Well, I have set a record. Over two months without writing anything in my blog! Shame shame shame. A number of important events have transpired since December 20th, and I'll try to squeeze them all into this blog post. But I'm not making any promises! And feel free to read it in installments. My internet attention span doesn't usually last more than 6 minutes, so if you're like me, you may want to break the tedious work of reading my blog into healthy chunks. I'll start with a brief table of contents:
Chapter 1: Christmas!
Chapter 2: New Year's!
Chapter 3: A couple random things between Chapters 2 & 4!
Chapter 4: THE BIG TRIP TO THE NORTHEAST!
Chapter 5: My Birthday! (what is with all these exclamation marks?)
Chapter 6: Carnaval!
Chapter 7: Whatever else comes to mind while I'm writing!
I promise this isn't going to be a book, I just like the idea of having chapters. Plus it makes it easier to remember where you left off if you get bored and decide to go stare at the wall for a while before continuing...
Chapter 1: Christmas
The holiday that trumped all other festivities in December was, of course, Christmas. Brazilian families get together to have a big dinner on Christmas Eve and then exchange gifts at midnight, so at about 9 o'clock in the evening, we all gathered in a banquet room at my cousin's apartment building for the family Christmas party. Everyone brought a plate of food and we had a great time just hanging out, chowing down, and passing around baby Henry. At midnight, we exchanged presents, which was a uniquely Brazilian experience. I'm not sure if this applies to every family in the US, but when we exchange presents on Christmas day, we draw it out, focus on each person as they open another one of their presents, and then "ooh" and "ahh" over it as they say thank you to whomever gave it to them. It takes a long time, but it's really fun to see what everyone got for Christmas.
It was pretty different for me this year. Within a few minutes of announcing that it was time to open presents, there was wrapping paper everywhere and there were no more gifts under the tree. It was pretty much a free for all, but not in a get-me-my-presents-now kind of way. More of a walking-around-handing-people-presents-and-opening-your-own-at-the-same-time kind of way. There was lots of kissing and hugging and smiling during the whole event (which only lasted about ten minutes). My favorite gift I received was definitely the Corinthians futebol jersey with Ronaldo's name and number on the back. So cool! My cousin gave it to me, and just by coincidence his mom got him the exact same thing, so now we have matching jerseys! After presents, we all held hands in a circle and said a prayer, which reminded me a lot of an American Thanksgiving. After the prayer, we spent about twenty minutes walking around kissing and hugging each other and saying Merry Christmas before we brought out dessert. The whole night was really different than the Christmas experience I'm used to, but it was so special and everyone took a lot of care to make me feel welcome. I talked with my American family through Skype when we got home around 2:30 in the morning, and it was so great to talk to everyone together! It was then that Sandra brought out a package that had come in the mail from my family, but she had wrapped and put under the Christmas tree without telling me. It was like Christmas all over again! It was great talking to my American family and digging through their box of gifts, and I didn't feel sad at all to be away from them. It was just a great joy to talk with them.
Chapter 1: Christmas
The holiday that trumped all other festivities in December was, of course, Christmas. Brazilian families get together to have a big dinner on Christmas Eve and then exchange gifts at midnight, so at about 9 o'clock in the evening, we all gathered in a banquet room at my cousin's apartment building for the family Christmas party. Everyone brought a plate of food and we had a great time just hanging out, chowing down, and passing around baby Henry. At midnight, we exchanged presents, which was a uniquely Brazilian experience. I'm not sure if this applies to every family in the US, but when we exchange presents on Christmas day, we draw it out, focus on each person as they open another one of their presents, and then "ooh" and "ahh" over it as they say thank you to whomever gave it to them. It takes a long time, but it's really fun to see what everyone got for Christmas.
