I don’t have too much to report about the last few days. Thursday I studied in the morning (i.e. I reviewed the Portuguese novel that I’ve been reading aloud to Conchita and my MCAT study book) and went to Portuguese class in the afternoon. The bus I take to campus was late so I got there about a minute for class started. On my way to the Letras building, I ran into 3 other of the students in my class. On the one hand that was a good thing because with the majority of the class with me it didn't look so bad being late, but unfortunately, they stopped to talk to people coming out of the session before us, so we were a good 10 minutes late before we actually made it to the classroom. The door to the room was locked which I assumed meant that the room must have changed, but the others were feeling comfortable b/c the 4 of us were together and we were joined a minute later by another classmate. After another 5-10 minutes of waiting I went down to the office and asked if there was a room change, which there was. By the time I went back up to the three flights of stairs to tell the others and came back down, we were 20-25 minutes late to class. Opps!

I went to capoeira Thursday night, though I was still sore from Tuesday. It went okay until it was time for roda de capoeira where everyone forms a circle and takes turns fighting one-on-one while everyone else WATCHES. I didn’t realize that sitting next to the musicians meant that your turn was next and I sat down second in line. Bad idea… My first turn was very humbling (to say the least) but I think that I was a slightly more dignified the second time around. Little by little is what I keep telling myself.

Friday Bethany and I went to the beach in the morning. I packed a peanut butter and banana sandwich and an apple which we split and we passed the time talking about our usual themes of life, faith, and relationships. We tried sitting on the right hand side, which has fewer tourists and more natives, and settled down near a game of foot-volley.Unfortunately we were seated too close to the tide and had to move several times. By 12:45 it was drizzling steadily and we decided to retreat and buy some açaí at a shop across from the beach. Bethany was feeling crafty and needed to start on a birthday card for her boyfriend, Jere’s birthday, so she came over to my place and we spent the afternoon making cards and listening to music.

This morning I finished my Portuguese assignment for Tuesday, went for a run in Campo Grande, showered, went to the grocery store, and here I am! Things will be getting more routine with classes starting and Monday I am going to an AIDS clinic were I hope to begin volunteering. Beijos!

Hello my dear ones. Well yesterday Portuguese class started again. I passed Intermediate I and I advanced to Intermediate II with the same professor. There are 7 students total: 5 from my last class, plus an Italian and another student from the CIEE program who skipped a level. My Portuguese class time was moved from 2-4 to 4-6, so that means that I can’t take the social work class I wanted. There’s a chance that the time could be moved back, but if not I’ll have to go back to the CIEE office to look over the schedule again and pick a different class.

I went to capoeira last night and paid for the month so I’m officially committed! The class is definitely too advanced for me, but I’m trying. Algodão, one of the instructors that Sonia and Bethany befriended, helped me with some of the basics. He’s a bit of a flirt, but he’s a patient instructor. (Sonia, if you’re reading this, he wants to know why you didn’t say goodbye before you left.)

Today Bethany and I went to an island a 40 minute ferry-ride from Salvador. We took a bus to Pelourinho, paid 5 centavos to take the Elevador Lacerda down by the port, and rode the ferry. The ride was a bit rough, but I only saw one little boy get sea-sick. When we got to the island we were a bit disappointed because the beaches were dirty and it certainly didn’t seem like the paradise that we had imagined. After walking around for a bit, we stopped for lunch and the man who attended us suggested that we take a taxi to the historic part of the island, then to the Ponto da Areia where the best beach is.

The “historic” region consisted of a port where it is prohibited to fish, swim, or even touch the water. Our taxi driver escorted us to the dock and explained that it was a nature preserve and pointed out a few exotic fish that swam by. We also visited Fonte de Bica, which is a source of mineral water that is clean enough to drink from the tap.

