Hi Mom & Dad

Love,
gif Jessie.

March 7 - 15

I am sick! I hate it! I want to go out and do things but my body hates me and won't let me. It's such a nice day out and I am stuck in bed. I am soooo bored and moody, so I hate how I have nothing at home to distract me. The internet is telling me I have to rest in order to get rid of this cold. It kills me to be inside when it's so nice outside. So I guess I'll just blog and reminisce over photos of when I had a life outside of my bedroom.....

Here are some photos from three weeks ago. 

Some girls brought some... circus-y (?) things and started swinging fire and juggling. It was hot. 

I love the change of scenery. Growing up in San Diego was nice and naturally I will always be drawn to a large body of water, but the city life is so much more exciting. I think I need to get my fill of the urban life before I can return to the laidback beach mentality. However, I am excited to go to Rio de Janeiro with Michelle. I booked our tickets last night. I am almost a little worried about going because I know I will fall in love there and not want to leave. 

A manga's wet dream. We went to a bar and this was what the women's bathroom looked like. 

Churrasco sandwich com vinaigrette! 

Later that week....calabresa vinaigrette sandwich at my favorite lanchonete near my apartment. It's only $4 which means I am allowed to order two. 

MASP | Glasses & glasses. Life is hard for four-eyes. 

MASP | I love living in a big city because there is always something to do, eat, or go during my lunch breaks. I have so many one/two-hour gaps in between my lessons that it drove me crazy in the beginning. I used to just go home and chill in my room, but then I started getting a little depressed and was like, wtf I am in Brazil, how can I allow myself to be stuck indoors (even though that's what im doing now!!).  It was about the third week when I pushed myself to just walk around the city or at least do something outside. Now I know the city better and made friends. I got lucky in the sense that they have a pretty open schedule and live near me, so it's easy to just call them and meet up soon after.  Except Erick moved back to his home city so I will no longer see him! 

Brigadeiro Feira | $15 for fish, chicken, vegetables, and fruits! I loooooove farmer's markets. Every Wednesday and Friday there is a huge market down the street. I just wish I wasn't so shy when it comes bargaining. How un-Chinese of me! My parents are so good at it, it's almost a little insulting. 

USP | Mayumi took me to this annual freshmen welcoming event at Universidade de Sao Paulo. SO. MUCH. FUN. It made me kinda miss being in college. In Sao Paulo, they have a week dedicated to welcoming the new freshmen. They paint them and then the freshmen are obligated to buy the upperclassmen drinks. OBLIGATED. Ugh I wish we had perks like that at UCSD. Then they finish it off with a music festival with 75 cent beer! We left the apartment around 8pm and then met up with Mayumi's classmates. She's studying public relations/communications so her department prepartied together outside of the main event.

 Mayumi's friends, Carina & Bi. 

Mayumi, Carina, Bi, Christian. 

Hahaha Juliano "DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE!!" -pose-

Yeah, looks like college. 

I LOVE USP. One of the funnest nights I've ever had in Brazil. 

Oh yeah so where as Americans have jello shots, beer pong, and beer bongs, USP kids have this tradition where they mix alcohol, juice, and soda in a hugeass five-gallon bucket and everyone just takes a straw and drinks out of it.  This is a little tupperware that we shared. College kids are so smart.

Classy.

Oooh what the mind is capable of creating. College makes you so resourceful and creative in unnecessary ways. 

What more can a girl want: pastel, beer, 4am, music, friends, dirty asphalt. 

suuuch good music. 

SPACE JAM. 

Let's play kitty kitty. 

Luiza's Apartment | We went to Jockey Club de Sao Paulo to pick up our Lollapalooza tickets. Afterwards, I watched
Sin City while Breno studied and Luiza cleaned. Then we went to New Dogg's (Black Dogg's?) for dinner. 

kitty about to strike

Why I want pets

Yay, one thing I really wanted to do in Brazil was to go to a big music festival. I chose Lollapalooza over Sonar, mostly because the lineup is better and I know ppl who are going. Sonar is in May and Bjork & Justice are headlining. Little Dragon, Modeselektor, and The Twelves will be there as well but it's not really not worth going alone to see them. I am so sad that I won't be part of Coachella this year, even though last year I kind of secretly swore to myself I'd never go again. But then again I said that at the spur of the moment when I was really drained, depressed, and cranky. I love this year's lineup and EVERYONE is going, except for me. But then again I am in Brazil......

End of Avenida Paulista | I never ventured past Augusta on Avenida Paulista until this one night when we met these girls middle of the night. We stumbled upon this at 6am and later the week I went back again to take this photo. It's underneath a bridge and I think I will go back again with another camera to take more photos. 

