Sick just for a change

It's incredible. I ALWAYS get sick in the most inappropriate times.
I've had a cold for 10 days, or 12 days, I don't know. I had a sore throat and coughing all the time. Now, I have all the flu symptoms and I had to come home after the class. I was supposed to meet Ricardo in the evening but couldn't do it. During class I just wanted to lie down in the couch and wasn't istening to anybody else.
I had to reaserch activities for the school's social programme (September), but at 3pm I just went to sleep for a little while (3 hours). And I have to work tomorrow from 5pm to 10pm (10h30 pm, until we close and clean everything...)
By the way, Grant called me and said he owns me $20 from last weekend. I shold receive much more but...
Well, just don't feel like writing.
I hope I'll get better within the next couple of days.

Happy Birthday Adri!!!

Another weekend that I have to work... The Notting Hill Carnival is hapenning today and tomorrow (Monday, bank holiday) and I won't be able to go. Not that I'm dying to be together with one million people (you know that I hate crowds!), but I wanted to do something on the weekend other than just work. It's a beautiful day today and I don't know if there's gonna be a football match. I hope not. I hope everybody goes to Notting Hill and leave me alone!

Today's Adri's birthday. I know he doesn't like to celebrate, so I don't know if he did something or is going to do something. I wish him a happy birthday and I hope we can drink a few pints next year for the 29th!!! Hey man! Are you organizing everything? What about RBS? Have you told them to fuck off yet?

I've had a sore throat for a week now and I can't stand coughing anymore! I think that's why I'm so pissed off at everything, I hate feeling like this...
Anyway, I just wanted to say that today's Adri'd birthday and that I miss him very much. Unfortunately I can't make a toast because I'm not drinking, but whenever I have the opportunity I'll make a toast for his special day!!!! :-)

Shopping paradise

All my life I've wanted to have money. I don't mean like a millionaire (it wouldn't hurt...), but being able to buy almost whatever I wanted without having to count every single pence.
The more I walk around Oxford St. the more I wish I had money...
I bought a 5-pound scarf a couple of days ago but I could really spend $5000 without major problems... I also bought the latest Foo Fighters CD (In Your Honor), I'm listening to it right now and still getting used to the new songs. I already have a favorite: "DOA".
Anyway, I walked in a store called H&M and started browsing around. Let me tell you something: I feel soooo sorry for the girls back in Porto Alegre, all dressed alike, no style at all, no options. This store would be like Renner or C&A here and you really have a big variety of clothes and they're not so expensive (the problem is ME!). Paula told me that you can also find things at Gap, Next, Zara and a few other shops.

I have to control myself here. At H&M I saw this beatuful suede jacket, all trendy and cool, for $60. Could I buy a jacket like that in Brazil for R$60? I don't think so. Scarfs for $4, handbags for $15... Pants for $30 (the thing is being able to fit!!!)
Regent St. has the most expensive stores (a handbag for $450, for example). I'm planning on doing this: every week I set a limit of $15 to spend with whatever I want. The last week of the month I buy something more expensive (up to $70). So this way I'll have a brand new item in my wardrobe every month (either pants or jackets or shoes or CONVERSE tennis shoes).

Enough about shopping otherwise I'll start to feel depressed over here...
It's been a tough week for me because of the weather. Last Friday and Saturday was pretty cold (for me) and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday was ok. But yesterday it started to rain and the temperature dropped suddenly and I was only wearing a T-shirt and my jeans jacket. I've had a sore throat since last Saturday and I don't seem to get better any time soon. I will work the day after tomorrow for three days in a row, probably 10 hours a day and having to work feeling like shit is the worst thing, especially when you have to move around fast and be constantly doing something. I just keep thinking about the money, that's my ONLY motivation to go back to that place. I have to check out some places that Ryall sent me by email.

I got a phone number today. My classmate David is going back to France in two weeks so we sort of arranged to do something before he travels. I also have to get Lisa, Jenny and the other Swedish girl's phones for us to start doing something here. The girls will study for 4 months.

It started to rain again and the temperature right now is 17ºC (probably lower than POA, am I right?). Paula said that we'll still have one more "heat wave" in September, but then the temperature will abruptly drop over the night and it'll only get worse (or better, depending on your preference!)
I just don't want to feel sick this weekend!

School and beers at the park

Yesterday was my first day of school (back in school again, I don't believe it!)
It was really good. We did this little oral and written test (Grammar and Writing) and, as I expected, I went to advanced level.
Most people studying there are from France and Sweden and Japan. In my class there are two Swedish girls, three French guys, a girl from Liechtenstein and myself. As you can see I'm the only one from below the Ecuador and that's fantastic! But they're all finishing their courses before me (some will stay for 4 more weeks, some for 2 more months) but there's always people coming and going and you get to know many more people. My teacher Dan is very funny and he looks just like Tiago, can you believe it? He explains everything in detail and provides loads of examples. Everybody keeps telling me that I sound too American, Dan even try to make me say the words with a British pronunciation, but pointless. I simply can't!
All the staff at the school helps out if you need any assistance, so far so great!

After today's class I went to the Post Office to sent my documents for my Student's bus card (I get 30% off) and it cost me $5 (plus envelope and stamp).

I finally arranged to meet Jefferson this afternoon. We met each other in front of Nike's store in Oxford Circus and there were two guys with him (Rafael from Caxias and Gabriel) and also a girl named Mel from Sorocaba. I really wanted to go to a pub and drink some pints (maybe because when I work I see those people drinking a lot and I never have the chance to sit in a pub and enjoy a beer. I've been here for almost a month and only went to a pub twice - and stayed there for about 2 hours. That sucks, man!), but they decided to buy some beers at Tesco and sit in a park. I was ok with that, not totally happy. We talked for a while and they're nice people (the girl talks too much, but she's ok). We basically talked about our jobs and traveling and being away from home... and in the middle of the conversation there were two gay guys that were speaking loud (obviously drunk or stoned or both) and it was annoying. At a certain point one of them said that his friend thought Rafael was cute. They started to come closer and without noticing they were sitting together with us. It was kinda funny at first seeing them trying to speak and hitting on the guys, but then it was just rubbish.
We stayed for a little while and we went home at about 7 pm. Of course I didn't want to go home, but I wouldn't mention the idea of going to some place else.
I called Paula and invited her to go to Trinity (the pub near our house and I went on my 2nd day here) and she said ok. I couldn't believe that Paula was actually going for a beer with me. But the joy only lasted 20 minutes. I was on the bus and my mobile rang and I knew it was her. I opened up my bag and there you go: it was her. She said we could go tomorrow after work because she was hungry and stuff but I honestly don't believe it'll happen.
I should probably call Patricia or Carla for us to do something because next weekend I'll work Saturday, Sunday and Monday (it's a bank holiday here).
I should definitely start getting my classmates' phone numbers...

Happy birthday, Lula!!!

Its Aug 21st and it's Lula's birthday. I've just checked UOL webpage and saw that Inter is winning the game (good for him). I also saw that Gremio won the game (good for me), so I think everybody is happy today!
I just want to say that I miss him a lot. I keep telling him to go travel as well. It doesn't have to be to London, it doesnt have to be forever. Will I see him at the World Cup 2006??? Germany??? The question remains...
But anyway, I hope he had a great celetration yesterday at Mr. Dam, I'm sure they all had a lot of fun and I wish I'd been there with them!

This weekend has been a bitch. I'm too fucking tired to write anout it, probably I'll comment on this tomorrow, when my class starts at 9 O'CLOCK!!! Do you know what time I have to leave the house? 7H50!!!! (Tomorrou I have to get there a little earlier because it's the first day and I have this interview before my lesson... a 3-hour lesson btw...

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I miss Lula very much and that from now all of his dreams come true!!! I know it might sound like a Hallmark's birthday card, but deep inside that's exactly what we want for the people we love!
Keep on drinking that beer man! Now I'm getting drunk before you are and you've gotta keep up!!!

Little things, big problems

You know what they say about the little things? Yeah, they're important alright.

This time I've been by myself at home I got to think about the little things and how annoyed a person can be when they miss them. How should I start this? Well, let me talk about working.
I'm feeling kinda stuck, you know? I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I really hate when I'm not 100% sure about what I'm doing or what I have to do or what I'm supposed to do or what other people expect me to do or what I expect other people to do. Should I do this? Should I leave it to another person to do? This might be the easiest job in the world, you know, being a waitress or helping out in a kitchen, but the little things are there. Each pub or restaurant has some particularities that are theirs and when you do something wrong this might piss somebody off, which isn't good at all. I'd never done this before and suddenly I'm in a place that people expect me to know how to do everything. It's a lot of information and sometimes I forget where I should put something or which specific food is in a dish. Last Sunday, for instance, there was this guy asking which vegetables we served in the salad. It's a salad for crying out loud, what do you expect to see, you motherfucker? And then he kept telling me that the table was dirty and I didn't know that it was my job to clean it. Don't I work for the kitchen? I thought people at the bar were responsible for that, but I went there, got a piece of cloth and cleaned it. Then my boss asked why I was talking to the pub staff about cleaning a table. I was just asking for a piece of cloth! I don't know where the fuck they put pieces of cloth! He should've told me from day one that cleaning tables was part of the job. Why making such a big deal out of it anyway? From that moment on I learned that cleaning tables was part of the job, so I went there, collected glasses, cleaned tables, changed ashtrays... No problem, dude. Just don't assume things, tell me and I'll do it.
And the accent is something that still makes me nervous. Not understanding what they say makes me panic. There was this table with three people, two old guys and an old woman, they're regulars at the bar. One of the guys kept telling me something and there wasn't a way of me understanding... Learn how to fucking pronounce the words, man! Where are you from, anyway? Leprechaun Land or something? You sure look like one!
And another thing is appreciation. You know, a 'hi' or 'thank you' really counts, especially in this country that everything is about politeness. I come from Brazil, where nobody respects anybody. The first thing I was told about this place is everything is 'yes, please' 'no, thanks' 'excuse me' 'I'm sorry'. I think I've already mentioned the owner of the pub, Simon. Man, I'm a fucking ghost to this guy! I'm collecting his fucking glasses and cleaning his fucking tables and not even a 'hey' when I arrive at the bar! I gave him his food that Grant had prepared and he didn't even look at me! Not even a 'thanks'! That pissed me off big time!

Let me tell you about the supermarket.
I really care about the things I buy and I'm used to the things I used to buy in Brazil. For example, deodorant. I'm very picky when it comes to personal hygiene, and there's only one deodorant I use and, of course, I'm running out of it. I went to the supermarket this afternoon and couldn't find one that even gets close to the brand I use. I must have smelled 20 different deodorants and finally picked one (I had to!). When I got home and tried it on, the smell was totally different from the supermarket and I felt I was stinking! Man, I can't stink!
And everything has to be organic (meat, fruit, vegetables...) because of mad-cow desease and organic things are healthier and stuff, but it's more expensive. Bread is different, cheese is different... it takes to time to get used to those things.

Transportation.
Man, it smells really bad here... Buses, tube... Imagine rush our in Brazil (Porto Alegre), coming from downtown to North Zone, inside Jari-Safira. Or those 'Linha Rapida' to Restinga, packed like sardines, summertime, 32 degrees. Are you picturing it? Can you smell it? Well, here it's 10 times worse. I think I was just used to the AC inside 77 or T5 and the shock was horrible!
On the old buses (called Routmasters) there are guys to check if you have a pass or not, but each one of them has their own way to do it. Some use the eletronic device to check, others just look at your travel card, others don't... And these buses don't have doors, so once they stop you can climb on or get off at any time and people usually bump into into each other and it's all very confusing.
And I still don't know the stops. Wherever I go (apart from Oxford Circus) I have to spend like an hour in front of the computer figuring out how to get to the damn place.

I don't know, you guys. I think the fact of being by myself here and still not having friends to hang out with is driving me crazy.
Of course I don't regret anything. The little things are important to me but it won't change my opinion about the city. Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, it's different. Yes, it's cosmopolitan. Yes, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I just don't like feeling helpless, being alone, not having people to share the things I've done or seen. At the same time it's early for any conclusions, I'm having the idea of "ok, you're here, you're on your own, do your thing, make your way to the top right now". But I'm not like that...

Maybe I'm being paranoid. I'm certainly not in a good day. Maybe because tomorrow I'll work in my dreamjob dealing with leprechauns.
My class starts on Monday. Thank God!!!!!

Oh, I forgot...

I forgot to mention that I'm listening to BBC Radio 94.9
Can you believe the number? 94.9....
It's 'The Late Show with Simon Lederman' and there's an occasional song, but they basically talk about various things. It's interesting, there are guests and it's good for my listening too.
The thing is, he started talking about Lost in Translation.
Being stuck and not being understood... That's happening.

"A pint of Sssssstella, please" / Highway to hell

Yesterday was the first day that I actually went to a pub with someone other than Paula or Ethan, but it didn't last much.

Starting with the afternoon task. I talked to Adri on messenger the day before and he gave me the name of this school (Scott's College London) and I went there to see how things were. It's on Oxford St. but really at the beginning, where all the cheapest stores are and there's a lot of noise and traffic...
It was just a tiny door and one girl was standing in fron of this door holding a big sign of the school (like the ones 'buy/sell gold' in Brazil. I mean, not EXACTLY like those, but it felt like the ones). The place didn't have AC and all the windows were open and the traffic noise was unbearable. I spoke to this Brazilian girl, Deborah (her English stunk) and she wasn't really in the mood to give me information about the school. I overheard her conversation on the phone about a group of 10 students and 4 of them didn't make it to London.
I don't know, I didn't like the place at all.
Adriano sent me a few other schools to take a look and I'll do this tomorrow, my last free-day before working on the whole weekend.

After being treated like shit by this Deborah girl, I had to get to Old St. tube station to meet my cousin Patricia. We arranged to meet at 8 o'clock, but I got there a little earlier, much earlier in fact. I got the bus 55 and it was very simple to find the station. The bus was kinda crowded. I waited for her for about an hour and we went to this place that was like a shit hole. A friend of hers was DJing there and we had to go just to say hey and spent some time there. The music was really good (he played 'Refazenda', Red Hot + Rio version) and I drank the hottest beer ever. Really, I don't think they had a fridge in the bar, I think they just served the beer out of the supermarket shelf!!! Awful.
We went to this pub afterwards and it was way better (but far from ideal). It was after 9 pm and as you already know, pubs here close at 11 pm. The pub was full of people and we went to the counter and asked for a pint of Stella (I still don't know the beers around here so I took my cousin's advice. It was a good beer).



The thing about British beer is that you can really get drunk in a matter of minutes, depending on the way you drink it or whether you have eaten something or not. I hadn't had anything after lunch and was drinking kinda fast so the second time I went to the bathroom I sort of tumbled... I was ok, but the body wasn't!
It was nearly 11 pm and I decided to go for my last pint. When I got to the counter I told the bartender: "a pint of sssssssstella, please". He made this face, he certainly wanted to laugh because I couldn't even say the name of the beer! It was embarressing!!!! Anyway, I had my pint and we left.

Well, how would I get home? I got the bus 55 back to Oxford St. with Patricia. She told me it would take me near the 159 bus stop. The problem was: I started to feel like going to the loo...
At the beginning of Oxford St. (almost in front of the shit hole school), the bus driver screams: 'last stop!' What do you mean last stop? I'll have to walk all the way to Oxford Circus? Feeling like peeing? Jesus Christ, this can't be happening!
What was I supposed to do? I started walking. Every fucking place that I looked was closed, not even a McDonald's open, a bar, a shop, anything!!!
I kept on walking till the bus stop. I would get the night bus 159 (N159). I even considered going on the street, you know, one of the little streets crossing Oxford, but I decided to hold it in.
The bus didn't take long to come and it was almost empty. However, as we drove by people started to get on the bus, it was stopping in every single bust stop and more people kept coming and going. I passed by the Big Ben and Parliament and London Eye again, but what once felt like a thrill now felt like the highway to hell! No fucking kidding.
Where the hell was Brixton????
After about 20 minutes I thought about getting off the bus and going anywhere.

I finally spotted the railway bridge. Thank you, Jesus! But those last 10 minutes never came to an end. All traffic lights were red.
I got off the bus and started walking towards home. Suddenly, I felt little drops... Man, I was peeing my pants! I started running and I felt more drops and I got home, went upstairs and AT LAST got to the bathroom...
I think if I lived half block away, I wouldn't have held it in. Honestly.
After this ordeal I needed something to feel good. What would that be? BEER!
I had a few in the fridge but not John Smith's, the other one that isn't so good and that I can't remember the name right now. It didn't matter. I drank it anyway.
I listend to some music, went online, watched TV and fell asleep in fron of it. I woke up at 8 in the morning with the TV on (I had never done this in my whole life). I turned it off and went to my bed. I slept until 1 pm.

Silly Rabbit

The BRIDE
looks from the reinforcements to O-Ren.

O-REN
smiles.

O-REN (ENGLISH)
(to the Bride)
You didn't think it was going to be
that easy, did you?

THE BRIDE (ENGLISH)
(to O-Ren)
You know, for a second there, yeah...
I kinda did.

O-Ren smiles...

O-REN (ENGLISH)
Silly rabbit...

Happy birthday, Matheus!!!

Before anything, I'd like to congratulate Matheus on his birthday. I don't know if he's going to read this or not, but for the record and for anyone who reads this please let him know that I wish him all the best, a great party and I hope all the good things start to happen to him. Really. From the botton of my heart.

It's been a busy week alright. I'm still working at the Hobgoblin's (now I know the name of the place. Ethan explained me what it was but do you think I can remember? Take a guess...)
I've basically worked on Denise's day off (by the way, she's not Grant's girlfriend, I met the real one this week) and on the weekend. I think it's gonna be pretty much like this, at least for this first weeks. But I as told you before, I hope I can find a better job outside Brixton. Working near home is good but I want to be someplace else and see different people, I'm kinda getting sick and tired of the 'regulars' of the pub, already.
Grant is a good guy. It's good that he gave me the opportunity to start working on my fisrt week in London, no experience at all. I got used to washing up and doing the rounds and even taking the orders. The thing I hate the most is cleaning up the kitchen, doing the sweeping and mopping and washing the big pots... that's a bitch!

I went to Piccadilly Circus this week, it's sooooo crowded and I felt lost. I couldn't find Piccadilly St. when I was walking around the place, only when I got the bus from Oxford Circus (which is, uhhh... a 20-minute walk from where I was. I was SO lost that I couldn't figure out which side of the street I should take the bus home). I went to HVM store to try to find the CD Red Hot + Rio, it's $16!!! So expensive for me... Paula said she will buy on iTunes for like $8.

I'M HOME ALONE! Paula and Ethan went to Alaska yesterday and Paula isn't coming back until next Sunday, Ethan is going to stay there for one more week.
Yesterday I organized all their CDs into a CD case (because they don't like to keep them in their regular boxes, can you believe it?). And after this I went throught their DVD collection and found so many things... I watched Duran Duran's greatest hits and felt like doing a little ball, but I knew I had to work today so I didn't get carried away. I watched The Doors' DVD as well... awesome! And the grand finale was Pulp Fiction. While I was watching the movie I HAD to have a beer and smoked a lot of cigarettes and needless to say that I was all set to go to the next whiskey bar and drink a dozen pints.
That's why I don't like to watch Pulp Fiction sometimes... It's so cruel...

Anyway, I'm having a beer and listening to U2's Achtung Baby. I'll keep on drinking the beer I BOUGHT this morning at Tesco and maybe watch some film later on.



My cusin Patricia invited me to go to this show, but I definitely not going. If only I didn't have to work tomorrow...

Bus 159

I'm introducing you to Bus 159.
I'm really trying to post pictures but I'm having trouble doing it. Later on I'll try to edit my post with images.

I've done a lot of things today, starting with my new mobile phone, the number you can find on the top of the page. I don't know if here in London you can send text messages just like in Brazil. Probably not, but I have to talk to Paula because she always knows a way to communicate for less price.

First task finished, I had to go to the Police to register myself in the country. The police station in Brixton doesn't do this type of work, so they told me where to go: Borough High St. 100 or 101, the policewoman didn't know for sure. So I took the bus 133 to go there, now that I have my bus pass for the month. I got off the bus one stop before I should have and that's when I started to get lost. The thing is, here in London the numbers of houses and buildings and stores don't follow a pattern like in Brazil (odd numbers one side, evens the other side, increasing or decreasing order). It seems that they put the numbers they wanted ("well, I have a store here and I want the number to be 34, even though it's between 24 and 27"). It's totally stupid, but that's the way it goes. So, I was in London Bridge underground station and didtn't know how to move on. I didn't want to come back home and spend the afternoon doing nothing, I wanted to go see the school I'm studying for the next six months and it was near Oxford St.
I had NO idea what bus to take so I decided to get the tube.
Man, the tube...

I paid $2 for a single ride and took Jubilee line until Bond Street station to get Central line to Oxford Circus station. It was my first time in any subway. The escalators go really down and I couldn't help feeling a little bit wierd (because of the bombings) and claustrophobic. It's really fast though. And easier than the bus.
I stopped in Oxford Circus and when I walked to the sidewalk I just saw this massive crowd walking around the place, speaking a thousand different languages, millions of stores, cafes, construction work, cars and double-deckers and bycicles... I wonder how NYC must be!!!! Man, I looked like the countryside girl discovering a whole different world. I started walking aimlessly and I didn't know where I was going. Then I found out that I was in Regent St.
I must have looked at my 'London A-Z' mini-guide two hundred times to check that I was on the right track, but you know what? I wasn't! This guide is pretty much useless because it is so mini that you can't read the name of the fucking streets!!! Starting to look desperate, I found Carnaby St. SOOOOO COOOOOLLLLL! The shops and people... I ate a burger at this cool place and studied the maps for one hour, basically for nothing. A woman on the street looked at me and said "are you ok?" and I said "no!". She showed how to get to Manchester St. (where my course is) and I finally found it. People were really friendly there, I got to know the facilities and talked about the payment (the worst part!).

It was time to go home. But how the fuck would I get home from there??? People at school went online and printed a map with the area and told me to get the bus 159 on Piccadilly Circus. It was about a 25-minute walk and that was the path:
Mancester St. and turn left on Wigmore St. Than, straight ahead until Regent St. and turn right. Walk until Oxford Circus.
I was going to continue until Piccadilly but I suddenly spotted bus 159. Hurray!!! But I had another problem: which side of the street should I get the bus????

Man, I have to tell that I've been having MAJOR problems crossing the streets. Some corners have written on the ground 'LOOK LEFT' 'LOOK RIGHT', but some don't and it's really confusing. After standing for 15 minutes trying to figure out how to get out of there, I managed to stop the bus and ask if it was heading to Brixton, the guy said it was and I climbed aboard. It wasn't a new bus, it was the old models where you get on and off while it's moving. Well, sometimes the driver stops.
The special part was yet to come.



Bus 159 might have been a tour bus: I SAW EVERYTHING!!!
The first vision was Trafalgar Square full of people sunbathing and enjoying the great day, and right after there it was: BIG BEN!!!!!



Huge, imponent, beautiful, right beside me. Everybody on the bus reading or talking to each other or doing something else and I was the typical tourist finding everything awesome. On the other side I could see the London Eye! Absolutely no words.



And in the end, already in Brixton, I managed to get off on the right stop, right on the corner of my street.
Tomorrow I'll do the same ride, but I'll continue up to Piccadilly Circus and check out my other school, at least from the outside.
I thought about Adri and Ro all the time discovering all this with me. Hurry up you guys!

First day of work in London

Well folks, today was my first day working, can you believe it? I got here Thursday and I already have something to do, but I have to be honest: it was reaaaeeelly hard work. The thing is, there's this bar called whatever (I really don't remember the name, it's too long) and the kitchen serves Mexican food and my job was to help the out with everything (the owner of the kitchen is Grant - Irish, and Denise - Italian girl, works for him, really nice girl). And by everything I mean: chopping, washing up (a lot!), taking orders, delivering, colecting thrash and the glasses from the bar. Non-stop!

And the thing is, today was the opening of the English football season, so you can imagine how crowded it was in the bar! But I have to tell you that all the costumers were really nice and friendly, I don't know if it was beginner's luck or if they're like that all the time. Some guys even asked for my phone number, can you believe it? But they were kinda old, so let's just leave it that way...

Anyway, it was pretty tiring and stressing but it was good experience. Of course I'm going to continue looking for another job, one that pays more than $3 an hour, and let's see how it goes.

Well you guys, that was it. I wanted to elaborate more about this day, but I'm so fucking tired that I'm just calling a day.

PS: Ronaldo, I've been trying to reach but don't seem to have any luck. PLEASE send an email or call me at home, I'll have my mobile phone by tomorrow and I'll send you the number, ok?
Have you checked my drunk messages??? hahahhaha

London Vol. 2 - Immigration

You know, I wasn't so bad as I thought it would.
I was completely beat after the endless trip and I just looked miserable. I filled out the form (make sure you'll have the address where you're staying with you because you'll need to write that down)and entered the line. I was one of the first people there so it didn't take so long for me to be "interviewed". I got this old guy and he was really nice to me, he spoke slowly and he basically asked me:
1. what I was doing there
2. to show the letters from the schools I'm studying
3. what I did in Brazil
4. where I was staying
5. why I came so early to England
6. what my sister did for a living
It's importat that you ONLY answer what he asks. So, after this he told me to do this lung X-Ray for TB, but when I got to the room the woman said she wouldn't be able to do it, so the government would send me a letter to have the X-Ray is I needed to.

Then I was completely free to go.
I got my luggage and there was Paula waiting for me. I couldn't believe I was finally in London! The cab driver picked us up and left Paula on a tube station for her to go to work. I came home and the guy was a doll helping me take my luggage upstairs.
I didn't know what to do first. Well, I called Adri and we talked for about 20 minutes, after this I ate something and saw some TV and fell asleep. Everything was mess in my room but I just couldn't organize everything at that moment. I slept for 4-5 hours and Paula got home, we had some dinner and that was pretty much it for my fisrt day in the city.
Really late at night I was watching TV and saw the last part of 'Ed Wood' and after this, guess what? 'Top Secret'! Can you believe it? It was good to see a little bit of Val Kilmer...

London Vol.1 - The trip

Well you guys, I've finally arrived in LONDON! It was an ordeal.
First of all, saying the 'good-byes' to Fabricio. I have to confess that deep inside I wanted to stay um SP a little longer. I mean, OF COURSE I couldn't wait to come to London, but I spent so little time there that I feel I could've enjoyed more (SP always feels like you could've enjoyed more). But anyway, within a year I'll be seeing him again, hopefully for a little longer.

The deal with the Airport Bus Service was heaven. I took a cab from Fabricio's and it cost me $8 (there was traffic. There's always traffic!) and then I got on the bus. It was a beautiful day and I was really in a good mood. I went all the way to the airport with this melancolic feeling, a mixture of happiness and sadness that I can't explain.
Once at the airport, all I did was to wait and wait and wait until my 16h40-flight to Paris. I called Lula and Adri and wanted to call Ronaldo from there but I didn't have his phone number. The flight departured with no delays and everything seem to be ok. But just SEEMED to be ok.

After flying for about 2 hours, the shaking started. At first as a simple movement, something that you're expected to feel during a flight, but after this... things just started to get worse. The plane was crowded and I was sitting beside a Bolivian guy (the rest of the passengers were mostly Brazilians, French and British). The plane started to shake so much and I was soooo afraid that I really thought the plane would fall. And it was flying over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! I don't know about you guys, but for me, even though planes crash on land, I feel safer when I know there's ground underneath me. This might sound stupid but I can't help it. Anyway, in one particular moment I wished I hadn't seen LOST's plane crashing scene: the plane kinda 'dropped' so much that I felt I was in a rollercoaster. I immediately grabbed the Bolivian guy's arm and did this face that could've only been beaten by the one in Magic Mountain!!! The guy didn't say anything (poor bastard, he didn't know how to speak English, Portuguese or French and was completely lost, the only two things he said the whole trip was: 'manzana' and 'soy Boliviano'. I had to help him fill out the form to enter Europe.

This was the worst flight ever. I just kept thinking about my willing to go to Australia or Japan or New Zealand: I don't think so!!!! Only if I go little by little, for instance: go to Hawaii first, then Japan, then Indonesia and so on.
My next challenge was to find my way to my connection to London at Charles De Gaulle.
What a huge airport!!! All the employees were extremely rude to me (I don't know if it's because of the English or something), except for this guy that checked my backpack, he was kinda nice.
I was soooo desperately dying for a cigarette and the first thing I thought was: where's the smoking area??? When I finished the sentence I just felt this big blow of smoke into my face. You could've smoked the smoking area, the smoking area was kind of smoking itself... A bunch of people uncontrollably smoking one cigarette after the other as if they were going to be executed. So fucking mad! I couldn't stay there for much longer. At the same time, as I hadn't brought any Euros with me, I couldn't buy anything: coffee, water... whatever I wanted. I had dollars but only $100 bills and I didn't want to exchange the money, I was absolutely exhausted!

I got on the plane. I slept for 20 minutes before take-off and completely blacked-out. But I woke up in time to see the Eiffel Tower from the sky, it was amazing!!!
The funny think about this specific path from Paris to London is that you barely leave French territory and you can already see England, just like it is in the maps.
Well, countdown was almost over. I still couldn't believe that I was actually landing in London, but I think the first 'sign' was when I looked down (we were very near the ground) and I saw the cars driving on the opposite side... That was so strange to me...
Once in English soil I had the last task to accomplish: immigration.

"LONDON, BABY!!!"

SIN CITY, packing, last night in Brazil... - getting ready!

I wish I had watched SIN CITY earlier.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! All the b&w stuff, Benicio del Toro and Clive Owen are fantastic, you can imagine all the characters in the magazine. The interesting is that they get fucked up, really fucked up, but it takes ages for them to finally die. I want to watch it again, that's why I wish I had seen it before (this could've been the 2nd or 3rd time... hehehehe).

Well, I've just gotten home from the movie (another thing that is awesome here in SP: students pay half for almost everything here. I went to Cinemark, which is a good movie theater, and paid only $6,50 - the regular price is $13. Why does POA have to be different? I agree that SP is an expensive city, but if you think about it POA ends up being more expensive. Here you have integrated bus ticket with the subway, you can change lines on the subway without paying another ticket and on the bus you can ride as many buses as you need within 2 hours for $2. I know that this city as countless problems, major ones, but it does have some good points.), and I called mom on the phone. She decided to move the stereo from my bedroom to the living room and now she doesn't know how to operate the thing. She kept asking me how she could do this, how she could do that, but I don't know either! What did I use to do in POA? I read the manual!!!!! I told her to do the same thing but I know that what she wants is a person to do that for her. I'm so sorry, but can't help her with that. I bet she won't watch a DVD for a year or ajust the widescreen TV to read the subtitles for the same period.

