Yesterday, aside from the fun rain adventure, we went to Campinhas to go to the temple and then out to dinner. It's only a little over an hour away from Sao Paulo. I was pretty excited about the opportunity to see another one of the temples here in Brazil. Plus, the past few days I've been missing home a lot and I figured going to the temple would be a nice, peaceful break from the stress of class and crowded streets. The temple was built in a really pretty spot, it's up on a hill and you can see it as you're coming in on the highway...very different from the Sao Paulo temple which is on a really busy street.
We were able to spend about 20 minutes walking around outside and taking pictures before it was time for Rebecca and I to head to the baptistry. I was a bit nervous that no other girls were going with us just because I wasn't sure about my Portuguese, but there was an older sister missionary (on a mission with her husband) from Bountiful, Utah and she was very excited to find some people who spoke English! They've been in Brazil for 6 months, but her Portuguese is pretty limited. You could tell that she loved serving in the temple, but that it was also hard to be away from home and her grandkids. The Campinhas temple (at least what I saw) is beautiful inside and we had a really good experience. When we got out, the rest of the group had barely started a session so we ended up having almost 2 hours to spend hanging out while we waited for them.
Rebecca and I decided to walk around outside again and I'm so glad we did. When we walked out of the temple, everything seemed perfect! It was at the end of sunset, so still light enough to take pictures, but the sky was also really pretty colors. The temperature was great and there weren't many people around at all, except for a woman with these four little girls (under 5). The girls were singing and dancing around by this water fountain and it just seemed like the most pure, innocent picture. One of those simple, perfect moments when I could easily imagine God looking down from heaven with a big smile on his face, watching these beautiful, happy little girls.
We could see quite a bit of lightning off in the distance and tried in vain to capture a picture of it. We walked around to the back of the temple to get a better view, but not long after that it began to rain. We waited inside the rest of the time and I was able to get ahead on some scripture reading. By the time we made it to dinner, and then back to Sao Paulo, it was pretty late and I had a headache and was very ready for bed, but it was a wonderful evening. Probably one of my favorites of the trip, simply because of how peaceful it was. All in all, quite the adventure filled day!
I now only have a week of class left. We're leaving for Ubatuba tomorrow morning, just staying for the weekend. Next Thursday is my last day of class and then a few days later I fly home. I can't believe it's almost done, but I'm excited to go home. The next week is going to be crazy busy though, so hopefully I'll make it through!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Chuva e um Onibus (Rain and a Bus)
We've been back in Sao Paulo for a week now and we haven't gone a day (let alone a couple hours) without rain. In general, I like the rain. I love the smell and feel of the air in Georgia right before or after a good rain...it feels perfect, especially during the summer. That's one of the things I miss most when in Utah is Georgia rain. And thunderstorms! I love sitting inside and listening to a good storm. But, my feelings are a bit different right now. A lot of that probably has to do with having to walk everywhere we go, dirty, polluted rain, and the fact that I desperately need to do laundry. I've been wearing the same clothes for so long, it's disgusting, but without the convenience of a dryer, traveling and then coming home to rain makes it a bit difficult.
Yesterday I had an experience with the rain that I will probably never forget. I felt like I was in a movie scene. I woke up to sun coming through the blinds and I was so excited! The sun had finally come out and we could finally do laundry! However, less than an hour later when we left the house it looked pretty overcast and I was starting to get bummed. Little did we know what waited for us. Within 5 minutes of leaving, the sky opened and it started pouring, to the extent that I'm not sure my umbrella was really doing us that much good. We were valiantly trying our best to make it to class on time and somewhat dry, but honestly I just wanted to run home and jump back in bed.
We were almost to class when a bus came heading our way. Buses in Brazil fly down the streets...literally. If you stick your head out just a little too far when standing on the edge of the sidewalk you might get it taken off. Well before we knew it, a bus flew through a puddle and completely soaked us with water. It was such a shock Rebecca and I both screamed. We looked like we had jumped into a pool up to our waist. I don't think I've ever been so wet from rain, unless I was trying to get wet on purpose. We couldn't stop laughing the entire rest of the way to class because we were so dumbfounded as to what had just happened. Luckily I was in sandals, because Rebecca's shoes still haven't dried. It was hilarious to watch everyone's reaction as they walked in to the institute building and saw how soaked we were, though a few people who didn't have umbrella's ended up getting almost as wet as we did.
