the joys of studying abroad

Today I realized that for the past two months I have been washing my clothes with fabric softener instead of detergent. DUMB.

Oh, the things you notice when shopping in another language in your third month that you don't notice in your first...

slow down!

I have now spent more time this year in the southern hemisphere than I have in the north! Unfortunately with every passing month spent here in Brazil, the time I have left dimishes. It's going so fast! In less than two months I'll be celebrating Christmas back in the states.

So, in honor of my three months here in Brazil, I have comprised a list of things I miss about America:

• zip lock bags and paper towels
• peanut butter (although I brought my own with me!)
• being able to use pandora
• living five minutes from class
• coconut lime verbena lotion
• chai chillers from the csc
• GAMEDAY. especially we are the boys!
• eating a slice of pizza with my hands
• NavNight and all of the wonderful people that go along with it
• the fam, and especially my little niece Ellie!

a weekend in Pouso Novo

This weekend I went home with my roomie to the itsy bitsy town of Pouso Novo! It's about two hours from Porto Alegre and has only 2,000 residents!

Ephesians 5:10

Find out what pleases the Lord.

pão de queijo

A Brazilian necessity--pão de queijo (aka cheese bread)! These little balls of deliciousness are a perfect snack for hangouts. And I got my own private lesson. Watch the magic happen...

at the store

ready for the oven

and the secret ingredient...LOVE!

the Grenal approaches

To be gremista or colorada, THAT is the question...

This weekend there will be one of the most exciting soccer games of my time here. It's the Grenal!, a much anticipated event here in Porto Alegre. Gre-Nal is a confrontation between Grêmio and Inter, the two soccer clubs of Rio Grande do Sul. It's a rivalry of epic proportions. This will be their 383rd meeting. Spirited, yes. Edge-of-your-seat-excitement, yes. Tumultuous, yes. Out of control, yes!

A brief history of the two clubs:
1903, Grêmio founded. 1909, Inter founded as a team for foreigners, the poor and blacks who weren't yet accepted in the other two existing clubs. All throughout the years Grêmio was much better and I'm not even sure why Inter was named Inter(nacional) because they weren't even good enough to compete internationally! But fear not, they got better and now the two teams live together in a thriving rivalry. To add to the intensity, they are both bichampions of the Libertadores championship. In 1983 and 1995 Grêmio won. In 2006 and 2010 Inter.

Now only one question remains--who will I cheer for? I guess I have until Sunday to decide!

COW PARADE!

Folks, it's true! The Cow Parade has come to Porto Alegre. Cow Parade is a public art exhibit of cow statues painted by local artists. There are over 80 cows scattered throughout the city! Kind of random, but it makes for a fun afternoon excursion for picture taking and seeing a bright blue cow standing on the corner of Silva So and Ipiranga on the bus to school always puts a smile on my face!

Here's some of the cows I've paid a visit to:

This is one of my favorites! It's all about Gaucha culture.

I think the cow beats me in fierceness.

the "domini-cow" (Dominical = Sunday newspaper)

The sponsor of all of the cows here in Porto Alegre is Mu Mu, a company that makes dairy products. This cow is their symbol. "mumu" is also a nickname for doce de leite!

the where's waldo cow

Here's a link to the gallery of all of the cows in Porto Alegre:

http://www.cowparade.com.br/poa/galeria.php

yum yum

This is my favorite cafe in Porto Alegre. It makes for a perfect pit stop after a walk through the park.

exploring

Welcome to Porto Alegre!

One of the best ways I've gotten to know the city is by taking the bus--there's one that goes to every corner of the city. Thankfully there's a busy stop right outside my front door!

Some of my favorite bus routes (aka, the ones I know how to use!):

D43 - Universitária

T2, T5, T7, T11

343 - Campus/Ipiranga

429 -Protásio/Iguatemi

431 - Carlos Gomes

438 - Santana

439 - São Manuel

510 - Auxiliadora

"it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood"

There's a great park right across the street from my apartment. Perfect for walks on a beautiful Porto Alegre day like today!

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas? Not quite...

One of my favorite days of the academic school year is when the class schedule for next semester is released. It's so fun to look through all of the crazy classes I could take and start to plan out possible schedules!

a new definition of on-campus dining

We are all familiar with the love-hate relationship of dining halls. So convenient, yet not always so tasty. Here in Brazil it's the same principle, but definitely with a different twist!

Here's a typical meal in the Restaurante Universitário: rice and beans (ALWAYS), some sort of meat that I decide whether or not to eat, a side (usually some sort of vegetable), a piece of fruit, and juice.


But here's the kicker! All of this for R$1.60. That's less that a buck! Can ya believe it?

Another one of my favorite on-campus pit stops is the Antônio. It's a great place to pick up a snack, tea, coffee, etc. in between classes.

and so october begins

I can't think of a better way to start October than with a pan of bread pudding!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the gas stove.