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Diante da acirrada disputa no mercado de trabalho, experiências no exterior como um intercâmbio passaram a ser por demais valorizadas pelos RHs da vida. Claro que quem tem bala na agulha vai fazer intercâmbio na Nova Zelândia, Alemanha, Inglaterra... Eu estou indo pros Estados Unidos, o estino escolhido por quem determinou o programa e criou o concurso de bolsas.
- Estados Unidos é intercâmbio de pobre.
- Mas pobre não faz intercâmbio!
- Faz sim, se tiver ganhado uma bolsa como eu!
Por isso, estou deixando família, amigos, faculdade, estágio pelo período máximo de 1 ano. Vou fazer parte de outra família. Estou partindo rumo à terra do Bush, do McDonalds, do country e de Hollywood. Não quero fazer a América nem deixar ela me fazer. Quero iluminação, amadurecimento, cultura, histórias pra contar, um melhor currículo, um punhado de dólares e eletrônicos mais em conta! Nessa ordem.
Mas não se preocupem. Nas palavras de Jesus e Schwarzenneger: Eu voltarei!
De Bonsucesso para o mundo:
Natalia Weber tem 21 anos e é estudante de jornalismo da UFF (RJ). Parece uma americana, mas é brasileiríssima. É suburbana com orgulho e está prestes a adentrar nos Estados Unidos. Ela nunca viajou de avião, nunca arrumou uma mala tão grande, detesta McDonalds. Vai ser Au Pair numa família muito boa e com (graças a Deus!) uma criança. Uma criança linda, fofa e maravilhosa. Espera ter bastante tempo pra estudar e espera encontrar bons cursos pra fazer e complementar seu currículo. Espera também aprender a dirigir bem rápido pra se mover lá. Espera conhecer Nova York. Por livre e espontânea pressão, tem a possibilidade de visitar a Disney, mas se não conseguir se livrar dessa, promete enviar uma foto esganando o Mickey! Ela está com muitas saudades dos pais e amigos, por isso espera que eles venham sempre aqui.
Histórias dessa viagem
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
Álbum de Fotos
Picasa
Picasa 2
Outras Viagens
Dude! I am a male au pair - Renan
Zooropando - Mariana & Priscila
Maenglishtwobad - Raquel Thomaz
Mandaram, eu fiz - Táia Rocha
Daiana Around The World - Daiana
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Oy Vey! Not my day today...
It was also... Tornado day!!! Yaaaay!!!
Ok, so the day was normal. I went to the indian neighbor for lunch and we had a nice talk. She gave me some career advices, and I was beginning to think about a life plan when I check the watch: time to pick up Lindsay and Lacey. I get on the car and drive like the 30 steps to the school and I see the line of cars is not moving. And I couldn't make a turn before the intersection of the streets, so, to try to escape the big line (unusual, but I noticed a storm coming, I read about thunderstorms in the area, so I figured every parent wanted to pick up their kids instead of having them walking home) I had to go around and try to come from the other side. Didn't work, cars weren't moving. That was weird.
Then I feel the strange wind, cars turning around and the big black clouds coming. It was past the time they'd get the kids out, and I could only think that Lindsay and Lacey could be out, with a big, big rain pouring in 3, 2, 1. I parked the first place I saw, a grass field away from the school, got out of the car and ran like a maniac towards it. Right this second, the rain came down heavy. On me.
I reach the first door, I was supposed to get to the second. But I could not move, the rain and the wind were too strong, my lenses were dancing on my eyeballs... I have my back against the wall, I breath in, I need to find the girls! A woman in a car on the street across me rolls down her window and shouts: "STAY WHERE YOU ARE! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Mas, was I starting to get really nervous...
A woman inside the school, tells me to go to the office (the place I was trying to get to in the first place). So I run and get there! Soaked wet! A parent, waiting around, tries to humor me: "You made it!" I give him a cold look. I wanna find the girls...
I get inside the school and I notice a bunch of kids knelled, with their faces on the floor, turned to the wall. I learn they held the all kids inside, and they where in the "tornado position". I nearly hyperventilate...
So you know, this is the duck-and-cover position. This picture is from the Post, not from the school I was at, tough...
Got the point?
Adults could walk around, while kids had to keep that position for how long, so I try to find my girls among the little backs that faced me from the ground. It's hard to look for them when everybody is compressed like that. I try to focus on their clothes, so soon I find Lacey, and she was fine how I thought she'd be. She's tough and not easily impressed. She smiles at me and gets up, and I rush to tell her to get down. I cannot take them out, as one of the teachers told me.
