A super scary (learning) experience…

The month of April has just been crazy to say the least. Work has picked up quite a bit especially with conferences and presentations. My first presentation was for III CIELLA, an international conference on linguistic studies and literature.

I presented a case study on motivation in the foreign language classroom with three other colleagues who also presented on motivation. It was the first time I presented IN PORTUGUESE!!

You know that anxious, scared feeling some of us get as the doctor prepares the needle to give us an injection (if not, you’re a fearless rock star)? Well, this is exactly how I felt up until the moment I began to speak. We had anticipated approximately 30 people in our audience, but we had over 100 people attend our seminar!! Thank God for Walkyria, Larissa and Maria Clara. They helped review my work, helped with my translations and offered much needed moral support!

Once my presentation was over, I could breathe again! Never had I felt so nervous speaking before a crowd, but it was definitely a great experience! Thanks to all my students who showed!

After CIELLA, Lindsey and I presented on American stereotypes and higher education in the United States during two different conferences hosted by UEPA, the university of the state of Pará.

We presented to a much smaller audience and in English, so I wasn’t sweating bullets this time around.

We were also invited to present at a public high school where we discussed traveling abroad and the international experience.

I presented to the high school students in Portuguese too, but this time I wasn’t nervous at all. Hmm…I may consider doing this for a living…naaah!

(This post should also serve as proof that I am actually working out here too! haha! ;)

O Sabor de São Luís

I spent the Easter holiday in São Luís, Maranhão with Larissa and her family. It took about 7 hours to get there by car, and the trip included an hour-long ride in a ferryboat. The roads there and back are not the clean, paved, safely marked roads I’m used to, so the ride made for a crazy adventure in itself! I slept most of the way there in hopes of sweet oblivion to keep my attention off the potholes, narrow roads, tailgating, speed-racers, and at times lack of visibility during the rain pour. No worries Mom, Larissa’s husband, Rafael, did a great job in safely maneuvering through that mess, and we got there and back in one piece!

Larissa’s mom kept me company in the backseat, and she packed the car full of homemade goodies that I just couldn’t get enough of on the way there. We had cake, sandwiches, more fruit that I had never tried, and fruit juices galore.

We spent the weekend with Rafael’s family on the beach and exploring the beautiful city. Our visit included mass at different Catholic churches and cathedrals that were absolutely beautiful! This was not surprising after seeing other historic buildings gorgeously covered in Azulejos—beautifully decorated ceramic tile work. I was in complete awe!

The food was some of the best seafood I had ever tasted. My mouth still waters when I think of the crab dish that we had on the beach. It was delicious!! I definitely have to go back to have it before leaving back to the states.

I invite you to take a look at my album. I took so many pictures, and it’s far too difficult to choose only a few for this post. Enjoy!

Açai e Borboletas

Telma, who actually teaches me and helps me with my Portuguese, is one of my English students. She was so sweet to invite me with her family to have açai the real way—the Parense way—with fried fish, beef and shrimp!

Açai is type of palm fruit that is very popular in the region. It’s typically served with farinha (yellow ground up manioc root) or tapioca (also extracted from the manioc, but white in color), which has no taste but adds a crunchy texture to the açai. It's usually served chilled, and I like to add lots of sugar!

It has the consistency of a melted sorbet and tastes the same. The only bad thing about açai is that it turns your mouth dark purple (take a look at our açai smiles), so it's probably not the best idea to have it on a date or before going back to work. It was quite a different experience eating it with fried fish and shrimp, but I liked it. Telma and her daughter suggested I dip the fish directly into the açai before eating it. It was good!

After lunch, we went to Magal das Garzas, a small tourist park that brings the Amazon in direct contact with the tourists. It’s a beautiful place with many different birds, regional vegetation and rare trees. The butterfly exhibit is my fave! There is also lighthouse located in the park that offers great views of the city and nice deck over the river with gorgeous sights too!

Got my cruise and Carimbó on!!

There is an agency in Belém called Valeverde Turismo that organizes tours of the city, islands off the shores of Pará, and they also lead tours abroad. Lindsey was fortunate enough to meet Katia who is an employee of the agency and also runs a Montessori school where Lindsey and I were invited to help with their English courses.

Katia invited us on a mini-cruise to see the sights of Belém from the water and to experience traditional music and dance from the region.

We went along with other English teachers who also work at Comunidade Educativa O Mundo do Peteleco (the Montessori school). Everyone we met was so welcoming and kind. They were excited to share the experience with us as many of them had already taken the same cruise before. In fact, Katia was going on her 30^th time!

The tour began at sunset, and the view from the boat was unbelievable.

I knew I lived in a pretty cool city, but I had never seen it from this perspective. Catedral da Sé could be seen from afar, and it was just stunning.

The view of Ver-O-Peso was also great. It is Belém’s major tourist attraction and it’s the largest open-air market in all of Latin America.

People go there to buy fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are exclusive to the Amazon region.