Yesterday I had an experience with the rain that I will probably never forget. I felt like I was in a movie scene. I woke up to sun coming through the blinds and I was so excited! The sun had finally come out and we could finally do laundry! However, less than an hour later when we left the house it looked pretty overcast and I was starting to get bummed. Little did we know what waited for us. Within 5 minutes of leaving, the sky opened and it started pouring, to the extent that I'm not sure my umbrella was really doing us that much good. We were valiantly trying our best to make it to class on time and somewhat dry, but honestly I just wanted to run home and jump back in bed.
We were almost to class when a bus came heading our way. Buses in Brazil fly down the streets...literally. If you stick your head out just a little too far when standing on the edge of the sidewalk you might get it taken off. Well before we knew it, a bus flew through a puddle and completely soaked us with water. It was such a shock Rebecca and I both screamed. We looked like we had jumped into a pool up to our waist. I don't think I've ever been so wet from rain, unless I was trying to get wet on purpose. We couldn't stop laughing the entire rest of the way to class because we were so dumbfounded as to what had just happened. Luckily I was in sandals, because Rebecca's shoes still haven't dried. It was hilarious to watch everyone's reaction as they walked in to the institute building and saw how soaked we were, though a few people who didn't have umbrella's ended up getting almost as wet as we did.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Argentina...Curitiba and back home to SP
I thought the falls in Brazil were beautiful, but now I know why we visited that side first! The falls from the Argentine side were absolutely breathtaking (these posts about the falls are really going to test my vocabulary...there are only so many positive adjectives I can use :) ). We spent the entire day in the park, hiking around to different viewpoints. Thanks to the sunshine and mist there was a beautiful rainbow visible from almost everywhere. I have never seen a rainbow that seemed so close and that I could see from one end to the other all at once. It made pictures just that much more amazing to have not only the waterfalls, but a rainbow on top of them as well. There were all sorts of interesting animals we found hiding around too. I saw a Tucan which was pretty exciting thanks to growing up with Fruit Loops! The falls are so powerful and incredible...I guess everyone needs to go see them, because I can't come up with the words to explain it! Certainly, one of the most amazing things I've seen in Brazil!
After leaving the park, before making it back to the hotel, we went to a place where we could see the three borders. We were standing in Argentina, we could see Brazil straight across the river from us and Paraguay was across the river to the left. I've never seen 3 countries at the same time before! Oh, side note, it was really funny in Argentina because it was so hard to remember any Spanish! I took a few years in school and thought I knew a bit, but after being in Brazil it was pretty difficult to change pronunciation and such. All I could think of was Portuguese! It made me laugh to watch all of us stumble through the little spanish we know, well except for our resident Chileno, Gustavo.
Church in Foz was nice, though I was called on to read during Sunday School and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Pretty pathetic huh? It was fun to understand most of the lesson though! Sadly, I think by the end of the 3 meetings we were all struggling to stay awake and stay warm. Our ride to Curitiba was long and it was hard to sleep. I ended up talking to one of the guys in our group most of the time and that helped it go by faster. We were pleasantly surprised to find our hotel in Curitiba was really nice and we were all on the same floor for the first time, which was lots of fun.
Curitiba was really nice. It was a lot cleaner than Sao Paulo and felt really safe in comparison. Because Curitiba is farther south, there's a greater European influence and you could see it in the architecture. I wish we had more time to spend there exploring the city. Our first full day in Curitiba we went to several parks. On the one hand it started to get a little tiring, but at the same time it felt really good to just walk around, relax, enjoy the fresh air, and the calm atmosphere of the Botanical Gardens and various other parks we visited. We ate at a yummy place for lunch where we could basically "build our own pasta" and then watch the chef make it right in front of us. It was a fun change from all of the churrascarias we've been frequenting...
Our second day in Curitiba I woke up early to walk around the nearby square with Jon, a guy in our group who served his mission in Curitiba. I wanted to take some pictures of the cathedral and some other neat buildings near our hotel and I knew this was the only chance I would get. Afterwords we checked out of our hotel and headed to the temple in Curitiba. It was cold out, but the temple was beautiful and it was nice to spend some time on the grounds. Then our last stop, we went to the Oscar Niemeyer museum and then headed out of town! Once again, the bus trip was a bit long. A few people watched Twilight and it was particularly enjoyable to hear one of the guys reactions to the whole thing. Personally I really enjoyed the books, but I think the movie is pretty bad...all the more amusing though. Jeff and I talked again and studied for our test the next day, and eventually we made it to Sao Paulo.