It was pretty different for me this year. Within a few minutes of announcing that it was time to open presents, there was wrapping paper everywhere and there were no more gifts under the tree. It was pretty much a free for all, but not in a get-me-my-presents-now kind of way. More of a walking-around-handing-people-presents-and-opening-your-own-at-the-same-time kind of way. There was lots of kissing and hugging and smiling during the whole event (which only lasted about ten minutes). My favorite gift I received was definitely the Corinthians futebol jersey with Ronaldo's name and number on the back. So cool! My cousin gave it to me, and just by coincidence his mom got him the exact same thing, so now we have matching jerseys! After presents, we all held hands in a circle and said a prayer, which reminded me a lot of an American Thanksgiving. After the prayer, we spent about twenty minutes walking around kissing and hugging each other and saying Merry Christmas before we brought out dessert. The whole night was really different than the Christmas experience I'm used to, but it was so special and everyone took a lot of care to make me feel welcome. I talked with my American family through Skype when we got home around 2:30 in the morning, and it was so great to talk to everyone together! It was then that Sandra brought out a package that had come in the mail from my family, but she had wrapped and put under the Christmas tree without telling me. It was like Christmas all over again! It was great talking to my American family and digging through their box of gifts, and I didn't feel sad at all to be away from them. It was just a great joy to talk with them.
The food!
My mom Sandra in the back and in the front from left to right is Aunt Helena, my cousin Joyce, Joyce's mom Íris, and Joyce's older sister and mother of Henry, Thaís. Henry is the little ball of baby in the front. Did that all make sense?
Juca and Diego at the secret santa gift exchangeChapter 2: New Year's!
The following Tuesday, I headed to Santos to spend New Year's with my friends there, lying on the beach, playing in the ocean, and hanging out in the city. I went with Dora and a member of her family (an aunt...? It was all a little unclear) and we stayed in a tiny little hotel near the beach. We had muggy 90º weather the whole time and I got sunburned beyond belief on my first day there, but it was all worth hanging out at the beach for the week (especially when I imagined all my friends stuck in the snow back home...) and going out everyday with my exchange student friends.
At about 10:00 PM on New Year's Eve, they blocked the city's main street that runs parallel to the beach to all car traffic. There were people everywhere! And as a tradition, everyone was dressed in brand new white clothes. All the parties were at the beach in various barracas, closed off and partially-covered areas with buffets and bars and lots of people. My friend John's parents invited me into theirs and I got to sit on the beach and enjoy the firework show at midnight. After that we all ran into the water and jumped 7 waves, making a wish for each one, for good luck for the new year. We also ate seven grapes, which must be good luck too... There were also people throwing roses into the ocean and lighting seven candles and sticking them in the sand. All in all, a really beautiful night. Lots of Brazilians apologize for what they think are outdated superstitions, but I'm with the wave jumpers-- I just think it's a cool tradition! Later, I met up with the rest of my friends (all the exchanged students were in Santos for New Year's) and we had a huge party until about 6:00 AM, when Amy, Brittnie, and I celebrated midnight all over again in honor of the six hour time difference between Brazil and the Pacific Northwest.
The following Tuesday, I headed to Santos to spend New Year's with my friends there, lying on the beach, playing in the ocean, and hanging out in the city. I went with Dora and a member of her family (an aunt...? It was all a little unclear) and we stayed in a tiny little hotel near the beach. We had muggy 90º weather the whole time and I got sunburned beyond belief on my first day there, but it was all worth hanging out at the beach for the week (especially when I imagined all my friends stuck in the snow back home...) and going out everyday with my exchange student friends.
At about 10:00 PM on New Year's Eve, they blocked the city's main street that runs parallel to the beach to all car traffic. There were people everywhere! And as a tradition, everyone was dressed in brand new white clothes. All the parties were at the beach in various barracas, closed off and partially-covered areas with buffets and bars and lots of people. My friend John's parents invited me into theirs and I got to sit on the beach and enjoy the firework show at midnight. After that we all ran into the water and jumped 7 waves, making a wish for each one, for good luck for the new year. We also ate seven grapes, which must be good luck too... There were also people throwing roses into the ocean and lighting seven candles and sticking them in the sand. All in all, a really beautiful night. Lots of Brazilians apologize for what they think are outdated superstitions, but I'm with the wave jumpers-- I just think it's a cool tradition! Later, I met up with the rest of my friends (all the exchanged students were in Santos for New Year's) and we had a huge party until about 6:00 AM, when Amy, Brittnie, and I celebrated midnight all over again in honor of the six hour time difference between Brazil and the Pacific Northwest.
