1. You find yourself shutting off lights and opening windows because you hear U. Miles in your head.
2. You find yourself asking your American friends if they have “Orkut.”
3. All your socks are stained red on the bottom.
4. You find yourself walking down the street instead of the sidewalk.
5. You find people looking at you funny when you say “refei” instead of cafeteria.
6. You are thoroughly irked by people who say “Mango” instead of “manga.”
7. And are also very irked by paying almost a dollar for those big mangas at the store when you could just go down to U. Jacks and pick one of his.
8. You become homesick when you see any car even remotely resembling a “GOL.”
9. You won’t buy any flip-flops in the states because they aren’t the same as Havaianas.
10. And you refer to your flip-flops as “chinelos” and people look at you funny.
11. You get annoyed that people automatically think you lived by the beach in Rio or something when you tell them you are from Brasil.
12. You know what Demerits are.
13. You look forward to “Ant-bottom” season.
14. You think there is no “breakfast” when there isnt Pão de Sal to go with your coffee.
15. You are sad that they don’t have “Toppers” at the shoe store.
16. You look at a tower and reminisce.
17. One word dating couples..."broom closet.”
18. You think a date is sitting out under a tree six inches apart and talking.
19. You see a leather cowboy hat and you miss U. Roger.
20. No Burger King or McDonald’s compares to X-Tudos
21. You can’t help but laugh when you remember Danny Boys joke he used on all women when he said “Hey...want to go down for X-Nadas.” Or while playing volley ball and the score was 7-11 and He yells out “...and it ain’t the covenience store!”
22. You find yourself calling the gym the “Quadra.”
23. You are fascinated that you can walk through the grass barefoot at night and not pull off a couple cupim from the bottom of your feet.
24. You think that all American meat tastes like rubber and you tell your friends about Churrasco.
25. You find yourself dying to go out and play soccer when it rains.
26. A school play consists of the entire school
27. You know that “Butter Creek Bridge” is a fallen tree branch over a small creek.
28. You have sneaked out at 1 a.m. to buy espetinhos
29. You look up in a tree hoping to see a blue refei cup stuck in a branch
30. One of your teachers was one of the seniors.
31. You start to want to sing “parabens..” after someone sings happy birthday.
32. You eat your pizza with a knife, fork, and mayonnaise.
33. A trip to the mall consists of piling everyone into the Kombi and driving for over an hour to get to the mall.
34. Field day consisted of running the 5 K on a dirt road
35. “Senior privileges” meant you could go home for study hall.
36. You look at linoleum floors and remember the days you had to wax and buff floors.
37. Being good at volleyball meant you were picked for second half on Friday nights.
38. You find yourself hearing the words “Goooool” and “Bra- SIL-SIL-SIL” *fades* going through you head when you watch soccer games.
39. You thought being “bad” was stepping OVER the praça bushes when the adults weren’t looking instead of going around.
40. You cringe when you have to sing “As the Deer”.
41. And you know the thrill of touching fingers under a song book.
42. You eat green mangas with salt.
43. You remember Richie Armour throwing up during a school recital.
44. Driving the “dumpy” was cool.

Great stuff Amber. I fixed up some spelling mistakes =)

I am sure Vianópolis has changed a lot since I was there in the late 60’s, but I can still relate to most of the things on that list. The ant bottom season was something I will never forget. I used to gather hundreds of those things. I used to catch huge tarantulas and keep them in a jar. Once when Jack Pierce made one of his great spook houses for Halloween, I attached a dead tarantula to a long thread and placed it in the spook house. I was hiding as the kids came through and I would pull it and make it look alive. 
I played futebol every chance I got, which was normally anytime I wasn’t doing something someone was making me do. I played on the official school team and we played a lot against the Brazilan teams in Vianópolis. We very rarely beat them, but we always gave them a good game.  We were called the Jaguars in those days. I learned to play the guitar there, when it was a huge fad and everyone was trying to learn. I have played ever since and now write songs and perform often.
I used to eat so many green mangas with salt that my parents told me I had to stop! I was into lemons with salt too.
Anyway, it is awesome to think back on those days. I could literally write a book about all of the things I did and my adventures. Does ayone still go to the “canyon.” Or a great swimming place called “turtle rock.”

