i have to say, i couldn't have asked for a more hospitable group of people. the vieras are amazing, bruna, my sister, especially. i think i'd appreciate her no matter what [how could i not!] but having been a host sister myself, numerous times, i know how difficult it can be. i am in awe of her patience, how she devotes most of her time to hanging out with me and showing me around, and her ability to laugh at my mistakes while simultaneously gently correcting me. she speaks just enough english and spanish for us to communicate, but not enough that i won't learn portuguese.
in addition to bruna, i have two other siblings, two brothers to be specific. thiago [pronounced chee-a-goo] and thomas. thiago is 22, while thomas is 10. while they come in and out of the house, bruna and i are always together, so i haven't had much to do with them yet. as far as i can tell, they're both very nice, and get along well with bruna. today i went to visit bruna at work, and ran into thiago on my way out of the house, who jumped up from what he was doing to walk me the four or five blocks to her job [which incidentally is a little 'department store' owned by my grandparents, laura & jose, which employs bruna, our mother sandra, and bruan's cousin, betty].
as for the parents, they are really really nice. they're in no hurry to have me try anything i don't want to try, or do anything i don't want to do, and find no fault in the strange things that i do, or don't do. i was worried they might obsess over my eating habits, but so far no one seems to care at all about what i eat which, strange as it may seem, has come as a huge relief to me. sandra, my mother, is lighthearted and loves to eat, while always mumbling and laughing about how she will not be able to go out in her bikini this summer if she keeps eating so much [bruna and i should be the ones worrying about this]. paolo is very funny and nice, but i think he sometimes forgets that i am not fluent in portuguese as he will have what appear to be lengthly and deep conversations with me, which are mostly one way, unless you count me nodding and going, with wide eyes, "aaaahhh!! ..ooooh!" at what i think are the appropriate times, the makings of a real two way conversation. as for pets, there are two dogs that wander around the courtyard, when they are not busy snoozing in the sun, but the family has sort of adopted blitzen as a new pet as i excitedly busted out a picture of him, passed out on one of his favorite couches, and stuck it on the fridge - it is shown to every guest in the house, exclaimed over, laughed about, and is generally the focus of many conversations. i hope that gave everyone an insight into my life in brasil, hope everyone's doing well, and i will update agian next chance i get. lots of loveee, adrienne.
