For better or for worse it took me ONE day to get over jet lag (i sleep great on planes) but ONE week to maybe see the light at the end of the tunnel from culture shock. I feel a little bit better each day I'm in this country. I'm very frustrated on the language front and my poor host family is struggling a little bit but all in all, I can go to the beach and I can go to the grocery store and I don't feel as small or insecure as I did. I still am afraid to travel home alone at night, but I am getting there.
Today I want to talk about relationships because this theme keeps presenting itself time and time again to me. In school we learn, Brazilians are relational people and you have to get them to like YOU before you can do any business with them. They don't just show that in their business setting, but even in their living corridors. Everything has gates and locks and guards. In fact each time I want to enter my building I need these sweet men to open the door for me. We normally have a pretty basic conversation that goes something like,
Today I want to talk about relationships because this theme keeps presenting itself time and time again to me. In school we learn, Brazilians are relational people and you have to get them to like YOU before you can do any business with them. They don't just show that in their business setting, but even in their living corridors. Everything has gates and locks and guards. In fact each time I want to enter my building I need these sweet men to open the door for me. We normally have a pretty basic conversation that goes something like,
"oi, tudo bom." "tudo, chão" "chão"
I was thinking about all of these walls, gates, etc as I drove around the city today. Unless you live in a super wealthy community, you don't have a gate to your neighborhood, much less your apartment in the States. And yet here we are, all the buildings separated. I'm not a fan, I like to see the houses and I like the feeling that I could go to the door. (I bet they don't trick or treat here.) However I think it's a stylistic thing here. Not only do these gates provide security but it is what they like to look at. I think that I've spent all this time thinking that the way things are shaped here is a form of poverty, when in fact a lot of it is just stylistic.
Brazil is a very rich country. Just not in the same way Europe was. Rich in natural resources. Rich in culture. Rich in struggle. Rich in amizade (friendship). This is what makes their society so much different that all the others. and I think that's part of the reason it took me a week to beat culture shock.
So like the walls around the house I feel that brazilians are guarded and you have to create relationships to proceed with any aspect of life with this person. But once you're friends, you're friends. There is so much hugging and cheek kissing which is cool and all but the American inside of me wants to cry every time i have to fake kiss someone's cheek. Ya girl is all about a good handshake. Again I'm learning.
I've felt like I've walked into a whole string of relationships. At PUC and with my host family especially. It's hard for me to be sympathetic without the background but I'm trying to be as good as possible for them. I really do like them both a lot.
Hope all is well in the States. My time here is wrapping up so quickly. Trying not to blink
Also i feel like I owe someone super important a quick s/o. He does not have the link to this but just a quick shout out to Austin. I kind of thought it was funny that the past few days have brought me to really analyze different relationships but I've truly put most of mine in the states on hold for the past two months. So thanks for dealing with all the sass that comes with not seeing ya for 2.5 months & happy 1 year! you're pretty great xxx
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