1/31/13

Every day I feel myself getting more and more in the swing of things here in Brazil, and still no complaints.

Finally got a new camera again! Even though it was the equivalent of another $125 I wasn't planning on spending, it's definitely worth it to have these pictures. A necessary expense. And it was quite an adventure for me, actually. I think it was Tuesday that I went to go get it. I was able to navigate my way downtown from Cidade Baixa, and I came upon a bunch of stores down by the market. And by a bunch, I mean an absolutely ridiculous amount, on small streets just packed with people. After some clever and patient shopping, I was able to locate the cheapest decent Canon camera I could find. I'm pleased with my purchase, but you'd kinda need to be in my shoes to appreciate the search and strategy behind shopping here. Also bought two cell phones as a favor for the professors, got them programmed, etc. What made this so profound is that no one speaks English, and it forced me to continue my journey to fluent Portuguese. Gotta love it

That being said, here's a gem from the night my old camera got broken, now that I could retrieve it. Notice the dirty stache on Mitch... I have no idea who this guy is but it's before we made it to the club last week, and one of the last pictures that camera would ever snap. RIP Nikon.

Other than that, the past couple days we had our last two Portuguese classes at PUCRS (our university here), and they gave us a warm goodbye and certificates and everything. They were so nice and wonderful, it was a treat to have them send us off like that. Learned a lot from our teachers. If you are reading this, muito obrigado profesoras, foi um plazer.

Had a couple really fun nights out, the first one being Tuesday night. We went back to the place that serves excellent caiparinhas, and had a few as we celebrated Rachael's birthday. Later, we went to Woodoo, which was a good time as well.

Last night, we went to this Irish pub a short walk away called Shamrock, and I was very pleased to enjoy a couple great Guinesses that were served in the correct fashion, according to my granddad. We went there to meet up with our former teacher Barbie, the stone cold fox, Leticia, and Rafael. While we were there, we met our first other American, a very cool 50 year old guy hailing from Texas here in Porto Alegre for business. It was refreshing to meet a Southern gentleman down here, and we enjoyed a few beers together. He left for the states today, but God willing, I'll meet up with him for a beer in the future.

After that, Mitch, Kal and I went to Aline's house (who is Mitch's cousin Dora's good friend), where we were treated to a bunch of homemade caiparinhas by a lovely girl named Luciana. There were probably five dudes in total and about eight girls, just hanging out by the pool and in the kitchen, enjoying each other's company. It was a good time for sure. I love making new friends here, especially now that it's getting easier and less stressful to conversate. To my friends back home, I will gladly host a caiparinha night for you guys. They're delicious, strong, and taste like summer.

Had class in the park again this morning, and now we're off for a three day weekend. Me and Dallas are going on an adventure this weekend to Torres, a beach town about 3 hours away by bus. Just bringing some boardshorts, a tent, some beer and food, and our only plan is to rent surfboards and rough it on the beach. Too down, too excited! That being said, don't expect to hear from me the next few days, and don't worry. I will stay away from pyromaniac filled nightclubs.

Hope you all in Washington are enjoying the drizzle! It's 97 here right now, jussayin.

~ 1/31/13

1/28/13

To capture a typical, chill Monday in Brasil...

Woke up in a great mood to a beautiful sunrise, made a small breakfast of granola and yogurt, and caught up on my Facebook messages. Some from locals I've met here, in Portuguese/broken English, and others with my friends back home. Portuguese is so much fun, especially now that I'm getting the hang of it. It's always nice to hear from people back home, too. Makes my day.

Had class in the park today, hanging out in a circle in the grass, watching the clouds roll by. The classes we are going through are surprisingly intellectual... there are a lot of brilliant people with very intriguing world views in my class. Can't say I'd rather do class any other way. I'm actually getting a lot out of our discussions about poverty, political economics, and the rise of Brasil. This place can and will be a superpower in the near future, and I'm so happy to be here to watch this phenomenon.

Walked to the mall with Alex and Dallas, trying to return our tickets to Planeta because it got rescheduled to honor the victims of the deadly nightclub fires. God bless those families and friends, so tragic. Had a great Caesar salad at the food court... much classier food courts than in the US. Did a little shopping, and we walked the 20 minutes back in the warm Brazilian sun.

Went to work out with Mitch, Dallas, and our teacher Chris. The place we go is by a track, equipped with monkey bars, pull up bars, a wooden sit-up bench, and two sets of dip bars. Did a great Cross-fit style body weight exercise rotation a few times, getting a solid sweat and pump going out there. It's oddly refreshing to not be in a gym, lifting weights for a change. A funny old lady, probably crazy, hung out with us the whole time we were there, talking about how much she loved to dance. She was a total crack up.

