I have the
unique opportunity to learn about two new cultures while in Brazil. My host mother and grandfather are
Chilean. However, this presents an
added difficulty for learning Portuguese.-an accent. For example, all words in Portuguese that
start with the letter r are said like an h began the word instead. Let’s take the word radio for example. My host grandfather says rah-dio, whereas the
correct way to say it is hah-geo. (I
hope that makes sense) So in
addition to trying to learn new words everyday from my host family, I also have
to verify that I’m saying them correctly with native speakers. My host family is very different from my
blood family, however nonetheless I really enjoy living with them and I truly apreciate that that they opened up their home for me.
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Culture Sharing: What better dessert than s´mores? Well...in this case roasted marshmallows and nutella... |
My oldest
host brother is Giancarlo. He’s 19 years
old-so only one year older than me.
Right now he studies two nights a week to become a chef, and works in a restaurant on saturdays. Yeah, I know I was lucky to get this
family-yum yum :). He recently acquired his drivers license, so
now he wants to drive all the time-though I can’t quite understand why, because
the driving here is absolutely crazy.
But more on that later...
My host
mother’s name is Annamaria. She was born
in Chile but moved to Brazil with her 2 sisters, her brother, and her
father. She’s a dentist and has her own
practice. It’s a really small office
downtown in Campo Grande. She cooks very
well-especially soup and mashed potatoes.
I don’t know what it is about them, but I just adore the mashed potatoes
here! Every night she and my host
grandfather watch the soap operas. There’s
one in particular that they never miss.
It’s called Avenida Brazil.
Personally, I think it's ridiculus; but I watch it anyways to
be a part of the family.
My host father’s name is Roberto. He’s been a taxi driver for the past five years, and he really enjoys it. He’s a people person, that’s for sure; but most everyone in Brazil seems to extroverted. People talk to others and give them a hug as if they know each other forever. But then when they go away and you ask who that was they say they’ve never seen that person in their entire life! He’s very funny, always cracking jokes. When he laughs his eyes light up more than anyone I’ve ever seen before. But he’s also a very sensitive guy. He’s not afraid to cry in front of others, and doesn’t deny that he cried while watching Marley and Me.
My other
host brother is Nicholas and he’s 17, though I think he looks older. But I think that about the majority in
Brazil. Especially with the young girls,
because they were a lot of makeup here.
I spent about two weeks with him here before he boarded a plane to head
for York. He’s studying at Central and
seems to be enjoying it. I really
appreciated the time I had with him. He definitely
helped me feel comfortable and at home here in many ways. He introduced me to his friends from school
which have now become my friends. But I’ll
tell you more about that in a later post.
He’s an affectionate guy and it’s difficult for him to adjust to the
American culture.
My host
grandfather’s name is Silvio. He and his
second wife Celina will be my next host family.
However I won’t be moving far, just next door! He’s retired now, but was an engineer at one
time. He actually held many different
jobs. He speaks a basic English that he
picked up while working in Chile for an American company. Besides Nicholas, he is the only one who
speaks any English. He’s a devoted
member of Rotary and is involved in many different activities with Rotary. He’s a serious man but loves his family-that
much is obvious.
Annabella,
my host sister is 12. Sometimes she acts
much older and wears heels and makeup, yet other times she wants to remain a
child. She’s just trying to figure out
who she is right now. As the baby of the
family she’s used to getting what she wants, but the family seems to be trying
to wean her off of that. She’s very
excited to have a sister, so it seems that no matter what I do I’m perfect to
her. Wow, that’s certainly
different! Haha. It’s been a completely different experience
to say the least. Having a sister that
is. My brothers back home never picked
out my clothes, painted my nails or did my makeup. I never was really concerned with these
things before, but Annabella certainly is!
She plays handball at school and loves talking on the phone with her
friends. More or less she’s the average
pre teen girl.