When we got to Ponto da Areia it was overcast and we feared rain. Our taxi driver agreed to pick us up at 4:00, so we had three hours to burn on the beach. When we saw a man renting out his horses for those who wanted to take a ride along the beach and Bethany’s eyes lit up. I haven’t been on a horse since I was a little girl, so the man agreed to lead and let me go alone if I was comfortable. We trotted along the shore and a little ways into a forest trail. On the way back Bethany and I switched horses and I rode solo. It went okay until the strap to my backpack came undone and I had to toss my bag to the man. I regretted having done that when I thought about my camera and wallet, but I didn’t have any trouble and he didn’t even mind waiting a few hours to be paid since we didn’t have any bills smaller than R$50.

We had about 2 hours of sunshine before the rains came back and we headed home. On the way to the island we sat on the top deck, but for the way back we decided to try the bottom level. It was hilarious because everyone riding down there laid down on the benches. I’m not sure if it is because they were motion sick or because they were so accustomed to the ride that they didn’t care for the view above and passed the time napping. Whatever the case, Bethany and I decided that when in Rome, do as the Romans and laid down like pros until water sloshed in through the windows. So that’s why everyone laid down in the middle benches…

Farewell Sonia!

Sonia left this afternoon for her flight back to California and I already miss her! Yesterday Bethany and I went shopping to pick up some gifts for her family and she showed us a store nearby where they sell nature/organic stuff. (I bought some wheat germ for my yogurt and oatmeal.) We parted ways for the rest of the afternoon, but they came over to my place after mass to paint nails and chat. They surveyed some of the music on my computer and we talked about first impressions and continued our usual discussion on relationships. This morning we were all going to go running at 7:00 in Campo Grande, but everyone ended up canceling b/c it was drizzling. I went running anyway and I had one of the best runs that I’ve had since I’ve gotten here. We spent about an hour together before lunch and then Bethany and I saw her off on the bus to the airport.

I’ve been here over a month and starting today, I’ve resolved to actually start doing all those things that I came here for. Bethany and I have agreed to make our best effort to talk to each other only in Portuguese and I have asked Conchita if she will let me read to her out loud everyday from a book that I have so that she can correct my pronunciation. (I read to her for about 30-40 minutes this afternoon and it reminded me of reading bedtime stories with my parents. We’re reading Agosto by Rubem Fonseca which is a historical fiction about the murder of a politician. It’s great that I’m reading it with her b/c she explains to me parts of the history that I wouldn’t otherwise have understood.) I’m going to capoeira tomorrow and my goal is to make it to 2-3 classes a week. I know that will be hard once classes and volunteering gets going, but I’m going to try. Bethany and I went by the CIEE office this afternoon and asked about volunteer opportunities and we were told that they would take us in small groups to the different projects, but that they wanted to wait until we had our class schedule set first. I asked specifically about working with children with AIDS and I was told that I could, though that type of work can be very emotionally challenging and few stick with it. I insisted and they agreed to take me once classes start.

This evening I’m going to an opera with Bethany at the theater near Campo Grande. The opera is Tosca by Puccini. Tomorrow Portuguese class starts.

Friday morning I had an opportunity to look at classes and pick a few to try out. The employees at Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) are on strike so we are only allowed to pick one class there and as many as we can handle at Universidade Cátolica da Salvador (UCSAL). Jefferson (the program’s resident director) told us that he doesn’t feel that the strike is justified, but they are paid enough though they aren’t working, so for them it’s a beautiful deal. Right now I’m planning on taking Portuguese, a course on class/race/gender, a social work class taught by the guest lecturer on gender roles from my Brazilian Contemporary Culture course, a service learning course on health education and prevention of anemia, and possibly a course on agrarian rights through the law school. My Portuguese class starts Tuesday, the classes with UCSAL the following week, and UFBA still hasn’t announced when classes will start (…if they start).

I spent the afternoon reading through e-mails until 4:30 when Sonia and I went for a run up and down the hill on our street. Afterwards we showered and met up for pizza at a restaurant near by. Sonia is leaving Monday so we are trying to do all of her favorite things one more time. The pizza was incredible. We got half with ham, eggs, green pepper, onions, and olives and the other half with corn and chicken. The food, the company, and the conversation were all top notch.

