PUCPR, Centro and Clubbing

FuFu Life in Curitiba - Brazil
26th July 2010 | Part Four


With Oldy, walking to the bus stop.


Oldy double confirmed if the bus would take FuFu to PUC.


Bus #175, from Centro to PUC. Single bus fare is BRA$2.20 (RM4).


While waiting the bus driver to start the engine.


Alighted at the last stop and saw the university!


The collage of PUCPR FuFu had upload on his Facebook.


PUCPR is 51 years old already.


Surprised? Well, PUC is a Catholic university after all.


FuFu didn't want to be late so he arrived half an hour earlier!


FuFu walked around his new university.


This car park is one of many car parks you can find in the campus.


Heading to the Administrative Building 10mins before 9am.

I had an appointment on 26th July (Monday) with Lydia, a staff i have been contacting for the exchange semester here in Brazil. My host Oldy brought me to the bus stop at Alameda Doutor Muricy. Why? Because i had to take the bus to Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR) to meet Lydia at the office of International Cooperation and Exchanges. She gave me a short and brief introduction of the university, passing all the necessary document to me and got my appointment with my professors arranged.

Lydia then told me that i have to paid BRA$190 (RM347 = US$112) to register my student visa at the Federal Police Department, and i would be given one identification card mentioning that i am a legal resident here in Brazil. To enrolled as an international student at PUCPR, i had to pay another BRA$120 (RM220 = US$71). Also i had to apply for a CPF account at any post office, only BRA$5 (RM10 = US$3), but what the hell, to open a bank account and get a phone's SIM card i need a CPF number. The funniest information i had to report was both of my parents' names!

It was a mess in the beginning, and i was extremely upset as i gotta pay BRA$315 (RM577 = US$186) and get all these shits done which not written on the application form or told before we flew to Brazil. Just i wish they would let me know earlier because i didn't have extra money for this case! Luckily i got them settled within a week with the help from Tatiana (friend's of an acquaintance i met in Germany) and my second and current host, Kenji.


Federal Police controls the immigrations too.


FuFu Identification Card, FuFu is a legal Brazilian citizen.


Next was to apply a CPF account.


Finally FuFu could get a SIM card and open bank account!

I didn't take many pictures but would like to take more pictures of my university when the weather is warmer or probably after i have got my assignment done. Expect another post i would reserve for PUCPR in the near future. Anyway, July was the coldest month (winter in the Southern Hemisphere), Curitiba nevertheless welcomed and greeted me with a warm and sunny Monday. Wanted to know and be familiar with the city well, i spent an hour walking around before going back home for an early dinner with Oldy because i didn't have lunch.


Took the same bus back to the city centre.


So many high-rise buildings here and there at every corner!


It was like walking around Little Manhattan.




Seriously, the city has plenty of friendly side-walks.


Wide. Clean. Lovely floor tile's motif.


Almost all of the roads in the centre are one-way direction.


Felt totally comfortable to walk around!




The locals love popcorn very much! Will explain in other post!


Reversed back.


Heading back home!


But FuFu just couldn't stop snapping.


Some of the streetscapes really look like those you can find in KL.


Except the scene with the tube bus stop!


This street divide the districts of Centro and Sao Francisco.


So at this point, FuFu was in Sao Francisco district.


The apartment is just only two minute walk from here.

FuFu was staying in this building for his first 10days in Curitiba.

Dinner was simple sandwiches with my host's random stir-fried-egg+tomato+onion+capsicum (paprika) filling. We stayed home after dinner because Oldy had to prepare notes for his lecture while i was busy looking for a new room. But after Fabio was back home, he invited me to Emporio with his friend because Monday is buy-one-free-one day until 10pm. Immediately, we registered online with our names and phone number. Oldy followed as well.

The club is just located few blocks away from the apartment. Once we had arrived at 10:25pm, name checked and i was given a card! They got the member card made within half a minute with my name, number and bar code printed. Taking the card, i followed the rest to the cashier. Paid BRA$15 as a prepaid card for drinks. No money associated with the bartender. When you wanna get a drink, pass the card to a bartender and it will be scanned. The amount in the prepaid card will be reduced automatically according to your drinks. So high-tech!


FuFu is the member of Emporio Club, Sao Francisco, Curitiba.

Here is the clip FuFu took on the second floor.


My host and his brother kept flirting around. And i was putting on the chopping board. They used me to get closer to girls, mentioning that i speak only English, from Malaysia and would like to learn Samba. Anyway, we had heaps of fun after all. Learned some simple steps. But the musics, as what you might have seen from the video above, was damn boring. If not the girls, buy-one-free-one Monday, and samba, we would have left earlier. LOL