i went to campus yesterday with felipe, and the professor im doing research with wasnt there... another professor told me he would be back in the afternoon. so i went home and returned after lunch (lunch break is from 12-2).
i met professor vicente and we went to see final project presentations of some of his students. afterwards we got to talk, but it was very brief. he introduced me to the students in the lab then he showed me the projects i will be working on. for the first project i will be gathering stress data from a magnetorheological damper. the second project involves shape memory alloys to improve the stability of a structure.
before he left he also introduced me to bruno who i will be working with. i went with bruno to get 24/7 access to the builing where im working and to get a copy of the key to the lab. we got to talk for a while so he answered some of the questions i had.
today was pretty uneventful. burno and i drilled some holes in this pvc plank for a while. also since work is all in portuguese i learned lots of new words like box cutter, damper, bearing, and yield stress.
friday is a holiday so im leaving tomorrow afternoon for curitiba!
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Saturday, 3 July 2010
sao paulo - presidente prudente - jales - ilha solteira. the final journey.
after campos i returned to sao paulo for a few days. the hostel i stayed at was nice but there was hardly anyone there. but i still met lots of people from brasil and the world, had a really good time, and got to know a different part of the city.
next i took a bus from sao paulo to presidente prudente. it took about 8 hours, but it wasnt so bad because i got to see a lot of the countryside which was really beautiful. i stayed with bharbara who i met through couchsurfing. i stayed with her and her famiy for two nights. i had a nice time with her and her friends. the experience was much more valuable than if i had gone alone, not knowing anything about the city. so i am really grateful for that opportunity.
on thursday i traveled to jales to complete my registration with the federal police. i left at 920am and didnt get there until 6pm because i had to catch two buses and waited about three hours in between. when i arrived in jales i found a hotel with wifi after searching for a while on foot. one night cost $17. the next morning, i got up early to go to the delegacia of the federal police. the stakes were quite high for several reasons: i had already purchased a bus ticket for 330pm to ilha solteira, the delegacia was only going to be open from 800 until 1030am when it would close due to the brasil x holland match, and i still had some tasks to complete before i could get registered. i arrived early and by 830 i left to go round up all the necessary items to complete the process. i took a mototaxi (just a guy with a bike and an extra helmet) and first went to pay the registration fee of about $100 at the banco do brasil. that was fairly straightforward and only took 15 minutes. next i went to a notary to get notarized copies of all the relevant pages of my passport. this cost about $20 and also didnt take long. lastly i went to get 3x4cm fotos. this was also quick, costing $7. i returned to the delegacia around 930. i waited a while then they took my fingerprints and gave me my official id. i left around 1020 and went to a bar to watch the match. the brazilians were angry about the loss at first, but soon after they were happy and brasilian again.
i arrived in ilha solteira around 6pm after a three-hour ride. felipe, at student at unesp, met me at the bus station. oh, this is on friday. iaeste informed me of my housing arrangements on wednesday. anyway, felipe and i went straight to my new home! thats nice to be able to say. being a tourist is tiring. living somewhere is much more pleasant. im even thinking of returning one weekend to visit.
the house is medium-sized and well-used. i think there are four other students that live here although its tough to say because the semester is just ending here and theyve all been coming and going for vacation. last night i went to the house of a friend of felipe. i met lots of people and had fun speaking lots of portuguese and learning lots of new words and expressions.
today i went to watch the argentina x germany match with some of my new friends. in the afternoon, we went to the beach of the rio parana. the surrondings of the city are really beautiful. theres water everywhere you look and watching the sun set along the river at the foot of the hidroelectric dam was great.
i think im going to have an excellent experience here and im ready to start my research on tuesday.
pictures soon....
next i took a bus from sao paulo to presidente prudente. it took about 8 hours, but it wasnt so bad because i got to see a lot of the countryside which was really beautiful. i stayed with bharbara who i met through couchsurfing. i stayed with her and her famiy for two nights. i had a nice time with her and her friends. the experience was much more valuable than if i had gone alone, not knowing anything about the city. so i am really grateful for that opportunity.
