Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tres Dias


It's impossible to keep up when I'm working through this shotty internet service, so I'm posting three entries at once; don't be alarmed. I suggest you take a short break between each day, give someone a hug, watch some Ellen, grab some coffee. You know, the small, good things in life.

09/05
Today is Neptune Day, which means we don't have class because we crossed over the equator, which apparently calls for extensive head-shaving, the spilling of fish guts over everyone's heads, kissing a rigor mortis fish on the lips, jumping in the ship's saltwater pool, then being knighted by the Neptune king. Though spirits were high and many impressionable students were pressured into goin' bald, I still have my hair (as do Kristin and Drew). I did partake in everything else, though, including the fish kissing, which you all know is undoubtedly the worst act there is for me to do in this world of endless possibilities. At least I contained my vomitus.

A short while afterwards it started raining, as it always does. That's an interesting thing about being on an ever-moving vessel; rain never ruins a whole day—given the storm travels slower than 20 knots or so—at the most, it's twenty minutes spent inside knowing it will cease soon enough.

And then I saw a whale! I think I was the last one to see any form of sea life off the side of the boat; Kristin saw dolphins, Drew saw flying fish, etc. I only caught a flash of its back before it leaped back in, but it was a magnificent sight.


09/08
I woke up with what is commonly referred to as "sore throat" by professionals worldwide, and it's been kicking me hard and tirelessly in the lymph nodes, upsetting my body into a fury, a 100+ degree fever, chills, sallow mucus that plays red-light-green-light in my nostrils. My ears have closed up, my eyes are tired and red, and every last friend has deserted me.

Drew and Amanda (a tall blonde lady from Jersey) are in Lencois; Eilis (eye-leash: a wonderfully spunky brunette from Long Island), Jen (a Pen State girl, a bit goofy, petite in size, much like my mother, for all of you who know her, you understand), Scott (our 6 foot something bodyguard who protects us from all things foreign and dangerous), and Julie (our wonderful, beautiful Brazilian amiga who got us around Salvador the first day) are in the Amazon, petting tigers and cutting down vines; and Kristin (my cousin, you all know her and know there exists no explanation to suffice) is at dinner, or "Bahia by Night," eating full roast pigs off sticks and drinking caipirinha [ka-i-pi-ri-nya: Brazil's national cocktail, consisting of cachaca (sugar cane rum), sugar and lime].

Since they left me, I have been mostly in bed, or seeking out makeshift beds as I attempt to stick to my former plans—pool chairs on the ship, a padded ship deck on a ferry through the Atlantic, the sand of Itaparica island—even though I would rather stay home and just sleep this fever into the ground. Kristin accompanied me on those excursions, though; it is only tonight that I am alone.

So here I sit, in my bed, on the ship, in Salvador, Brazil (the harbor of which is pictured above). I purchased some tea at the pool bar upstairs but am wary of drinking it too soon as I've burnt my palate the last two nights and have already dealt with repercussions of that—bubbling, peeling, and now, great discomfort in eating, drinking, etc. A nice girl named Aja (ay-ja, like Asia) who lives down the hall kindly gave me Sudafed, Motrin and Halls to make this night a little easier, so I hope the Sudafed will make me drowsy enough to fall soundly to sleep without waking up too many times for lack of air intake.

Tomorrow I will go to the circus and learn the way of the clown, or so I hope. I will be going in sickness and in health, as long as I am living, so let's hope my bones aren't dangerously fragile. I imagine them as igneous rocks boiling under my hot skin, just waiting to erupt.


09/09
I enter this entry with great enthusiasm as Aja's medicine worked miracles on me overnight. Sure, I woke up with a little pinkeye, but the occlusion of my nose is concentrated to one (not two) sides and my throat only hurts when I breathe through my mouth! Good news for all.

I went to the circus today and had the most wonderful time; probably the most fun to be found in all of Brazil. The group was "Piccolino," founded as a method to reduce poverty on the streets, collecting poor children found climbing street lights, getting tangled up in capoeira circles, or exhibiting similar odd talents, and this group took them in and fed them as the children were taught to walk the tight rope, do back flips or ride a unicycle. Some have been there as long as fifteen years and it is really quite impressive what they have learned or otherwise gained from this humble group, just a couple circus tents on the side of the highway. I doubt I will interact with native Brazilians as intimately and usefully as I did today—hands-on spotting and instructions, physically working through language barriers as they taught us trapeze, unicycle, tight rope, tumbling, juggling and silk rope. Everyone was impressed by my unicycling skills (as the only visitor to successfully perform as I glided across the broken floor). A few of the other girls were quite talented as well, a couple of them ex-gymnasts or otherwise acrobatically inclined, so we did a lot of interesting group work—pyramids, spotting, barreling across the floor. (I know barreling isn't the right word, but I don't know any better way to explain it).

From this jaunt I made a couple new friends, one of whom is an ex-gymnast from San Diego California, and I traveled the city with her and a few of her friends (and Kristin, of course) the rest of the day. We eventually split up as they trekked (by taxi) to a Wal-Mart owned shopping center in search of Brazilian snacks while Kristin and I walked to a marketplace nearby. I finally bought a couple things—a pair of leather tie-up sandals, a t-shirt and a pair of earrings—all pretty cheap. I am very pleased.

Brazil has been fun mostly for the fact that I can't communicate; it makes for a lot of laughs as I employ my broken Spanish en communicado con Portuguese speakers. I know a couple vital phrases in Portuguese; I will share them with you now:

Hello: Oi
Goodbye: Tchau
Thank you: Obrigado
No thank you: No Obrigado (quite easily the phrase most commonly used by foreigners)
How much: Cuanto e
Yes: Sim
No: No
Sorry: Disculpe (second most commonly used phrase)
Guarana: Guarana (A delicious drink made from a plant used in popular energy drinks, like Red Bull
Acai: Acai (A fruity sorbet-like dish served in a bowl with fruit and granola, consisting of the native Brazilian Acai plant, containing, or so I hear, five times the antioxidants of blueberries).

Anyway, Kristin and I are going to head to dinner on the boat now. Not safe to walk around in Brazil just us two after sunset. We'll be going out later though; apparently Tuesdays are big festival/party nights for Salvadorians and, as rumor has it, there'll be drummers, capoeira dancers, and even an American Bar.

5 comments:

Yoshi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yoshi said...

Your writing style makes reading your exploits totally effortless. From what I can tell, you're meeting some good people and are hopefully laughing at your communicative limitations! I have to say, I'm a bit jealous. I've been so busy here at home that I can only imagine SAS as a great vacation. Please tell me you're getting a little challenge here and there to ease my envy =)

hirabayashitaiko said...

I am sorry, Mitzi, about your throat problem; but I am glad you are better and taking in a full day (and night) of fun. Like Yoshi, I too am a bit jealous. I have found a few grammatical errors in your entries, but my temptation to correct them is under control. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Latin America and keep your fun writing coming. Say hi to Drew and Kristin.

hirabayashitaiko said...

Hi, Mitzi-bitz. Did you know that I took Portuguese for two weeks when I was a student at Waseda? So, I know a few expressions. We'll compare notes when you are in Japan. Can't wait to see you here. -- Dad

Unknown said...

miiiiitzii! so i'm starting from the beginning and reading every entry and so far i love it. i don't think i've ever really read anything that you've written before, but i love it and it reminds me of you. i miss you. brazil sounds great! my friend sam (who you met when she came to visit me sophomore year) just spent 6 months in Salvador last spring and didn't want to come home. i'm so proud of you for kissing a fish - though you should have put a picture up for proof! haha. besos!