1st day in Recife
Door: Hilda Alberda
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Hilda
06 Januari 2006 | Brazilië, Recife
Dear all,
I can´t wait to tell you about my first day in Brasil... So, here it comes:
After some contact by phone, email and chat with friends and family in The Netherlands, me, Amanda (daughter from Prof. Scott) and Alexandre (boyfriend Amanda)went out for lunch across the street to one of those places where you have to weight your plate. I just tried something from about everything... and it was good and a lot! After lunch Alexandre and Marcia (friend from Amanda who was there at the airport as well) took me to buy a simcard, so I already have a Brazilian phonenumber to stay in touch with all my Brazilian friends! And, if you really feel like talking to me (it could be ;)) you can dial 0900-1467 (see www.spaartelecom.nl) and call me for an extra 10 cents per minute. Meu numeró é +55- 31- 81- 9639 2749.
After that we went into Recife and they showed me some nice places. Recife has very nice old buildings, painted in bright colours. We also saw an old ship and made a little trip in a rowing boat. After that we sat down somewhere and we practiced some Portuguese... Marcia does not speak English and Alexandre just a little, but we came pretty far in both languages and with my little dictionairy (good on ya Bart, Sameena and Karin!). I am already able to have some conversation in Portugues, so hopefully I will soon be fluent ;).
Then we met with Amanda and went to find housing for me. We looked at some kind of hostel which I did not find very intersting, then an apartment in a huge building near the beach, with swimmingpool on top, television, airco, kitchen, and even housekeeping... this will cost about 1000R which is about 400 euros. After that we went to see a house where Marcia might move to (I could rent it for about 150 euros, but it is not furnitured at all...). We were invited for dinner at Rafael´s (boyfriend from Catarina,the youngest daughter of prof. Scott) place which was really nice. The food was good and people really friendly.
After that we went to see a room at an aparment of an old lady, but I was´t very fond of that. When we went out Amanda spook to the security guard and it appeared that some appartments were shared by only students. Some of them just walked by and Amanda asked if they knew possibilities. They exchanged numbers and when we were back at Scott´s apartment (which is next to it) they rang and told here that I could share a room in their apartment. We went there and I met the three girls living there, who seem really nice. The room will cost me 110R which is about 43 euros. This is till now the best option. They are happy to take me out, help me with my Portuguese, 1 girl dates a Dutch boy and the other is also doing a research that concerns women and work.
After that we went to Olinda (a smaller city very near by) where I had my very first, freshly made (by a street venter), strong, Brazilian caipirinha! We also had some kind of snack bread with cheese and cocos or so... I have already tried so many fruits, drinks and food, that is something that´s always really nice about different cultures. After that we went to a bar at sat outside (there probably was no insight) on the terras and had many cervejas! We had a lot of fun, the girls are really nice (I went with Amanda, Catarina and Alexandre). It is nice to see how the three of them are so open, chatting with everyone, they even traded a beer for some oisters (the first time I had those... and no, I don´t feel sick after eating all this local food). We spent the night at Alexandre´s place, who lives in Olinda. We cam back about 4 o´clock or something and I was som tired that I fell asleep imidately.
The girls are just waking up now (I have been wake for about 3,5 hour or so) so I will have breakfast with them now.
Just to conclude: till now, Brasil and it´s people seem really nice to me. Recife is not as ´dangerous´ as I thought it would me, I actually find it relaxed (expecially the way people interact with eachother), although I haven´t seen the favela´s...
Até a proximo!
Hilda
I can´t wait to tell you about my first day in Brasil... So, here it comes:
After some contact by phone, email and chat with friends and family in The Netherlands, me, Amanda (daughter from Prof. Scott) and Alexandre (boyfriend Amanda)went out for lunch across the street to one of those places where you have to weight your plate. I just tried something from about everything... and it was good and a lot! After lunch Alexandre and Marcia (friend from Amanda who was there at the airport as well) took me to buy a simcard, so I already have a Brazilian phonenumber to stay in touch with all my Brazilian friends! And, if you really feel like talking to me (it could be ;)) you can dial 0900-1467 (see www.spaartelecom.nl) and call me for an extra 10 cents per minute. Meu numeró é +55- 31- 81- 9639 2749.
After that we went into Recife and they showed me some nice places. Recife has very nice old buildings, painted in bright colours. We also saw an old ship and made a little trip in a rowing boat. After that we sat down somewhere and we practiced some Portuguese... Marcia does not speak English and Alexandre just a little, but we came pretty far in both languages and with my little dictionairy (good on ya Bart, Sameena and Karin!). I am already able to have some conversation in Portugues, so hopefully I will soon be fluent ;).
Then we met with Amanda and went to find housing for me. We looked at some kind of hostel which I did not find very intersting, then an apartment in a huge building near the beach, with swimmingpool on top, television, airco, kitchen, and even housekeeping... this will cost about 1000R which is about 400 euros. After that we went to see a house where Marcia might move to (I could rent it for about 150 euros, but it is not furnitured at all...). We were invited for dinner at Rafael´s (boyfriend from Catarina,the youngest daughter of prof. Scott) place which was really nice. The food was good and people really friendly.
After that we went to see a room at an aparment of an old lady, but I was´t very fond of that. When we went out Amanda spook to the security guard and it appeared that some appartments were shared by only students. Some of them just walked by and Amanda asked if they knew possibilities. They exchanged numbers and when we were back at Scott´s apartment (which is next to it) they rang and told here that I could share a room in their apartment. We went there and I met the three girls living there, who seem really nice. The room will cost me 110R which is about 43 euros. This is till now the best option. They are happy to take me out, help me with my Portuguese, 1 girl dates a Dutch boy and the other is also doing a research that concerns women and work.
After that we went to Olinda (a smaller city very near by) where I had my very first, freshly made (by a street venter), strong, Brazilian caipirinha! We also had some kind of snack bread with cheese and cocos or so... I have already tried so many fruits, drinks and food, that is something that´s always really nice about different cultures. After that we went to a bar at sat outside (there probably was no insight) on the terras and had many cervejas! We had a lot of fun, the girls are really nice (I went with Amanda, Catarina and Alexandre). It is nice to see how the three of them are so open, chatting with everyone, they even traded a beer for some oisters (the first time I had those... and no, I don´t feel sick after eating all this local food). We spent the night at Alexandre´s place, who lives in Olinda. We cam back about 4 o´clock or something and I was som tired that I fell asleep imidately.
The girls are just waking up now (I have been wake for about 3,5 hour or so) so I will have breakfast with them now.
Just to conclude: till now, Brasil and it´s people seem really nice to me. Recife is not as ´dangerous´ as I thought it would me, I actually find it relaxed (expecially the way people interact with eachother), although I haven´t seen the favela´s...
Até a proximo!
Hilda
