Familiar Things

The first morning in Brazil I woke up to Bob Marley singing “Every little thing’s gonna be alright,” on the radio. On the second day I arrived, I went to the supermarket with my host mother, and heard Leonard Cohen playing over the loud speakers. The second week I discovered granola in the house, what a novelty! Then there was the Beatles playing from the apartment down the hall. The first movie I went to see was “No Reservations,” yes it was in English but had Portuguese subtitles. When I walked out of the theater I forgot where I was for just a second. Eating Chinese food in Brazil is just one example of what a diverse culture this really is, it’s wonderful! And when I told my friends that I don’t like McDonald’s they said I was not American, and I liked that! This morning I made myself a cup of chamomile tea, probably the most familiar thing I have had since I’ve been here. What a treat!

Let me just add that I LOVE being surrounded by the unfamiliar, that is after all what I came here for, but every now and then it’s nice to have a cup of familiarity.