We spent the whole day at a beach that we saw on the way to the airport last week. We laid down beach towels on some rocks a little ways off shore and had the ocean to ourselves. We saw lots of crabs and fishies and came back with all sorts of treasures. Tonight we’re planning to watch Cidade de Deus and sit and admire our paintings for a while.

Faye, Kaye, Andrée, and Tara: If you are reading this, allow me to apologize that I haven’t gotten your birthday cards in the mail yet. I have a postcard for each of you sitting on my desk and I promise to get them on their way Monday. Happy (early) Birthday!

Hello my lovelys. Well, Rio is one of the most famous cities in Brazil for good reason. I had a wonderful time and managed to see quite a bit during my visit. Saturday morning I met Bethany and Sonia at the bus stop at 8AM and we got to the airport by 9ish. The check-in line was slow but we had plenty of time and our flight was about half an hour late anyway. We got to the gate about 10 minutes before our official boarding time but there was not another soul there. After about 5-8 minutes a bleach-blond Californian looking guy sat down and started reading, but it wasn’t until nearly the time that our flight was supposed to leave that the majority of the flight arrived. Unbeknown to us, our flight went first all the way down to São Paulo then back up to Rio de Janeiro. We arrived around 4:30ish, instead of 1:00PM but it turned out to be freezing and rainy when we arrived anyway so it wouldn’t have been a great sight-seeing day. We took a bus from the airport to Shopping Botafogo which is a mall near our hostel. We overheard the Californian looking guy from our flight talking to some Europeans on the bus and learned that he was indeed from California and that his name is Chris. We asked if he was a student and how he knew Rio, etc. and he told us that he had dropped out of high school and spent 5 years traveling the world. He is a part-time microbiology student now and just visited a friend studying public health in the favelas of Salvador. He lived 11 months in South Africa and the experience completely changed him. He said that he stopped living for himself and decided to go back to school. I was, naturally, intrigued. I asked him about his impression of Africa and what he hoped to do now. He has traveled all over the sub-Saharan region and his conclusion is simply that “Africa is fucked.” They say that for every year of war, you must work 10 years for healing and war and destruction has shadowed Africa generation after generation. Originally Chris wanted to get educated and go back to help, but after visiting Brazil he is leaning towards working here b/c he feels that in Brazil he could make more of a difference and actually live a comfortable life. Fair enough.

Chris was headed to Botafogo also, so he was able to point out the stop to us. He came to Rio without any plans or preparations so we let him look at our tourism book so that he could look up the address of the hostel that he liked and said goodbye. In the mall we looked around for some food, warmer clothes, and a backpack for Bethany. (Thanks again for that overnight bag Mrs. Cobb. Bethany was able to use it on the way to Rio, then we used it for overflow on the way back.) By about 7:30ish we walked to our hostel which was only 1.5 blocks from the mall, but we missed it at first because its down a dead-end road between 2 restaurants. (I promise, it isn’t as sketchy as it sounds.) We checked in and settled into a 9 person room on the second floor. The downstairs was pretty nice but the mattresses and pillows were... in less than ideal condition. The beds were stacked 3 high in bunks and only the top beds were available. Sonia and I decided to share a bunk so that we could keep warmer and because she was afraid of falling off the bunk. Some European girls that had just left donated their sleeping bags to the hostel, so we grabbed those and made the best of the situation. We were too cold and tired to go downstairs to socialize so we just got ready for bed and I finished reading the last 10 pages of The Great Divorce. We had just begun talking when an Argentinean guy staying in our room walked in and asked Bethany if she would go out with him to celebrate his last night in Rio. Bethany was laying in bed with her purple scarf wrapped around her head and it was painfully obvious that she had no intention of going anywhere. He then proceeded to profess his love for her and insist that she must go out. It went something like this:

Argentinean: I… I love you.

(giggles)

Argentinean: Where are you going after this?

Bethany: We are going back to Salvador.

Argentinean: When are you leaving Salvador? Where will you go then?

Bethany: I’m leaving for home in the US in December.

