"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

That was a sentence I picked up from an AIESEC friend in India. He used to have that on his MSN commentline for a while.

And really got me thinking ... seriously ... when was the last time I did something for the first time? Gave a new look to something that I had taken for granted so far? Or when was the last time I stopped to think about it?

Naturally, living in a new environment, traveling, starting a new job etc offers more frequent opportunities for doing something that I've never done before. Yet, I think that the other side of this (a more critical one) is the will to take the time to reflect and the ability to look at things, even if the 'old' ones, from different and new perspective, re-thinking/re-perceiving them, in a way, re-learning from what's in and around us.
Could I do something for the first time every day? Could that, and how, be an opportunity to learn more about the world around me and within me?

*** ***

Tuesday
2nd day at work, 3rd day back in Brazil.

I opened my eyes at about 5.15, to check what time it is and to make sure I'm 'on the track' with getting to work (can't really trust myself with early alarms).

Then, the alarm went off at 5.45.
That's when I am and will be getting up to go to work from now on.
Wake up, shower, get ready, leave home at 6.30, get the company's bus at 6.40, arrive at the company's facilities at 7.40, have coffee with colleagues, get settled, start work at 8.

You know, I'm excited!!!
I had never got up that early to start work (even the thought of getting up at 5 or 6 (!!!) seemed crazy enough!!), but instead, it has even happened that I have finished work at hours around 3, 4, 5 am and gone to sleep. I used to love working at night, usually with my own projects in our NGO, thus working at home until late hours. Happened quite frequently in the last 6 months that I stayed in Estonia.

But I am really excited about the change - new way of starting the day, waking up with the sun, having a gradual entrance to the working day etc. So yes, I am excited about the change of the daily routine. And will keep learning from that way of being.

Back in Sao Paulo

Sunday 06/07/08
at 5.40
Day 1

After a 11 hrs flight from Paris I had a soft landing in Sao Paulo, my home for the time coming.
"Soft" was the landing as far as it goes for the plane. I myself had quite a re-integration 'awakening' :). The 6 months in Estonia had left its marks and the contrasts stroke more vividly than about 2 years ago when I first came to Brazil.

It was still dark in the morning (at 6 am), when I arrived since it's a winter time in Brazil. Though, it ain't during summer neither that the paulistanos can enjoy the 19 hrs daylight that the nordics can enjoy.
The air smells sweet of pollution (never knew that CO2 smells sweet!!!), there's a chaos in traffic (I'm still not able to block out that noise, since it's sooo vivid, it's like as if I was in the boiling pot), and from my 24th floor window I can see kilometers of stone and glass - the skyscrapers!!
It is such a contrast to my home or even to Holland where I had a 2 day stop over before changing the continents.
All in all, day one was a bit shocking - part of it because home had got deeper and stronger under my skin within these last 6 months of waiting for the visa, and secondly, for the contrasts really being huge.
Only relief was seeing some Brazilian friends at night for a beer - Marcio, Monika, Dea, Guga, and Zoe, of course - helped a lot to ease the re-integration hurdles.


Day 2

It's a night of the day 2, and I'm content. The weird sort of shivering anxiety that I had yesterday due to the initial "shock" is almost gone. Or I have found a way to handle it. It has turned into a positive movement in me...
I spent a whole day in the company I'm going to work - and got assurance regarding the decision to stay in Brazil.
Also met up with Pioneers of Change at night - many special people I had not met for a while, and good, deep conversations. Good energy that I would need more time to write about...

Now off to sleep...my new start in Brazil will require a total lifestyle makeover :) - I'm a night person, but need to somehow turn into a morning person (that's basically cos my work starts at 8 and it'll take an hour at least to get to work...so you can only imagine :).

Boa noite queridos!!

The update

This one will be shortly to cover what I've been up to in the last month or so! Just figured if I don't write it now, it might take a while when I get to it again!

So firstly, I'm still in Brazil, and will still stay a bit ;), which is exciting news from my personal point of view since I totally love what I'm doing!

