Brazil

Wow! There are so many things that happened this year that I didn't make the time to write about. Brazil in December was amazing. Mariana, one of my housemates from when I lived in Guadalajara, and her family hosted me in São Paulo and took me down to Caraguatatuba. Mariana's husband, Barto, was once a bar tender and made a mean caipariña among other drinks. The cocktail is made with crushed lime, sugar and cachaça and tastes delicious... it wasn't long before I had him instruct me on how to make them. :-) I also tried a lot of foods I hadn't tried before. My favorite was Açaí! It is made for the fruit of the Açaí palm which is purple and has somewhat of a bitter taste. They grind it up with ice and put it in a bowl for you. You can then add toppings like granola and honey. Another highlight of that trip was that I more or less learned how to surf and it was a lot of fun.

It was so much fun to catch up with Mariana and meet her husband, baby, family and friends. I've found that I tend to view people differently... not better or worse... just in a different light... when they are around their families. I think we are all a little bit different when we are around our parents or loved ones because there are certain expectations they have for us that we try to live up to. I guess it makes sense as everyone responds differently depending on the situations they are currently in. I always viewed Mariana as the joker and overly dramatic (both things I love) and she still is that but I also got to see how she is a very loving wife and mother too. It was cool to see that she married someone who loves to joke as well but is very passionate about his views as well.

My next stop was Rio where I met up with Renata and Zé. I had met Renata in Costa Rica while taking a Masters class. She is so passionate about life and I knew I had to visit her and her husband. They were so nice and hosted me and showed me around the city every day I was there. My really good friends from a study abroad I did in Sweden, Stefano and Keaw, flew into Rio a couple days later and Renata and Zé showed them the same hospitality. I did some hang gliding over the city, which is a must if any of you reading this end up going to Rio. Zé and I hiked up a couple mountains where you could see all the city: mountains, beach, mansions and slums all clumped together. How this city functions amazes and fascinates me and makes me want to stay longer. When Stefano, Keaw and I were going around the city by ourselves, the people there were incredibly nice too; random people on the street would ask us if we needed help finding places without us asking for help in the first place. I think it is in their culture to talk and be nice to random people. When we were walking and talking Renata would start conversations with people all the time. I love that.

My gratitude to Renata cannot be expressed enough. What an all star friend! She was nice enough to invite me to her Christmas party with all her family. She helped Stefano and Keaw find a place as she didn't have space at her house. She picked me up from the bus station and picked up Stefano and Keaw from the airport. She drove like crazy while pointing out various landmarks and telling us stories. She and Zé went out with us to listen to music and dance. She is a wonderful person to say the least.

The adventured continued with Stefano, Keaw and I partying late and the next/same day (New Years Eve)...

5am Taxi
6am Plane
8am Plane
9am Taxi
...10am Ferry
11am Bus
2pm Walk around
4pm Crazy rally car driver Taxi
5pm Back of a pickup truck full of ice
6pm Rowboat across the river
7pm After walking for an hour found a place to stay, showered, ate and stayed out until 2am for New Years!

The place we were staying is called Caraiva and is "near" Porto Seguro. It is a small beach town known for its New Years celebrations and laid back atmosphere. I was surprised that we made it and even more surprised that we found Stefano's friend, Erica, there. She hadn't given Stefano her number but told him where she'd be potentially camping. That place was fun for sure. Unfortunately, I was really tired from the crazy day of traveling and went to bed early the last day we were there so I missed out on a really fun night of dancing.

The remainder of our time was spent in Salvador. The city seemed dirty to me especially in comparison with Rio, but it also had some really cool art and street vendors. Salvador is the city where Michael Jackson filmed "They Don't Care About Us" with the band Olodum. We went to one of Olodum's concerts and had a blast. We also went to a few museums and beaches in Salvador.

There are so many stories that I haven't remembered right now but pop up when I'm having conversations and am reminded of them. And there are memories that I have that aren't really stories but mean a lot to me and make me smile. Stefano trying to eat the husk of the coconut, Keaw dancing with the Brazilians, Renata's expressions, Zé laughing, "Oiiiii BERNUDOOOOO," "Ay cabrón!," the various conversations we had about life and love and relationships... how do you put into words what those things mean? I don't know. I'm sure with time it all become clear though... going to all these places and exploring was a great way to catch up with some old friends and I'm looking forward to the next adventure with them.