Dedé's Blog

Pictures from my 2009 Trip to Brazil

2011-06-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

First 5 years of my life

2011-03-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be five next month. This past Summer I went to Brazil with my mom. My granny Lucy was also flying to Brazil with us because her vacation to the U.S. was ending. The long flight from Los Angeles to São Paulo didn't bother at all; I slept all the way through. Fortunately, we had empty seats where I could lay my entire 5-year-old body. Poor mommy! She didn't sleep because she was watching me. She is always very preocuppied about my safety. I'm glad I have very good parents who care about me.

Now, this was my second trip to Brazil; the first one occurred when I was 2. So, I can't really remember it. I know it happened, though, because there are pictures. Brazil also is very familiar to me. They say I think I'm Brazilian. I am, of course. What are they talking about "he thinks..." humm...

In Brazil we stayed a week with my granny Lucy, my aunties Elisa and Alice. And I got to play Indiana Jones Legos with Auntie Elisa. It was very fun.

2011-03-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

It is summer 2010 and it seems that this past year I’ve learned an entire universe of new things. Let’s see whether my folks can recall some of my adventures this past year and write them there. They better do it because soon enough I will write by myself.

Anyway, my folks tell me that I’m only 5 and already know how to speak, to a certain extent, 4 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish and Japanese. By to a certain extent I mean that some of them I speak with more fluently than others. I communicate better in English and Portuguese. So, I suppose I’m bilingual, at least. Now what an interesting thing! The other day at school my teacher introduced us to another language, which, she says, we, all pupils, know very well. I was fascinated. You see, my eyes go wide open whenever I hear something about languages. Next, she demonstrated this new language to us. Wow. How easy! How nice! It’s called body language. Now I speak five languages.

I am learning many words every day both in Portuguese and in English. Sometimes I don’t know how to separate them. Now, I’ve learned the verb morrer (to die). In the Brazilian soap operas I watch with my mom there’re many people dying. I finally understood it means to go away. It made me sad. I keep asking if everyone died, dies, will die to. They get annoyed but they don’t understand that despite the concreteness of death, it seems like something so abstract to me. How come people go away for good?

Okay, enough of sad things. I’m doing a lot of fun things this summer: karate and swimming lessons. Also, I went camping with my father and then again with my family and some friends. It was fun. My father got a motorcycle and I like riding with him. End of summer: my little sister, Isabella, was born. I’m a big brother now. Something will change forever in me because this September I’ll start school.

a book

2010-02-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

I told my family today, February 05 2010, that I have decided that I want to write a book. A real one, about my life. And I want to publish my book, so kids can go to the library, check it out, and read about André.

languages

2009-11-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

oh, now I understand there are many languages. I guess I heard that at school. So, I told my mother: "mama, there's many languages, Portuguese, English, Spanish and French fries". She laughed really hard. She always does.

2009

2009-11-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

I have changed significantly this year. Right before I turned 5 this past October, I went to Brazil with my mom and my paternal grandmother. Even though I was used to grown-ups speaking Portuguese around me, I hadn't yet realized that Portuguese is indeed another language, and that children also speak it. I met my Brazilian cousins. Fernanda, 6 and Eduardo, 8.

Our long trip from Los Angeles to São Paulo didn't bother me at all for I slept all way through, says my mom. There were many seats empty when I spread my body. Mom on the the other hand hold my head and didn't lay down because she was afraid something could happen to me. Nice and caring mom! My auntie Elisa spoke played lego with in my first days in São Paulo. So, everything felt exactly like home. And grandma cooked her delicious meals as always. No much of a change. But a week or so later we took a plane to Uberlândia to visit my maternal grandma. My auntie Anita was in the airport. Again, it felt like home. Wait! Who are those two little children? Here I went asking them to play "freeze tag" with me. Why did I have to repeat it again and again? They kept saying gently "o quê?" Oh, there is a dog named "feioso". I like him. Sort of. This place is different. Now they take me to go for walks in a park full of children playing soccer. Wait! Somebody is calling me "vem amiguinho". Hum... I realized that "Dedé precisa falar Português". I switched to Portuguese. They were amazed how easily I did it. Not hard at all. What's the big deal?

am I brave or what?

2009-02-28T22:20:00.000-08:00

What will I be when I grow up?