- Therefore, one of the key things this last month, I guess, was going to Uruguay in the end of July/beginning of August to apply for a new visa. I got an offer from the company to stay until January, so just one thing missing was the visa.
Huh, crazy stuff! You might already imagine (especially if you are from any 'exotic' country like India, Ghana etc), but the visa process really is a pain! For the type of visa that I have (trainee visa) it's a bit easier, but still. In the end, persistance and a lucky star (Felipe!!! who mentioned me the Uruguay-option) proved to work out well and I returned from Uruguay with a new visa!

- And since I was already in Uruguay, I stopped in Buenos Aires for a weekend! Magnificient! You have to go there!!!

- After coming back to work, everything got kinda a new start, except for me on an whole new level. I can actually feel myself more or less equal with others and comfortable with working in Portuguese, which is a conquest, really!! And comfortable with working in an organization that has in just our building 4000 people (it took me a while...I honestly was rather lost in the beginning).
Have got a few new projects started, and it's really really exciting. Some days staying in the office 12 hrs, but mmm...it's great stuff! Check out some of our sustainability action in the latest report. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

- Outside of work, I've got involved with the Pioneers of Change network, and should you be interested in going through a great learning experience on sustainability and visit Brazil, keep in mind the dates of 1st - 8th of December this year, when the Global Journey of PoC will take place.

- Oh and another great great experience has been building the Hub with Pablo and Henrique and many more people involved. It's pretty much the first stage of action right now and we are literally building it ourselves... or should is say de-building :))
Right now it's the destruction phase of 500 sqm space, which then will procede to a design and actual construction (by proffessionals :)) phase. We've been out there quite a few weekends alreay. The work is about clearing the space, breaking walls, tearing down ceilings and taking all the trash out - um tabalho bem pesado!! But it's really fun!! I want to write more about it!

- After Uruguay/Argentina I moved to live with Zoe! It's been great, not only as I get faster to work and have a nice view from the balcony :)), but mostly and more importantly because the similar experience we share here in Brazil and the opportunities we have to learn from each other. The discussions we have had so far, have already helped me personally a lot. So I'm really satisfied and excited! And at the same time I would like to say thanks for Pir, my previous house mate, the year together was great! I still get a few good smiles thinking back to that time :))

- Related to moving and the fact that our building has a gym (and a pool!) downstairs, I'm trying to go to the gym more regularly, at least twice a week is the goal. I was guite good on this for about 6 months, until in May my old gym pass expired, so I kinda stopped, but there I go again ;).
Actually, this week I went just once, but I think the 2 days working in the Hub will do for gym this week!

- Some travels (other than the Uruguay trip) have been exciting snapshots out of the daily things. Last weekend we went to Belo Horizonte (8 hrs by bus!) to visit some AIESEC friends there. Was really really nice...heheh especially the Zeze and Luciano show in Pará de Minas!
And next weekend I´ll be travelling to Curitiba to chair a local AIESEC conference there, thus things to look forward to!

- Oh and I went to see an astrologist. A friend recommended. And it fact it was really interesting experience, I never really ... hmm.. how to say, trusted these kind of things, but I was surprised to recognize how many things actually made a good sense to me.
I came out more secure about a few things and more clear about others, so yeah I think it was a good and interesting experience. Not sure I'd necessarily go again...One thing I realized that if I trust myself and take these necessary moments to put things in the right perspective, then I make pretty "right" decisions (if such thing as right or wrong exists at all, in this sense).

I think, that's all for now. I still have many things in mind to write about, but I hope to keep posting these as I go along.

I'm happy and content regarding the way things are going and have gone so far. Come to think about it, I meant now more of the professional things, work, also friends. On the personal level, regarding relationships and all, it's been quite "interesting", quite some things happening for me personally, just not sure how that end turns out in some time. Let's see.

Different morning

I woke up on Monday morning, and the morning was different! Like really different!! It felt like a early summer morning in Estonia, fresh, cool, exciting! But it was not about the weather, it was the feeling I had!! I still have it, and I am excited!

