Brazil exports all the good coffee??
I discovered Starbucks at Bourbon Shopping on my frozen yogurt trip the other day. It looked very chill, a welcome refuge from the typical São Paulo hustle and bustle (and the various crowded Starbucks in New Orleans- not sure how many times I’ve gone from coffee shop to coffee shop looking for an open seat to do homework). Currently, I’m sitting next to the one electrical outlet I could find... odd. I guess I’m the only one who comes to a mall to do homework? (Side note: Bourbon Shopping confuses me. There are four levels... I think... and multiple stairs and escalators. It’s not just a square. I can navigate King of Prussia, but I’m still wandering around the malls here aimlessly. I guess it gives me something to do, as I don’t really want to buy anything- really , I do. I’m just trying to fight the urge and being lost seems to help.)
I quickly learned that I needed to learn the word for “skim milk,” as my cappuccino tastes like buttermilk (with a little coffee in it). I can’t imagine how much fat/calories this entails. This is my first time at a U.S. chain, and I’ve been here for a month! I’m very proud of myself. Still, I can’t help but think that the Starbucks workers are making fun of me. However, I can’t tell what they’re saying unless I dedicate my full attention to their conversation, and I don’t feel like that would be a productive use of my time. I may or may not be wearing a “Bama” shirt. I doubt many people understand its significance, but I'd assume that they assume that it's a foreign thing. (I can’t wait to get my PUC-SP shirt! Except I’m not sure how many students actually wear them. I think I’m going to feel it out. I will be bringing one home though.) Anyway, after I ordered, they just stared at me. Apparently they wanted my name, but they didn’t attempt to ask for it in Portuguese. Was I just supposed to know that? I get a little angry when people switch to English, instead of letting me try to speak Portuguese. I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything when the Starbucks barista says “Your name?” No one can understand my name here. No matter what. I know there's a problem with the initial “H." Maybe the “l” in the middle doesn't work either. I began to spe ll it for her (in Portuguese), but she nodded me off. So, my name is apparently “H allen.”
I voyaged here with the intention of getting some stuff done (since I don’t have class today), but I was deceived by the website. There’s no wifi. I could maybe pay for Internet, except I’d need a CPF. The CPF (similar to a Brazilian social security number, but used ALL OF THE TIME) may be the single most frustrating thing in my life right now. You need one for everything. I can’t get one.
I’ve also noticed that Starbucks used the Spanish upside down exclamation point that goes at the beginning of sentences (I don’t speak Spanish) in the Portuguese, as well as the Spanish, on their cups. You’d think someone would have caught that.
