Host Family

The propriator at the Hostel here is from Pennsylvania. I asked his advice on common Brazilian letter salutations. I had been in contact through email with a possible Host Family in Juiz de Fora. Each time he wrote an email, he would close with "abraco" (a hug). I wondered if he was gay. Brian at the hostel told me not to worry about it (I wasn't worried, just curious) that this is a common salutation without definition of sexual orientation. Before meeting the possible host, through emails, we made brief introductions, Marcelo has given interest to the local university in hosting a foreign exchange student. This will be his first time. He told me he has a two bedroom apartment with a roommate who is gone during the week working in another city and arrives on the weekends.

Marcelo and I met yesterday at the Rio central bus station. He is a general practioner family doctor and has been practicing medicine for 14 years, he is 39. He graduated from the same school I will be attending in Juiz de Fora. He is on vacation for the next week and was passing through the central bus station, Rodoviaria on his way to the Bazilian state of Bahia, to a city called Salvador (2000 km north of Rio). We talked in the bus station for about 1.5 hours. Marcelo appears to be very laid back and quiet. I feel he and I would get along very well over my four month stay in Juiz de Fora. Marcelo said he had a concern about hosting a student in his home. Marcelo is gay, his roommate, Leo is his boyfriend. I told him this was of no concern to me as long as he had no problem with me being a heterosexual. He didn't.

While at the bus station, we talked about each other in very casual converstaion. Marcelo speaks almost no English so this was my first converstion with a true Brazilian outside of class. He told me my Portuguese sounded good. During the conversation, he helped me with my conjugations and pronunciations helping me to repeat several sentences until they were correct. He seemed intent on helping me learn Portuguese as he had stated in a previous email. I have been using Google Translate for correspondence with him. Marcelo has many heterosexual friends and almost no gay friends. He said I would have a great opportunity to meet and become friends with many other local Brazilians as he and Leo are very much socially involved in the community.

Marcelo will not be back until Aug. 9, two or three days after I arrive in JF. His boyfriend, Leo will be meeting me at the JF bus station when I arrive next weekend. they live only a five minute bus ride from the university, a huge difference from the 45 minutes on good commutes to the university here in Rio. Marcelo has a two bedroom apartment. I will have the second bedroom with a private bathroom. He wants to buy a bed for the bedroom as currently there is only a mattress on the floor and a desk with his computer. I told him I would feel just as comfortable with the mattress on the floor as I would be with a bed. He also mentioned buying a dresser for my stuff until I mentioned how little I am carrying here in Brazil.

Tonight at the hostel is the weekly Sunday night Beer-B-Que. Grilled food, salad, sub rolls and beer. All you can eat and drink for R$15. I've already paid my dues. Being a school night, I'll only drink a few beers. Last week's Caiprinha (the sugar cane liquor drink) class was canceled and postponed until Friday night. I had yet to join in one of the classes until Friday night because of not wanting to cunsume sugar cane liquor on a school night. The class where the pool table is covered with many fresh fruits such as: pineapple, lime, strawberries, bananas, watermelon, maracuja (passion fruit which resembles a large handfull of tadpole eggs) sugar, Cachasa (the sugar cane liquor) ice and a cutting board with knife on each side of the pooltable. The pooltable is first draped in black plastic then a tablecloth. No wonder the pooltable is in such a state of dissrepair including many dark stains on what once resembled the felt. All you can make and drink for only R$5. The cheap cachasa only costs just under R$4 (US$2) for 750 ml bottle. On this night, Brian, the host had bought a higher grade costing R$5 per 750 ml bottle. I drank my limit which was the amount where I stopped in order to keep form having a hangover the next morning.

I was up till 0300 Saturday morning and woke at 0715 to go on a hike with the two other young women staying here at the hostel. One from Finland and the other from France, both speaking English. A hike starting at sea level to the Christ the Redeemer statue. A hike which started off gradual but quickly turned steep with many roots in the trail acting as irregular steps and hand holds to pull yourself up, a very challenging trail but worth the hike. There was even a rock scramble which I don't think I could have done had there not been a rope and chain to hold onto for assistance. This section was covered in about 5 minutes. None of us wanting to pay the taxi fare down, we decided to hitchhike down the 7 km (roughly 4.2 miles). Halfway down, a brazilian stopped. The two girls had given up hitchhiking but I kept up my persistance. He dropped the two girls off first where they could get a bus back to the hostel then, later dropped me off at another bus stop where I could get to the Rodoviaria (central bus Station). Scheduled to meet Marcelo there at 1600, I arrived at the Rodoviaria at 1555. His bus was late arriving, we didn't meet until 30 minutes later.

While at the Rodoviaria, there was some well dressed nut bothering all the travelers in the surrounding area, although I couldn't decipher what he was saying. He had a couple peices of paper in his hands paperclipped together. An older man probably 75 all dressed in white. He seemed very persistant in talking to everyone in the vicinity but me. About 10 minutes after Marcelo arrived, this nut stepped between Marcelo and I intently talking to me. I still could not understand what he was saying but as Marcelo and I tried to walk away, he stayed there between us and he appeared to be getting angry. At one point, Marcelo used his forefinger to circle his ear telling me this man was crazy then said aloud in words I could understand that we were going to find the police to get this persistant man to leave us alone. He followed us talking loudly the hole way and staying between Marcelo and I, he was really getting on my nerves as I felt like pushing him away, but didn't. In the distance, when the first group of police came into view, whatever the man wanted, he turned and disappeared. He stayed with us, between us and mostly talking to me for at least 10 minutes even though I told him several times I didn't understand what he was saying.

Marcelo wrote me an email last night telling me various things about the apartment, computer with broadband, telephone with local calls, the kitchen, the area around his apartment, his expectations on cleanliness etc... asking me for any concerns and questions I may have. In my first paragraph before asking my questions and responding to his statements, I asked what the confrontation was all about with the older man. I'll translate his response and let you know.

Eric