And I actually don't know where it came from!? Maybe cos I had been sick the whole last week (dengue like my colleagues were joking!), and now I finally got better. Or maybe cos I had supernice weekend, quiet, watching a few good movies with good people. Or maybe it was these 2 kilos that I had been trying (actually more like hoping, not trying too hard) to lose, but didn't manage otherwise than getting sick and not being able to eat much other than garlic and honey :))). Or maybe it was these bare 4 hours that I slept the night before, cos of my little movie marathon...
hmm...don't know!

On the top of this, Elina sent me a new design of our homepage (it's gonna be niiccee, great job Elina and Triini!), work is going well, and I'm looking forward to what's coming up in the next months!!

Surfed around in my mailbox and found a few good thoughts that seem to go with my mood right now:

QUOTE of the WEEK:"It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever." Philip Adams


POEM for YOUR WEEK
Believing in You
By Catherine Pulsifer, © 1997


Never stop believing in yourself.
When others doubt, don't you.
Do what you love to do,
No one knows better than you.

Life is too short to live others' dreams
Follow your own dream
Push yourself to reach your goals
And live the life you once dreamed.

Trust your instincts.
Be true to yourself.
You know what is right for you.
Never give up or give in.

Forget the words "I don't know how".
You can learn,
You can research,
You can do.

Your mind is powerful.
When you believe you can.
You will find a way
You won't waste a day.

Persist and persevere
Do not fear
Because if you believe in you
You will find dreams can come true.

May all your dreams turn into goals, (ok that one I dont quite agree with, but...)
Believe in yourself.
And remember, all of life is a choice.
The decision is up to you.

Alive and kicking :))

huuuhh my last post was in December!!! A while ago! Not that I haven't had anything to write about, way toooo many things!! Just always seems there are so many better things to do than to sit in front of the laptop/PC screen (which I do anyway at least 8 hrs a day).
haah like today! I was to go out, but the plan changed so I thought I get myself together to write a little update.

Sometimes it feels I wouldn't know where to start exactly, cos it's just too many things, not all pink and cheesy, it's been quite tough every now and then. The biggest challenge (I think...well at least so far :)) that I have faced during my stay in Brazil has been: how to contribute at the workplace and the job to the extent that I am professionally used to at the same time overcoming the obstacles such as:
– working in another cultural environment (not knowing the way of working and the people, and the organization and its structures etc etc)
– working in another language (although most people speak English, the work is in Portuguese, including meetings etc. and I didn't know any Portuguese before I game)
– working in an industry – banking – and in an organization that I was not familiar with before, but which require a lot of time and energy to get to know to (it's huuugeeee, imagine an organization of 30 000 people. PS. and that's only Brazil!)

I had and still have high expectations for myself, since I have been working professionally for about 4-5 years, out of which considerable time with an area that I love – sustainable development and corporate responsibility - and I expected not to be just a trainee, but be equal to all other employees in regards of the contribution that I make.
All the obstacles in mind, it has not been an easy task for me to demonstrate the capacity, skills and knowledge I have. There has been maaaany moments that I felt down and unable to meet the expectations that I had for myself in the limited time available.
It's gone better now, mainly along the improvements with Portuguese :))) (Gee...I had forgotten what it means to learn a new language and to actually be able to use it in daily working life!! English seems soooo easy now.)

Some things I remind myself (thanks to the people who contributed to the process, the "life support" was really important :)):

- Don't give up – I remind myself of my expectations and I don't need to lower them, but just need to walk the same path: keep learning and moving onwards
- Take a loooooot of initiative and network (talk to different people, get to know them and their work, push them to involve me etc.), because for most of people I am just a trainee from a foreign country that noone really knows anything about, let alone the fact that people at workplace wouldn't also know what to expect from me.
- Actively demonstrate the added value I can bring, show my work to even more people that is the immediate necessity etc...

So it has been a journey of personal and professional learning for me, with ups and downs, but now I am happy. I've made sense of things around and inside me a bit more, and I am working on it every day. I'd say I am satisfied.

One month later!

Actually I intended to post this piece already a few days ago, but for various reasons, it got delayed :))), in any case it's more or less update of my first month in Brazil!


Precisely, on the 13th of September 1 month passed since I arrived in Sao Paulo. Whieww time flies, really!! Hehe I already feel 1 year sill go wayyy too fast. But well, just need to take the max out of it I guess...