Took a shower, and hung out with a few of the people watching Game of Thrones for a while. Picked up some stuff at the market for sandwiches, made a few, and downed them fast. Ever since, just been hanging out. Picked up a fine bottle of Brazilian wine for 14 reais (about 7 dollars) and a massive manly wine glass, and have been sipping on it for the last few hours, hanging out with friends by the hammocks.

You could say life sounds fun here. I would say that this is my definition of happiness and satisfaction.
~ 1/28/13

1/27/13

This past weekend was incredible, I'd count starting Thursday night.

Unfortunately, my camera was a casualty. So... no pictures from the past few days. And only when I wished I had it most.

I'll try not to go into too much detail about the events from the past few days, I know how much more exciting it is to read a picture book when you're doing your light reading. Plus, I'm exhausted and have got to get to bed. The past few days were packed though.

Thursday night was a blur. We went to a fantastic churrascaria, which is a traditional steakhouse where they come around with as much fantastic barbequed meat as you can eat. There was a traditional live performance too, which was amazing to watch. Really wish I could show a picture of it. Afterward, Mitch and I went out to Voodoo and then some club across town... kind of a blur for the both of us, but we ended up making it home safe and to class the next morning.

Friday was great. After kicking back most of the day after class, we rolled out to a house party across town that our friends Luis and Guillerme invited us to at this guy Gino's house. It was every guy's dream... walked in and saw roughly 30 girls and about 6 or 7 guys. Let's just say it was a fantastic night with some great people, and I didn't get back home until the sun rose. I love this country's style, that's normal for them... what??

Woke up shortly thereafter to go to the beach in Atlantida, close to Xangri-la. Unlike anything I have ever seen. Kal, Coby and I were simply in amazement as we walked up and down the beach. It was basically a giant party with an insane amount of beautiful people just hanging out, having a great time on this great beach. Ran into Luis and Guillerme again and their crew, and had just a fantastic evening.

Came home today from Atlantida, made some food with Mitch and Chris, and caught up on stories from our weekends. The worst one though, and one of the most unfortunate I have ever heard, was the story of the nightclub fire in Santa Maria, about 3 hours away. 230+ people died in that inferno... I can only imagine how terrifying of a situation that was and the pain that those peoples' families and friends are feeling. My heart goes out to them. If you have a minute, say a prayer for them. So incredibly sad, and they were college kids too!

Anyway, goodnight from the hostel once again. Hopefully I can get my hands on a camera soon.
~ 1/27/13

1/23/13

The Three Day Hiking Trip in Cambará, Brazil

Oh my lord, what a fantastic last few days. We left early Monday morning, none of us all too sure of where we were heading and what the next few days' adventures would bring.

We got on a small tour bus and headed out for the small town of Cambará, which is about 3 hours away from Porto Alegre. On the way, we stopped in this little lake town that I don't know how to describe other than calling it a romantic place. Snapped this picture that melted my heart. Kasey and Sarah both get so googley-eyed over little kids or animals... I don't care if this doesn't sound manly to say, but it's nothing short of adorable to watch.

When we finally got there, we had lunch at this great South American cowboy style restaurant whose name slips my mind. We actually ended up eating there a couple more times throughout the course of the past few days, and each time we were far from disappointed.

The highlight of this place was the free "cachaça," which is a type of liquor that I've only heard of being brewed in Brazil. The catch with this stuff though is that they let it ferment with various fruits, vegetables, or spices, thus giving each variation a very distinct and vibrant flavor. We had some fun sampling these liquors, which they had maybe 30 different variations of to try... for free. Some were just delicious, and I ended up picking up a bottle of chili pepper and pineapple cachaça to take back to the states. Those of you who would like a sample, I'd be happy to share.

 Day One- The waterfalls (cascatas)

After a 1 km hike (super short), we made it to these gorgeous waterfalls. I only took pictures at one point because we ended up going swimming for a while after, but I'll probably end up being tagged in a photo here and there on Facebook. But WOW did we have fun. Climbing waterfalls, swimming around, being in nature is what makes me happy. Wish I had words to describe.

Day Two- The Canyon

Probably the most impressive hike I had ever been on in my life. We went for hours, miles and miles, along the side of this remarkable canyon. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but let's just say at the peak of where we were, it was about 950 meters to the bottom and 2000 meters across, all of it green, lush, and untouched. OH MY GOD it was incredible. I'll never forget it.