Then the power went off, and the emergency lights were on. I knew I had to find Lindsay, 'cause she'd be nervous, for sure... I go to where the 5th graders are, and it's hard to find her, I ask all teachers... Finally she looks up and sees me, and I could tell she's been crying. She gets up, and all the teachers around rushes to tell her to keep down. I feel terible for her, for them. But at least the girls could see me, I was hoping that would calm them down a little, to know that I was there with them, aware of here they were and if they were safe. As I walked through the corridors I could her the teacher trying to make the kids calm. Some would caress their backs. One was telling them how interesting the whole thing really was and how they could all do some "creative writing" on the subject the next day. Then she went on saying that there was actually the safest place they could be, so they shouldn't worry. I saw a teacher grabbing a boy by his hand to get him a little bit away from the others, and while he resumed the position on the floor, she placed a trash can next to his mouth. He did look sick. All I could think was that, other than a school shooting, that one of the most american experience I could have.
I also thought that maybe the girl's mom was trying to hear from me if they were ok, but she could not reach me, 'cause I let everything in the car. And then I wandered how back things were outside, and if my car would be turned around by the wind. I was felling nervous, and terrible that the kids had to go through this. I wish I could also find Daiana's former host kids. I spotted the teacher from the Portuguese Club I once volunteered with Daiana. I looked at her and made a sad face. She says: "É muito horrível."
I could only mouth the word back at her... "horrível..."
A voice comes over the speakers: "Kids, you've been great..." And everyone gets on their feet. Lindsay hugs one or two friends, and comes to me.
"Are you wet?"
"Yeah, I couldn't get to the school so I parked anywhere and ran like crazy just when the rain started. I was worried sick that you'd be out in the rain..."
I hug her too, but it didn't turn out to be the affectuous hug I was ready to give, for the other part is not that affectuous. She tells me she was crying, that she was worried about the dog at home, and that she thought the worse would happen.
I go get Lacey and it fells great to have both now, together and safe.
"Did you cry?" Lindsay asks.
"Nope", Lacey goes, as if nothing was on.
"I was really, really nervous, like praying the whole time..."
I tell them how I got to the school and everything, and soon we are at home. The power was off and I find a call from their mom on my cell. I call her first thing to tell her we were safe now, and about what went on at school. I apologized for not having my phone, but she said it was ok. She called the school and knew that the girls would be held inside, but she was also worried about me, driving there.
"The stove isn't working."
"Ahnnn, no TV!"
I spent a fairly good amount of time searching everywhere around the house for a match to heat up some food for the girls. I suggested to get a candle and ask a neighbor to light me up.
"That would be weird", said Lindsay.
"Yeah, but when the power's off and you're hungry you kinda have to make do."
"Here's a candle."
"A scented candle?"
"Yeah, we have a bigger one, but then it'd be worse to go to the neighbors carrying it."
"Fine, I'll take it."
So there I was, crossing the street, when it hits me. What kind of stupid person am I?
"What kind of stupid person am I?" I ask loudly, setting the scented candle on the kitchen counter.
"What?"
"I have a lighter in my car... This is the kind of moment I can say I love Greg."
Inside the glove compartment, my boy-scout-host-father set up a survivor kit with aspirins, 20 bucks, the insurance information of the car, and a lighter.
The lighter makes a big flame, and Lacey thinks it's just amazing. As I light the candle, getting the whole house to smell like butterscotch, she says (not sure if she wasn't teasing): "Cool. God bless Greg..."
Lindsay doesn't get how the stove top can't work with no electricity and seems puzzled by how am I gonna make it work. I tell her about how the gas comes off and the electric part of the game makes a sparkle that sets the fire. So if I can get the gas coming, and I can provide the fire, it'll work. With a toothpick I get a little flame from the candle, then with a quick move I get the thing working, for their amazement... Lindsay goes on saying that she never saw that, she didn't know one could do that and on and on...
After getting them some food (rice with... rice, they chose it!), I laid down on the couch. I was drained. I don't know how long I stayed down, but suddenly I get up with the idea of making popcorn - the official power-down snack. Popcorn being made at the stove is a hit between kids of the microwave era...
Lindsay was jumping on the trampoline, Lacey was writing a Christmas book. Shelley went home to find all very ok. I wanted to stay and tell her a little more about what happen. I end up getting out of there a little late. As I pull off, like, 10 indians, mothers and kids, were walking in the middle of the street...
por Weber ! 6:35 PM !
1 comentários in america
1Comentários:
You had an experience...and you survived! Couldn´t stop thinking about it all after I read everything. Wanna know some more details about it later.
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