Brazil Trip-Highlights and Surpises

Highlights

Brazilians!
I have to say first off that I think Brazilians must be some of the nicest people I’ve met. From the bus drivers who didn’t get frustrated with us and our broken Portugese/Spanish hybrid even though to Nati and Fred who Brendan and I might while climbing Tijuca Peak in Tijuca National Park in Rio and ended up spending all evening with to Fernando’s family in Guaruja who took us to dinner, let us stay for the night, averted a major scheduling disaster for our Ilha Grande leg of the trip, and took us to the ferry at 4:20am.


(Fernando's Family)

Rio is the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and it has the most beautiful, most diverse group of people I’ve have ever seen. It has the most not so pretty people who are walking around like they are just the hottest thing this side of the Sun which makes them seem like they belong amongst all of those arses that you could bounce a dime off of. Though I think I reached the peak of my tolerance of beer bellies hanging over itsy bitsy banana hammocks.


(Banana Hammock right-hand corner)

Urban Dictionary: Banana Hammock
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=banana+hammock&defid=1233514

Surprises
Evidently there is a huge rivalry between the people from Sao Paulo, who are known for being workaholics, and the people from Rio, who are known as superficial beach bums.

Being the only woman in the ‘mixed’ dorms, which made me consider the fact that since I was strongly outnumbered, that I should be the one to leave the toilet seat up.

Passing by the favelas and thinking ‘Hey that isn’t so bad, it looks like my house.” Granted, in Paraguay, everyone has a house like mine in the community, where as the favelas are nestled inside a huge wealthy metropolis and are the product of unequal wealth distribution. But still, it is something to think about.



Feeling so relieved not to be constantly whistled and started at all of the time, which is what happened in Campo 9.

Realizing how very Paraguayan, or at least Latin American all of the volunteers have become. Especially with food items, you share everything. As long as there isn't a flu going around, its kinda nice.