So the title is a phrase we have started using alot between me kathryn and our homie Josh. He started it really. Kath as he calls her was going to pet his giant dog Rocky Rambo and he just blurted it out. We bought some tickets at the train station to Maraba because we were told it is cheaper to get to Belem. And since they couldn't provide a map nor information and since it is difficult to get to the train station to buy tickets, we made an adventurous decision. We bought tickets and talked our friend Josh into coming with (Foda-se!, Foda-se!). Upon arriving at home and reading our travel guide to find out more about this city Maraba that was recommended to us by the train station we found out a really funny ... read more

I have found that the hardest part of studying a culture first hand is the language barrier. You can witness something first hand and make judgements and analysis, but his is useless in large part without an understanding of the background. And aquiring backgrounds is difficult if you do not speak the language. This trip is extremely overwhelming, absolutely incredible and very frustrating. I have never been out of the United States before. I have tried but something has always gotten in the way. I sometimes question whether or not I should have ever come here, but in large part I think this was necessary.Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe and my chest will explode, like my brain is swelling and liquifying and oozing out of my ears, but this is what I needed. It ... read more

... gonna eat me alot of passion fruit. Study abroad is finished! I still have a paper to turn in by July 12th but the classes are done and we are out of that noisy ass hotel! We are going to be staying with a friend for about a week in his orchard. It is soooo much nicer than the hotel AND I dont have classes 8 hours a day! AND I am not sick anymore! We are recovering and chillin with our friend josh. Yesterday I got my hair cut by an old man with shaky hands who has been cutting hair for 40 years in a rickety old shop with old school barber shop chairs. It was fuckin awesome! Best hair cut I have ever recieved. He shaved my face with a straight razor ... read more

I have been trying to upload videos to my blog for the last couple of days, but it is not working. I did not go to school again today, because I still do not feel very good. No more fever or body aches, but I still have a bad cough and last night I lost my voice because my throat was so raw. overall nothing really new going on because I have been sick and resting. the internet here is not very good. so uploading things is difficult and this is the reason I do not add more photos and videos than I do. I do not seem to get any better. I feel better and then I get worse again. I think it is the air in this hotel, it is a historic building and ... read more

translation of the title is "The book is on the table." apparently this is what people here say when they want to pretend like they speak English. They will just say this phrase over and over again to try to impress their friends that don't speak English. We have been having a good time harassing our Portuguese teacher by saying it in Portuguese it seems that during those rare occasions when I have the time and the energy to write in my blog, the internet does not want to work. Things are going well. Today we visited the favellas (sp?) or slums. One of the girls here is doing research on the relocation project the govt is doing in the slums to move them into something more like the projects. She met a gentlemen at one ... read more