Argentinean: You must come to Argentina. I want to see you. You must come.

(laughter)

Argentinean: You and I will be stars of the love.

(hysterical laughter)

Argentinean: That sentence… no good grammar? That does not translate?

Bethany: No… no.

(more laugher)

Argentinean: You will not go out with me tonight?

Bethany: I am in bed with my scarf on. (shows scarf) I can’t be anymore ready to not go out than this.

Argentinean: Ok, ok… I understand. Good-bye.

(starts to leave… but wait… here it comes…)

Argentinean: You are my idol.

Oh, Rio. What a lovely start to the trip! We didn’t sleep terribly well because someone was awake and making noise all night. For the first few hours the window kept flying open and misting me with cold and rain, but the guys fixed it when they came in. Sonia and I are both early risers, so we got up by 7:30 and got dressed. We woke up Bethany for breakfast which was included in the cost for the night. They had white bread, ham, cheese, watermelon, sweet pastries, and cereal. We ate, packed extra ham and cheese sandwiches in Bethany’s bag for later, and headed off to a hippie fair in Ipenema. It was another cold and rainy day, but the fair is a Sunday only event and it seemed worth seeing. We used the subway near our house and the buses for nearly all our travels and were able to get around easily that way. The fair was in a park a few blocks from the coast at the south most end of the city. We spent about 3 hours there and left with all sorts of treasures, including a painting each. The purchase of the painting alone made the trip worth it to me and I think the girls agree.

We went to the beach to eat our packed sandwiches. The wind was so strong that it made the waves crash stunningly. We could see a favela in the distance and islands through the spray of the waves. It reminded me of my trip to Switzerland with Grandma and Christy when we were standing in the alps looking at the Matterhorn. In both experiences I was numb with cold, looking out at something so beautiful and immense that science seemed a petty, silly thing and the unexplainable so alluring.

We went back to the hostel to drop off our goodies and ask how to get to the Museum of Modern Brazilian Art. We took the subway to Glória and walked to Parque do Flamengo from there, but the streets were all pretty deserted because it was Sunday. The museum turned out to be a flop because they were in the process of setting up a new exhibition and there wasn’t much to see. In general I think I agree that museums in Latin America are a bad idea. If you want museums, go to Europe.

We went back to Batafogo and found a church near our hostel to go to mass. It was a beautiful pink little cathedral and with the cold and nightfall, it reminded me of evening masses at St. Basil’s Chapel during the hurricane semester. Bethany didn’t feel well and I think we were all stiff and achy from the cold and wet. We got some fruit drinks and head back to the hostel. By 9PM we were all asleep.

It was a bit of a rough night for me. I felt nauseous and went from freezing to feverish. When I got up the next morning my stomach felt like mush and I could actually hear something sloshing around when I rolled over on my bed. I won’t describe any further but it will suffice to say that I had two spells of diarrhea and I threw up once during the day. I swore off the white bread, ham, and cheese sandwiches for the rest of the trip and committed myself to eating better. For breakfast I had granola and we bought fresh fruit off a street vendor. First we went to Santa Teresa, a historic little city on a hill that you can visit by train. It was named after a convent that was founded there and a few nuns were on the train with us. I would have enjoyed the visit more if I had felt better, but it was as soon as I got off the train that I vomited and holding it down occupied most of my attention. Next we went to Pão de Açúcar, or Sugar Loaf. Supposedly the mountain was named such by the Portuguese during the height of the sugarcane ear in Brazil in the 16^th century. Liquid sugar was placed to set in conical clay molds that resemble the shape of the mountain. Here are some fun facts from the brochure:

Sugar Loaf Hill geological constitution: primitive reticular gneiss

Sugar Loaf Hill Age: 600,000,000 years old

Urca Hill Height: 220 meters

Sugar Loaf Hill Height: 396 meters

Distance between Red Beach and Urca Hill: 600 meters

Velocity of Red Beach-Urca Hill Trip: up to 6 meters/sec

Distance between Urca Hill and Sugar Loaf Hill: 750 meters

Velocity of Urca Hill to Sugar Loaf Hill Trip: up to 10 meters/sec

Total amount of cable: 17,000 meters

Basically you take a cable from the ground to Urca, then Urca to Sugar Loaf. Both Urca and Sugar Loaf have nature paths that you can walk through with gorgeous vegetation and a breathtaking view of the Rio. The day was a bit foggy and I still wasn’t feeling my best so the experience wasn’t all that it could have been, but even so, it was worth the visit. I got a Sprite to settle my stomach and we walked around until about 3ish. The girls ate lunch up on Sugar Loaf and I had some pretzels. We decided to stop by the mall to get Sonia a sweater and to maybe see a movie at theater close by. We were speedy shoppers and everyone came out with something warm to wear: Sonia with a red knit sweater and Bethany and I with spandex pants. We went back to the hostel and napped/showered before going to see Transylvania. The movie was excellent and definitely a cultural experience. It was filmed primarily in French, but included English, German, and Transylvanian as well. It told the story of a woman who travels across Transylvania trying to find her lover and the father of her unborn child. When she finds him, he wants nothing to do with her and his rejection drives her mad. She runs away from her friend trying to help her, tries to find companionship living with a girl of the street, and eventually is found by a gold-hunter she befriended in her search for her lover. He takes care of her though her pregnancy, despite her resistance, and goes through his own soul-searching when she finally does give birth to her child. We went to a bookstore after the film and sat and talked about it and relationships for a good while. By this point I’m feeling much better and I was able to eat a solid dinner before bed.

Finally on Tuesday we had a pretty day. We met a girl from Sweden at breakfast (Christina) and she asked if she could go with us to see the Christ monument. The hostel offered a tour for R$35 each but another girl we talked to, a Hawaiian named Amy who had been twice, told us that we could climb there ourselves if we had all day and didn’t mind a good hike. We decided to give it a go and got some snacks for the trail. We got on the wrong bus to get to the Jardim Botânico where the trail starts, so we had to walk a good 30-40 mins just to get there. Sonia asked a police officer at the gate where to start the hike and he told us that it would not be possible for us to climb. First of all there are lots of false paths that we could get lost on. Secondly, we were all girls. We all tried to look as cute as possible and asked him if he could take a teensy-weensy little break and escort us up himself. He insisted that it would take to long, but offered to walk us around the park. After talking with him and working her charm, Sonia convinced him and the younger park guard with him to try and take us up the path if we agreed to take the gondola back down so that they wouldn’t have to wait for us. The path was pretty step at points and although we were shaded by the trees, we all broke out in a nice sweat. After what he estimated to be 10% of the path we came to a huge fallen tree from the rains that blocked the path. He made us turn back because he thought that if that tree had fallen, there were bound to be others as well. We didn’t get to climb the Christ, but he did show us several waterfalls and hiking around those woods was a worthy activity in itself.

We went back to the hostel and agreed to do the tour with them. It wasn’t actually a “tour” but you do get a taxi ride up to the statue, an hour to look around, and a ride back. The view from up at the Christ was quite possible one of the most beautiful views that I’ve ever seen. It was a perfect day to go, but I only wish we had gone closer to sunset. There is something about the clouds here right at sunset that can inspire strange things in a person.

We spent the last few hours of daylight at Copacabana beach, where Sonia and I went for a run barefoot along the shore. Christina and Bethany had hoped to layout or swim but it was too cold for that (remember, it’s winter here). There is no denying that the beach is lovely and its fame is well merited, but the next morning (Wednesday) we went to Ipanema beach which I found to be even lovelier. We spent the whole day there, first climbing on the rocks and taking pictures, then laying on and drawing in the sand. Sonia and I bought peanut butter, crackers, and a turkey pita at a grocery store near by and we stayed at the beach until sunset. I would rival the view from that beach with the view on the Christ or from the Swiss Alps- it was that gorgeous.

