Desculpe, sou Inglês - Sorry I'm English
It's been little over a week since moving over to Rio.
The phrase I've used most? "Desculpe, sou inglês". And it's soo frustrating. I am desperate to speak the language. People here are uber friendly but it's rare for Brazilians to speak English. So there's a massive barrier between me and whoever decides to initiate conversation. Waaa
Whilst my Portuguese is abominable, I have (surprisingly) managed to sort of few things out.
Room? Check.
Teaching work? Check.
A language swap? Check.
Fall completely in love with the city and already consider options to gain a permanent visa? Check.
Including considering marrying a local? Check.
Passport swap anyone?
OK so, the room. I think I've managed to find the 💎 amongst the rubble. And believe me there's a lot of rubble when searching for a room in Rio. Prices for gringos can easily be seen as akin to daylight robbery. A lot of people quoted me London prices for box rooms that smelt like old toasties. Thankfully, by chance I heard of a friend of a friends girlfriend (try saying that three times fast) that was moving out of a room in Arpoador. A beachfront location nestled between the neighbourhoods of Ipanema and Copacabana. I immediately fell in love with colonial style building (there's a front door fit for a princess), the apartment and the idea of living with the 5 Brazilian girls currently staying there. I moved in last night and aside from a few homely touches (I can hear my friends shouting me to me across the Atlantic ocean 'YOU NEED PLANTS AND ART GIRL, PLANTS AND ART') it already feels so comfortable being here.
Teaching work... is getting there. After an interview, I was given a role teaching English at a NGO school in a favella community for two days a week. It's full on but incredibly rewarding. Being able to give less privillidged kids the chance to have a fairer start in life is something very special. The kids are balls of energy that bound into the classroom. Not to mention, I'm learning so much from the experience too. Whilst it's not paid, I'm being given so much life experience and happiness that I feel a lot richer than I would from a physical wage. That said, I'm going to have to pay my rent somehow if I want to keep the princess front door! So I will have to find private students...
Language-wise my prayers were answered a few days ago, when I was introduced to someone looking to do a language swap. I'm going to teach them English in a coffee shop once a week and in return they will teach me Brazilian Portuguese. The good thing is that they're an advertising student, so I can pass on any marketing jargon on from my degree. Plus, I'm also planning on paying for Portuguese lessons once a week. Again, by chance when I rushed into the lift this morning I got talking to an old lady with an incredible sense of style. It turns out she's my neighbour and she spends some time teaching Portuguese to gringos. Very lucky and super convenient. Yippee.
So, that's week one. A home, a little work and some lessons sorted.
Holly x
adorei seu blog! continue falando mais sobre suas viagens, principalmente se for pelo Brasil.
ReplyDeleteMuita obrigada!Minha português e crescendo devagar!! Xx
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