Man, I hate packing. Reaaaaally do. I have both suitcases beside me, looking at me, waving at me, all messy and disorganized. Do you think I want to start packing? NO WAY! And when you think you can finally close it, there's always something left behind. Then you have to open it again and again... And then you remember of something important you put by mistake in the sutcase and there you go, you see yourself opening the goddamn thing again. And I think bathroom things are the worst. You cannot put in the suitcase because you have to brush your teeth or hair, these are always the last items.
I didn't want to wash my hair again today but I'll have to. I don't want to wake up really early tomorrow morning nor do things in a rush.

Well, people, this is it. Last post before my trip. It's never good enough, is it? I wish I could stay more here in SP, I wish I could buy things, I wish I had spent more time with Fabricio. Tomorrow is airport day.
And immigration the day after.
...
I hope everything works out fine for me. Wish me luck you guys!
See you guys again in a couple of days, away from Brazil, in London.

SP's observations

I really tried to wake up earlier this morning but I couldn't. I got up at noon and did many things in the house. After a 40-minute shower and all the ritual of blow-drying my hair I hit the road towards Praca da Republica. i was kinda apprehensive at first because any city downtown you'll be likely to find all types of people. But I kept on walking. Once there, for my delight, I found the Airport Bus Service! Now everything is settled: I'll get a cab from Fabricio's to Praca da Republica (+- 10 bucks) and after this the bus to Guarulhos (24 bucks). The aftermath: I'll save money!
Anyway, I continued my jorney downtown SP and my next place to be was Shopping Frei Caneca (again!). It was nearly 3 o'clock and I hadn't had lunch yet. I called Icaro for us to meet at the mall and I ate my last two Cheddars within the next year! He got there (it was soooooo good to see him!) and we headed Paulista to get to Franz Cafe on Haddock Lobo.
We drank a coffee and talked for a long time. It was great to know that things are starting to go right with him too. We remembered our conversations at WOW about being stuck in a place, our future plans and after several months without seeing each other there we were, in SP, sitting in a Cafe, wacthing Paulista's traffic and making many more plans!
He had a 7-o'clock class so he went his way and I went mine. I sort of arranged to see him again tomorrow night but it's not certain. I mean, I'm leaving SP on Wednesday and I have to be OK for my (Jesus!) 11-hour flight to Paris.

The down part of this trip to SP is that Fabricio has to work a lot. Poor guy... He worked the whole weekend and yesterday he got home at 11 pm. And it was Sunday! I love talking to Fabricio. He's such a great guy and always transforms a simple conversation into a bunch of laughs for the other people. He always has funny stories to tell and they're so interesting and nonsence... I love him, from the bottom of my heart.

So, after saying good-bye Icaro I went to Sujinho (the place that I passed by yesterday and was crowded. It's actually on the corner of Consolacao and Maceio - but if you're on Paulista, you have to take Bela Cintra and turn left on Matias Aires). When I saw the place, I pictured Adri and Lula and Ronaldo and Matheus there with me. And the bar served 600ml beer! I drank Bohemia (I miss Polar!) and was willing to order a Weiss, but I haven't been totally OK (you know what I mean) so I decided to stick to the regular beer. I've already made friends with the waiters, they were so nice. It's a buteco-like kinda bar, but the people looked nice. Because here in SP, all places that I've seen that served 600ml beer were really, you know, Antonio de Carvalho's alley kinda people (in-joke). At least I wouldn't feel comfortable going by myself.

Most bars here serve chope, and they are small, with a lot of foam and expensive.
You know, being by myself during these days in SP has done the best to me. Because I've always been shy and afraid of everything, I don't know if it's because of the way my mother brought me up, having to be afraid of everyone and everything. I wonder how things would have been if I had gone straight to London. At least here people speak my language but at the same time I'm not in my hometown, my environment, knowing everything around me.
One thing I noticed here is that the homeless don't bother you at the bar table asking for some change. While at the cafe and Sujinho, I saw 4 or 5 ones and they passed by me without bothering my solitude. If it is POA, it happens the other way around: they see you alone, smoking a cigarette, and they immediately ask you for some money or a smoke or both.
Anyway, I just know that Sujinho's atmosphere was sooooo good that I didn't want to leave the place. I wanted to order a longkeck before going home and see if Fabricio wanted to go out for dinner.

It turned out that he did. We (myself, Fabris, Filipinho and the talker) ended up at this French place, reaaaallly expesive food, but it was OK.
After this, Fabricio went home and we went to another bar in Vila Madalena (I really don't remember the name),but it was pretty cool. We talked for hours and drank many more chopes.
They brought me home and I listend to Red Hot + Rio... again...
and that's it for today folks!!!!