Homesick:

Okay, okay, I apologize, I've been neglectful, but I'm back, and look at all of the fun new things I've added!!! Today's song of the day is whatever little YouTube thingy you want to click on to your left. I put in keywords and youtube automatically picks fun videos for us! Isn't that exciting: (note, I'm unable to make question marks because uber-international keyboard's not cooperating with me today... sorry... it's still confused as to its nationality as well - so you'll get colon's instead of question marks, haha)

Now for the updates! I've been interviewing still, and gotten a job offer, but I didn't take it. The job was in international sales, but had close to zero benefits, and if I wanted a job with no benefits, I would've stayed in the US, no: I am also going to start training tomorrow at an English school to teach in company English classes - we're evaluated according to the training, so I don't know if I have the job yet. But if I get it, it'll be part time, and definitely a great experience! Speaking of school, I just finished my classes for driver's ed. Now I have to pass the written exam so I can start driving lessons... I'll finally get a driver's license AND do it on a manual car - very nice, huh:

So since I'm hitting that 2 month mark being here, although I'm enjoying exploring São Paulo & am excited to start my life here, it's just about homesickness season, and I've decided to share with you all top 10 lists of what I miss and don't miss about the US of A (Oh, and I'm not including friends and family because that's an OBVI - you all know I miss you to pieces!)


First, the things I miss:

1. Buffalo wings & bleu cheese
2. Well paved streets
3. The $9.99 boxes and $20 off jean sales at Express
4. Tmobile, cheap (or free) cell phones and fabulous cell phone plans
5. Hip hop at the club, bar, and on the radio
6. Snow!
7. The Daily Show & Colbert Report (the only real news I could bear to watch there); ok, TV in general - i.e., digital television; Entourage, Sex & the City, Flight of the Conchords and other HBO shows On Demand; Comedy Central; Bravo; and bad reality television in general)
8. PANDORA! Can you believe it doesn't work outside the US:!
9. Baths (as in bathtubs - I shower kids, don't worry)
10. Not having to worry (much) about getting mugged at any point during the day

And things I don't miss so much:

1. Buying fruits and vegetables at the supermarket
2. Goofy looking white guys (I know what you're thinking - and I'm serious, I promise!)
3. People who look the other way instead of saying hi when passing you on the street (and people not kissing you on the cheek hello!)
4. People asking me what my nationality is
5. Being forced to know everything about the rich and famous
6. Being a second class citizen (i.e., not being able to drive, work, vote, etc.)
7. Cold and windy weather
8. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC
9. How everyone worries more about money than... life.
10. Cookouts with hamburgers & hot dogs... amateurs.

:-) k, glad I got all of that off my chest.

Oh! And I realized I hadn't put up pictures of my family here in São Paulo!! In the photos scattered most of which are from my cousin Heron's birthday, you'll find my Aunt Elza and her husband Pedro, Heron (the one who's feeding cake to his friend - that's his friend Wyll - they're funny), Heitor (my cutie-pie 16 yr old cousin in the pink shirt arm wrestling, who's a hell of a heartbreaker), and Marina (in the picture with me, Heron's girlfriend - that's right ladies - i know my baby cousin's handsome, but, he's taken!!!)... oh, and Millie!!! the kitty. she's the sweetest cat everrrr. And house rules are to give her leftover papaya and all yogurt lids, haha.

That's it for now, I promise I'll update more often and if anything exciting happens!!

Beiijjooossss, miss youuuu (more than anything on my list!)