Brasil Day four

Today was the hardest day on my trip so far. In addition to having to wake up at 6:30am, I was not able to sleep last night. It was as if I couldn’t find my way from reality to my dream world, waking several times before morning. After my wakeup call I went to my first day at school. It felt like a mixture of my first day in Paris and my first day in kindergarten. I have found that living in a place where almost no one can understand you brings a feeling similar to that of a small child just learning to speak. I guess because that is about what level I am at speaking Portuguese.

I was filled with both excitement and fear. Fear of the challenges ahead and excited for what I would learn. We took the bus titled UFMG, number 5102. The route winded around the center of town finally arriving a the university 50 minutes later. The campus is huge, with big gaps between each building as though the designers planed for a huge expansion. There are over 30,000 students attending UFMG with people studying almost every subject. Again, all of the buildings are concrete, I suppose because in the wet and humid climate it is the cheapest and most durable material. Walking up to my building, titled ‘Lestras’, I was reminded of a scene from jungle book, concrete stained with black moss and vines hanging from ledges. This is to be my second home for the next five months.

The orientation was completely spoken in Portuguese. I understood about half, I think… All of the professors seem very nice and excited to teach, something that I rarely see. They gave us our schedules for the week accompanied with a chique bag and literature about the university. After the introductions we broke for pao de queijo, sandwiches and cookies. Brazilians seem to love sugar as much as they love salt. We then proceeded to take several tests placing our academic worth. I have a feeling that I will be with the beginning group. It is crazy the size headache one gets when concentrating on each word said. I realize how nice it is to take a language for granted.

In our last class we tested our speaking skills. A group of 20 students packed into a small room made for 10. Our teacher was not much older than me, being probably 25 years old. He had small glasses and the traditional college grad attire, knit sweater, khaki pants and a new pair of Puma shoes. I had to concentrate very hard to catch the drift of the discussion, especially when a ceiling tile feel and almost landed on a Florida student. All I could do is cover my mouth and laugh hoping the air wasn’t filled with asbestos. Only in the Jungle. Brazil is definitely third (terd) world, although it has something that most of the USA has lost or never had at all. People here have less, their cars aren’t nice, the city is dirty, they don’t have many things, but they seem to very optimistic. Everyone seems to know how to let lose and have a good time, their lives are not all about work…

I finally made it home. I did very little physical exercise but I feel dead tired. Mental fatigue I call it. I love you all. Tomorrow awaits me with who knows what.