 Where I ate lunch

 Overlooking the canyon- the tallest point we got to was up and to the right

The view from the tallest point- totally at peace. Momentos de paz

Made a good friend out of our tour guide, named Levi. Talked for hours about his family, his job, our lives, and especially the peacefulness and beauty that lies in nature. I love having meaningful conversations in a place like that, not to mention in another language. He was a wonderful individual, and I hope to hike with him again in the future.


Day 3- Waterfalls/ Horseback riding

We started out our morning going to these gorgeous waterfalls. The sun was out, people were happy, and the views were spectacular once again. Levi was once again a great guide, and you could tell he was really enjoying himself too.

Later, we went to this horse farm about half an hour away. I had never ridden a horse before today, but I had always wanted to. Dad and Suzanne, if you're reading this, I know you'd be proud. I loved it. The trail we went on was gorgeous, and I learned firsthand what people have known for centuries... there is nothing quite like riding a horse.

We got back to PA a few hours ago, and now it's time for bed. What a great past few days... really looking forward to doing more things like that in the future. Boa noiche!

~1/23/13

1/20/13

The great times keep on rolling...

The last two nights have been epic. Friday night, basically our entire group went out to this club called Proto Ze. Met a couple dudes who turned out to be really fun to be around, didn't catch their names but they were pretty cool and fluent in Spanish, which was useful for me. Language wise, I'm getting much better at Portuguese but my Spanish still trumps it for sure. I keep on explaining to people I meet who also speak Spanish that Portuguese isn't too far off, but the conjugations and pronunciations are just different enough to confuse the shit out of me and make me sound like a total foreigner. Whatever though, people here are very welcoming to help me learn to speak.

 Regardless, that was a really fun night. We didn't even get back until about 6 or 630 in the morning, which really isn't too out of the ordinary here. Good times.

That being said, we had to spend most of the next day sleeping, lounging out by the pool and what not. Hung out with some pretty cool Brazilians from the hostel during the evening and enjoyed some cervejas by the pool. Nothing rowdy, it's just how people casually like to hang out. On some level or another, regardless of how you feel about drinking, you have to respect how chill it is here. People don't see drinking as a big deal... I think that the reason that it's so over-glorified in the US and why so many people binge drink is directly related to how "forbidden" it is, or that it can be looked down upon. Here's my advice: chill out America. Open container laws, drinking age being 21, social stigmas that look down on people drinking... it really doesn't accomplish anything in the end except breed negativity towards it... Jussayinn.

That being said, I made a good Brazilian friend here. He's 20, and he's got a bright future in law most likely. Speaks very good English, and is a very generous, cool dude. He took a group of us to the park, which is known for having epic sunsets. Every night around sundown, they close off the streets so people can walk around, eat some chucasa (spelling? but it is means a traditional Brazilian BBQ), and watch the sunset. It's pretty hard to feel any anxiety or negativity in a situation like that.

Later on, we went out to this great bar in the "rich district," just me and him. Let's just say that he showed me the ways, and that it's so much fun being a foreigner. Fantastic night.

Just bought tickets to Planeta Atlantida! It's a stupidly big music festival, in two weeks from now. It's in a beach town a couple hours away called Xangri-la. Lasts two days, and apparently there will be 70,000+ people there... Too excited!!

Watching the playoff games... Go Falcons and Ravens! Sorry 9ers fans, I can't stand Jim Harbaugh, that guy is a horribly annoying crybaby. I'd hate to watch him give a Super Bowl winning speech. And Ray Lewis deserves a title in his final season.

Hope all is well back in the states! ~1/20/13

1/17/13

The past few days have been great. Busy, but in the best way.

The highlights would include a couple great nights out on the town, some fantastic food, increasingly more fluent conversations in Portuguese, some hammock relaxation, and making a bunch of new Brazilian friends.

Tuesday night Mitchell, Coby and I went out with Mitchell's Brazilian cousins and their friend to this club across town. It was "rock night," which normally wouldn't be my scene, but with the right company and adequate prefunking, it turned into an excellent night. Not to mention, an AC/DC cover band came on, and they actually were remarkably accurate in the sense that they looked and sounded just like Angus Young and the gang, which was nostalgic to say the least. Brought me back to middle school... just add some giant beers into the mix and some gorgeous ladies.

 Then there was last night, where Kal, Dallas, and I stumbled upon this giant dance club just a few blocks from our house. Met some homies who just got done with their college entrance exams, and to help celebrate, their teachers were actually on stage performing while the kids were getting drunk and dancing. Definitely a different dynamic than what we have in the states, and I must say, I'm jealous.