Just to put down, short and simple, the highlights of the first month:
- getting settled in my new home! Piret was away for almost one month (attending IC, going home), so I was on my own in our downstairs apartment of the MC house. Good that the MC gang is just a few staircases up, so whenever I’d feel toooo alone (which actually happens quite rarely, but still), I’d have the chance to go upstairs, where the TV room is the most common place for gathering in the evenings, sometimes through the whole night as well :D

- getting settled at workplace - it’s amazing! I know I am really really lucky to have been selected for the job in eduction and sustainable development department here in Banco Real. I believe it’s one of the leading companies globally in integrating CSR/SD in the daily practice. And to part of it, is amazing! Of course the company has a long way to go still compared to ideals, but it’s so inspiring to be part of the process. The first month went pretty much on meeting with all my collegues about their projects, attending some trainings and lectures, and project meetings, also getting myself assigned to one particularly intesting one on the business case of CSR. Good stuffs! Oh, and my collegues are super, I really enjoy being part of the team there!

- Learning portugese is another big task of mine. I haven’t been as tough on myself as I should be, meaning that I don’t try to speak Portugese in any possible moment (huuh I know I know, I should!!). I’m particularly lazy about that in our house, since everyone here speaks perfect English! Huh, I shall try to improve! Me and Diana from Canada started to take Portugese classes twice a week, have had it for 2 weeks now, surely helps! Gustavo – our teacher – is really cool guy as well!
But imagine that, all the meetings at work are in Portugese! After day full of meetings, my brain is really fried! Havent experienced learning a new language in a while, so I was wondering how it would feel :))), frustrating sometimes, but exciting at the same time.
I am persistant in a sense that I keep attending all possible events even if I don't understand much. I shall do that in some time for sure! Right now it goes with ups and downs, sometimes I feel I understand almost everything and the next day is as if I didn't know a word!!! huuhh!!!

- AIESEC involvement :), hehehe I still (after 7 years of being in AIESEC) feel very very motivated about number of AIESEC stuffs, discussing national and local strategies and their implementation, participating in meetings etc. Like always there’re are some issues related to exchange management, but I haven’t seen an LC that doesn’t face these challenges, and my conduct with the LC GV here has been really constructive, I like the AIESEC people here.
A week ago I was participating at TREMN (seminar for new members), where I also gave a session on CSR (no surprise eh :D), I really enjoyed. Got additional motivation to give my contribution in AIESEC in Brasil. I think it'll be more or less around CSR though.
Since I live in the MC house, I am still in the middle of it all!! Oh and one of my tasks at work is to support the delivery on ABN-AIESEC partnership :P

- Paraty. 7th of September was an independence day for Brasil, so it meant a long weekend for the working people ;). So 10 of us (mostly trainees here in Sao Paulo) went for a 4 day trip to Paraty, a wonderful small town by the beach near Rio...mmm....we went by 2 cars, rented a lovely chalet just by the beach 5 minutes from Paraty, enjoyed the beaches, the town, took a whole day long boat trip to the nearby islands, went trecking to cachoeiras (waterfalls) with Gerardo and Alexandra etc! Was really really relaxing and enjoyable weekend! I shall get some pictures up here as well!

- Social life in Sao Paulo - the city here never sleeps! One could go clubbing every day of a week here, not to mention numberous restuarants of all sorts of cuisines from all around the world, museums, shows, concerts etc. That all naturally means we cant stay in the house either – Tuesday nights in Buena Vista dancing salsa with other trainees, occassional beers in Opcao with collegues or trainees, clubbing with friends, b-day parties of friends of friends’, churrascos etc etc.

mmm...so that's shortly (but really shortly though) it, I promise to improve with updates on my blog!

oh and some great news!! Taavi and Kadri are coming to visit!!! Yehuuuu!!! on 25th of Feb they shall arrive!

One week after & intro to SP

It's been a week since I arrived here in Sao Paulo, but really feels as I have been here for a while already. I feel at home in our house, the other guys that live here - the national team of AIESEC in Brazil and Filipe and Piret from the regional board - are great, I know already a little bit around the city. The basic places like my work place, local AIESEC office (AIESEC Getulio Vargas), way home, where to buy food etc.