A cloudy, warm, and crowded day at the beach!
Roses in the tide
7 candles for good fortuneChapter 3: A couple random things...
On the morning I was leaving Santos, my glasses broke in my hand. I was just doing that nerdy thing where I wipe my glasses on my shirt to get off the dirty stuff and crack! The frame broke above the left lens. Luckily both the lenses were still in good shape, so I was able to get them fitted into another good frame for relatively cheap, but I'm still a little bummed about my loss. I loved those glasses! These new ones are pretty cool though, so I'll live. Plus sudden changes in appearance are rather exciting, aren't they? I think so.
Around the time my glasses were getting repaired, a new visitor started frequenting our block. There are always lots of stray dogs wandering around Santo André, but this black little Dachshund didn't seem to be one of them. She crossed the street at all the wrong times and circled by our house half a dozen times a day. She was definitely lost. After a couple of days, my grandma said something about how she looked really similar to a dog she had given away about 3 years ago when she moved in with Sandra. But the dog was too scared to get close enough for us to tell, so we didn't know for sure. After about a week though, Sandra was finally able to lure her into the yard. After seeing the scars on her belly from a surgery she had years ago, Nena (my grandma) confirmed that it was Duca. Apparently her old owner had gotten tired of having a dog and had committed the all too common act of simply chucking her out onto the street. Sad. Lucky she ended up coming back to us! Nena tried to get in touch with the guy that she gave her to three years ago, but she couldn't remember his name and his phone number was long gone. So... now we have another dog! Snoopy, the little white poodle, now has an old dame of a wiener dog as his master. The two get along great, but we had to buy snoopy a new little dog house because Duca invaded his. So yeah. Now it's Duca and Snoopy. Cool!
Before the big trip, we were starting to make plans for me to move families when I got back. My whole family was really bummed out about it, and so was I. What would have been my new family were complete strangers to me, and I know they really wanted to keep Luís in their house, so I was afraid I would be less than welcome. Plus, I like it here! My mom and grandma are pretty chill, the rest of my family is a blast, and I'm already meeting new people all the time. Apparently we weren't the only ones feeling this way, so before I left on the trip, my mom told me she would see what she could do. My philosophy was: If I have to move, too bad. But it'll work out great and I'll have a wonderful time. If I don't have to move, even better. So, I started the trip with some uncertainty, hoping that I could just keep my place in Daniel's family after I returned from my travels!
On the morning I was leaving Santos, my glasses broke in my hand. I was just doing that nerdy thing where I wipe my glasses on my shirt to get off the dirty stuff and crack! The frame broke above the left lens. Luckily both the lenses were still in good shape, so I was able to get them fitted into another good frame for relatively cheap, but I'm still a little bummed about my loss. I loved those glasses! These new ones are pretty cool though, so I'll live. Plus sudden changes in appearance are rather exciting, aren't they? I think so.
Around the time my glasses were getting repaired, a new visitor started frequenting our block. There are always lots of stray dogs wandering around Santo André, but this black little Dachshund didn't seem to be one of them. She crossed the street at all the wrong times and circled by our house half a dozen times a day. She was definitely lost. After a couple of days, my grandma said something about how she looked really similar to a dog she had given away about 3 years ago when she moved in with Sandra. But the dog was too scared to get close enough for us to tell, so we didn't know for sure. After about a week though, Sandra was finally able to lure her into the yard. After seeing the scars on her belly from a surgery she had years ago, Nena (my grandma) confirmed that it was Duca. Apparently her old owner had gotten tired of having a dog and had committed the all too common act of simply chucking her out onto the street. Sad. Lucky she ended up coming back to us! Nena tried to get in touch with the guy that she gave her to three years ago, but she couldn't remember his name and his phone number was long gone. So... now we have another dog! Snoopy, the little white poodle, now has an old dame of a wiener dog as his master. The two get along great, but we had to buy snoopy a new little dog house because Duca invaded his. So yeah. Now it's Duca and Snoopy. Cool!
