New faces, new places

Visiting in a foreign land is akin to beginning a new job. New places, new faces, moments of panic, instants of frustration, spots of delight. I am in Brazil as I write this, staying with a friend who lives here now. Though I came down here with no expectations about Brazil, I did not expect it to be cold! I should not have been surprised as this is southern Brazil, just a stone's throw from Ururguay, far from the equatorial regions. It is winter down here and the sky has been gray and foggy/drizzly for days, reminding me of Cincinnati in December. The temperature hovers around the mid50's  with nearly 80% humidity. I thought I had packed correctly, but I should have followed Angie's advice and prepared with more layers. 

I went through customs and had to change airlines in Brasilia. Though I had no problems, it was disconcerting to hear only Portuguese.I had no idea what anyone was saying, I just followed the crowd in front of me and hoped I would end up at the correct desk. It's been years since I was jolted from my confortable routine to find myself sitting in an airport gate area with absolutely no idea what the loudspeaker was saying and hoping the plane's departure time was accurate as that is all I had to go on when the line formed for boarding. When I found my seat, I thought:  "halleluajah! I have succeeded." 

I went to a party last night at a night club called New York 72. The music was from the American 80's but the food and drink were pure Brazil. I dipped by appetizers in a farina-based substance that looked like wheat germ but tasted like peppered sausage and drank a sugar cane based cocktail that made my brain a bit woozy! I had a great time! 

This has been a good experience for me. Being challenged to use my coping skills in a new way is healthy and envigorating. I should keep doing this kind of thing! I feel like I have in the past when the first few days of a new job were behind me and I had begun to recognize the faces I saw, to know the way to the bathroom, to blend in with the routines. That initial moment of adrenaline rushed panic was erased as what had been new became familiar.