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who blog!
But most of you already knew that right?
Oh yeah, and those that facebook too!
So rewinding, a couple of weeks ago, I received a message from a girl on Facebook. Her Mom found my blog (Hi A's Mom!! And thanks by the way!), gave her my info, and she contacted me.
Let's talk about a small world shall we? (And every single time I say that, I think about Zazu in the Lion King when he starts to sing It's a small world after all, and then Scar gets mad, which then makes me start singing, "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddly dee".....ahem...)
My good friend A (since I haven't asked her permission to use her name) was living in the place where I had grown up basically my entire life. She was also living about two minutes away from my Mom (unless you are driving between the hours of 6am-12am..and then you are out of luck). She fell in love with a Brazilian boy, couldn't live without him, and made her way to Ipatinga! So when I say I can not live without Ukrop's cake and that Utz makes the best potato chips... she knows what I'm talking about. We agree that the Short Pump Mall has horrendous traffic, coupled by the fact that the exits and entrances were poorly designed...
So you see my friends, we are kindred spirits. That and she didn't run away when I couldn't seem to STOP TALKING. Seriously people, my brain went on happy "hey, you know where I am from and I like you" overload and short circuited that censor that tells when you are quite possibly scaring the people that you are with.
So anyway, we met on Friday the 13th (which is now officially debunked by the way, since that day was great!) at the mall, ate Spoleto (really yummy fast food Italian), went home where they got to meet the husband, and I packed a box full of books for her to read!
Guess what? She likes to read! Happy Day! She has books for me to read! Talk about happiness. I am reading my very last book...and trying to do so slowly. But that is really hard. Seriously. (Speaking of, I was just looking at the new Kindle's and salivating. Seriously want one.)
So to make a short story long (which I happen to be very talented at) I have planned the rest of our Brazilian lives together.
In all honesty and joking aside, here is why this makes me happy...
We have come here for very similar reasons.
We have very similar backgrounds (as far as growing up).
Here in Ipatinga, we have and will have very similar struggles.
Meaning--language, friends, culture, finding purpose here in Ipatinga
It is nice to have someone to relate too, nice to have someone you can ask questions too, complain too, have someone understand you, and even celebrate with you. Not that I didn't have this before (I love you my internet friends) but it's different when the friend doesn't just live in your computer.
So all in all, A is lovely and so is her husband! I'm excited to have a new friend! And I can't wait to get together again!
Just a funny side note....Sidnei wasn't able to come to lunch with us. We were in the loud food court. He called me 8 times. 8. That's a lot of missed calls for a girl who gets a (meaning one) phone call about once a week. So of course he panicked. He's thinking I have been tricked by the internet crazies and kidnapped. (Seriously the boy is very worried about this...he is always telling me how crazy I am for meeting people off the internet)
So thank you A for not being an internet crazy...and I'm sorry I was. I promise to have my censors back in working order next time we get together! Thanks A's Mom for finding me!
4 days ago
11 comments:
how crazy!! What a small world!
sounds like great news for you...and you are so right, having a living, breathing friend in you presence is at times exactly what you need!
As for the Kindle, WELL worth the money, get it the next time you are in the US. Just remember to download the books to your computer when you are here in Brazil. It takes 3 seconds longer to hook up your Kindle to the computer, but worth not having to pay $1.99 for every book. (what you have to pay to download it to your Kindle directly when you are outside the US)
Ok, I babble a lot too...I guess that's why we are internet friends! :)
BG
How awesome is that? I've missed you and our chats by the way. Tell Sidnei Hi for me!
Oh and... I'm BACK!
yay for a friend!!
do you have shelfari or goodreads?
Steph, I am so happy to hear your good news. Though I've yet to hang out with any 'real live gringas' I've been lucky to make a couple of girlfriends and it really makes all the difference in the world. Except my friends have never offered me any books in English. Jealous. Also considering an ebook reader but I am planning for a Barnes & Noble Nook because you can download free content from a digital library, which Kindle does not allow. I MUST get one soon :) Your cell phone story made me laugh, in the US I used to be quite tied to my cell but here with my lack of phone calls it´s rarely charged and I often miss [a ridiculous quantity of] calls from my nervous husband when out.
What great news!! Until you actually get a Kindle, you can download the Kindle app for free on your computer and buy and read books that way. So, now there are 2 of you to come up to BH and visit!!
You don't even know how happy this makes me!!!! I am so glad you now have a kindred spirit and someone to relate to. I wish I could be there to play with you too!!! Have so much fun!
That is SO awesome Stephanie! I am SO glad to hear that.
Here at the beach, it is CRAZY hot. I mean it's been hot other years, but in the 100+ degrees on multiple occasions is NUTS!
I think about you when we go towards the old AFB. My doggy likes the doggy park there and I like the atmosphere most of the time.
I know your Mom and Dad and other family are still in the US and I presume your Dad is still in my area, but if there is anything you ever want sent to you that they don't or whatever and I can ship it to you, let me know. I know how hard it must be to have grown up with certain things you get attached to and then not have them at your disposal so easily anymore.
You should make up a list of 'things', material 'things', that you miss from the US and those of us that know and care could send you small 'home' care packages sometimes. :) Just a thought.
OMG that's so COOL!!! As I was reading your post I started feeling like I was reading my own story... It happened almost the same. I don't know brazilians in Tucson, the one I did moved to San Diego. So I was here sad, getting used to being "friendless" again, and the same thing (or almost) happened to me! A Brazilian girl who used to read my blog (an old blog I had) since I was an au pair (6 years ago) and now reads my current blog ended up here in Tucson with her American husband, and better, in my HOUSE!
She was an au pair about the same time I was, in Connecticut and I was in Massachusetts. We had never met before. I didn't even know she read my blog that time, found out recently when she commented on my new blog saying her husband and her (living in Louisiana then) were moving to Tucson. He got transfered and when she found out they were coming here she remembered my from my blog and since then we started writing each other, and when they got here we met, and now they are living with us for a while, just until they finish buying their house.
We get along so well, it's incredible. The husbands too. We cook together, we go out, we do laundry, we talk, talk, talk.
Soon they will be moving to their new house and we will miss them. But the good thing is they will be living here in Tucson, and I will have a friend!
Because of that I could relate with your post. I totally understand your happiness and excitement.
I am happy you found a friend!!!
Hi Stephanie! I'm Amelia's Mom. (I don't think she'd mind the name.) I've been peeking at your blog occasionally for a while. I have a daughter in Brazil, a daughter in Rwanda in the Peace Corps, and, right now, a daughter away at camp for a whole month, and I find myself searching for anything that can make me feel closer to them. So, when one searches "American Ipatinga" one finds you!! Anyway, I'm so glad you two can be friends. I look forward to meeting you and Sidnei when we come to Brazil in November!
-Leanna
This is so great and exciting, I keep hoping some day it will happen to me to. ;) I know lots of girls who live an hour or more from me but not my town. And I must say the books thing is so exciting, Im also a big reader and to quote you (Speaking of, I was just looking at the new Kindle's and salivating. Seriously want one.) I actually saw one at a friends house and was holding it like it was gold. ;)
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