Brasil..

I find myself frustrated mainly with myself and with Alecia. I know we could be appreciating things more. We could be enjoying ourselves more. Reaching out to the culture more.

Part of the reason I originally wanted to travel alone was because I know that I am a positive person and I can make the best of any situation and even though I had a miserable flight in (and misery loves company), being here would be different in a good way if I was alone.. I like to live within myself.. reflect and think... when I travel with someone else, I find my focus is always on that person first..

Don't take that the wrong way, I would never recommend anyone travel here for surgery alone if they could have a companion, I just think that someday I would like to take a trip by myself...
Today was a day of rest for me. I pretty much stayed in the hotel all day with the exception of lunch at the hotel restaurant, visiting with Gerald and Sandy before their flight out and a 5pm grocery shopping trip. After realizing that I forgot to buy fruit juice, we strolled up and down the block but didn't find any shops that had anything suitable.

Yesterday, however was a little more adventurous. Ana took me and Alecia to the dentist (Her cousin's clinic) to get my teeth whitened. Although the experience was fairly mild and Ana's cousin was sooo nice, it was really hard on my incision to be tilted so far back for so long. I am not looking forward to that part of the visit tomorrow.

So after the dentist, I asked Ana to take us to the TV/Radio Tower which has a 360 degree view of Curitiba. It only cost us $3 Reais (about $1.75 CDN) per person to take the elevator to the top. Ana rode for free because she was acting as a tour guide. She must be sick of all those places lol. She also showed us her house which is just around the corner from the tower.

While up in the tower, we were approached by a reporter and photographer who wanted to interview tourists about the sights of Curitiba. He asked us about the places we had been, where we were from, our professions, names and then had his photographer take a few photos. In the end it was exciting to be approached by a reporter but it was also cool that he worked for the Curitiba government and had the story with our picture on the front page of the website within a few hours! I didn't mention the surgery of course but the article ended up having our names, saying that we were sisters in Curitiba for 2 weeks on Vacation and that "We have seen more places we want to visit now that we have seen this view". He made up the quote and didn't have all the correct info but I'll forgive him since it was far more interesting than any answers we gave ;P

People here don't look as exotic as I expected. Don't take that wrong.. I expected to see a culture of people that were vastly different from the people I am surrounded by at home and in all honesty, we could blend in here as locals (minus the camera necklace & English tongue).

There is a difference, though deeper within the culture. The food, the family, habits, work ethic, environmental consciousness, the love for other people.. that one warms my heart..

As in any foreign place, you put your guard up.. and rightfully so, the native folk do as well.. to a degree. Who am I to come here and speak English and ask them to accommodate me. I am sure there are cultural rules broken here everyday by me and the other Canadians/Americans but not intentionally of course.

That wall of protection with the unknown though is transparent. I can see through it and watch them interract with their own kind and see the comfort, warmth, care & detail.. (unless we're talking about driving but that is another story).

I love to see them greet eachother confidently with bom dia (good morning) and other phrases that for some reason didn't make it into my phrase book. They finish every transaction, even the simplest of them with a hearty "Obrigado/Obrigada!" ("thank you") and for those that have closer interraction, a warm kiss on the cheek and gentle hug.

Those that have befriended me such as Vera, Dr. Marchesini, Dr. Georgio (aka Dr. Gorgeous) and even the dentist (Audrey) all treat me to the kiss on the cheek and hug. Makes me feel welcome and invited.. something I was definitely missing when I was in New York and something that I think we could do better to offer in Canada. Ok so we don't have to kiss/hug everyone, but greeting the people we interract with and genuinely thanking them afterwards is something we could all do more often.

I was also happy to see that even the poor and homeless here are working. Whether it be selling merchandise at traffic lights, collecting trash to recycle or hand crafting, they seem to want to work as much as they need to work - that could be a misled observation on my part but it is my true observation.

The housing here in contrast to what we have in Canada is drastically different as well which speaks directly to the culture they have here. The rich and poor living on the same level to a degree but then go home to either run down wooden shacks or mansion style homes with a pool and a well groomed dog. You can drive for 5 minutes and see housing for all class levels, unlike Calgary where we have our classes distinctly separated by community entranceway signs and the aroma of arrogance to accompany it.

I am not saying they don't have an elite housing area here, they do. They have posh condos downtown that are dream homes for most residents, gated communities and mansions that are tucked away in the hills but they come together with commonalities like the garbage collectors who walk the streets at night collecting the trash of all residents regardless of income. It's not slave labour either. It is an honest living which I think is wonderful.

Although I don't get to enjoy much of the food, it is evident as well that they take pride in the food they prepare and serve here. I haven't had the opportunity to compare a Chinese or Japanese restaurant here to what we have back home. I would be interested in seeing any similarities or differences. Perhaps next time... Plastics ;)

So I have blogged the night away and the day comes early tomorrow. dentists and all that..

Thanks for reading.