Feriado

Today is yet ANOTHER holiday here in Brasil. Now, I can´t complain too much - it is All Souls Day and I appreciate that when I went to mass at 8am this morning it was full. Granted, 75% of the congregation was over 65 but it was nice to see a full church so early in the morning.

November is just full of holidays. The 15th to the 20th of November is another (almost week long) holiday. When a holiday falls in the middle of the week Brasilians take off the rest of the week. What a great idea! (brasilians have almost as many holiday´s in November as we Americans have in a year) For the next holiday I am going to the beach. Yes, that is right, I - Melissa - am going to the beach. Not usually my thing but I know a couple that lives in Porto Seguro and four of my friends from school want to go. It is apparently a fantastic beach town. And as long as we figure out how to get there and where to stay I am going. Might sound like a lot of incredibly key details to figure out but I´m in Brasil - I´ll worry about it tomorrow. teehee.

Still no pictures. I spent all day with my grandmother - which was fantastic - and I had every intention of taking pictures. Here is the problem - I spent nearly my entire life without a camera, I just received one for my birthday 6 months ago (oh boy, that means I am 6 months closer to the big 2-9) from my dad. So I don´t have a habit of lugging a camera around and taking it out at opportune moments. Additionally - even though I have never had a camera - all of the sudden I want a smaller, faster, black one. This is the problem with buying things - it leads to wanting more things or "better" things. Ugh!

Thursday was my last day of class. It was so worthwhile: I speak more Português, I understand more, I know when I am speaking in the wrong tense (though I hardly remember what tense I should be using) AND I made friends. I may return for two weeks in December. Thanks mom and pops!

I´ve sent out two resumes. I don´t know what kind of success I will have since I am applying for jobs in Boston using my parents address in New York City and am currently in Brasil and can´t interview until the end of December, beginning of January. I am just going to keep plugging away and putting out resumes.

Being that São Paulo is a megacity, with nearly 20 million, it is not easy to get around. The metro is fantastic but nowhere near my house. My family doesn´t want me to ride the bus (but I am going to....) so instead I usually take expensive cabs that drive below the speed limit in attempts to rip me off. Today when I took a cab back from my grandma´s house it was the first time I was afraid. He´s seats were covered in plastic and the floor was covered with newspaper. He was short with glasses. I was sure he was a serial killer. (They have been showing a lot of horror movies in honor of Halloween). Don´t fear, I made it home safe and sound. Not only was he probably not a serial killer, I don´t think he has ever even been in a fight. He was only guilty of going 50 in a 60kpm hour zone. All the more incentive to take a bus (which would take twice as long, barely have standing room, and require at least transfers). I´d really show those taxi drivers then! teehee.

University of Michigan is playing against MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY tomorrow. How I wish I could see that game! Next year.....next year.....2008, in Ann Arbor, I am going to watch my first U of M, MSU game ever. I am determined!

I´m going out with friends tonight or tomorrow. I promise to work on the pics thing.