Augusta Shopping Center | There was an exhibition with old cars inside the mall. 

Augusta Shopping Center | Some art piece on the top floor of the mall. 

I wonder how many cartons of cigarettes he had to smoke to make this.

I am sick.

Ugh, I hate knowing I have to waste a Friday in bed. 

seventy-nine days left.

Writer's block so gif's instead. 

a little victory dance for my 7:30am lesson cancellation five minutes before leaving the door. 

I've Got Big Plans For You

March - Buenos Aires, Argentina

April - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

June - California, USA

and July - ???

Taipei, Taiwan?

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? 

San Francisco, California?

Weeks 6 & 7: Feb 27 - March 6

If you wander long enough, you'll find what you're looking for. - Cyndi Lauper

 Liberdade Market | On Sunday, Rafi and I went to the Asian neighborhood before meeting up with Erick back in Paulista. 

Liberdade Market | Every Sunday, Liberdade explodes with people and vendors selling stuff. I  am pretty sure my father's love for  browsing open air markets and my mother's desire for exploiting every opportunity and pinching every single penny transferred to me, except I never pinch  my penny and I don't ever just "browse." I think this is why I am always broke.

Liberdade Market | You pick the fruits you want and they blend it into juice. I was like, oh hell yeah, sweet, I can get some vitamins and it will be sooo healthy. Low in calorie, I am sure! Then I saw them douse it with tons of condensed milk and creamer. But.......whatevs, you can never go wrong with condensed milk! Or cream cheese! Omg I want cheese wontons from my mom's restaurant right now.........doused with condensed milk...and half naked men. 

I looooooove markets. And photos of guys in the middle of shoving food into their mouths. Yeah you eat that with your chopsticks. 

$1.75 homemade gyoza. They were 3x the normal size. $1.75!!!

I still haven't gotten food poisoning yet! #successkid

Liberdade | One of my favorite Asian supermarkets. There is another one that isn't as new and clean. I like it because  it's owned by Taiwanese people so I found all these childhood favorites that I used to eat when I was a kid. It's also where I found that giant block of marshmellow. I bought this abnormally large guava from there as well. It's like 5x bigger than normal ones. I love eating artificial genetically mutated fruits.........

Rafi's raspberries. 

Rafi's Apartment | While we were in the checkout lane, I FOUND THIS: KING SIZE HERSHEY'S Ovaltine ! I've never seen such a thing so I bought it. 

I approve.

 Home | hahaha so many cameras

Home | Koba makes the best fooooooood. 

MASP | Brazil is really friendly in the sense that people start making conversations with you randomly. One time, I was sitting by myself and these four teenagers came over and asked me if I could makeout with their bi-curious friend.... I was like, uh what? After they left, I met this guy who was trying to sell me some magical drug seeds things and I was like, uh what? But then he turned out to be pretty cool. He wrote this book! 

MASP | Rafi bought his book, how nice! I wish I knew Portuguese because the book consists of stories that Joao thought of while sitting on top of this one roof. He's also the one who introduced me to the tarot card reading lady. 

MASP | Give me a serious author face. 

MASP | Now a happy author who sold a book face! 

MASP | Grass, cobblestone, trash. 

Avenida Paulista | Sao Paulo is a city not built for cyclists nor pedestrians really. I am so used to having the right of way as a pedestrian. It's like, in California, you have no fear as a pedestrian when you cross the street. Even if it's your bad, tires will squeal against the asphalt and the cars halt for your presence. This kind of ideology does not exist in Brazil. I've almost died so many times. Drivers have no mercy and at first I was like, wtf you are so rude. But then today when I was sitting in a taxi, I was like, wtf you stupid pedestrian, you are so rude, get out of my way. But anyways, this story was a warm up to this other story. This cyclist died from a bus accident and there were a few (like, seven) people protesting. When the crosslight would change to red, they would walk across and hold a sign. It was in Portuguese but I am assuming it was telling people to be more careful while driving and mind the cyclists. SF & Portland hipsters would have a field day. A FIELD DAY. What a long story, I should have explained everything in a more interesting way. 

Cafe on Avenida Paulsita | omg screw interesting stories. This was me eating a nutella banana sandwich. YES. Best $5 I've ever spent. 

Rafi's Apartment | Mosquito bites are so sexy, I know. 

 I am pleasant. 

WHY?!!

WHY DID I DECIDE TO EAT THAT NUTELLA SANDWICH??

One day of pilates and I think I am hot shit. 

