Guaraná

Guaraná is a very popular soft drink in Brazil. Guaraná is actually a fruit found in the Amazon that they use to make many different drink. The soft drink is very popular and is even becoming more and more well known here in America. In my opinion Guaraná is one of the greatest tasting sodas ever. I drank Guaraná almost every day while I was in Brazil. They also make Guaraná into juice and add different flavors such as peanut and coconut. If you would like to try some Guaraná, check your local grocery store.

Northeastern Geopgaphy

Northeastern Brazil is one of beautiful sandy beaches on the coastal areas. The cliamte is tropical with two seasons, hot and hotter! The interior is a semi-arid, foresty area that often experiences drought. The Winter season is from about September to April and Summer is from April to September. In the winter time, it rains and rains. It is usually hot and very humid. In the summer times it is VERY hot and humid with temperatures reaching up to 1o5 degrees with 100% humidity. It sometimes felt like you could swim through the air. The interior is not as humid, but just as hot with temperatures reaching even in the 110's.


Below are two picture taken in the city of Joao Pessoa, Brazil. Other locations in Brazil for amazing beaches include Natal, Recife, Salvador, and Maceio.









The beaches in the Northeast are some of the most beautiful in the world. The water is warm and the beaches are mostly clean.

phrases in portuguese

Tudo bem (too-doo beng) - how are you? The literal translation is all is well. To reply you simply say tudo bem in return.


Qual é seu nome? (qual eh seh-oo gnome-eh) or como se chama? - What is your
name?


Meu nome é _____. (may-o gnome-eh _____.) or Eu me chamo ______. (eh-o me shaw-mo______.) - My name is ______.

Você é de onde? (vo-seh eh gee own-gee) - Where are you from?

Eu sou de _____. (eh-o so gee ____.) - I am from _____.


Que horas são? (kay ore-uh sa-ow-n) - What time is it?

É cinco horas. - It's 5:00.

Fun phrases (frases divertidas):

Ele deu me um bolo. (el-ee dey-oo mey um bowl-o). - He gave me a cake - this phrase in Brazil means to stand someone up, to not meet an appointment. If you schedule a time to meet and they don't come, or they stood you up, you say they gave you a cake.

Já era. (je-ah heir-ah) - Already was, that's over, oh well that's done.

Que massa! (kay ma-sah) - How cool, awesome!

Minha nossa! (mean-jah no-sah) - wow!

Tudo azul (tu-du ah-zoo-uhl) - alls blue - meaning in Brazil, everything's good.

Onde está o banheiro? (own-gee eh-stah o bawn-yehr-row) - Where is the bathroom?

Hammocks

One of my favorite things I did while in Brazil was sleeping in my hammock that I bought from a street vendor. I noticed really quick after arriving in Brazil that almost every house and almost every room had hooks built right into the walls. They can hang hammocks in any room and sleep any where. I spent about 9 months sleeping in a hammock and it was about the best I ever slept in my life. Brazilian hammocks are large and many are very colorful. Some of the more expensive hammocks are ones that are hand stitched and are very beautful. Many Brazilians, young and old, loved their hammocks.

The Real

The Real is the Brazilian dollar. It was instituted in Brazil in 1994 and was equal to one American dollar. For a while the Real gained value against the American dollar, but then gradually lost value and hit its lowest point in October of 2002 - 4 reals per 1 American dollar. As of October 3, 2006 the rate was 1 U.S. dollar = 2.16801 reals.

Below is a chart showing the different types of dollar bills and the pictures on the bills.

Value	Front	Reverse	Illustrations
1			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Sapphire-spangled Emerald Hummingbird (Amazilia lactea).
2			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).
5			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Great Egret (Casmerodius albus).
10			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Greenwing Macaw (Ara chloreptera).
20			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Golden Lion Tamarin (Leonthopitecus rosalia).
50			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Jaguar (Panthera onca).
100			Front: The Republic's effigy, portrayed as a bust. Back: Dusky Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus).

Two sets of coins were developed starting with the first set in 1994 with an all stainless steel set. In 1998 another set with more colors and sizes were made to help hinder counterfeiting. Below are both sets called the first and second families.

First family

Images on board are to scale

Value	Front	Reverse
0,01
0,05
0,10
0,25
0,50
1

Second family

Images on board are to scale

Value	Front	Reverse	Engravings
0,01			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Depicts Pedro Álvares Cabral, Portuguese sea captain. 1500s Portuguese ship in the background.
0,05			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Depicts Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (also known as Tiradentes), martyr of early independence movement. In the background, a triangle, symbol of the movement, and a dove, symbol of peace and freedom.
0,10			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Depicts Emperor Pedro I, Brazil's first monarch. In the background, the Emperor on a horse: scene allusive to the proclamation of independence.
0,25			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Depicts Field Marshal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca, Brazil's first Republican president. The Republic's coat of arms is in the background.
0,50			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Depicts José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior (also known as Baron of Rio Branco), the country's most distinguished Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the background, image of the country with ripples expanding outwards, representing the expansion of Brazil's foreign policy and the solidification of the national borders.
1			Front: The Southern Cross in right upper side. Back: Outer ring depicts sample of marajoara art pattern. In the inner ring, the effigy, symbol of the Republic.

Top 10 Fruits

My top ten favorite fruits from Brazil:




10: Jambu fruit. This fruit is red and has a white inside. It is pear shaped and tastes similar to an apple.











9. Jaca or Jack fruit. This fruit can be either squishy or hard depending on the type you get. This fruit is really large and has a green exterior and a yellow inside.







8. Coco or coconut. This is one of my favorite drinks in Brazil besides eating the tasty white inside.




7. Maracuja or passion fruit. This fruit is used often to make juice and desserts. Some say that eating too many seeds make you sleepy.







6. Banana. In Brazil the bananas are smaller but more flavorful. They are delicious and wonderful in smoothies.





5. Acerola. This is a small red fruit that looks like a cherry. It is very high in vitamin C and I love this fruit as juice.






4. Umbu. This fruit is small like a cherry as well, but green. They are tart and have a very large pit.



3. Pinha. This fruit has many sections that pull apart and has large black seeds and a white slimy inside. It is very sweet and one of my favorites.









2. Abacaxi or Pineapple. The pineapple in Brazil is super sweet and really white inside. It tastes more like candy than fruit I think.


And the number one fruit is...






Mangos! I love mangos so very much and I used to pick them off of trees and just eat them on the street. So sweet and amazing!