whoa, now buddy

This has been an interesting weekend and I woke up this morning to comments urging me to "cheer up", "hold your head up" etc. Thanks for the encouragement. =)

How's it going? Over here, it's going alright. Do I just love Brazil? I like it. It's cool. I'm chillin. I currently have a towel wrapped around my head because, well, my hair is soaked. It was crying for some moisture when I woke up. It looked like a little bird's nest up there. I'm going to put it into little tiny twists today, watch a few t.v. shows, paint my nails, sing obnoxiously loud, and have myself a grand ol' time....cuz I'm TOO BROKE to leave the house. Transportation has been eating my pockets right out of my pants. So I'm at home, writing to y'all, skyping my best friend and planning the takeover of my college upon my return. And listen, I'm not just going to be posting about all the happy-go-lucky things that happen to me in Brazil. This is hard. I've never left the United States before, and look what I did-- I picked a place where a) not many people speak English b) I don't really know the language and I'm partially deaf (was born deaf in one ear) and  c) full immersion is the only way that I'm going to learn how to do anything. This is SCARY.  I don't know what it means to be completely out of my element. To be away from everything that I know. To have to learn how to survive in another country. It sounds all nice and dandy when you do orientations, but it's different from when you're actually living it. Feel me? So everything is not going to be all "OMG I luv Brazil" every time I post.  But I love y'all, so I'm bringing y'all the truth every time I write. I like it here, I do. And I feel myself growing. And I'm accepting this challenge. And I'm making it WORK. 

I had fun walking around yesterday, just enjoying the space I was in. The sun. The people. It really is beautiful here. And in some places, it reminds me of how I feel when I go back home to my old neighborhoods in L.A. It's so run down, so abandoned and unloved, and that gives it beauty as well. I got a headache from walking around Mercado Modelo. It's too busy. Too much happening at once. I think I'll not visit there for a while. I felt bad yesterday because my friend was robbed on his last day in Brazil, in broad daylight.

p.s. Facebook stalking old friends and facebook "friends" who are on their hoodrat tip gives me LIFE. I swear, sometimes I wonder where I would be if I didn't consciously make the decisions I've made and I realized, I'd be a hoodrat, too. Dannng. Is that harsh? You know, I thought about deleting it but then I was like NOT. This is my blog. Haha.

Updates: 

Can all the black women researchers who are currently living in Brazil, please stand up? I went out to the Dubliner on Thursday night, which is like throwback hip hop night, and it was too fun. First of all, like everybody was American. Second of all, 90% of the club population was made up of black women. It was so fly. It was a chance for me to be in an intellectual space, a party space, and a black feminist space all at the same time. Can you imagine? My brain was so excited. I was excited. And I still am. I've never been more inspired after being in the presence of these amazing women! All of them were so eloquent, intelligent, beautiful, funny, and just cool people to be around. And I got a small job out of it all! I'll be a teaching assistant for an English prof at UFBA. *scooooore*

It was a blast. And it's not one of those moments where the pictures look more fun than the actual event. No, the pictures can't even possibly capture how fun it was to be hanging out with all of these super chill people. I really felt good that evening. And I even went and hung out with Jaira (picture below) and Dr. Kia Lilly Caldwell on Saturday, where we heard great music, had some great food, and talked about race, politics, and our experiences and expectations of Brazil. It was so much fun!

The hair looks good right? This is me with Vivi, the English professor. She was so cool. 

I've also been considering dying my hair or chopping it all off (completely, this time). Although I must say the frohawk look definitely suited me that night :)

I love it. It was like a Natural Hair Convention this past weekend. I was ecstatic to be around so much beauty and intellect. Way to go Brazil! Attracting of all us finnnnne folk! (haha).

I'm happy right now. So again, how are you?