on thursday i traveled to jales to complete my registration with the federal police. i left at 920am and didnt get there until 6pm because i had to catch two buses and waited about three hours in between. when i arrived in jales i found a hotel with wifi after searching for a while on foot. one night cost $17. the next morning, i got up early to go to the delegacia of the federal police. the stakes were quite high for several reasons: i had already purchased a bus ticket for 330pm to ilha solteira, the delegacia was only going to be open from 800 until 1030am when it would close due to the brasil x holland match, and i still had some tasks to complete before i could get registered. i arrived early and by 830 i left to go round up all the necessary items to complete the process. i took a mototaxi (just a guy with a bike and an extra helmet) and first went to pay the registration fee of about $100 at the banco do brasil. that was fairly straightforward and only took 15 minutes. next i went to a notary to get notarized copies of all the relevant pages of my passport. this cost about $20 and also didnt take long. lastly i went to get 3x4cm fotos. this was also quick, costing $7. i returned to the delegacia around 930. i waited a while then they took my fingerprints and gave me my official id. i left around 1020 and went to a bar to watch the match. the brazilians were angry about the loss at first, but soon after they were happy and brasilian again.
i arrived in ilha solteira around 6pm after a three-hour ride. felipe, at student at unesp, met me at the bus station. oh, this is on friday. iaeste informed me of my housing arrangements on wednesday. anyway, felipe and i went straight to my new home! thats nice to be able to say. being a tourist is tiring. living somewhere is much more pleasant. im even thinking of returning one weekend to visit.
the house is medium-sized and well-used. i think there are four other students that live here although its tough to say because the semester is just ending here and theyve all been coming and going for vacation. last night i went to the house of a friend of felipe. i met lots of people and had fun speaking lots of portuguese and learning lots of new words and expressions.
today i went to watch the argentina x germany match with some of my new friends. in the afternoon, we went to the beach of the rio parana. the surrondings of the city are really beautiful. theres water everywhere you look and watching the sun set along the river at the foot of the hidroelectric dam was great.
i think im going to have an excellent experience here and im ready to start my research on tuesday.
pictures soon....
Saturday, 26 June 2010
fun productive day in campos
today ended up being fun. i left after breakfast and started walking towards the centro turistico. i must have walk about 6 km today. the first thing i did was go on a passeio by bus through the mountains and to a famous waterfall there. the girl giving the tour was the first "stranger" that was actually friendly here. after the tour she even told the driver to drop me off at my next location. that was the teleferico which went to the top of the mountain where theres a panoramic view. once again, it was pretty hot here today. i think my face even got burned! next i ate a whole bag of chocolates with licquor inside. then i ate two kinds of chocolate ice cream. but this place is famous for chocolate, so its ok...
next i went to the chocolate factory which was kind of lame but i learned a bit about the history of chocolate. i also bought more chocolate! :o
when i was walking back to the hostel i realized that the usa was about to play, so i started looking for a place to eat lunch and watch the game. i ended up at a churrascaria (my first) and had an awesome lunch. i also made friends with the servers and they thought it was funny that i was american. the one guy asked how many cups the usa has won. we had a good laugh after that.
the game went into ovetime and the place was closing so one of the servers and i went to another place to watch the end. the us lost, but i told the guy that i still have hope because brasil is still alive.
now im back at the hostel. i had to move into a new room for tonite. i dont know what the lady's problem was who said the people i would be moving in with were "simple" people. maybe it doesnt carry the same connotation in portuguese ("simples"), but they seem nice.
tonite im planning on going to the most famous club here but only if i have enough energy. i have to get up at 8 tmrw to catch the bus to sao paulo at 9. im going to stay there for a few days before i start heading to my final destination, ilha solteira.
