A typical conversation between Julia and I...

"Ola que tal?"
"Que hondas?"
"Microondas?"
"Mandioca?"
"Dois, dois?"
"Juevos? Dois?"

And then people have the nerve to suggest we are crazy!
Julia's blog

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Yes, kick yourselves all of you who didn't give me a "Happy Birthday". Kick yourselves really hard. In fact, record it, put in on the computer and e-mail. I want to see you kicking yourselves and howling in pain.
But for the rest of you, this was the best birthday I've ever had. In my life. And that's a 1 in 17 chance of happening (being 17 years old)
My girlfriend and fellow Africans visited me here in Cascavel and we had a blast wandering around, clubbing twice consecutively, watching movies and eating pizza. The Africans spent the whole weekend remeniscing about the good times back home. Chopping, Special meat, Samanyemba etc. Poor Kate had no idea what we were talking about. One day, she'll come to Zim and get to know our bootiful culture.
But it was fun, til everyone went home. Then I had to adjust to normal Cascavel life. Bah!
Anyway, I'll be waiting for those e-mails to come in. And I want to see real hard ass-kicking...

Typical scene at school.

So it's break time at school right and I'm chilling with Julia, Jose, and Diego. Suddenly, I am accosted by a troop of waist-high 10 year old girls and I have no route of escape. So I'm left with no choice but to face them.
The leader proceeds to ask me, "What's the name of your city?"
"Bulawayo" I respond.
Suddenly, she whacks me really hard and screams, "No it's not! Tell me!"
I repeat the name of my city and the same thing happens. Then, being used to coming from an unknown African country (see 1st blog) I ask her,
"Do you mean the name of my city or the name of my country?" (I add large gestures showing the difference in size between a city and an entire country that a 3 year old could understand)
And she responds, "No, The city!"
And I say again, "Bulawayo"
She whacks me again and says, "No! the other one!"
So I say, "Zimbabwe"
And she's like, "That's the one!"
So I'm caressing my poor arm and giving Julia that "bloody kids" look. Then I receive another whack and the leader says,
"Say that funny language they speak in your country."
Now understand, I've been saying the same line 12 times a day for 8 months now. I'm sick of it. I don't like saying anymore but people can't get enough of it. So with no energy to resist, I say it quickly and make a quick escape with my friends.

That is what my life has become. If there was one message I could pass to Brasil and the rest of the world, this would be it:

AFRICA IS NOT ONE COUNTRY!!!! IT IS A FRICKIN' CONTINENT DAMMIT!!!

Is Zimbabwe's education system really high or is it the rest of the world that just sucks?

I've often wondered this and I often use the level of my English to measure up with those other people from English-speaking countries. I pride myself in the fact that I speak better English than a hell of a lot of people from USA, England and such. I've gotten so hung on this fact that the difference in our level of English is the only wedge in between my girlfriend and I, though she's trying to sort that out.
So I can understand if the representatives of English speaking countries don't understand words like "juxtapostion".
That I will forgive.
In the case of teenagers, I can let not knowing the meaning of "ambiguous" slip. Inferior education system. It's not their fault.
That I will forgive.
But when a young representative from a completely English speaking country in Oceania does not know the meaning of "climate"???????
Climate??
Climate???

"Climate. n. The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region.
A region of the earth having particular meteorological conditions: lives in a cold climate.
A prevailing condition or set of attitudes in human affairs: a climate of unrest."

For all the people in the world who didn't know what climate was. Yes, all 3 of you!

PS. For more on the struggle between the English of my girlfriend and I, make a stop at Kate your Mate

What a weekend!!

Just came back from the most amazing weekend in Apucarana (I know that's an oxymoron but a certain person residing there made it amazing).
Watching movies (The Village- cool movie), hanging out, christening parks and park benches (The Bench to be precise), destroying the innocence of little Apucaranian children, clubbing in Londrina till 8.30am, all the usual stuff that makes life that much more interesting.
And I was given a Hugo Boss watch for free. For no reason. From Kate's counsellor. ?????????
Now, it's all for resting and dealing with life here. Hard when you have someone floating in your mind 24/7.