 It was a Cyndi Lauper type of night. I came to so many epiphanies that night. One being:

She was the original Skrillex. 

Sukiya in Augusta | Then around 1am, Rafi, Erick, and I decided to go get my favorite!! It's like Yoshinoya and it's soooo cheappppp. This cost me like...$7. My stomach hates me. Good thing Erick and I decided to get it again today... two days after. So much MSG, my fave. 

Ibirapuera Park | I am really into feeding ducks/geese/black swan posers for some reason. I come to this park about two or three times a week. I am obsessed. 

They were actually kinda aggressive. 

It was more scary than fun. I ended up not giving them the last half of my bread because they made me kinda nervous. 

"Maybe this isn't a good idea."

Oh okay, no more geese, I am happy again. 

EXTRA Supermarket | $11 for a pint of Haagen Daz ice cream?!! Why does it have to be my favorite?!

My Room | I tried. 

Success!

Home | My good, little, obedient students, Mayumi & Tiemi |. I looooove my host sisters. They don't live with us but they come over every Saturday and we usually go out the same night. I am so grateful they like the same things as me and welcomed me into their family. I can't even imagine what Sao Paulo would be like for me if I had never met them. 

I'm suppose to teach them practical English but half of the time we're not really doing anything productive. I think the most beneficial things I have taught them were "fag hag" and "cockblock". Story of my life. 

Working really hard and studying English. 

Really, really hard. 

Behind MASP | a new hangout spot

I <3 Rafi. He's like an older, wiser brother who helps me with everything. I've learned so much about Brazil thanks to him.  The good, the bad, the ugly. 

I'm trading English classes for pilates classes. I really like the instructor because she has such a calm demeanor, which is  a strong contrast from my workout persona. It's also admirable how she is a little older than me but managed to open her own pilates place in Jardins Paulista. Pilates is a nice change because sometimes I get so frustrated from my rigorous regimen. I've always been a firm believer that you can only lose weight and gain muscles if you completely exhaust your body. I don't think I prefer the speed of pilates, but it's a nice change and maybe I can change my mentality. 

Escambo Hostel | Erick got me this really good beer at his hostel before I went to my next lesson (hahaha, oops). Oh yeah, another thing that is cheaper in Brazil is beer! A large bottle of beer goes for $7-$10 in California. It's only $3 here. Yay I can totally live off of cheap beer, vegetables, fruit, and meat. And just never buy shampoo, clothes, or any other daily necessities.... 

Rafi's Apartment | SO BIG!!! 

But such a small flame. 

So amazed I went cross-eyed. 

My favorite view. 

One of my students lent me their nice ass dslr. What a fool, I'm totally going to break it so fast. 

I want dimples. 

Rafi's roommate and his boyfriend made us dinner. Mmmm it was my second time eating oxtail in one week. Oooooh yeahhhh, living the fucking good life right here. Getting fed left and right, left and right. 

Yeah?

EXTRA supermarket | so much chocolate

late night shopping for munchies and acai. 

Encountered so many big things that night. 

When would you ever eat so much cheese? When would you ever not need so much cheese? 

Escambo Hostel | Acai again. 

mmmm condensed milk. ugh the one time i truly regretted not understanding portuguese was when i mistakenly bought whipped cream instead of condensed milk. i was so sad when i got home and poured it over my acai. not the same, not the same at all. i was a fool.

Band playing on a Sunday afternoon at the park.  

MASP | Every Sunday, there are these open markets where people sell antiques and crafts. My fave!! It's like Kobey's swapmeet. Actually, it's nothing like that. Brazilians don't believe in thrift shops nor garage sales, and those things are truly what I really love. 

Little tea cups and coffee cups are popular here. No one drinks a cup of coffee, they take a shot of very strong coffee. 

So my cousin, Yoyo, has these sculpted clay feet art project thing...... and I was like, wtf okay...!

And then I found something similar in Brazil. Clay feet are haunting me everywhere!!

Parque Trianon | Random band performing. Yoohoo honey bunny.

MASP | I met some new people and there was this Japanese-Brazilian lady who read my tarot cards. I've never been really superstitious or spiritual, but it was very eery and kinda enlightening in what she told me. Too bad I forgot majority of what she said. My friend Lorean also had to translate everything she said into English, so the translation probably cut out half of the poetic, sentimental things she said anyways. I do remember what she said about work, money, and love, and I think that's all that really matters to me anyways. I love being in Brazil because for once, I feel so free. I feel like I am suppose to be here. If I don't find what I am looking for here, I will find it somewhere else eventually.