Brazil from Amy's Perspective

After a brief delay due to weather in Dallas, we arrived in Sao Paulo on Sunday morning. Flying over the city put into perspective for me how huge the city is. Buildings packed in together, lined up like little legos on a board as far as I could see. The poor gentleman next to me on the plane must have felt my excitement radiating like an oven working overtime. After settling in at the hotel and getting some helpful tips about finding our way around Sao Paulo, the group went to a delicious restaurant a few blocks away. Despite the language barrier, and with the help of iPhone apps and some friendly patrons, food and drinks were ordered and we all settled into warm and lively conversation. Everyone we have met have been incredibly friendly, patient, and good natured. It turns out a lot can be said from a smile. 

The first day was spent exploring the neighborhood and this new culture that we are in. Brazilians walking about with wool scarves and jackets, dogs bundled up in vests to keep them warm during their winter. Yesterday was a wonderful introduction to this experience and to Brazil. I feel so lucky to participate in this program, and am eager to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.

Photo above: Getting a bird's eye view of São Paulo from the rooftop pool. 

A more personal introduction to Shelley

I am a knitter.  Of course, I do alot of other things, type A that I am, but when asked what I do, I often say "I'm a knitter".  Some people like to knit alone and others in groups.  Me?  I like both.  But the social aspect of the group adds a dimension to knitting that goes beyond the fiber.  Each person adds something of their own to the time spent together and we weave a page of life that is fuller than anything we could have created on our own.  After a knitting get-together, I often find myself thinking about our conversation and where my life overlaps or diverges from that of the others I was with.  We are all knit together in one way or another.  While I have not done much traveling outside of North America, my travel within this continent has been extensive.  And I find that the experience has provided me with an opportunity for a deeper look into myself that teaches much about who I really am.  I am so looking forward to having this Brazil experience take me down a new road to discover not only a country and people I have not yet met, but to discover aspects of myself that I do not even know exist.
 
My husband and I live “in town” in the beautiful New England community of Northampton.  We are walking distance from a school where international students come to learn English.  We have opened our home to several students from Columbia, as well as students from Switzerland, Barcelona and Thailand.  It is always a huge learning experience (and quite fascinating) for us to hear about other countries and ways of life, some of which are drastically different from our own.  From our perspective, the initial attempts to communicate are almost game-like.  We use dictionaries, hand gestures, and broken sentences to get our points across.  But we walk away from the conversation back into the world we know and feel quite comfortable in.  The students walk away to their room and sometimes their frustration ends in tears.  What it is like from the other side is something we cannot experience in these situations.  Being immersed in a world where we do not understand even some of the simple signs and cannot communicate even our basic needs – "What is that like?"  I have often wondered.  Now I will get my chance to see.  I had wanted to take a basic language class in Portuguese for travelers before heading to Brazil.  But, as often happens, life got in the way and my chance was overtaken by other, seemingly more important, things.  So I sit here a week before the trip wondering “What is that like?”  I know I will be traveling with other Americans who will be navigating this journey with me, so my experience will not be quite the same as if I were in this alone.  But I will still hope to gain a new perspective on what it is like to be "the stranger."