Before the big trip, we were starting to make plans for me to move families when I got back. My whole family was really bummed out about it, and so was I. What would have been my new family were complete strangers to me, and I know they really wanted to keep Luís in their house, so I was afraid I would be less than welcome. Plus, I like it here! My mom and grandma are pretty chill, the rest of my family is a blast, and I'm already meeting new people all the time. Apparently we weren't the only ones feeling this way, so before I left on the trip, my mom told me she would see what she could do. My philosophy was: If I have to move, too bad. But it'll work out great and I'll have a wonderful time. If I don't have to move, even better. So, I started the trip with some uncertainty, hoping that I could just keep my place in Daniel's family after I returned from my travels!
My wonderful family!Chapter 4: THE BIG TRIP TO THE NORTHEAST!
Baahhhh! It was finally time! January 10th was the big day of departure from São Paulo with 38 other exchange students. The plan was to travel up the coast to see the paradises of Brazil, then head for the capital for a few days before our return on February 9th. A whole month! It's a really difficult task to describe the all around awesomeness of the Big Trip (I'm just going to call it the Grande Viagem, it sounds too lame in English...), so I'll tell you the basic itinerary and then post some pictures. If you want more specific details (Mr. Verbano... just kidding. I don't think he's reading this blog. Or are you, you sly dog??), leave me a comment and ask me! The students also kept a collective blog that has lots of pictures and says a lot more about each city. It's worth a look!
Soooo it was all by bus, which got very tiresome, but was comfortable and definitely worth saving a couple hundred dollars on plane tickets. The first stop was Rio de Janeiro. Yeah, I know! Rio! So awesome. Indescribable. We stayed at a hotel on Copacabana Beach, climbed Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar, again way better in Portuguese), hiked around in the forest, visited Christ the Redeemer, and didn't miss the chance to spend a day at Ipanema Beach. Don't even think about asking me if I saw the girl from... there. I'm tired of that joke. I was before I even went there. Sorry for the crankiness. It was a great stay! We took samba lessons one night, which was great fun and a tough workout in a veryyy hot dance studio. Yeesh.
Baahhhh! It was finally time! January 10th was the big day of departure from São Paulo with 38 other exchange students. The plan was to travel up the coast to see the paradises of Brazil, then head for the capital for a few days before our return on February 9th. A whole month! It's a really difficult task to describe the all around awesomeness of the Big Trip (I'm just going to call it the Grande Viagem, it sounds too lame in English...), so I'll tell you the basic itinerary and then post some pictures. If you want more specific details (Mr. Verbano... just kidding. I don't think he's reading this blog. Or are you, you sly dog??), leave me a comment and ask me! The students also kept a collective blog that has lots of pictures and says a lot more about each city. It's worth a look!
Soooo it was all by bus, which got very tiresome, but was comfortable and definitely worth saving a couple hundred dollars on plane tickets. The first stop was Rio de Janeiro. Yeah, I know! Rio! So awesome. Indescribable. We stayed at a hotel on Copacabana Beach, climbed Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar, again way better in Portuguese), hiked around in the forest, visited Christ the Redeemer, and didn't miss the chance to spend a day at Ipanema Beach. Don't even think about asking me if I saw the girl from... there. I'm tired of that joke. I was before I even went there. Sorry for the crankiness. It was a great stay! We took samba lessons one night, which was great fun and a tough workout in a veryyy hot dance studio. Yeesh.
Some of the American exchange students with Cristo Redentor in the background
The view of Rio from Cristo Redentor. Pão de Açúcar is that funny-looking rock up there to the left.Ah! I already feel like I'm going into too much detail. Seriously, it was a very long trip and I must be brief about each city.