2009-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

My dad took me to see the ballons. Liked it very much. Summer 2008.

Me and my friend Erik just having fun. Summer 2008.

2009-02-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Mama says that I need to speak Portuguese more often because grandma is coming from Brazil and she may not understand me. I wonder, wonder and wonder: "why wouldn't grandma understand me?" So, I ask mama: "does grandma have ears?" and mama says that "yes, of course she has ears." So, why she will not understand me?

Oh, something is telling me that at age 4 I do not quite fully grasp that there two different languages in which we communicate. What is a language, anyway? What does it mean that grandma only speaks Portuguese?

Sometime during the summer of 2008

2009-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not 4 yet and there is a whole world of things happening in my existence that my family thinks they'll not be able to catch up with everything. They think it's impossible to list every new little cute thing I come up with daily. I'm just growing and growing as I discover the world. They like when I speak a new word whether be it in English or in Portuguese, or just a mix of both of them. My tan tells that I'm definitely Brazilian. Oh, it seems that my Spider-man days are on hold since I'm fascinated with Indiana Jones. Oh, so much to find out. I'm eager to know everything...

My Spider Man-rish Birthday

2008-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

As I turn 4 my parents throw me a birthday party whose team portrays my favorite Super Hero, Spider Man! Woo-hoo! Am I lucky or what?

2008-10-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mama and Daddy! I know you enjoyed eating those brigadeiros as much as you did organizing my party, right?! Um.. Do I look like mom? Like Dad? Like little spider man?

2008-10-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yammy! All these home-made Brazilian candies made us, the children, hyper. Too bad parents 'cause we loved them!

2008-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Let's play, friends! Wait...

... a pirate? Nah, it's just kendi!

2008-10-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's gift time! Yeah!

Come on!

Mamma, help!

Summer 2008

2008-07-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

After playing with my friends, pizza makes me very happy!

2008-05-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

I made it; I ate it!

Karate Kid

2008-03-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

I started taking Karate classes. Despite me being only three years old, they say I am one of the best students in the class. I do follow every movement my teacher does. I watch carefully because I think I like this very much. Oh, I also learned how to count in Japanese. Pretty cool! My dad's ancestors are Japanese.

2008-02-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

Me & my friend Gigi

2008-02-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

mama told me to go and play with my toys. she said my toys were sad, and that if I didn't play with them, she'd have to give them way to other children. I replied: "mama, TV is sad too"

yellowish

2008-02-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

uh? my aunties went to Vegas and brought me a little gift: a yellow pig?

2008-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

missin' my little bathtub...

October 2007

2008-02-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

I turned 3, and the party was great! I had so much fun with my friends while we were watching a clown's show. I like to share. Well, not as much the cake! ;-)
Linguistic Phenomenon
They say that lately when I am asked a question in Portuguese I answer like this: "I can't say." But I mean to say: "Eu não sei" ("I don't know" in Portuguese). Well, they sound the same to me. They laugh. But they also understand I am making very complex linguistic associations, despite my early age. ;-)

2008-02-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

um, dois, três, quatro, cinco e seis Spider-Man! Yeah!

2008-02-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

....................................(click on the image to see it larger)

I like sledging with daddy. They say I'm always up to anything! I guess so!

Today I changed my clothes by myself for the first time. I am growing up fast. Three years sounds like a lot. I'm learning a great deal at school - I attend it just two days a week for only two hours. But the other day Mama told my autie that as I was staring at the window for a long time, mama asked me what I was looking at, to what I replied: "where's china, Mama? I want to go to China and eat noodles with chopsticks." I don't understand why she was surprised I already know about China. Oh, I think sundays are good: I have mama and daddy to play with.

Viva Las Vegas

2008-02-06T19:20:00.001-08:00

Brazil first. But I also love to travel to Vegas with my family. Look, me & mama in front of the Bellagio Casino Hotel! Yeah! The sun of Vegas hurts my eyes!
So, I go to the pool. Catch me, daddy!

Me in Brazil

2008-02-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

December 2005, when I was just over a year old, I went to Brazil for the first time. Guess what? Mama and daddy are from Brazil. I guess that makes somehow Brazilian as well! So, I just acted as a local. Pretty cool! See? Chillin' in the water and playin' some instruments! No one around, except this picture-taker-person!

Yes, these hotties are my grannys! Oh, Brazil!