John Nelson

Hey John! Thanks for posting on the site. Where in the world are you anyhow? Dan Royer

hey Dan!
I was wondering if I would hear from anyone from back in the day! I discovered this site by accident and have had fun reading about good ole Vianópolis. I am living in Altoona WI and have been here since 1999. In 1979 I joined the Marines and made a 20 year career out of it.
Where are you guys?
John

Hi again John!

I had a son in the Marines for 4 + years. That´s as close as I´ve come to the military. Recently we had a reunion held at the Missionary Training Center near Camdenton, Missouri. It was great. Now that you know about this website, you can find out about these things.

We are serving in Anápolis, Goiás, Brasil at the Missão Novas Tribos do Brasil general HQ. But right now we are on Home assignment (which use to be called furlough) and so we are at Plymouth, Indiana. I looked up Altoona and found you outside of Eau Claire. My sister Jean and her husband, Bill will be living in the vicinity for a few months as they are also on home assignment.

Our email is: and theirs is:

Abraços,
Dan

Hey, John’s brother here.  I just went to Floripa on vacation so some of these memories are fresher in my mind.  Especially pao de qeijo.  I joined up in here to find out whatever happened to people.  It’s nice to know what people ended up doing.

Hey John and George and Dan!
Hadn’t thought to look at this site before.  Hope that people are still checking as it has been a while since anyone posted!  I too have lots of fond memories of Via.  Sitting out at the manga tree with a pocket knife and a salt shaker (or rather in the manga tree).  Or going on a “date” to the manga tree!
George, I remember you playing guitar for all of us!  Lots of fun sing-a-longs!  Seems to me you were always getting into trouble too!!  (Course I was perfect).
Would love to hear from you, to know what you’re doing, George.
I am an Emergency Medicine doc here in Dallas.  Been working the ER in Irving for the last 20 years.  Lots of fun sometimes!  I have 3 girls, 20, 18, and 15.  The oldest 2 are now in college, the youngest at home in 11th grade this year.  My husband, BJ, works at NEC as a quality manager.  His mother lives with us.
I went to Brazil a few years ago with BJ for his work.  Got to see Dilys and her mom in Goiania.  We also saw Dylan in Sao Paulo.  We went to Via but didn’t really see anyone there that was from the old days.  The place has changed!  As is typical, it seemed much smaller than what I remember.  I forgot, we did see the Pierces and Sr. Paolo.
It’s been fun trying to read the Portuques jokes.  I must admit I’m much more into using Spanish here!  Anyway, thanks for the website.  Hope to hear from some of you “oldies”!  Becky Zellmer Posey

I think what’s odd about childhood memories or teen memories are the things that pop into your head and you wonder where did that come from? and then you remember, “Oh Vianópolis”. Ditties, songs, jokes and stuff. The other day I remembered, “Glory, glory hallelujah, my teacher hit me with a ruler, got her on the bean with a rotten tangerine and boy did she turn green”. It came into my head all of a sudden as I was doing my morning caminhada around the praça near my house. Of all things to remember! Abraços, Dilys

Remember Terry Zellmer’s parrot Orky?  She would sit under the eaves and sing when it rained.  Was like singing in the shower.  Also, she would shout out Rise and Shine like Aunt Ginger Brennen would say in the morning.  And remember waxing the red cement floors with that weird pasty wax that smelled like kerosene?  You could write a book.  Actually, I have written a book about moving to Via but it’s not published yet.

Would love to read your book, George.  Let me know when you get it published!  Becky

The thing I remember most about Orky was the way he would chew up the chinellos.  We would be so proud of our new chinellos, washing them and setting them on the roof to dry in the sun only to come back to find them in shreds!  Then there was the way he said “fruta-ta-ta”!  Always makes me smile when I think of it.
George, do you remember the record we had of a comedy routine?  I recall something about a spoof on JFK, “I would like to point out, that I’m standing here dripping wet in my shorts.....”

I remember that record. It was JFK and Jackie and they talked in a funny American accent.

Funny, I don’t remember Orky. I remember Perky, I think he was the Brennan’s parrot (now it’s illegal to own parrots here in Brazil, unless you get a permission from Ibama) Anyway we used to call the food at the little dorm Perky’s plurp and then get punished. I remember once there were great big fat worms floating around the porridge. Good grief, sounds like Oliver Twist!!

I remember the great Halloween parties. At least I thought they were great! There was one at your house wasn’t there George?