Ok wow there is
seriously SO MUCH I have no idea where to start.
I´M IN SÁO
PAULO. WOW WOW WOW.
Ok so its funny
because apparently we are the Pilot group where they are switching up the
schedule so we totally had a Personal day (P-day) literally the SECOND DAY we
were here which was nice but also crazy because we still had no idea what we
were doing and then BOOM. INTO SÁO PAULO YOU GO. My grandma has asked for a
complete update on the food/culture of Brazil so I though I would just give you
a brief glimpse of what its like here and the language and all that jazz - if I
can in 15 min.. yikes!
Ok so the city:
I don´t know
what I was expecting but Sáo Paulo is sort of a mixture between San Francisco
and Hawaii and Italy.. also add the worst drivers of Provo you could find. :)
Apparently it´s one of the biggest cities in the world (drive for 3 hours and you´re
still in it) but there are all these beautiful giant tropical flowering trees
everywhere and all these hole in the wall stores and outdoor restaurants with
people sitting outside on the street corners drinking Guarana and Acaí. The
city is really hilly and has all these beautiful big colorful houses all
stacked on top of each other but also it definitely looks a little run down in
parts too. Actually the CTM (Centro de tranemiento Missionarios or something
like that yikes haha) is right in the middle of this area that is a little
sketch but also has this super cool little cookie shop next door -- Muito
bom!!!
The food:
LITERALLY
AMAZING. I probably eat the same three meals like every single day haha but for
breakfast, they have this soupy porridge-y type of stuff that sometimes has
rice or oats or SOME kind of chewies but also.. maybe not, and it tastes like
this really sweet delicious cinnamon milk (like horchata??). Then I dont know
what it is about Brazilians but they LOVE SANDWICHES. I feel like my mom who
ate literally cheese and bread her entire mission because every morning they
have this salty ham and cheese and bread that people put into a panini type
press and eat it for breakfast. LIKE EVERY DAY.
Lunchs are
usually the best with these BOMB beans and white or brown rice, always a salad
type bar with beets (which totally surprises me), some other bean salad usually
with tomatoes and squash, usually a lot of sausage or brisket and polenta
sometimes too.
SO GOOD.
The language:
Portuguese is literally
THE COOLEST THING IN THE WORLD. Also kind of have a love/hate relatioship
but its ok. It is kind of similar to spanish when its written down, except the
fact that it sounds like straight FRENCH when you try to speak it!! So many
`shhh`and `js´ (think the french jean) and lots of `chi´s too. Me and my
companion Sister Barlow (from washington - knows the Walkers) sit with the
natives every day and even though we hardly understood anything they said -- we
have gotten so much better and they are seriously blown away when we tell them
we have only been there for like less than a week! Pretty much accept the fact
that you are going to sound like a baby and not be ashamed of it apparently is
the way to go. I seriously sat there for like 10 minutes trying to say I had 2
older brothers and a younger sister and they all started to drift you know (you
can see it in the eyes) but they are all so cool and patient with us, its the
best! I am learning so quickly but I am blown away with how quickly I am
learning!
The mission:
Ok so I actually
am starting to understand what people mean when they say this is the hardest
thing they have ever done.
I am so
sorry, the sisters are just pulling us off the computer but I promise to do
better next week.
love you
all!!
Sister Staheli