So the next stop was Porto Seguro. Nice hotel (lots of grass and hammocks!) right outside the giant party city. We went to a night club one night, and danced like crazy to an Axé band, very popular Brazilian music, right on the beach! A great night. Next stop was Itacaré. A small town with some really beautiful wilderness and beaches. The town is pretty much one long main street with lots of little wooden buildings selling gifts. Very tourism-driven, but there weren't any old couples walking around with sunscreen on their noses and fanny-packs around their wastes, so it hadn't lost it's- what's the term?- rustic charm. I also went river rafting for the first time! Really fun, and it got super exciting when our boat had an unexpected (and actually rather violent) capsize in some rough water. Everyone was fine and we ended up having to jump off a small cliff back into the water in order to get back to the rest of the group because there was no way to climb down the steep rocks back to our boat. So pretty much: AWESOME.
So the next stop was Porto Seguro. Nice hotel (lots of grass and hammocks!) right outside the giant party city. We went to a night club one night, and danced like crazy to an Axé band, very popular Brazilian music, right on the beach! A great night. Next stop was Itacaré. A small town with some really beautiful wilderness and beaches. The town is pretty much one long main street with lots of little wooden buildings selling gifts. Very tourism-driven, but there weren't any old couples walking around with sunscreen on their noses and fanny-packs around their wastes, so it hadn't lost it's- what's the term?- rustic charm. I also went river rafting for the first time! Really fun, and it got super exciting when our boat had an unexpected (and actually rather violent) capsize in some rough water. Everyone was fine and we ended up having to jump off a small cliff back into the water in order to get back to the rest of the group because there was no way to climb down the steep rocks back to our boat. So pretty much: AWESOME.
Abandon ship! Actually, we had no choice...
A demonstration of Capoeira, a combat-style form of dance that originated in Bahia centuries ago.
Trancoso beach near Itacaré
A Bahiana serving Acarajé. It's sort of complicated to make, but it's pretty much a black-eyed-pea paste fried in palm oil and stuffed with spicy pastes made of peanuts, shrimp, peppers, and more palm oil. Pretty much the best food ever. Very typical of the state of Bahía.
Next we headed for Salvador, the heart of Bahia! It's the center of the Northeast and is truly a breathtaking city. A really busy place with lots of really old roads, churches, and other historic buildings. Really tiring, but worth spending the whole day poking around. One night we saw a folkloric show with all kinds of Afro-Brazilian dances and music. Incredible! I wish I could have taken photos. Sure, on this trip I was a tourist. But the fact is that, this year, I live in Brazil. And this show was one of the many steps that brought me to really feeling like I understand the culture of the country. I'll always be an American, but I love feeling like a Brazilian.
Here's a very small and very unsatisfying picture of a group of friends and me in Salvador. I had forgotten to charge my camera that day... From left to right are Sylvia, Georgina, Eddie, Arely, me, and Prila. All are Mexican except for the obvious Taiwanese Eddie and the tall gringo there.
From Salvador, we headed farther north to Recife, named after the huge amount of reef dominating it's coast. We took a day trip to Porto de Galinhas where I saw the clearest blue saltwater I'd ever seen in my life. We took small sailboats out to the reefs and did some snorkeling. The fish ate right out of our hands and the reef was really beautiful. From Recife, we went to Fortaleza, a more modern metropolis of the Northeast. We hit the beach one day and several of us rode horses for a while and then got really relaxing massages. Another first for me. She did go alarmingly high up my leg, but hey- this is Brazil.
A photo of a good portion of the group in Fortaleza
Next stop: Jericoacoara! This is a really small city that seriously reminded me of Tatooine. Yes, lots and lots of sand. The whole city was built on the beach at the base of towering dunes. We had time to get to know the town and the locals, but the most memorable part of Jericoacoara were those dunes. One day we all rented sand boards and rode the dunes down into natural salt water pools waiting at the bottom. I never got that great at sand boarding, but I was able to stay standing for a few runs! The next day we all took dune buggies out to a fresh water lagoon where we spent a lazy afternoon (that rhyme was 90% unintentional and 100% rad).