Artisans also set up and sell their crafts, and on the opposite side of the market, people stop for a drink or two (or three, or four) at the mini bar stands.

Along the other side, the fishing boats are docked, and the scene is just gorgeous.

Clearly, we didn’t have access to the bars near Ver-O-Peso, so the cruise included servers and bartenders to take drink orders.

They were serving Caipirinhas (cocktails made with Brazilian rum called Cachaça, sugar and lemon), Caipiroskas (made with fruit and vodka), and beers from Pará.

I tasted Cerpa for the first time—not bad, although, I definitely prefer Caipirinhas.

We had a great time, especially with the music!!

During the boat ride, we were treated to live music and dance performances. The tour guide gave a rundown of all the sights we passed. He then introduced the dancers and gave some background on the Brazilian music we were listening to and on the dances that were performed.

The musicians played music from all regions of Brazil, and the performers danced their traditional dances. These performances included Carimbó, Forro, and Axé. The dancers were great! Some of the moves were so intricate and beautiful, while others were super intimate—almost too hot for tv!

They have an awesome job!

The performers pulled some of us from the audience to dance with them. At first, it was a little awkward and embarrassing, but it turned out to be a really good time.

I even learned the Retumbada, a traditional dance from Bragança. It’s pretty similar to the Cumbia (Colombia) but danced with a partner.

I had such a good time! It’s no wonder Katia has been on this cruise so many times. I would definitely do it again and again too!

Birthdays, Birthdays, and Egg Friends!

Over the last couple weeks, Lindsey and I have been invited to celebrate friends’ birthdays. Lindsey’s host professor invited us to celebrate her mother-in-law's birthday with a big, beautiful lunch at her home.

We enjoyed Maniçoba, a classic dish from the Amazon region that is made from the leaves of the manioc plant. The leaves are poisonous and must be ground and boiled for several days to remove the hydrogen cyanide before it can be consumed. It's served with white rice and has a consistency that is very similar to that of Chicken Mole, but it’s not as sweet. It also tends to dirty your teeth a bit--I like it.

She also served a shrimp and rice dish and her birthday dessert was a fruit custard made from Bacuri, a classic fruit also exclusive to the Amazon region. It has a hard shell, a very sweet scent and tastes similar to pineapple. It’s just a bit tangier.

We met many of her close friends and family including Marina, her granddaughter.She was very sweet and eager to give us a grand tour of her very pink bedroom— Lindsey and I are hoping she’ll invite us over again to go swimming!

The same day, my host professor, invited us to her husband’s birthday party. Larissa and Rafael are a couple of the most awesome people we have had the privilege of meeting in Belém.

They are always inviting to new places and introducing us to their friends and family. They’ve also made it somewhat of a tradition to take us to mass every Sunday then out to dinner to try new places.

It’s something that Lindsey and I definitely look forward to at the end of our weekend. At Rafael’s birthday party, we met Larissa’s cousin, Beatriz.

She is definitely one of the cutest and smartest little girls I have ever met. She was so entertaining with her clever remarks and silly comments—such a cutie!

My colleague Rosana also invited me to her son’s birthday dinner. I was treated to another amazing dinner with more wonderful people.

It was such a nice time with her family, and Rosana’s cake was absolutely delicious! It’s quite common in Brazilian culture to send your family and guests home with food from the party, so Rosana gave me some cake, and I had it for breakfast the next morning!

Just this evening, my landlord knocked on my door to invite us to his granddaughter’s 4-month birthday party.

When we first moved in, they celebrated baby Luiza’s 3^rd month and that was a pretty big deal, or so we thought. This month, the decorations were even more elaborate. There was a balloon arch and the baby’s name was posted largely in bright green, glittery letters.

Many friends and family were present. Baby Luiza was showered with gifts even though she was completely oblivious to it all. I guess it’s pretty common to celebrate each month of a child’s first year. We’ve been told that the actual 1^st year celebration is quite a grand event.

Last Saturday, Lindsey’s students invited us to their Amigo de Ovo celebration. The students decorated with balloons and made bunny ears for all their guests.

They prepared a yummy dinner and a delicious cake. They also made Brigadeiros, a popular Brazilian chocolate truffle, and served them in small, decorated cups.

In Brazil, Easter baskets are not commonly given as gifts for the holiday. Instead, people exchange large chocolate eggs. These eggs range in size, decoration and flavors, and they are displayed all throughout grocery stores and different stores in the mall beginning mid-March. We were a little curious about these eggs that took over the city until our students explained them.

The Brazilian Easter party seemed to incorporate our idea behind Secret Santa. A week or so before the party, the students picked names from a hat to determine their Egg Friend. Each person then bought a chocolate egg to the party for the person they had chosen.

Just before revealing their Amigo de Ovo and presenting their chocolate gift, they say something nice about the person they chose and the others try to guess who it is. It was definitely a fun first, and I may be bringing this tradition back home with me too!