The flight last night was surprisingly on time, although we did have a scare when we looked at the monitor and saw that our flight was going to Natal (a city far north of Salvador). It turns out that the flight stopped in Salvador first, then continued to Natal. We got in at 1:30ish and got a reasonable taxi fare to Garcia.

This morning Bethany and I had the first part of orientation for the start of classes on MONDAY. It wasn’t terribly informative, nor was I terribly attentive. We had a walking tour of the different buildings owned by the university but I got completely turned around by our path (we walked through markets, took a bus, etc.) that I doubt that the experience will do me much good. Tomorrow we have the second half of orientation where we actually get to select classes. I’m apprehensive for classes to start because I’m still not confident in my language skills, but I’ll feel better once I know which courses I will have.

After lunch I caught up with Conchita and wrote the majority of this long entry. About an hour ago I went to the market to pick up some food and when I passed by Campo Grande I saw a huge march of protestors. From what I gather they are uniting for better treatment of the Northeast region and for better pay of employees at UFBA, one of the universities where I will be taking classes. The strike may cause one or more of my classes to start late, but I’ll know more about that tomorrow. Good?! Okay. Props on faithful reading. Até logo meus amores…

Hello beloveds! Well I finished with my classes and I’m off to Rio early tomorrow. I finished my paper late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning. After my final we all went to a karaoke bar (www.bondcanto.com.br) and I had a surprisingly great time. I was apprehensive at first because the bar smelled like strange cheese and I spotted a coat-stand with boas and hats in the corner by the stage. We got there just after 5:30 and everyone was given a R$15 credit for the bar. I prepared myself for an awkward night, but I think there is something to be said for throwing a random mix of Americans in an uncomfortable situation in a foreign country. Some how that is always a formula for a remarkable time. Our professors were singing karaoke and dressed up in boas by 7. They played a bit of everything from swing to farró. I even was convinced to sing “Wanna Be” by the Spice Girls with a group of friends that are leaving early next week while I’m in Rio. No further comments…

Today we went to a churrascaria, which is a restaurant with a fabulous salad bar and waiters that walk around with meat on a skewer. It was the most heavenly and gluttonous things that I’ve ever experienced. (It reminded me a lot of the cruise to Alaska.) I got to try palm hearts, quail eggs, and pão de quiejo, plus my fill of veggies and meat, meat, meat! I behaved fairly well and stuck to salmon and veggies until dessert at which point I was a bit too indulgent, but the meal satisfied me all day.

This afternoon Bethany and I walked to Barra to watch the sunset, then to Harry Potter with Baird, another friend from the program. I won’t be able to update again until Thursday, but I promise to take lots of pictures and tell you all about the trip.

Oi gente! I don’t have much to report from Sunday. I attempted to make some progress on my work, but it took me so much of the day to settle on a topic that I didn’t accomplish much. This morning I had a practical class on Bahian food at a culinary school in Pelorinho. We watched an expert chef prepare arroz de coco (coconut rice), moqueca de camarão (shrimp moqueca), vatapá, and farofa amarela. The basis of many of the Bahian dishes is onion, tomato, cilantro, palm oil, coconut milk, salt, and lemon juice. Dried shrimp is also present in many of the dishes and the smell of it cooking with coconut milk and palm oil is unlike anything else that I’ve ever smelled.

Many of the Bahian foods have their origins with candomblê and the dishes that are prepared for the orixás. In Africa these dishes were offered to the orixás and never eaten by humans as a matter of respect. In Brazil the traditions of the different tribes mixed and as a matter of necessity the slaves began to eat the food that they prepared.

Our chef also made a point to explain that if you go to São Paulo and ask for typical Paulisto food you will get pizza. São Paulo lost its traditional dishes as it globalized. Seeing as to how pizza isn't my thing, I’m in the right city for eating tasty traditional foods!

When I got home from classes this evening I started to work on my homework until Conchita came in. She fell outside of our apartment and her knees and hands were scraped up and bleeding. She told me that she broke her arm a few years ago and she has metal in her right arm that throws off her equilibrium. I made her some chocolate milk and got to play Dr. Amy.