Today I even managed to find my way to the Ibirapuera park alone; met up with other trainees and enjoyed a jazz concert there. Finding the place was fun :D...I had the directions and bus numbers and everything, but still I had to practice some Portunol (the mix of Spanish and Portugese) to find the right bus stop, to take the bus to the right direction, to get off at a right place...etc...I could make myself more or less clear to the person I was talking to, but the challenge was to understand the response...was funny :D, I enjoyed :D:D

A few words about Sao Paulo:
It's grreattt!!
It is huge cosmopolitan city, with more than 10 million (probably a way more) people from all shapes and sizes - you can see here people with roots from Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas.

While in Ecuador I stood out as blond European, here's not much of a significance - you can see many blond people here as well as people from all other places!! Mixture of nationalities!! One can never know if a random person on the street is Brazilian or not, because their looks vary greatly and even I myself could pass for a Brasileira (IF I spoke Portugese...with proper accent of course!!).

Everyone seems to love it here - the trainees, the AIESEC people, everyone else I've talked to.
They say it's the best place in terms of food: you can find better Italian food here than in Italy (no offence Italians, that's what I have heard)!

Life never stops here, one has enormous opportunities here in terms of entertainment, going out to clubs, museums, shopping etc.
It's the heart of business of Brasil, and maybe even in the whole South America. It surely is the largest city in South America.
People say that SP is not Brasil :) - it's soooo huge, diverse, cosmopolitan...like a NYC...and people here have respective life style.

Paulista Avenue is one of the main streets - they even call it the Wall Street of SP -, and that's were I am also going to work. Most other trainees also work in the neighbourhood. Imagine, how the surroundings of my work look like at day time: endless number of skyscrapers, 4 lines of cars on the streets (at least, or maybe 6, havent counted actually), businessmen and -women on their daily tasks rushing somewhere, holding a briefcase/laptop, wearing nice suits, dresses...I guess you can imagine!
Banco Real office is 17 storeyed building on Paulista, they say there's around 4-5000 people working in this building alone!!! Beats the largest companies in Estonia.
Earlier I thought I'd like to try living in a huge city like SP, and here it is - all open for me to discover. I am happy that I ended up in Latin America, so far (Ecuador, Colombia, a bit of Panama and now Brasil) I love it!!

Leaving home, coming home

Just now finished my second day in Sao Paulo, my new home city for the next one year at least.
By the end of today I already feel settled in at home, kinda... quick adaptation :), at least to the immediate surroundings here.
I know I have loooootttsss to learn about the city, the people, the life styles and tradtions, the language (!!!!) etc etc...and I am excited!! I think I've kept telling that to all the people I have met today :))), my new collegues at work, AIESEC members in the LC office etc etc. That's cos I really feel that, I am soooooo excited!!!

I am living with Piret, another Estonian girl who is working in AIESEC here. We share an apartment in the MC house: 3 storeyed house in a neighbourhood called Vila Mariana, nice peacful place just about 30 minutes from my work (by metro of course :).

First impressions of SP, you ask - whohoooo whatta metropol!!! was what came to my mind when I first saw the area, where I am going to work: Paulista Avenue. It's one of the high avenues in SP, one skyscraper after another...read from somewhere it's called NY of Latin America. No doubt it seems to be that, but with a Latin touch ;)...compared to Guayaquil, it's like another world.

Yet, I cant continue without expressing my gratitude to the people that made my stay in Ecuador just so great!! Meeli, Tommaso, Aga, Aneta and Ina, the ATAMI family, David, Jorge, Carlos and many many others from AIESEC, Thanks!! I had super good time!
And I've got all the pics!! That was funny :D:D - burnig CDs in the airport lobby from Tommaso's laptop so that the airlines officials were already looking for me and I was the last person to run to the plane!! (But at least I got the pics :D)

Leaving Ecuador felt weird, I was emotionally confused as I was having this empty creepy feeling of leaving behind the people that I had met, lived with, and become good friends with - the people that were already part of my living abroad experience -; instead of being excited for the new start awaiting ahead in Brazil...in a sense it was different from when I left Estonia in the end of June. Then, after saying the good-byes, I pretty much focused only on what was waiting for me ahead, no looking back then.
Leaving Ecuador...had to look back :))), so again, thanks guys, we'll keep in touch! And remember, now it's your turn to visit me in SP ;)

Last days in Ecuador

I still have 10 more days in Ecuador.
By the end I will have spent 1,5 months here in this unexpectedly nice country. Regarding the last notion, a comment. I've read some other people's blogs about Ecuador and their experiences here and not all of them are so pleasant.