Back in Sao Paulo we took it easy after our first day of class. Instead of going somewhere in the city we met up at the institute building in the afternoon for some futebol (soccer)! I was the only girl who played, but I'm really glad I did. Here they have courts and you play with a smaller sized ball. It made the game a lot more fast paced. I'm totally out of shape, and it's been a long time since I played soccer, but it was so much fun. I didn't realize how much I missed playing. Who knows maybe I'll check out intermurals this fall... I have quite the leg full or war wounds though! I came home with everything from bruises, scratches, a ball print, and an awful scrape that feels like a burn, all on my right leg. Totally worth it!
For almost a week now we've had a lot of rain. Aside from classes and futebol, we've gone to Instituto Butantan to see some big snakes and other reptiles, we saw a movie and had dinner at the mall, and we went to the temple. It was my first time going to the temple here in Sao Paulo and I'm so glad we were finally able to. A bunch of the guys came to help in the baptistry. It was a bit complicated at first just because they have a different, seemingly more complicated system than I used to in Provo or Atlanta, and it took quite a while to get started, but once again...totally worth it. The temple always is right? When the temple president spoke to us I had a neat experience of being able to understand him and feel the Spirit strongly testify of the truthfulness of his words. What a blessing to know that the Gospel is the same no matter where you are! The language of the country might be different, but the language of the Spirit is always the same.
I had a brief day of staying in bed and not feeling very well this past Saturday, but it's passed (knock on wood!) and I'm doing well. I can't believe 2 weeks from today I'll be home. I know I'll miss Brazil and I'm so glad I came, but a lot of me misses home. I think I hit that point in the trip... Right now I'm really missing the dryer because we desperately need to do laundry and the rain is making it pretty difficult! Looking out my open window I can see that the sun is shining right now though, so I won't complain.
Yesterday I had a rather embarrassing experience where I got lost heading home by myself after hanging out with some other people in my group. I'll spare you the details, but what could have been my worst and scariest experience in Brazil turned out to be a really good one. I know Heavenly Father answers prayers and that we are never alone. I saw a group of people I felt comfortable and safe talking to and got help from a kind man who saw the necklace I was wearing (my Young Women's medallion with the temple on it that I had worn to church earlier that day), asked if I was Mormon, and by taking me in the direction of the temple helped me find my way home.
Thanks to all the e-mails, comments, prayers, and opportunities to talk on skype. You're all in my thoughts and prayers. Cross your fingers the rain stops at least by the time we head to the beach this weekend!
Tchau! Beijo!
After leaving the park, before making it back to the hotel, we went to a place where we could see the three borders. We were standing in Argentina, we could see Brazil straight across the river from us and Paraguay was across the river to the left. I've never seen 3 countries at the same time before! Oh, side note, it was really funny in Argentina because it was so hard to remember any Spanish! I took a few years in school and thought I knew a bit, but after being in Brazil it was pretty difficult to change pronunciation and such. All I could think of was Portuguese! It made me laugh to watch all of us stumble through the little spanish we know, well except for our resident Chileno, Gustavo.
Church in Foz was nice, though I was called on to read during Sunday School and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Pretty pathetic huh? It was fun to understand most of the lesson though! Sadly, I think by the end of the 3 meetings we were all struggling to stay awake and stay warm. Our ride to Curitiba was long and it was hard to sleep. I ended up talking to one of the guys in our group most of the time and that helped it go by faster. We were pleasantly surprised to find our hotel in Curitiba was really nice and we were all on the same floor for the first time, which was lots of fun.
Curitiba was really nice. It was a lot cleaner than Sao Paulo and felt really safe in comparison. Because Curitiba is farther south, there's a greater European influence and you could see it in the architecture. I wish we had more time to spend there exploring the city. Our first full day in Curitiba we went to several parks. On the one hand it started to get a little tiring, but at the same time it felt really good to just walk around, relax, enjoy the fresh air, and the calm atmosphere of the Botanical Gardens and various other parks we visited. We ate at a yummy place for lunch where we could basically "build our own pasta" and then watch the chef make it right in front of us. It was a fun change from all of the churrascarias we've been frequenting...
