I Finished Week 2

Week 2 is finished. It went by quickly, but I’m still getting used to living on my own and being away from my family and friends back in the US. I keep thinking about what I am missing – my cousin’s graduation (not to mention other high school friends), my family’s annual vacation, Memorial Day, Independence Day, my church – thinking about life back home is overwhelming.

Last week, I went to the Correios (the Post Office in Brazil) and applied for my CPF (similar to a social security number). Today, I finally managed to go to the Receita Federal (similar to the IRS) to officially get my CPF number.

Left: waiting to get my CPF Right: city view while waiting for my final Uber ride of the day

I’m still scared to walk in Sao Paulo because I’m afraid of crime, getting lost, getting detained, or some other bad thing happening to me. I took an Uber to one mall to add money to my cell phone’s new SIM card, so I finally have data when I go out. Then I took another Uber to the nearest Recita Federal, only to find out that this location doesn’t do foreign CPF numbers. I took an Uber to one that did do foreign CPF numbers – an hour’s drive away. The second place was inside a mall, so I found it and got in line. Thanks to Google Translate (my Portuguese speaking skills are awful) I spoke with the lady at the front desk and got my number to wait in line. The wait is honestly worse than sitting in the DMV. Once my number was called, it was rather quick to get my number. I had my passport out and ready to go with the receipt from the Correois which had other information like my Brazilian number and mother’s name. I once again braved the city of Sao Paulo to go back home.

Today’s second challenge was meal planning. When I went to the grocery store last week, I made a list of things I like to eat but didn’t think about how to make meals out of them. I’ve managed to eat dinners this week, but I wanted to be smarter about shopping and eating, which is rather hard for one person. After several Pinterest and Google searches, I think I’ve made an okay meal plan for the week, and when it’s not raining (the next three days are forecasted to rain), I’ll have to see how this turns out.

As for working in lab, I spent the week preparing my samples of Grumixama to be analyzed in the GC. I’m really good at weighing things out becuase of my research last summer (which had a similar procedure), so I finished all my samples and started doing some for my grad student. I also got a student ID eating card (I’m not sure what else to call it) and ate lunch at one of the cafeterias on campus. Aside from looking like it came out of Orange is the New Black, lunch was pretty good.

Top: squash, limade, beef, lettuce, rice, bread and apple for lunch Bottom: me eating the food

I remember banging my tray against the trashcan starting from kindergarten through senior year to dump my tray of food waste. In Brazil, you discard any plastic and paper (namely, the cup and napkins) and leave the tray on the counter for someone else to finish clearing. I think it’s weird, maybe even rude, not to clean my tray, because I’m leaving it to another person to clean up after me. But, if that gives someone a job, then I’m also okay with it.

This week’s bonus pic: Benjamin (the cat) knows how to use a ladder. Angela (my host mom) eventually got him down then moved the ladder after a second attempt to be on top of the door.

Two weeks down, 7.5 weeks to go. It’s rough seeing airplanes every day because I wish I could be closer to my family, but at the same time, I’m slowly getting used to living in this city.

 

4 thoughts on “I Finished Week 2

  1. I’ve decided the act that cannot wait / is the important will to create / But, ah, if my belly is ignored / the pantry door I shall implore / But I’ve been known to reach the bed / ideas still famished in my head.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *