Meeting Gustavo´s friends

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Friday I was off work. I was origionally supposed to work only 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, but because I like relatively far from work, if I wanted to get off early I´d have to take two busses to get home. So instead I´m working 8 hour days and getting fridays off.

The hours at work are strange. We start at 8am (which actually means sometime between 8 and 9) and break for lunch at noon(ish). Then there is a 2 hour lunch break! 2 hours! I´m really looking forward to my half hour lunch break when I start work back home in September (ya, right). Everyone goes home to eat, take a nap etc... But now they have to come back and work till 6 o´clock. Since it is winter here in the southern hemisphere it is already dark by then.

Like I was saying, I´m not working fridays, but I think that is about to change. It was pretty boring being at home locked in the house. I don´t have keys yet and you need them to get IN and out of the place. Every home has high walls surrounding it with and electric fence on top, not to mention two big guard dogs. It is like being in prision. So, next week I will work the whole week and bank my hours to take them off at the end of the internship. That way Andrea and I can travel around for the one week she is here and I don´t have to be bord sitting at home with nothing to do.

I went for a run late in the afternoon. They have certain streets with designated running lanes. Everyday you can seen lots of people running. I think that´s why I have yet to see a fat Brasilian. There is an artificial lake close to our house. It was built to control flooding in the valley. There is a running trail around the lake measuring 800 meters. On the other side of the lake is the slum. Basically that means an area where there is no land claim (people just build a house where ever they want) and there are no services from the city like water and sewer, electricity. Every slum has a football pitch. Not nice green grass like we have, but just red dirt. Every hour of the day there are kids playing football there. It is right on the lake so when I am running I get to see a piece of the action. I definitly think so far that I am getting a sheltered view of life here in Brasil. The distribution of money and power definitly leans more to one side. Apparently taxes here are among the highest in the world, but the people often never see this money again.

That night I went out with Gustavo for the first time to go to a movie and meet up with some of his good friends. Most movies here are american with Portuguese subtitles. We saw "The Omen". A terrible movie with cheap thrills. Caro´s friends are more the going out, partying kind of people while Gustavo and his friends like going to movies and staying in. After the movie we went to this huge resturant just outside of town. They serve all you can eat pizza and chopp (draft beer). We stuffed ourselves for 14 reals, which is like 7 bucks. A glass of beer is 3 reals, or $1.50. Basically, food and drinks here are dirt cheap. Apparently in the northeast, things are even cheaper. But not everything is like this. Puma for example is a relatively new brand name here. We went into the puma store in a shopping mall here and prices were outragous. shoes were double the cost than in Canada. I wanted to buy this nice puma cotton zip up jacket that said brasil on the front but it was 600 reals ($300). Crazy!!

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Photos

Prison
Every house is heavily protected with thick concrete walls, electric or barbwire fence, and guard dogs. But seriously, Brasil is a friendly place.

Comments

[Rinse]

Got an email in my junk folder. Guess what? It's the traveldiary from a canadian from germany! not an everyday experience. looks like you're having a good time. But Brazilians are actually Portuguese and Portugal just kicked Holland out of the world cup so this week I'll have to hate brazilians! but that's my problem. enjoy your trip!