Our second day in Curitiba I woke up early to walk around the nearby square with Jon, a guy in our group who served his mission in Curitiba. I wanted to take some pictures of the cathedral and some other neat buildings near our hotel and I knew this was the only chance I would get. Afterwords we checked out of our hotel and headed to the temple in Curitiba. It was cold out, but the temple was beautiful and it was nice to spend some time on the grounds. Then our last stop, we went to the Oscar Niemeyer museum and then headed out of town! Once again, the bus trip was a bit long. A few people watched Twilight and it was particularly enjoyable to hear one of the guys reactions to the whole thing. Personally I really enjoyed the books, but I think the movie is pretty bad...all the more amusing though. Jeff and I talked again and studied for our test the next day, and eventually we made it to Sao Paulo.
Back in Sao Paulo we took it easy after our first day of class. Instead of going somewhere in the city we met up at the institute building in the afternoon for some futebol (soccer)! I was the only girl who played, but I'm really glad I did. Here they have courts and you play with a smaller sized ball. It made the game a lot more fast paced. I'm totally out of shape, and it's been a long time since I played soccer, but it was so much fun. I didn't realize how much I missed playing. Who knows maybe I'll check out intermurals this fall... I have quite the leg full or war wounds though! I came home with everything from bruises, scratches, a ball print, and an awful scrape that feels like a burn, all on my right leg. Totally worth it!
For almost a week now we've had a lot of rain. Aside from classes and futebol, we've gone to Instituto Butantan to see some big snakes and other reptiles, we saw a movie and had dinner at the mall, and we went to the temple. It was my first time going to the temple here in Sao Paulo and I'm so glad we were finally able to. A bunch of the guys came to help in the baptistry. It was a bit complicated at first just because they have a different, seemingly more complicated system than I used to in Provo or Atlanta, and it took quite a while to get started, but once again...totally worth it. The temple always is right? When the temple president spoke to us I had a neat experience of being able to understand him and feel the Spirit strongly testify of the truthfulness of his words. What a blessing to know that the Gospel is the same no matter where you are! The language of the country might be different, but the language of the Spirit is always the same.
I had a brief day of staying in bed and not feeling very well this past Saturday, but it's passed (knock on wood!) and I'm doing well. I can't believe 2 weeks from today I'll be home. I know I'll miss Brazil and I'm so glad I came, but a lot of me misses home. I think I hit that point in the trip... Right now I'm really missing the dryer because we desperately need to do laundry and the rain is making it pretty difficult! Looking out my open window I can see that the sun is shining right now though, so I won't complain.
Yesterday I had a rather embarrassing experience where I got lost heading home by myself after hanging out with some other people in my group. I'll spare you the details, but what could have been my worst and scariest experience in Brazil turned out to be a really good one. I know Heavenly Father answers prayers and that we are never alone. I saw a group of people I felt comfortable and safe talking to and got help from a kind man who saw the necklace I was wearing (my Young Women's medallion with the temple on it that I had worn to church earlier that day), asked if I was Mormon, and by taking me in the direction of the temple helped me find my way home.
Thanks to all the e-mails, comments, prayers, and opportunities to talk on skype. You're all in my thoughts and prayers. Cross your fingers the rain stops at least by the time we head to the beach this weekend!
Tchau! Beijo!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Foz de Iguacu
Foz de Iguacu was one of the most amazing natural wonders I've ever seen. I'm already looking forward to going back!
We had quite the time getting to Foz. It's a long bus ride to begin with, but then we had bus trouble and ended up staying at one stop for a few hours. We watched the movie Bolt from beginning to end and never moved. The bus we got for the last leg of our journey looked like it belonged in the 60s and made for quite the adventure. Obviously the main part of this study abroad is being in Brazil, but I'm grateful for the people I've met and the fun random memories we've made together. I don't know if you really know someone until you spend hours and hours and hours and hours(you get the idea) on the bus with them.
Our first day in Foz de Iguacu we went to the Brazilian Falls and Itaipu. The falls were beautiful. As we hiked closer, every new view was slightly different and more beautiful than the first. On the Brazilian side you end up getting quite close and as a result pretty sprayed.