The group ready to head for the dunes! From L to R: Brenda (Mexico), Sean (Japan. Yes, I said Japan), Hendrick (Germany), Me (United States of WHATEVER!), Prila (Mexico), and Luís (Mexico).
Hell yeah!! I've been told it's a lot like snow boarding, but harder to steer and stay standing...
And my all time favorite... just plain ol' dune jumping!From there, we headed back south to Natal, a city named after the date it was established- Christmas 1599 (Natal means Christmas in Portuguese, in case you didn't figure that out). We spent just one day there, which wasn't nearly enough to get to know the whole city, but served as a sufficient amount of time to visit a 400-year-old fortress and spent the rest of the day bumming around on the beach before heading back to our hotel to play around even more in the swimming pool. Next we headed away from the Brazilian beaches and into the interior. Lençóis was our next fantastic destination. We stayed in a a hotel that resembled Hobbitton with it's many small green hills between each of the outdoor apartments. The spiral staircases up to the higher rooms added a strange fairy-ish touch to things, and there were enormous toads and insects in just about every place you could look (except under the covers, thank goodness). The small town was surrounded by protected wilderness and we spent two days discovering underground caverns, natural waterslides, and we even stopped by a river with some strange type of red clay we used to paint our bodies! This may have been my favorite city on the trip. The environment was not at all similar to the Anacortes Community Forest Lands, but it was really great to be tromping around in nature again.
Dangling over the wall of the fortress! Buttocks from L to R: Amy's (Canada), Brittnie's (Canada), Dora's (Taiwan), and mine.
Natural waterslide! It was actually a very smooth ride. Wedgy factor: minimal.
Good times atop Lençóis
Brittnie: "Kevin, can I get on your back and take a picture?"
Kevin: "Sure Britt, climb on!"
Brittnie: "Kevin! Dontbackupdontbackupdontbackup! Colin, get away from me you...!"
She was seriously terrified.
Lot's of people on a hike in Lençóis! All either Mexican, American, or German. It's a guessing game! (I'm too lazy to name them all).
Good times atop LençóisBrittnie: "Kevin, can I get on your back and take a picture?"
Kevin: "Sure Britt, climb on!"
Brittnie: "Kevin! Dontbackupdontbackupdontbackup! Colin, get away from me you...!"
She was seriously terrified.
Lot's of people on a hike in Lençóis! All either Mexican, American, or German. It's a guessing game! (I'm too lazy to name them all).After Lençóis, we headed to the nation's capitol, Brasília. For those of you who don't know, Brasília was constructed out of nothing about 50 years ago. It's Brazil's third capitol (after Salvador and Rio de Janeiro) and the city's layout is made to resemble an airplane. Cool huh!? I think so.... Well, it's an extremely impressive city with all kinds of cutting-edge architecture by Brazil's very own Oscar Niemeyer. We had the chance to tour the National Congress, the Metropolitan Cathedral (the building that looks like a spaceship), and the Temple of Good Will, among many other things. A very memorable end to our tour of Brazil.
Anne (Germany) and me standing in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral. It is seriously beautiful on the inside. You must see it for yourself!It was sad to return back to our normal lives. School had started again and so we all had to go to class within a couple days of being back. But I was greeted with some happy news: I wouldn't have to change host families! Hooray, hooray, I can keep playing cards with my grandma and irritating Sandra with my bad cooking. We were all pretty happy with the arrangement.
And I guess I didn't keep too well with the brevity. Oh well. Was it at least witty? (That went to all you Shakespeare and/or Brian Backman fans out there!) Don't forget to check out the trip's blog here! Take a special look at Itacaré. That one was written entirely by yours truly :)
Chapter 5: My Birthday!
I deliberately left out an important event that took place while we were in Itacaré. January 18th! Kevin day! I really wasn't expecting anything besides a few Happy Birthdays from my friends (I was just hoping not to have an egg cracked on my head! That's what happens on a person's birthday in Brazil), so I was really surprised when we got back to the hotel after dinner and they had a cake and balloons all ready! My friends sang happy birthday to me in half a dozen languages (so. awesome. seriously.) and then I cut the cake from the bottom up, as is tradition, in order to send my birthday wishes up to the sky. The first piece of cake was supposed to go to the most important person in the room to me, so I gave it to Dora because she was one of my first friends here in Brazil and we spend a lot of valuable time together.
