Intermission

Ai familia- or rather, famiglia... Saudades for Brazil are overwhelming. Now that I'm gone I truly know what it means to miss that place. I really miss Rio. I miss the hot sun (although I can't complain about this wintry California sunshine that still lets me play soccer in shorts every day). I miss spontaneous samba circles and sidewalk barbecues. I miss swimming in the ocean and struggling to choose which suco I would buy at Sumol, the corner restaurant near my house. I miss seeing friends and speaking Portuguese.

But California has its perks. Spanish is a lovely language as well, and my friends aren't letting me forget it. In-N-Out burgers are still delicious, as are the tacos from the trucks on Sebastopol Road. It's fun to see family and long-lost amigos, to play soccer with my brother and laugh at my deaf/dumb/blind 13-year-old perrito. I had a low-key 21st birthday last Saturday, and I'm looking forward to Christmas tomorrow and New Years soon after.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to Bologna. On January 4th I'll drive down to San Francisco to pick up my student visa, and three days later I'll be on a plane headed to Frankfurt, Germany. I'll spend the night in the airport and hop on another plane in the morning to Rome, after which I'll catch the train up to Bologna and start my 2010 European adventure. My best friend and his family called me yesterday from Italy to say ciao and wish me happy holidays- I could tell through the telephone that they were having a blast! In two weeks I'll be joining them, but in the meantime I need to re-learn Italian... I'm looking forward to everything that is Italy. Storia, ragazze e pizza, HERE I COME!!!