Itaipu is a Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay that gives Paraguay over 90% of it's energy and Brazil around 20% of it's energy. It's one of the most powerful dams in the world. We traveled there after the falls and lunch, went on a basic tour and had fun playing around in masks and hard hats...okay, I'll be honest, the masks were a pain. But it was neat to go and now I can say I've been to Paraguay too!
I'll write more soon about the Argentine side...that was the best part!
We had quite the time getting to Foz. It's a long bus ride to begin with, but then we had bus trouble and ended up staying at one stop for a few hours. We watched the movie Bolt from beginning to end and never moved. The bus we got for the last leg of our journey looked like it belonged in the 60s and made for quite the adventure. Obviously the main part of this study abroad is being in Brazil, but I'm grateful for the people I've met and the fun random memories we've made together. I don't know if you really know someone until you spend hours and hours and hours and hours(you get the idea) on the bus with them.
Our first day in Foz de Iguacu we went to the Brazilian Falls and Itaipu. The falls were beautiful. As we hiked closer, every new view was slightly different and more beautiful than the first. On the Brazilian side you end up getting quite close and as a result pretty sprayed.
Itaipu is a Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay that gives Paraguay over 90% of it's energy and Brazil around 20% of it's energy. It's one of the most powerful dams in the world. We traveled there after the falls and lunch, went on a basic tour and had fun playing around in masks and hard hats...okay, I'll be honest, the masks were a pain. But it was neat to go and now I can say I've been to Paraguay too!
I'll write more soon about the Argentine side...that was the best part!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Adventures in Brazil: the First Four Weeks!
My study abroad trip is about halfway over, I’ve been in Brazil almost 4 weeks, and I have yet to really update anyone on my travels. So, here you go…and I’m going to try really hard to do better the next couple weeks. Once I started talking to my parents on skype, I forgot that it’s important for me to actually write down everything instead of just telling it. Be prepared, this will be a long post, but I’ll try to organize it into sections.
My first weekend:
Everything went well with my flight, though we flew through an absolutely amazing lightning storm. I probably should have been worried, but I was too awestruck at how beautiful it was. I got into Sao Paulo just after 8am Friday (6/19) and met up with my group without too much trouble. We took a bus to the temple where we met the families we would be staying with. I'm rooming with Rebecca, the only other person from my Portuguese class the past 2 semesters who decided to come on the study abroad. We spend pretty much every waking moment together, so you'll be hearing about her a lot.
Rebecca and I are staying with a 75 year old widow named Maria. Her daughter Celia lives in the house behind Maria's with her husband and 2 kids (she also has a daughter who's married and lives close by). Maria's son and his wife and their 3 kids live in the house in front of us. I'll try to put up some pictures, but the best way I have to explain it is to picture a long, skinny rectangle divided into 3 sections. The houses are kind of connected, but they're not connected at all inside. Or you can just google earth it like my mom did :) (Rua Andre Saraiva, 841 Vila Sonia 05626-001 Sao Paulo, SP Brazil).
Maria is very sweet, but very hard to understand. She speaks super fast and has a thick Portuguese accent (from Portugal), which makes it even harder. Last Friday went by in a blur, but we were pleasantly surprised when Celia's oldest son, Diego (18) came by when he got off work and he spoke English! His English isn't perfect, but it's definitely better than our Portuguese. He talked with us, told us how to get wireless on our laptops, and also volunteered to take us to Institute (a church class for young adults) with him on Saturday, the added bonus being it's in the same building as our classes, so we learned how to walk there from Maria's house.
Saturday went by slowly. Rebecca and I didn't know where anything was and we didn't really know how to talk to anyone so we were pretty stuck. Plus, in case you ever need to know, Netflix online and Hulu.com don't work outside of the U.S.! Nevertheless, 5pm did come and we went to Institute. Even though I understood very little of what was being said, it was comforting to be in a church building, with members, speaking about Christ and the Bible and quoting familiar names. Later on Diego took us to the nearby mall, and then a party at a ward building next to the temple. It was for Festa Junina, and everyone dresses up like caipira (a hill billy) and being from Georgia I found it pretty amusing. All the same I still felt lost. We ran into some of the guys from our study abroad group there and it was nice to see familiar faces.
Sunday was refreshing, though I don't think I've ever paid as much attention in church as I did that day. I was concentrating so hard to try and pick up any familiar words. I was able to understand some general ideas, which was comforting. We learned that Lani and Olga, the other two single (Olga's married but her husband isn't here, and Lani's actually engaged) girls in the study abroad were also in our ward. We spent some time with them, while Lani showed us where to go and did some simple translating. The rest of the day passed like most Sundays, resting and eating a big lunch over at Celia's house.