Although I like the nature here (the mountains, the playas!), I think for me the main difference comes from actually knowing people who live here (not all locals, but who at least stay here for longer time like the AIESEC trainees), and enjoying the usual everyday moments being part of a great bunch of people. Feeling like in a family :)), that usually doesn't happen if one is a tourist in any country.

What's amazing is that AIESEC has enabled me (and shall do that in the future as well) to create such a network that I'd have an opportunity to feel quite like at home in any place I go. Amazing!! Makes the world really small, in spite of the fact that distances are sometimes wayyyy tooo long.

Just a few days ago I was e-mailing with my old friends from Rotary, other exchange students that were in USA in 1996-97 - a year that I spent in high school in Illinois. They are Brazilians living in Sao Paulo and one will be almost my neighbour there!!! How cool is that!!!!

But back to my life here...Meeli has a vacation right now, so we are both taking it rather easy: wake up at 9-10, take bakeries, yoghurt, milk from across the street, check e-mails in a nearby internet cafe, go to the city for a little while or to the AIESEC office.
Then meet the others coming from work and see what happens, usally something for sure!!
Monday night we enjoyed a nice cafe in Las Penas until past midnight, called Arthur's (or smth). Very nice place on the hill with a romanitic view to the river, especially so at night!
Yesterday had Luigi's B-day dinner (an Italian dude working for AIESEC here) at Roxanas, and today...who knows :))

We plan to see a butterfly exhibition with Meeli now :D

Here some pics of the ATAMI family:

A letter home vol 2 (in Estonian)

Holaaaa!!

1 kuu Ecuadori on seljataga ja see kõlab nagu hea võimalus järjekordne kirjatükk teele saata. Tegelt võiks siin vist igast päevast raamatu kirjutada, aga selle mõtte matan maha juba eos :D.

Niisiis, lühidalt öeldes on viimase 2 nädala tippsündmusteks olnud: nädal Colombias Albertol külas (supervastuvõtt ja superriik, soovitan!!), kiirpeatus Panamal, tagasi Guayaquilis töö AIESECis ja chill siinsete sõpradega, mida kroonis viimane nädalavahetus väikelinnas Cuencas, kus muu hulgas teise Eesti tüdrukuga jõe ääres väikse õlle võtsime folgi meenutuseks :)


Lugejakirjade põhjal on tänase kirja „teemadeks“: mehed, naised,
seks ja jalgpall

Taustaks pean veel ütlema, et seltskond, kellega kõige rohkem kokku puutun, on väga rahvusvaheline, nimeks ATAMI family. ATAMI tuleb Agnieszka, Tommaso, Aneta, Meeli ja Ina nimetähtedest. Nad pärit Poolast, Itaaliast, Eestist ja Rumeeniast ja töötavad kõik Guyaquilis.
Kõik ägedad tegelased, nii et ma tunnen ennast siin täiesti koduselt.
Ja „family“ on absoluutselt õige sõna...heheh...tegelt on meil selline Simpsonite perekond :D..Homer ja Maggie ja kõiksevärk.
Pea igal õhtul toimub midagi ning lisaks meie oma „perele“ on meil siin ka kohalikke sõpru/tuttavaid, nii et igav ei hakka...st veel ei ole hakanud ja tõenäoliselt ei hakka ka :D

MEHED
Nagu öeldud, puutun lisaks praktikantide seltskonnale kokku ka muu aieseci rahvaga ja siis mõnel määral kohalikega...nii igapäevase suhtluse käigus. Et ühesõnaga, kui meestsest rääkida, siis mõned sellised huvitavad tähelepanekud:

- viisakad. üks reegel tundub olevat, et naised lastakse igal juhul enne uksest sisse, olgu neid või 20, aga mehed ikka uksest enne läbi ei lähe. Ma pole kindel, kas see päris alati kehtib, aga igaljuhul on see vahel päris naljakas. Ka buss peatub alati, kui naised peale või maha tahavad minna. Mehed peavad kohati ka liikuvast transpordivahendist maha saama (ma peaks vist natuke pikemalt sellest bussisüsteemist rääkima mingil hetkel).