The short party was winding down when Brittnie asked if she could take a short walk with me. She needed to talk about a recent boy-related breakthrough that she was super excited about. We walked down the dirt road and back, just talking about the news, and after a short ten minutes later, we were back in front of the hotel, surrounded by trees and bushes. Brittnie and I got quiet- we had run out of things to say- when an egg flew over my head and hit the ground behind me. I knew what was happening, so I ran as fast as I could in the other direction. I thought it was just a couple of people, but before I knew it, eggs were flying at me from every direction! I outran them, but they were still throwing eggs at my back. Eventually, I accepted the inevitable and stopped for them all to catch up. Egg after egg came crashing over my head and in five minutes, the stragglers were still walking up, lobbing their own eggs at me. I have never been so covered in anything in all my life. It smelled awful, but isn't egg supposed to be good for the skin or hair or something? I dunno. I got cleaned off under the hose and called it a night, thankful to have close enough friends that they felt comfortable enough to shower me in egg. Ugh. :)
And I guess I didn't keep too well with the brevity. Oh well. Was it at least witty? (That went to all you Shakespeare and/or Brian Backman fans out there!) Don't forget to check out the trip's blog here! Take a special look at Itacaré. That one was written entirely by yours truly :)
Chapter 5: My Birthday!
I deliberately left out an important event that took place while we were in Itacaré. January 18th! Kevin day! I really wasn't expecting anything besides a few Happy Birthdays from my friends (I was just hoping not to have an egg cracked on my head! That's what happens on a person's birthday in Brazil), so I was really surprised when we got back to the hotel after dinner and they had a cake and balloons all ready! My friends sang happy birthday to me in half a dozen languages (so. awesome. seriously.) and then I cut the cake from the bottom up, as is tradition, in order to send my birthday wishes up to the sky. The first piece of cake was supposed to go to the most important person in the room to me, so I gave it to Dora because she was one of my first friends here in Brazil and we spend a lot of valuable time together.
The short party was winding down when Brittnie asked if she could take a short walk with me. She needed to talk about a recent boy-related breakthrough that she was super excited about. We walked down the dirt road and back, just talking about the news, and after a short ten minutes later, we were back in front of the hotel, surrounded by trees and bushes. Brittnie and I got quiet- we had run out of things to say- when an egg flew over my head and hit the ground behind me. I knew what was happening, so I ran as fast as I could in the other direction. I thought it was just a couple of people, but before I knew it, eggs were flying at me from every direction! I outran them, but they were still throwing eggs at my back. Eventually, I accepted the inevitable and stopped for them all to catch up. Egg after egg came crashing over my head and in five minutes, the stragglers were still walking up, lobbing their own eggs at me. I have never been so covered in anything in all my life. It smelled awful, but isn't egg supposed to be good for the skin or hair or something? I dunno. I got cleaned off under the hose and called it a night, thankful to have close enough friends that they felt comfortable enough to shower me in egg. Ugh. :)
Happy Birthday to me! (and Stephen and Jen!)
The batallion
Cold!
Stephen, this is written directly to you. It was my first birthday without you, and it I must say it went pretty well. But I missed you terribly and I hope we'll at least be a little closer in distance next year. It just didn't feel right without you. I miss you and love you a ton!
Chapter 6: Carnaval!
