Itajubá Wiki Page
When I first moved from Piranguinho to Itajubá, I had to get adjusted to life here in the city. The AIESEC president of the chapter put me up in his apartment while I familiarized myself in my new surroundings. After a week or so, my friend Bruna (who I had met during the immersion course) put me in contact with a good friend of hers, João. I met him for lunch one day and he later introduced me to a few of his roommates. Once I got to know them better, I asked if I could join them in their house. Their house was big enough and located much closer to Celil, the school I was to begin working at. They accepted me and it has been great living with them all.
My roommates are here during the week to work or go to school, and then travel back home on the weekends. I have already made visits to three of my roommates families. Being able to visit different towns and meet more people has been great. These weekend trips alone have added a lot to my overall experience. Also, the price we pay for rent is real low and affordable. We share food, meals, and good conversations during the weekdays when we are all normally here.
So I'd like to give a brief description of my housemates. The name in bold is their real name. If their photo has a caption, that's the nickname they go by. (Will have to get their "ok" before publishing this, haha.)
João
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| Joãozinho |
- a very friendly guy. He was the initial roommate I met, through Bruna. João introduced me to a tasty restaurant in town where you can pay in advance for take-out meals. For example, I paid for 20 lunches in advance and now all I do when I go there is sign and date a notebook they have beside the register. It is convenient and the containers they provide for take-out meals are big enough to stuff two meals worth of food in! João is a big fan of Vasco da Gama, a soccer club based out of Rio. A few years ago he traveled to the USA and worked at McDonald's for a couple months in Warwick, Rhode Island. João's mom and brother live in São Lourenço. I went with him and Diego (another roommate) one weekend to visit. During that trip I went to Parque das Águas (a natural mineral water park) and attended the wedding of a friend of his. João is involved with his church and active about his Christian faith. He attends and conducts bible studies, one of which I was able to attend last month. He is 27 years old.
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| Toninho |
- the English teacher and celebrity of the house (he knows everyone!). Toninho is a great person who helps me advance my Portuguese daily. Between helping to support his family, his internship, teaching private English lessons, studying at UNIFEI, and even filling-in for his professors who are absent, he keeps a very busy schedule. Toninho is studying Business Administration and is already quite fluent in English. He is a vegetarian and lives in a small nearby town called Pedralva. When I accompanied him there, I met some of his good friends, played soccer, visited a waterfall, and hiked up a huge rock! Toninho would like to visit the States one day, and I hope he can. He is 22 years old.
Diego
- the married man. Japonês works at a school sponsored by Bradesco, a national bank here in Brazil. His wife is currently living in São Lourenço, so it's tough on them living apart during the week-days when he is working in Itajubá. The two are searching for a new place and hopefully can move-in together soon. Japonês was in the seminary some years ago and has a certificate in his home in São Lourenço that is signed by Pope John Paul II! He has traveled around a good bit, having been to some European countries. He is the one roommate with a car, so he has helped us all out to some degree with transportation. He was my guide during our visit to the water park in São Lourenço. His nickname is Japonês because he has Japanese ancestry, which match his looks. A cool fact is that Brazil has the largest percentage of Japanese people living outside of Japan. So even if he had a different Asian ancestral background, like Korean or Chinese, Brazilians here might still might think of him as Japanese at first. He is 28 years old.
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| Japonês |
- the married man. Japonês works at a school sponsored by Bradesco, a national bank here in Brazil. His wife is currently living in São Lourenço, so it's tough on them living apart during the week-days when he is working in Itajubá. The two are searching for a new place and hopefully can move-in together soon. Japonês was in the seminary some years ago and has a certificate in his home in São Lourenço that is signed by Pope John Paul II! He has traveled around a good bit, having been to some European countries. He is the one roommate with a car, so he has helped us all out to some degree with transportation. He was my guide during our visit to the water park in São Lourenço. His nickname is Japonês because he has Japanese ancestry, which match his looks. A cool fact is that Brazil has the largest percentage of Japanese people living outside of Japan. So even if he had a different Asian ancestral background, like Korean or Chinese, Brazilians here might still might think of him as Japanese at first. He is 28 years old.
Tiago
- this dude is goofy. Ha. Tiago is also real cool and has helped me settle in to the Brazilian lifestyle. His folks live in Pouso Alegre, where I went with him one weekend. There, we visited a nice park that used to be a zoo. In the park there was a group of scouts, escoteiros, engaged in some activities. That was cool to see because I too am a scout. I was invited by Tiago and his family to attend his cousin's birthday party. It was a great family get-together with delicious churrasco (Brazilian bbq) and yakissoba (a Japanese noodle dish). I enjoy our cultural and lingual exchanges, as Tiago learns a little English from me and I learn Portuguese from him. Back in Itajubá, Tiago and João work for a company that handles customer service concerns for a computer software program. He hopes to one day get a job in the big city of São Paulo. He is 23 years old.
Diego
- good natured guy. Rato is a funny, spirited person. He and I go for runs some mornings. Rato takes his studies seriously and practices his English with me. I recommended that he download the free language learning application that DuoLingo has. He downloaded it and shared it with Tiago that same day. Rato told me that he served a required amount of time in the Brazilian military. If a family has more than one son, the obligatory service time is usually given to the younger of the sons, which he happens to be in his family. I was worried about him for a few weeks because he was not sleeping enough and had some psychological side affects to where he had trouble recalling important information and was confused. However, after a trip to the doctor's office and two weeks of rest back home in , he has returned and is his good-ol' natured self once again. He is 24 years old.
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| Rato |
- good natured guy. Rato is a funny, spirited person. He and I go for runs some mornings. Rato takes his studies seriously and practices his English with me. I recommended that he download the free language learning application that DuoLingo has. He downloaded it and shared it with Tiago that same day. Rato told me that he served a required amount of time in the Brazilian military. If a family has more than one son, the obligatory service time is usually given to the younger of the sons, which he happens to be in his family. I was worried about him for a few weeks because he was not sleeping enough and had some psychological side affects to where he had trouble recalling important information and was confused. However, after a trip to the doctor's office and two weeks of rest back home in , he has returned and is his good-ol' natured self once again. He is 24 years old.
Vinícius
- the sixth and final roommate I met. Vinícius is a baseball fan. He practices and plays up at the university. He seems to spend as little time as possible here in Itajubá, ha. Therefore I do not know as much about him. He's cool with me though and I look forward to getting to know him better throughout the rest of my trip here. Bixão and Rato have family in Pindamonhangaba, south of Itajubá, in São Paulo state. He is 21 years old.
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| Bixão |
- the sixth and final roommate I met. Vinícius is a baseball fan. He practices and plays up at the university. He seems to spend as little time as possible here in Itajubá, ha. Therefore I do not know as much about him. He's cool with me though and I look forward to getting to know him better throughout the rest of my trip here. Bixão and Rato have family in Pindamonhangaba, south of Itajubá, in São Paulo state. He is 21 years old.
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