First week of school!:
It takes us about 20 minutes to walk to school everyday. We all start off together, for a simple devotional and announcements, and then we split off into classes. There are only 4 people in my class with Camila: Jeff, Michelle, Rebecca and I. We’re taking 201 (language class) and 211 (conversation class). Everyone else speaks pretty good Portuguese, so they’re studying linguistics, history, and literature. Class ends around 11 and then the rest of the day is ours (which for Rebecca and I means the rest of the day is ours to follow everyone else who can speak Portuguese). J
During the first week we explored several different places around Sao Paulo. Monday I felt like I was in the middle of the Primary hymn about pioneers, “and they walked…and walked...and walked…and walked…” because we walked around for several hours figuring out where everyone lives and attempting to go to the pool. We visited USP (Universidade de Sao Paulo) which wasn’t too impressive, they were on strike and the campus isn’t in great condition. We went to an oceanography museum there and saw a few funky fish. We went to MASP (museu de arte de Sao Paulo) and a park that was across the street. Some floors of were a bit too out there for me, I really don’t understand a lot of art, but on the bottom floor they had an exhibit featuring the work of Vik Muniz. It was really cool, totally worth looking him up on google and checking out some of his work.
Rebecca and I went downtown with Aaron, one of the guys in our group, to find some of our other classmates. We never found them (I miss the convenience of cell phones!) but we ended up having a lot of fun wandering around. We went inside Catedral da Se de Sao Paulo, the main Catholic Cathedral in downtown Sao Paulo and it was absolutely beautiful. There’s no comparison to the bright, clean, peaceful feel of the temple, but all the same, it was nice to step inside and immediately leave behind the hectic, noisy, dirty city, and enter the calm of a place of worship. Plus I had a proud moment while in there…I asked a guard if I could take pictures (very simple phrase) and he seemed very surprised that I asked in Portuguese and then complimented me. Even though it was extremely simple, it was a nice boost after feeling lost and stupid in a new country. Downtown we also went to BANESPA (Banco do Estado de Sao Paulo aka state bank) where you can go to the top and look out over the city. Sao Paulo is such a large city, it was neat to be able to see so much of it at once. The skyscrapers seem to go on for days… Interesting Sao Paulo fact- they have one of the largest helicopter fleets in the world. The traffic is so bad and so busy that the rich in the city take helicopters to work. When you look out you can see helicopter pads on many of the surrounding buildings. I was told that Sao Paulo is second only to New York City, but I don’t know if it’s true… Before leaving we went through the monastery in Sao Paulo and we rode on the metro (subway) for part of the way home.
That following weekend we took our first day trip to Campos do Jordao, a few hours away from Sao Paulo. It was a nice little town, but nothing too exciting. It was nice to feel like you could breathe clean air again. We went up a few mountains and saw some beautiful views, though it was overcast and often we could just see clouds. In Campos do Jordao we saw some manmade waterfalls, went horse back riding, and rode up a teleferico (picture an old ski lift). The teleferico was fun though a bit nerve-racking because it looked 50 years old. I was super excited to go horseback riding, but it was disappointing, nothing like going out with my Grandpa and riding his horses. The horses looked pitiful, but hey at least I can say I’ve ridden a horse in Brazil!
Second and third week in Brazil- Sao Paulo, then off to Rio and Belo Horizonte!
We went back downtown together as a group and visited BANESPA, it looked pretty much the same as it had a few days before. We also went to Rua 25 de Marco (a street named March 25) where they have tons of shops and people selling stuff on the street for cheap. I wasn’t a big fan though because it was crowded and just didn’t feel good. I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes when it’s loud and busy and people are smoking everywhere and I’m trying not to get lost or robbed, I just feel exhausted and I need a little peace. I also went with some people to a nearby mall (Shopping El Dorado) and we had dinner and watched the new Transformers movie. It was in English with Portuguese subtitles…I found it entertaining, but I don’t know if I’ll see it again. It’s interesting though, for those couple hours I could have easily been anywhere in the U.S. It was a Cinemark movie theatre and it was weird to walk out and think, “Oh wait, I’m in Brazil!”