oh, the last two people i told i was going to ilha solteira had heard of the place! thats compared to one person during my first three weeks here....
almost everyone here in campos guesses that im portuguese. i asked why because it seems like they would be able to recognize the portuguese portuguese accent accurately. it turns out its because of my face and because i talk slowly....apparently the portuguese speak more slowly than the brazilians(?). other people either think im from argentina or spain.
also, one of the servers today asked me what language they speak in the us and if it was "americano". strange.
next i went to the chocolate factory which was kind of lame but i learned a bit about the history of chocolate. i also bought more chocolate! :o
when i was walking back to the hostel i realized that the usa was about to play, so i started looking for a place to eat lunch and watch the game. i ended up at a churrascaria (my first) and had an awesome lunch. i also made friends with the servers and they thought it was funny that i was american. the one guy asked how many cups the usa has won. we had a good laugh after that.
the game went into ovetime and the place was closing so one of the servers and i went to another place to watch the end. the us lost, but i told the guy that i still have hope because brasil is still alive.
now im back at the hostel. i had to move into a new room for tonite. i dont know what the lady's problem was who said the people i would be moving in with were "simple" people. maybe it doesnt carry the same connotation in portuguese ("simples"), but they seem nice.
tonite im planning on going to the most famous club here but only if i have enough energy. i have to get up at 8 tmrw to catch the bus to sao paulo at 9. im going to stay there for a few days before i start heading to my final destination, ilha solteira.
oh, the last two people i told i was going to ilha solteira had heard of the place! thats compared to one person during my first three weeks here....
almost everyone here in campos guesses that im portuguese. i asked why because it seems like they would be able to recognize the portuguese portuguese accent accurately. it turns out its because of my face and because i talk slowly....apparently the portuguese speak more slowly than the brazilians(?). other people either think im from argentina or spain.
also, one of the servers today asked me what language they speak in the us and if it was "americano". strange.
Friday, 25 June 2010
moving on
i arrived in campos do jordao by myself this afternoon from rio. the bus ride seemed really long. for the last hour we were on these small roads climbing up through the mountains with tunnels and bridges and really nice views.
this place seems pretty interesting. apparently there arent hostels here, theyre more like hotels. the one i showed up at said they were full even though i didnt see a single guest. the receptionist called another place for me and they said they had room for me for 180 reais per night! i said i couldnt do that, and then the lady offered me to stay in a room with 3 "simple" brasilian guys who are here for work. this room is 50 reais per night and more like a hostel room. i havent met the guys yet.... (update: now they moved me to a different room and said theyre booked for tomorrow night and i have to leave tomorrow. seems like bullshit, but im not particularly attached to this place. some of the people here at the hotel dont even make eye contact. weird).
campos do jordao is really nice. its like a little swiss/german town tucked away in the mountains ("the highest city in brasil") and its quite big with q population of 50000. theres a lot of really nice restaurants and shops. oh, and they make chocolate and beer here! also its really hot here. hotter than rio! luckily i didnt show up wearing gloves and a hat like i was instructed by none other than the internets.
i went out to a bar for lunch and watched the chile x spain match. chile lost but at least they still advance to the round of 16 where they will play brasil!
this afternoon i saw a news report from the fifa fan fest in rio and i wished i were there!
this place seems pretty interesting. apparently there arent hostels here, theyre more like hotels. the one i showed up at said they were full even though i didnt see a single guest. the receptionist called another place for me and they said they had room for me for 180 reais per night! i said i couldnt do that, and then the lady offered me to stay in a room with 3 "simple" brasilian guys who are here for work. this room is 50 reais per night and more like a hostel room. i havent met the guys yet.... (update: now they moved me to a different room and said theyre booked for tomorrow night and i have to leave tomorrow. seems like bullshit, but im not particularly attached to this place. some of the people here at the hotel dont even make eye contact. weird).
campos do jordao is really nice. its like a little swiss/german town tucked away in the mountains ("the highest city in brasil") and its quite big with q population of 50000. theres a lot of really nice restaurants and shops. oh, and they make chocolate and beer here! also its really hot here. hotter than rio! luckily i didnt show up wearing gloves and a hat like i was instructed by none other than the internets.
i went out to a bar for lunch and watched the chile x spain match. chile lost but at least they still advance to the round of 16 where they will play brasil!
this afternoon i saw a news report from the fifa fan fest in rio and i wished i were there!
