Crazy Cabbie

I filled yesterday with a trip to the spa to get my nails done and then met a friend for lunch. I even managed to stumble upon a maternity store and bought two pair of maternity shorts- pictures later! I also managed to buy a pair of shoes.... shhhhh :)

I've said it before and I will say it again. Some days Portuguese isn't a problem at all and everything falls into place. The heavens open and you feel great about yourself and Brazil because you are invincible. Until the cabbie and I met.

After an entire day full of successful conversations and zero miscommunications I felt pretty confident stepping into the cab for the ride home. Instead of just getting into the cab and making a request to go home then quietly playing with my phone I started up a conversation.

We talked about the difference in Macae and Rio, my husband and his job, my friends and family, directions to get to our random hotel, a wreck that happened on the road, religion involving names in the bible, Belle, my doctor and hospital and the list goes on. We didn't stop talking the entire 25min ride home. During these topics he lectured me on how terrible my Portuguese was and that I should be fluent by now (he should meet my husband :)) He told me about his friends that have been here for two years and have no problems at all. Of course they are single and have Brazilian lovers- Don't think Nate would go for that at all.

I laughed inside my head and the bashing overflowed into me needing more friends and more trips to the spa. He said it was obvious that I didn't talk to my maid ever... I do and he said not enough then! Then he continued to give me a Portuguese lesson telling me to be more expressive and to use more inflection in my voice while we practiced words.

Honestly he was the nicest man ever but seriously. I understood everything he was saying and had an answer for it all. I look back and I feel proud to be this far in Portuguese. Most of the time I have problems hearing what people are saying but I don't really have a problem speaking.... random. Plus I agreed with everything he said. I do need more Brazilian friends and I do need to go to the spa more! Right now the Brazilian friends that I have speak such great English it would be a crime speak Portuguese in front of them.

In lieu of what the crazy cabbie said to me I decided to count up the months that I have actually spent in Brazil minus all of our vacations and trips home. As of right now we have called Brazil home for 18 months but I have only been in the country for 11 months. That's less than a year and consecutively the longest stint I have done is four months. Of course that's not an excuse but I know that I have come far and continue to get better everyday.

Now with Belle on the way I know I will make leaps and bounds in my language skills plus I won't be  going home for awhile. It will be the longest period of time that I spend here clocking in at 8 months! Anyway, I feel nothing but content when I think of my life here and I will continue on as I have been. The cabbie didn't hurt my feelings because he was speaking the truth, if Portuguese was my main goal in living here.

Ahhh the convos I get myself into.  To bad he doesn't live in Macae and I could hire him as a teacher!

Now off to dinner with some more friends!

Tchau,
Sara