The day before leaving for Rio we visited a science museum. It was in a sketchy part of town, but it was awesome. It’s the kind of place that would be really fun to visit in Elementary school. It was a little bit harder for me, just because words about space, biology, etc. aren’t really things I’ve learned in Portuguese…and some of it I don’t even remember in English! They had lots of hands on activities like making bubbles and even a giant intestine you could walk through (lovely huh? J). They also had a rock climbing wall. It was an interesting setup- you would climb up to different pictures of famous people, like Leonardo da Vinci, Julius Caesar, etc and when you got to them a sensor would cause them to start talking to you, telling you a little about who they are. I couldn’t understand much, but it was still fun.
Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro was a long bus ride, but we survived. On the way we stopped a few times, including in Aparecida. The city is named after the patron saint of Brazil, Senhora Aparecida. Legend has it that 3 men were fishing and not catching anything when they caught this statue that was missing a head, soon after they found the head, and then after that they found tons of fish- a miracle! Well, after many more miracles, eventually the Pope declared her the patron saint of Brazil and there are two Basilica’s in Aparecida that are very famous, especially in the Catholic Church.
The first thing we did after arriving in Rio was run down to the beach for a few minutes. We stayed busy the rest of the trip. We visited Petropolis, toured o Palacio (Palace), o museu imperial (Imperial Museum) that used to be the home of Dom Pedro. We also went to a Casa do Santos Dumont, who invented the airplane (there are some pretty strong opinions concerning him and the Wright brothers) and other cool things like the wrist watch. We visited Maracana stadium, one of the most famous soccer stadiums, but I felt a little guilty because even though I loved playing soccer in high school I don’t follow professional soccer at all. Of course, all the guys with us were thrilled. For dinner that night we went to a Pizza Rodizio and stuffed ourselves with Pizza. My favorite dessert pizza was a key lime mousse one. Rebecca and Eric began a competition that finally ended after they both ate their 19th slice of pizza.
While in Rio we also visited Cristo Redentor and Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf). It was neat to ride a train up to Cristo Redentor and stand in front of something I’ve seen in so many pictures and paintings. The view was also great, though once again it was cloudy and hazy. I don’t want to undervalue the Cristo Redentor statue at all, but just like in the Cathedral, I was struck by the difference between it and the Christus in Salt Lake. The feeling was different. It was hard to really enjoy Cristo Redentor due to how many people were up there with us, but don’t get me wrong…it was really neat to see in person. On our way back to the hotel we passed by the biggest/most famous favelas in Brazil (I think), very interesting and sad. Favela is basically the slums or ghetto, but they’re built up on hills and it’s like its own little community, typically ruled by drug lords and somewhere that the police/government have no control over whatsoever. We played at the beach a little bit that day, sticking our feet in, and once I got hit by waves up to my waist. I also went to downtown Rio with some people and had acai for the first time. I loved it! Worth trying if you can find it anywhere in the states (though it seems to be a love or hate it kind of thing). That evening we went to Pao de Acucar. We took two different bondinhos (telefericos aka cable cars) up to the top. The view was amazing. Being able to see the beach and the city at night was probably my favorite thing. Sadly pictures just don’t do it justice, especially with my camera. But, if I had to pick…it’s my favorite thing we’ve done since being in Brazil. We went to a Churrascaria for dinner, and had a very unique 4th of July celebration. There was a piano player in the restaurant and so one of the guys asked if he would play while we sung the national anthem. Tanner, a guy in our group sang, but by the end we had all joined in. It felt special to be standing in a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, standing with my hand over my heart, singing our national anthem, surrounded by Brazilians. I’ve enjoyed Brazil, but I’ve also gained a greater appreciation for the United States and I’m grateful I have something to remember about July 4, 2009. We ventured to a ferinha and I found some brincos (earrings).
After church in Rio we went to Jardim Botanico (Botanical Gardens) in Rio and it was a peaceful way to spend Sunday, walking around the gardens where things felt clean and safe. We went down to the beach one last time and then spent a quiet Sunday evening. 3 of the guys in our group were robbed the first night in Rio because they were on the beach after dark, but other than that we all made it through one of the dangerous cities in Brazil for tourists with no harm!
