Canela, we went to Gramado and had a meal called a "Café Colonial" (basically a very large breakfast with many many plates of food), and we have gone to several restaurants called Churrascarias.
The Vineyards: We went to some Vineyards here last week. They explained to us (via our teacher, the impromptu interpreter) how they make wine. We got to go to a few wine-tastings too. ^_^ I had this AMAZING sweet white wine, "Malvasia", and then some not-so-hot dry wines. We also tried some sweet champaigne. That was really good too. ^_^
Churrasco: Churrasco is the name of the food one eats at a Churrascaria. Churrasco is a dish natively found in Rio Grande do Sul (<--The southernmost state of Brazil in which we are currently studying). People outside of this region do not typically eat this kind of food, unless it has been brought into their region by a Gaucho (<--the term for a person from Rio Grande do Sul.) Churrasco is meat which is cooked on a very large skewer over a fire. This sword-length skewer is then brought around the restuarant by the servers and the meat is cut directly from the skewer and put onto your plate. I could not have prepared myself for the amount of meat provided by the meal of churrasco. They, throughout the meal, continually bring skewer after skewer of meat from the back of the restaurant. Some of the meats they may serve are Chicken Hearts (yes, I tried them), Pork, Chicken, Filet, Steak, Beef, Lamb, etc. No less than fourteen cuts of meat are brought and presented to the restaurant-goers seated at tables. To describe it as a truckload of meat gives a feeling similar to that which one feels at a Churrascaria.
Some of the other culturally Gaucho foods that I've tried are Pinhão, Chimarrão, Caipira, and Quentão. There is not much to be said about these other than what they are like. I'll explain them next.
Pinhão: This is similar to a nut but it is cooked in a pressure cooker for about three hours. Sometimes they are salted. Pinhão looks like a very large piece of a pine-cone. The fleshy inner part (the part one eats) is similar to a large pine-nut. I like pinhão. ^_^
Chimarrão (also called Mate {mah-tay}): This is a drink which is similar to tea. It is drinked from a cup that is made from a gourd. This vessel is called a cuia (pronounced coo-yah). An herb that is a similar texture to tea leaves is then put into the cuia loose and moved to the top of the cuia. Hot water is then added. A special straw called a bomba is used to drink Chimarrão. The bomba is metal and has a filter on the end to keep most of the bigger parts of the herb (called er-va) in the cuia. Hot water is added periodically as the chimarrão is drank. I like chimarrão and bought the things needed to make it. Some of the other students said that it tasted like a weak green tea or like grass. There are usually pieces of erva in the chimarrão that you drink. (It takes a little getting used to.) It seems quite acceptable and even sometimes expected for the cuia to be passed around a circle or group of friends and for everyone to drink from the same bomba.
Caipira (also called Caipirinha): This is an alcoholic drink. It is made with sugar, lime, and a liquor called "cachaça" (ca-sha-ssa). The glass (a stout glass is used) is filled about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with dry sugar and lime slices. A pestle is used to grind these into a paste in the cup. Then, ice and cachaça are added and it is served. This drink is quite strong.
Quentão: This is a hot drink similar to hot apple cider. The difference is that this drink is made with red wine. Red wine, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and water are the primary ingredients used to make this. It is prepared in a pot and served hot. It is called quentão because it makes you warm ("quente"). Being served hot and the alcohol in this drink make it very good at doing that. :) I plan to try to make some for y'all when I get back. ^_^
The Locals: We are staying in a hotel here in Canoas (the city we're in). The people who work at the front desk are very nice and quite understanding, as far as our infantile level of fluency in Portuguese. All other people we have encountered have been nice and understanding as well.
I am having a good time and I can't believe that our trip is half-way over already. I am also looking forward to returning to the States (amazingly). I have mixed feelings on it.. It'll be really nice to go back to where everybody speaks English. It's nice to be abroad but I'll be happy once I get back home. :)
Well, I hope that gave y'all something to chew on for a while. :-p Sorry I didn't send it earlier. When you're here, it all just melts into one experience that you forget to explain to those not here. Anyways, I'll let your eyes rest.
Tchau!
-Misha
=^^= ~~