Thursday, June 26, 2008

10, 9, 8, 7,...

I bought a plane ticket today. My semester’s over, and I’m getting ready to travel for the next 40 days. Terrifyingly, most of the details still need to be worked out. And I leave Monday. But it’ll work out sometime.

Things have ended and continue ending on a good note. Classes put on just enough academic pressure to let me know it was the end of the semester, but not enough to cause real stress. I’m the proud author of a 10-page paper on São Paulo’s subway system. Sivan left last Thursday and since then it’s been pure goodbyes and memories whenever I get together with friends from this semester, mostly other study abroad students. People are trickling out of the city, and, other than that, I’ve just got my own planning to do.

Last weekend, my host mom and brother went to Rio de Janeiro (an hour flight away) for a wedding and were going to return there again this weekend for another commitment there. Well, they had too bad of weather to come back on their originally planned flight so they just decided to stay the week in Rio. Unfortunately, that means I’m in the house alone for a week, but the neighbor and maid are taking good care of me and Eiku (the dog). Haha I’m incompetent in an American kitchen stocked with food. Imagine me in an empty Brazilian kitchen – I’m useless. To top it off, for the first few days my family was gone, the natural gas was cut off in my building because they were installing new pipes. It was ugly.

On the subject of food and shelter, winter has arrived. I doubt it’s ever made it below 40, but I tell you it’s brutal. Very few places here have air conditioning, and zero places have heat (much less windows that seal). Hell, they won’t even SHUT the windows! They have an expression – “uma pessoa cebola” or “a human onion” – to describe how they dress here during the winter. In the morning you put on about 4 layers but take them off 1 by 1 as the day gets warmer. Then, as night comes, they slowing come back.

Since I last wrote, I’ve mostly stayed in São Paulo. One weekend we took off for a memorable camping trip on a small island right off the coast called Ilha Bela. Marisel showed me her month-old mosquito bites today!!! It was beautiful though and truly secluded. As for my upcoming travels, the rough plan is like this: First, I’m going to Bahia in the northeast of Brazil. It’s the cultural center for Afro-Brazilian culture (roughly 70 million Afro-Brazilians) as well as the oldest European-settled region of the country. Second, Byron’s coming to visit (!!!) and we’ll stay around São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and the southern part of Brazil where I’ve mostly been. Third and finally, I’m planning to head to Argentina to visit the Solitos, my former host family. I’m really looking forward to visiting them as well as quickly exploring some other places in the region around northern Argentina. I had originally planned on going to Buenos Aires, but I think I’m fed up with city at the moment. Then, it’s back to the States on August 8th to see Ma n Pa!

In other news, as some of you know (most notably my sister), I’m an uncle!!!! Andreu Rhys Villa was born last Wednesday, June 18!!! He’s beautiful and I am way excited to visit him, his sis (almost 2), and his parents when I get back.

My best to all of you and grace, peace, and love be yours in our Lord Christ Jesus!

Wyatt