As most of you know (I think?), Carnaval took place from last Saturday until Tuesday. But the parties really started on Friday. School was an absolute zoo! During both 20 minute breaks, we just threw huge dance parties in the middle of the (big square area in the middle of the school? somebody give me a word here!). There was Brazilian music blaring, foam everywhere, water spraying from the ceiling, confetti all over the place, and everyone had some kind of mask or bright necklace to wear. Classes seemed so pointless that day. Later that night, I went with my friend Isa's family to Sambódromo, the main event in São Paulo. The best Carnaval parades are in Rio de Janeiro, but SP definitely takes second place. There were 7 samba schools, each with their own presentation of one hour and five minutes. I'm pretty sure it was the most spectacular sight I've ever laid eyes on. And it lasted until 7 in the morning! We left a little early, so we got home at 6, but we saw the best schools of the night before we left. The next day I slept until 5 in the afternoon, and then went to a party with some of my friends. The next few days were more or less like that. Sleep. party. sleep. party. I love Carnaval! We didn't have school until Thursday, so I had some time to recover.
Chapter 6: Carnaval!
As most of you know (I think?), Carnaval took place from last Saturday until Tuesday. But the parties really started on Friday. School was an absolute zoo! During both 20 minute breaks, we just threw huge dance parties in the middle of the (big square area in the middle of the school? somebody give me a word here!). There was Brazilian music blaring, foam everywhere, water spraying from the ceiling, confetti all over the place, and everyone had some kind of mask or bright necklace to wear. Classes seemed so pointless that day. Later that night, I went with my friend Isa's family to Sambódromo, the main event in São Paulo. The best Carnaval parades are in Rio de Janeiro, but SP definitely takes second place. There were 7 samba schools, each with their own presentation of one hour and five minutes. I'm pretty sure it was the most spectacular sight I've ever laid eyes on. And it lasted until 7 in the morning! We left a little early, so we got home at 6, but we saw the best schools of the night before we left. The next day I slept until 5 in the afternoon, and then went to a party with some of my friends. The next few days were more or less like that. Sleep. party. sleep. party. I love Carnaval! We didn't have school until Thursday, so I had some time to recover.
Each samba school had about 4,000 students in the parade! All dressed in huge extravagant costumes and masks. Awesome!
Vila Maria's opening float
My favorite float! From the Peruche Samba School.
Isa and me way up on the high risers. Great seats!
Chapter 7: Whatever else comes to mind while I'm writing!
Well, there isn't a whole lot I have to say. I guess you're to be congratulated for making it this far! Leave me a comment if you did. I don't really expect anyone to really read all this until the end, sooo... good job!
Oh! Yes, I almost forgot. I picked a return date and my ticket is officially set. Ah! Emotion of all kinds! Anyway, the date will be Tuesday June 16th at 4:16 in the afternoon. Stephen and Clara are going to pick me up, we're going to spend some time at my dad's house, and then we'll head north for Anacortes! I can't wait to see everyone! Yay yay yayyayyay.
Oh, and yes I applied to USC, but I'm not in yet. We'll find that out in April I believe. If I do get in, I'll have to choose between Vassar and USC. For some reason, there were a lot of people thinking I had already gotten into USC, probably because I said something confusing to someone. So let this clear the record! And I hope I get in. *Knock on wood*
Well, there isn't a whole lot I have to say. I guess you're to be congratulated for making it this far! Leave me a comment if you did. I don't really expect anyone to really read all this until the end, sooo... good job!
Oh! Yes, I almost forgot. I picked a return date and my ticket is officially set. Ah! Emotion of all kinds! Anyway, the date will be Tuesday June 16th at 4:16 in the afternoon. Stephen and Clara are going to pick me up, we're going to spend some time at my dad's house, and then we'll head north for Anacortes! I can't wait to see everyone! Yay yay yayyayyay.
Oh, and yes I applied to USC, but I'm not in yet. We'll find that out in April I believe. If I do get in, I'll have to choose between Vassar and USC. For some reason, there were a lot of people thinking I had already gotten into USC, probably because I said something confusing to someone. So let this clear the record! And I hope I get in. *Knock on wood*
Alright everyone, thanks again for the support you've given me this year. It is so appreciated! I'm sorry I haven't had the time to respond to every e-mail, but I appreciate them more than you can know! Now that the trip and Carnaval are both behind me, I should have a little more time for correspondence. I'm sorry for the dormant phase! I love you guys.
Abraços
Kevin