- meeldib tantsida. üldiselt tundub, et neil on see tantsimise värk sisse sündinud. Eestlastega võrreldes hakkab eriti silma...heheh..tõsijutt noh... Samas on ka neid, kellele üldse ei meeldi tantsida...hm...aga kui mõtlema hakkan, siis oskavad isegi need, kellele üldse ei meeldi, ikka päris hästi seda teha...nii et järeldus: see on
neil juba veres, meeldib see neile või mitte.

- tänaval tahavad põhimõtteliselt igat sorti meestele Euroopast päris naisterahvaid kiigata bonita, linda, hi, how are you, welcome jms asju öelda, vilistada jms. Kohati päris naljakas, sest tavaliselt ei hõiguta kaugelt, vaid öeldakse midagi suht tasasel häälel täpselt sinu kõrval olles, isegi juba mööda minnes, nii et mitu korda on selline tunne, et „ehmisseenüüdoli“. Väga hull olukord siiski ei ole ja päris staari tunnet ikka ei ole :D

NAISED
Pikad lahtised mustad juuksed ja pruunid silmad, kerge ülekaal alates keskeast (või vahel ka varem), soov tingimata kanda kõrge kontsaga kingi (lühema kasvu tõttu), topid ja teksad (jah siin kantakse hoolimata 30+ kraadist teksasid väga palju), samas miniseelikud on siin ka siiski suht popid. Ise käisin eile esimest korda sellise lühemat sorti kleidiga...heheh...päris imelik oli alguses :D. Ma muidu pole soovinud nii suurt tähelepanu tõmmata tänaval, sest nii või naa on tähelepanu
ikka kogu aeg peal.
Keskmine pikkus on siin ehk mingi 155 võrreldes 164-ga Eestis. Mina olen 170, nii et ikka suht pikk - ka meestega võrreldes.

Kuna käisin nädal aega tagasi Colombias Albertol külas, põhjarannikul Cartagenas, Barranquillas ja Santa Martas, siis veel üks tähelepanek sealtkandist: reisides hakkab hästi silma, et rannapiirkondades elavad naisterahvad pööravad oma välimusele väga palju rohkem tähelepanu kui mägede (Quito, Bogota jne) elanikud. Ka Quayaquil, kus preagu elan, pole iseenesest suurem suvituspiirkond, siit lähimasse randa on nii tunni tee jagu. Samas Colombia põhjarannik Kariibi mere ääres on suvitajate paradiis ning sellest tulenevalt usun, et ka Eesti meestele pakuks sealne naispere päris suurt silmarõõmu...hehe...Siia veel täienduseks, et ka iluoperatsioonid on Colombias väga populaarsed ning ka näiteks ülikoolis õppivate tüdrukute hulgas suhteliselt tavaline nähtus. Pidi suhteliselt mõistliku hinnaga olema...nii et kel huvi, siis....
Silmaoperatsioonid laseriga, mis Eestis on 22 000 EEKu pidid Ecuadoris olema 1000 USD ja Colombias veel odavamad, nii et „väike“ hinnavahe on olemas.

SEKS
Siinmail pidavat olema arusaam, et väga mõistlik pole enne abiellumist „keelatud“ maailma avastada. Selle kõrval tundub jällegi huvitav see, et tänaval avalikult suudlemine, kallistamine, pargipingil semmimine jne tundub täiesti aktsepteeritav olevat. Ka noori emasid (kohati ka alla 20) näeb päris palju, mistõttu ma arvan, et see esimene väide siiski päriselt praktikas paika ei pea. Samas siin vist ongi vastuolu tavade/traditsioonilise maailmavaate ja muutuvate aegade vahel: üks asi
on vanema põlvkonna arvamus sellest, „kuidas asjad võiks/peaks
olema“ ja teine noorema põlvkonna poolt „kuidas nad tegelikult on“.