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
paraty and rio de janeiro
greetings!
i left sao paulo a week and a half ago, june 13, heading to paraty, rio de janeiro with my friend marie from germany. paraty is a small beach resort/fishing village. in paraty we met up with our friend tamarah from holland. during our 4 days there, we did the following:
day trip by bus to trinidade, a small beach town;
boat tour of the beaches/islands around paraty with oppourtunites to swim to the beach and play soccer;
watched the first brasil match at a bar and went to the all-night after party in the main plaza;
talked to lots of argentine immigrants that live there.
then marie and i left for rio de janeiro on wednesday. we stayed in botafogo for 2 nights. we visited some museums in the area and went to a night club in lapa. next we moved to copacabana, where we stayed for 4 nights. we went to the copacabana beach basically for 2 whole days. we also went back to lapa one night for clubbing. for the second brasil match we went to the fifa fan fest, a beachside arena with a huge screen and thousands of people (pretty much the biggest place to party and watch the game). after the match, there was a free concert by grupo revelacao! it was crazy because before i came to brasil i wanted to see them, but they were supposedly going to be touring abroad. so yea, it was a huge surprise when they came on stage.
yesterday, marie and i moved to ipanema. it's been raining since yesterday though, and there hasnt been much activity in the area. today, were going to return to fifa fan fest to watch germany play as long as the weather is nice.
those are just a few of my stories. ill have to summarize my experience in sao paulo at a later date...
i left sao paulo a week and a half ago, june 13, heading to paraty, rio de janeiro with my friend marie from germany. paraty is a small beach resort/fishing village. in paraty we met up with our friend tamarah from holland. during our 4 days there, we did the following:
day trip by bus to trinidade, a small beach town;
boat tour of the beaches/islands around paraty with oppourtunites to swim to the beach and play soccer;
watched the first brasil match at a bar and went to the all-night after party in the main plaza;
talked to lots of argentine immigrants that live there.
then marie and i left for rio de janeiro on wednesday. we stayed in botafogo for 2 nights. we visited some museums in the area and went to a night club in lapa. next we moved to copacabana, where we stayed for 4 nights. we went to the copacabana beach basically for 2 whole days. we also went back to lapa one night for clubbing. for the second brasil match we went to the fifa fan fest, a beachside arena with a huge screen and thousands of people (pretty much the biggest place to party and watch the game). after the match, there was a free concert by grupo revelacao! it was crazy because before i came to brasil i wanted to see them, but they were supposedly going to be touring abroad. so yea, it was a huge surprise when they came on stage.
yesterday, marie and i moved to ipanema. it's been raining since yesterday though, and there hasnt been much activity in the area. today, were going to return to fifa fan fest to watch germany play as long as the weather is nice.
those are just a few of my stories. ill have to summarize my experience in sao paulo at a later date...
Friday, 11 June 2010
real quick
hello all... everythings good here even though it gets quite cold at night. and by quite cold i mean 50 degrees F....
uploading pictures is tedious because i have to either manually resize the photos or wait 3 minutes for each for to upload.
Piletas de Agua in Lima, Peru
San Bartolo Beach South of Lima, Peru
Restaurant Huaca Pucllana in Lima, Peru
Exhibit in the Museu da Lingua Portuguesa
Choque Cultural Art Gallery in Sao Paulo
On a bridge near the Parque Ibirapuera
Bridge in the Parque Ibirapuera
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