Relato deveras ilustrativo e quiçá pormenorizado de uma estadia de exactamente 9 meses, 16 dias, 6 horas, 56 minutos e um número sem dúvida interessante de segundos e seus submúltiplos nos arredores da bela cidade de Platteville do 30º estado dos pequenos e nada importantes para a economia mundial Estados Unidos da América - Wisconsin - com recurso às mais diversas ferramentas de informação, comunicação e tal, de modo a transmitir, informar acerca de, comunicar, contar, dar a conhecer (e outros sinónimos destes últimos), da melhor forma possível e sem cometer falácias que prejudiquem a inteligibilidade do texto, as peripécias de um jovem português exilado num programa de intercâmbio cultural.

ou (traduzido por miúdos)

Coiso.

ou ainda (traduzido por miudinhos mesmo mesmo piquenos)

O meu (espantástico) ano nos EUA!!


terça-feira, 20 de setembro de 2011

And one more...!

And I'm back...! To try and fill your boring school/work day with some american joy...!

This is absolutely great. I 'm lovin' it. It is really being a great experience and everyone of you should try it some day. Leave everything behind (well, not everything, but a big part) and come to a New World (literally, The New World); live in different ways, experience new stuff with people you're meeting for the first time and get to know a culture that, despite being western, can be so dissimilar to ours. And I must say: their hospitality is remarkable.

Since the last time I wrote to you guys, I went to see a Shakespeare play...! It was really good (and I'm not being ironic). The actors were very funny and we were always laughing. I liked it a lot! Then, in the end, they came back to stage, already undressed (no, not undressed, undressed...just with normal clothes...what were you thinking?!) and answered some of our questions about their career, the characters and even the play itself, its meaning and especially the meaning they give to it, which is usually the most important part. Apparently the play had kind of a "sexist" perspective of marriage, but the way the main actress explained her character in the end helped us to understand that it was really about compromise, from both sides, giving up some things, keeping others, but always with the goal of making a good, strong, happy relationship. It was quite a lesson.

But you're not here to listen to lessons from the emigrant guy, are you? That's what I thought... I mean, I don't even know if this was what she said... At one point I was so mentally confused with all that XVI century English that I turned to Sarah (the girl next to me) and said something in Portuguese... Yes, I'm reaching that "stage" already...there's no going back now my friends... Well, I think all the peanut must have something to do with it...I'll explain: in my lunch (that I packed 1 minute before leaving home because...I was late...which I never am, of course...) everything had peanut: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some peanuts in a bag, cookies with peanut butter and granola bar with...some suspense...peanut... I must have had peanut poisoning...like peanut...osis...ehe :D

Anyway, I got better, and in the way back to school  we all played Truth or Dare in the school bus...And yes, it's exactly what you're thinking about...just translate it. But it wasn't anything THAT bad...I assure you lol.

Oh and (this is great...!) as they were talking about KFC afterwards I said that in Portugal with didn't eat chicken legs, but dog legs and that it is really good. Of course I didn't laugh the whole time and so I managed to convince them of it...! Then, of course I insisted, and told them we used the meat for eating but we didn't throw the rest out: we used the fat to isolate our houses and the fur to make rugs...oh, that's right, and when they asked me what kind of dogs did we use I said: "We usually use Golden Retriever or Husky, but the kids' menu is normally Chihuahua". And then I couln't take it any further 'cause I really needed to laugh...! I was choking...! It was really funny! I guess they could have done the exact same thing to me with other stuff (as my family did already...and I bought it...I was so naive...ahah) because our cultures have so many differences and peculiarities that almost anything can be true...and we have to be open-minded even for dog-eating people...! :) The truth is we all laughed a lot about it and it made my day even brighter: it was really an awesome day.

When we got back to school, classes hadn't finished yet and as Mateo and I didn't want to wait hours for the bus we got a ride from a nice redhead girl (whose name I honestly don't remember...poor nice girl...I think I have a medical condition...like  Amnesia Nomina or something...it's kind of serious, if you ask me...advanced stage I could say...this morning I woke up and I didn't remeber my own sixth name...you could say I don't have a sixth name and you'd probably be right but I still don't remember it so...this is terrible...aha). Later that evening all my family got really cute and watched a movie together (except for Mateo...and Juanita...and James...well, not all of the family...but it wasn't just me, I swear...!).

