[sigh]

"Qoreitem" is the district of Beirut in which I was supposed to live. It's not going to stop, is it?

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=74649

photos

For more photos, check R's blog: http://dattsme.blogspot.com/ (they're pretty good!)

Day ?: Ipe (circumflex over "e")

There is a tree in Brazil that creates phenomenal blossoms in bright yellow, purple, and magenta. It dots the hillsides in the sea of brown, dried plants and strikes the eye.

There's a good lesson in this little wonder: when winter comes all the vegetation dries up. The lush green-ness of the hills is replaced with brownish tones and dry grass. This ipe tree (pron. "eepay") looks dead like all the other plants but, as the story goes, when least expected it gives one more set of blooms. Some say that these are the most beautiful flowers it produces. They say that it blooms one last time to show us that even when we think we have no more to give, that there is no hope, we all have the ability to bloom once more and that, maybe, it will be our most beautiful blossom yet.

Kinda cheesy? Maybe. But I like it.

Day Nine/Ten: Hein? (Eh?)

I love those days when you start off doing something relatively normal, say, sightseeing at Ouro Preto (17th century town with 365 churches--there's a whole story about hiding gold from the Portuguese that I can tell to those interested).

Next thing you know you're in a dance studio learning to samba with a professional dancer from Rio de Janeiro.

Expecting to come back to the pousada for sleep, you end up going out to dinner at Barro Beer (nice dining area) around 11:30pm, eating some of the best "fajou de tropeiro" you've ever had, followed by a sketchy walk to "Churrascaria de Manuel".

Who else would you expect to meet at a churrascaria but friends of Waldin (one of the guys we met last weekend), a German exchange student and his Brazilian friend, and Juliano from the "churrascarizinho" (small churrascaria)?

The final stop? Back to Barro Beer for dancing to some fucking kick-ass Brazilian techno, caipirinhas, and several "friendly" Brazilians in the V.I.P. area! Apparently, Juliano is a good guy to know!

A night that foreshadowed relaxation and getting some work done turned into a 5:20am taxi ride back to the pousada for a few hours of sleep before we're off to an authentic Indian lunch with one of the UFMG professors and a weekend that promises samba, a theatre-festival party, and my new German friend. ;>

Unbelieveable.

Day Eight: 2 to 1

Hour-long manicure: R$7.00
Full Brazilian wax: R$40.00
Many kilos of laundry: R$24.60

Feeling bonita in a foreign place: priceless

And, of course...

the world doesn't stop for my trip. I know that. And I think about it very often.

http://www.lau.edu.lb

Day Seven--the Remix: Carne! Carne! (Meat!)

"Churrascarias" (grill houses) are super popular, as I mentioned before. We found one for dinner tonight. You grab some salads at a salad bar and wait for the skewers to come: chicken, fish, pork, hot dogs (!), chicken hearts, wild boar, other game, and almost every cut of beef you could imagine (including filet mignon). The waiter just goes around the table and slices off meat chunks--I've never tasted meat like this [insert appropriate sexual joke here]. I don't know what they do to it, but it's phenomenal. Maybe the cows are happier here? It's just amazing. And all that for about R$20 ($10 USD).

We went with a couple of people from the pousada and they speak Portuguese mostly. They're teaching us more in just a few days than we ever learned in formal classes. And, of course, they're teaching us the good words:

fode se = fuck you
bundao = asshole
legal = cool
beleza = awesome
mea boca = jackass/moron
cerveja = beer
mazuma = one more (drink/beer/caipirinha/etc)
macanha = pot (apparently the best pot is found in the north near Salvador b/c that's where the PLANTATIONS are--plantations? Brazil is beleza!) ;>

Those words should do for awhile... at least they'll work at the bars this weekend! :>

[And while sitting here, I met Tariq--a Moroccan guy who speaks French fluently and some good English. Between Arabic, French, and English we had a nice conversation].

What to say? Nao sai (I don't know). Brasil es maravalheiro! (marvelous)

(Pictures soon. I promise.)

Day Five, Six, Seven: Tudo Bem!

Our first full day in BH was great. There's a man-made lake in our area that we walked around. At a roadside stand we had "coco verde" (green coconuts) where they core a hole into them for us to drink the juice. So good!

After a couple of hours of walking we found a grill house (grilled meats are VERY popular in this area). Nine caipirinhas and caipirissimas later (similar to alocoholic lemonade with a tangy bite mixed with cachacas, rum, or vodka) I found myself totally relaxed and dancing the samba with a handsome Brazilian stranger named "Romulo". We made some friends--a really nice couple and Romulo and his friends. Quite a few folks speak some English and with our combined knowledge (or lack of) Portuguese we're able to communicate enough to laugh and have a good time.

We've met with the UFMG folks (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) and ran into the undergraduates we know from Wayne State! There are three of them studying at UFMG for a semester--we had all taken Portuguese together. It was a great reunion and we're planning some short trips to local areas pretty soon. There's a conservation area near BH that promises waterfalls, kayaking, and hiking--I MUST go.

So far (knock on wood) we haven't been sick. While Cara and I are being pretty careful with what we eat (little to no raw foods, not drinking the tap water, etc) Renuka's been enjoying almost everything--her Indian iron stomach seems to be doing well.

As I sit in the lounge of the pousada I'm relishing the calm weather--sunny, mild, and relaxing. Many places have open-air sections to them where you can see trees of poinsettias (yes, trees!) and some really stunning flowers that are brighter than anything I've ever seen. It's a beautiful place but the air quality isn't the best. Considering that Cara and I polished off a pack of cigarettes at the grill house (and neither of us smokes!) I s'pose the outside air is the least of my concerns.

Brazil is doing wonders for my mindset... ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY and don't worry about responsibility too much. I'm riding this wave as it comes and loving every second of it!