We traveled to Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais and spent 2 days there. We visited Ouro Preto (literally means black gold) and Congonhas, where we saw many, many, many churches. They were mainly done in a more Baroque style, whereas I enjoy the Gothic style cathedrals better. One of the churches we saw in Ouro Preto has over 400 kilos of gold, the second most of any church in Brazil. It’s pretty, but very busy. I don’t find it very peaceful, but I admire and appreciate the culture. I got a few neat soapstone sculptures in Ouro Preto and I’m hoping they make it home in one piece! We also went down into an old gold mine, which was fun. Our second day in Belo Horizonte we went to a rock and mineral museum, a Mercado (market), and finally to a cave. The cave was awesome; I just wish I had been able to take better pictures! Caves can’t really be adequately described, but it’s amazing what kind of masterpieces can be found in nature.
Fourth week in Brazil:
After arriving back in Sao Paulo I had a day of tests and then left again for the weekend. My roommate Rebecca has family here in the state of Sao Paulo (her mom is Brazilian). They live in Piracicaba, which is about 2 hours away from where we live. It was neat to meet her family and spend a relaxing weekend. It also was a good self-esteem boost. Typically mealtimes at Maria’s house are pretty quiet, but with Rebecca’s family we were able to communicate and actually have dinnertime conversation. They were easier to understand mainly because they would speak slower, repeat their words if necessary, and explain things multiple ways if we couldn’t get it the first time. It felt good to know I could spend the weekend with a family that only speaks Portuguese, and communicate enough to have a good time.
For one of our group activities we went to Ibirapuera park and rented bicycles to ride around on. It was nice to be outside in a nice, clean area and get some exercise. I’ll admit though, it had been so long since I had last ridden a bike, I was a bit nervous that I would make a fool of myself. No worries, I didn’t have any big oops moments! We also went to a Crime Museum at the Police Academy at USP. It wasn’t particularly exciting, mainly just a simple historical museum of the Sao Paulo police force, but I was very excited to find something from Atlanta. They had a wall full of police patches from different locations and one was a MARTA police patch. Go figure!
Finally, today we went to the Portuguese Language Museum. It was quite the adventure! The main theme was “language/words without borders.” The presentation was creative, but I have never been in such a bizarre museum. Everything was presented in a very unique manner and I really don’t know how to describe it. It’s certainly fascinating though to see how many cultures and languages influence a single language, such as Portuguese. Afterwards we went to Liberdade, the Japanese area of downtown Sao Paulo, similar to Chinatown. Jeff, one of the guys on our trip, went to Japan on his mission and wanted us to taste real, authentic Ramen (Lamen). It was certainly much better than the top Ramen we’re accustomed to! After dinner we made our way back to Shopping El Dorado to watch the 6th Harry Potter movie. I enjoyed it, but it was very different from the book. It’s always hard to see how movies are modified in comparison to the books they originated from. Tomorrow morning we leave for Foz de Iguacu, so I’ll have to write about that later! If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Weird things about Brazil/ What I miss from the U.S.:
Probably the strangest thing to me is that you don’t flush toilet paper. Used toilet paper always goes in the trashcan and if you accidentally forget, you have to fish it out fast! Lovely huh? I also miss having hot water all over the house. Only the shower, dishwasher, and possibly washer, have hot water. Washing my face in the morning can be painful at times, when the water is so cold it literally takes my breath away.
I’m sad that it’s winter because of the time change. It begins to get dark around 5:30pm, which means that after then I shouldn’t walk outside without at least a couple guys. The guys in our group are great about walking Rebecca and I home when it’s dark, but I miss the independence of leaving the house whenever I wanted and feeling relatively safe while doing so.
I have a greater appreciation for our roads in the U.S. Every time I get in a car here I feel like I’m on a bad roller coaster ride. Likewise, I had no idea how clean Atlanta and SLC are. The streets are so dirty and it makes me sad. There are also so many people that smoke…combine that with the pollution, and often I feel dirty just breathing on the streets.
I miss free water! Most people who know me well, know that I typically drink water all day long. Here however, you have to drink bottled/filtered water, which means when you go out to eat it costs you a couple reais just for one cup/bottle of water. I also miss milk and cereal for breakfast! The box milk is okay with chocolate, but it’s not something I drink frequently.
I could probably go on for a long time about random things, but I’ll save that for another time. I have yet to buy a single postcard or stamp, but hopefully I’ll get on that soon. I’ll write more soon! For pictures, check out facebook.
Tchau!
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