Laura
Laura, friend of Barbara and Denny
Laura, who is Barbara's friend and intern, was Team West's last host in Brasilia. Besides being a web designer and a museology student, Laura is also interested in doing contortion and speaking French. In this interview she talks about friendship in Brasilia, and the value of friends in her life, before sending the travelers to Belem, Brazil, where her friend Denny lives.
What is your superpower?
I think my superpower is being flexible, not only physically but also with my personality. I feel that I fit in real nicely and I like making friends.I am an extrovert so I think that for me it's easy to make friends.
What would you change in your country if you were able to?
If we are to get political: The president. I think he is a person who doesn't have the country's best interests at heart.
What are you proud of?
I'm proud of working here, at the French Alliance. I know it may sound a little bit silly but I think that working here, I could really put together the two things that I'm passionate about - web designing and French. And I think that working here is a great experience so I'm really proud of having conquered this place.
What is your spirit vegetable?
Maybe a zucchini. Because I like eating zucchinis a lot, and they are everywhere. And there is also a way to make a zucchini pasta that very good.
What do you expect from a friend?
Friends that I can count on. Friends that are real and friends that are there for you not only in the good times but in the bad times too.
How important are friends to you?
I value a friendship more than I value a relationship in general. I've never had a boyfriend but I have lots of friends and I don't really miss having a boyfriend because I never had the need (to have one). But I think that for me to live a friendless life - that would be impossible. So friends are very important for me.
How often do you meet up with friends?
We meet up every week or even more. I usually spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday with my friends, but I also have friends that I see three times during the week because I meet up with them at the college or even Barbara who I see everyday and on the weekend. I think it's nice to be surrounded by people you enjoy the company of.
Is it easy to become friends in your country?
Yeah, I think it's quite easy to become friends here because I don't know if it's because I'm me, but I'm never alone. If I make a meeting to go to the bar with some friends of mine and I get there and they don't come, I can easily meet someone there and make friends with them. We will spend the night talking about something or drinking, I think it's actually quite easy to make friends here, especially in Brasilia. Because here in Brasilia, we say that everyone knows everyone. It's actually a funny thing because when you hook up with someone, it's probable that the same person hooked up with a friend of yours and this happens so often here that it is normal and people are like: "Okay I hooked up with them too." - "Ah nice". And it's completely normal so I like that a lot.
Can women and men be friends?
Yeah of course, they should be friends. Actually since I was little, I always had more guy friends than girlfriends. For me it was always easier to make friends with guys. But I think that everyone should be friends, there isn't a reason why we should let something like age, color, sex define our friends. It shouldn't stop you from being friends with anyone.
Week #8 of the Yuujou journey