I didn't do much during the weekend besides trying to finish that stupid powerpoint...and I haven't done so yet...I'm really upset... The Bears lost...the Packers won...but you already know that, right? (this question is strictly directed at you, Mrs. Kies: we are the only two football experts here...at least I am...I don't know about you...! I mean...no, I'm not...but let's make them think I am... :p). At 7 p.m. the Emmys started but...I didn't get to see them...I had so much to do...well, the important thing is the guy from "The Big Bang Theory" won...! Go Sheldon's quarks...! (very nerd remark, I'm sorry...).

Today I also had a good day at school. I was a little tired and so the 1st class in the morning was great: run stairs up and down for a Biology experiment...I wonder what happenned to the mice in this country... Besides that in Team Sports we played football and I scored a touchdown! (let's hear some cheering...! lol), I had a Pre-Calc Quiz, we just started a project in Principles of Engineering (using gears and pulleys we have to make a 500g weight go up 1ft), I didn't do anything in English (...), and in Creative Writing we had to make a story with given beginning an ending, we had a sentence we had to use in the middle of it and there was a card with some others words we had to use...I pretty much talked about dress murderers...and a scary gardener named Mr. Pitts-Lilly...it was an interesting assignment...

And today...I had my first misundertanding...! YAY! :D. On Thursday in Creative Writing class someone talked about this Arianna girl that knew loads of stuff about me and apparently was in my Chemistry class...and I didn't have the faintest idea of who she was...so I said she was stalking me...but I was joking, of course...then, they showed me a picture of her and I recognised her but they said she said (see? This is why these things happen..."He said, she said that they said...") she talked a lot to me and honestly I think I never spoke to that girl before today... So, I said: "Yeah...she's definitely stalking me". Result: today everyone knew I had said that and when I heard that I was like "Oh God...". Of course the girl was kind of upset because obviously she wasn't stalking me...I just don't remember talking to her, that's all...(she even knew that I wanted to be a doctor...it's impossible that I didn't talk to her...!)...And I had to explain her this was all a big misunderstanding... I have to remember people still believe what I say, here...and the worst thing (and I don't even want to think about it) is what that famous portuguese saying states...

"Quem conta um conto, acrescenta um ponto..."

Good Lord...

;)

5 comentários:

  1. ...Almighty...You better watch out your reputation, kiddo...Your are definitely getting "peanut..osis"!!!!
    Now seriously, it is very hilarious that whole story about the dogs' legs but it is even more delightful the way you go around it to illustrate the meaning of having an intercultural experience! That's how to do it!
    Speaking of which...you should be proud to have an opportunity to share images and facts about your country, so I don´t think that "stupid" is an appropriate name for the ppt....
    And bravo for the touchdown! Really?? I'm sooooooo proud!!!!!!!
    The POE project seems really interesting. You have to let us know how many inches did your weight go up...just kidding....!
    And to finish, that is what I'd call a nice start with Arianna. You'll be great friends...
    Mothers know better...

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  2. ainda bem q gostou...! :)
    pois...mas está-me a dar um trabalhão do além...lol
    (n foi nd de especial...! era 4 para 5 - nós éramos os 4 - mas a outra equipa n era assim tão boa...se o stor n tivesse entrado para a equipa deles teríamos ganho 21-0 eheh - no fut americano um touch down vale 6 pontos e dps podes chutar a bola e se acertares entre os postes ganhas mais um)
    ahah q gracinha mãe... -.-
    I hope so...é mt chato aha
    ui, então não...? lol
    beijinhos mother

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  3. Gostei! "Arianna" é um nome interessante...
    Manda as fotos...
    Um abraço!

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  4. The peanut-osis was a nice touch. Funny, too. I love the Shakespearean performance of "Taming of the Shrew," too. So, we aren't supposed to believe anything you say? I'll remember that.

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