Kui ma nüüd õigesti aru saanud olen, siis pidavat siinmail näiteks abort keelatud olema. Religioosse ühiskonna sündroom, arvan ma. Päris paljudes Ladina-Ameerika riikides on sama seis. Teisest küljest pidi erakliinikute abil kõik võimalik olevat, mistõttu ma preaguse hetke seisuga ei saa täpselt „keelatuse“ mõistest aru (ei tea, kas see hõlmab siis vaid riigi poolt pakutavat „teenust“).

JALGPALL
On siin kuum!! Jalka MMi ajal olid tänavad täis kollastes särkides noori-vanu, tänavail lehvisid bännerid ja kui Ecuaodor mängis, seisis elu igalpool mujal! Ecuadori tiimil on viimaste aastate jooksul aina paremini läinud ning seekordne edasipääs teise ringi oli senini parim tulemus.

„Ecuador - si se puede“ (Ecuador, jah sa suudad) oli slogan, mida kasutati kõikjal. Guayaquilis on ka kaks põhilist tiimi, millest ühe nimi on Barcelona ja teise nime olen unustanud (oops :), mängude ajal ei pidavat igav hakkama, fännid teevad kõvasti möllu oma meeskonna toetuseks!

Olen ka ise mõelnud omale jalkasärki soetada, aga oma eelarvet vaadates esialgu veel kõhklen. Originaalid maksavad nii 20-30 dollarit, tänavaturult saab ka 5 usd’iga, aga see pole ju ikka see!! Üldse saab siin tänavalt osta igasugust kraami, alustades Nike’ist ja lõpetades D&G’ga, hindu nagu arvata võib ei anna originaaliga võrrelda.


Vastused lugejakirjadele:

- Kas lennujaamas ajavad eskalaatoreid ringi väiksed nukrad eeslid?
Nope :D, eesleid on, aga ainult külades olen kohanud.

- Kas kohviautomaatide asemel on külamehed priimustega vankritelt oma
laste väikeste mustade kätega korjatud värskeid kohviube keetmas:):):)?

Hehe…jällegi eitav vastus. Kusjuures nende kohviubadega on nii, et nad
joovad siin üldse lahustuvat kohvi enamasti (täiesti seletamatu!!).
Café con leche tähendab vahel koguni ainult kuuma piima lahustuva kohviga. Iseenesest pole paha, aga see pole siiski see kohvi, millega ma harjunud olen.
Külameestest (ja –naistest) rääkides, nemad on siin küll ägedad! Ehe värk! Väikest kasvu, kohe päris indiaanlased, põnevad värvilised riided seljas. Rauno blogis (www.rauno.org/latina) on ka mõned ägedad pildid üleval.


Minu plaanid edasi: veel ca 2 nädalat siin (äkki jõuan Peruusse ka, aga hetkel veel ei tea) ja siis Brasiiliasse. Loodan, et kõik sujub, mu pass on parasjagu Brasiilia saatkonnas Soomes ja sellega lähebki veel nata aega.
Pean nüüd kiirelt veel Portugali keele crash course'i võtma, et kohapeal päris häbisse ei jääks :)))

Espanolist rääkides - ega ma ausalt öeldes ikka ei jaga muffigi...hihih...iga kord küsi umbes 3 korda üle, et mis sa nüüd ütlesid! a noh nata rohkem ikka mõistan, kui tulles. Nad lihtsalt räägivad siin nii teistmoodi ja kõik "s"'id sõna lõppudes on kas
üldse kadunud või kõlavad nagu "h"d...siis ongi nii, et iga kord peab jupp aega mõtlema, mis see siis nüüd jälle oli!
Olen ikka seda learning by doing rida ajanud ja õpik seisab ikka kotis...huh...luban endale, et Portugali keele võtan tublimalt käsile!

saludos!