That's what gets me about this culture. People here are so NICE. It's hard to find people that aren't open to making friends, living in the moment, and trying to enjoy life, regardless of social stigmas and what not. I don't want to sound like I'm preaching, but it truly is remarkable. Who knows, at this rate I might not want to live in the US after college.

Other than just the going out, life has been great here. We've been keeping in shape, working out in the park under the sun, and eating fantastic food. No complaints as of yet... besides how hot and humid it can get, and dealing with my knee injury. However, in context, those problems are not holding me back from having an incredible experience whatsoever.

Went on a scenic tour of the city and got rather sunburned, but we finally got to see the city in its entirety. It's gorgeous, about the size of Seattle, and there's a lot going on. It's a very intriguing dynamic to witness the preparation for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. They're renovating a bunch of the stadiums and expanding their infrastructure all over the country. Definitely already making plans to come back for World Cup, possibly as a graduation present from UW. That would be SICK.

Heard a great quote that has been stuck in my head from a capoeira instructor (which, by the way, is one of the coolest martial arts, developed by slaves who incorporated music, rythym, positivity, and extreme athleticism into one "game," totally worth looking into if you have a moment). In Portuguese, he said "see you in the circle of life." Bringing that one back for sure.

By the way, booked a sweet hotel in Rio today for the end of our trip. Too down ~ 1/17/13

1/14/13

I was going to post last night, but our internet gave out after the Seahawks game. Plus, after that devastating loss, I doubt I would have had anything nice to say, so it's probably better that I'm writing now.

Right now I'm writing from a bright orange hammock under a blue sky with a nice gentle breeze, don't have much room to complain. I especially feel bad when I see people's facebook posts back at home saying that it's snowing and cold... it's nice to be getting some sun in January I must say.

Besides Friday night, the last couple of days haven't been too eventful. I've mostly just been recharging, chillin in the hammock and watching the football playoff games streamed live from my buddy's laptop. Friday night was quite ridiculous though! After downing a few drinks, we all went out to this dance club right down the street from our hostel... and yes, the Brazilian night club scene is as crazy as you would imagine. Unlike anything I have ever seen, I'll say that much. People here won't even go out until 11 or 12, then not get home until 4, 5, or even later in the morning. Makes American parties seem so lame by comparison! Wish I had my camera with me that night so I could even try to explain the crazy things we saw... but yeah that was quite a night to say the least. Absolutely poppin dance club, and by the time we left around 4 it was still going off.

Anyway, we did some cool things Saturday and Sunday. We went downtown, which was a lot closer to our hostel than I originally thought, about a fifteen minute walk. The city is so gorgeous, and the market downtown was a lot of fun to walk around and buy. There's all kinds of shops to buy mate coipas and pompas (cups and straws), meats, and various other antiques and such.

Got myself a pretty sweet mate coipa and pompa there that has the seal on it and is labeled "Gaucho," and been sippin' on the yerba mate ever since outta that thing. They swear that yerba mate makes you live longer, reduces anxiety, makes sex better, and keeps you generally healthy. Basically everyone drinks it around here, and I could see myself getting hooked on it by the end of the trip for sure.

We also went to the flea market in the park next to our place, where there was all kinds of music, food, and various antiques and trinkets for sale. It was pretty much a farmer's market that only is open on Sundays, except the stuff they had for sale was much cooler and it wasn't full of hippies like the ones in Washington. All of the artwork that was for sale was simply gorgeous, and I ended up making friends with one of the artists who may have been one of the greatest airbrush artists I had ever seen.

 ^ Here is another great artist, whose name I don't remember. But I think I might try to bring home a piece of artwork from this market by the time I come home.

My Portuguese is getting a lot better, though not nearly close to good yet. I think it's hilarious that all 17 of us students barely knew any coming down here, it's been an adventure and a half watching all of us attempt to make conversation. I'm really looking forward to being able to rattle off conversations without getting confused every 15 seconds.

Besides the Seahawks loss and dealing with my ongoing knee injury, life is good here in PA. Hopefully we're going to our hot Portuguese teacher's house for a barbeque this week, apparently she has a pool and a nice set up here so it should be a good time.

Now back to a book and a siesta in the hammock... ~ 1/14/13

1/11/13

Oi! Never got the chance to write yesterday, but I assure that these past few days have been some of the best of my life.

Where to start?

I'm beginning to get a hold of this. The language barrier is tough, but portuguese is a surprisingly fun language to speak. Greeting people with a smile and a "tudo bem!" (meaning "all is well") seems to work the trick, even though I only understand about 20% of what they say next. Yeah, the conversations can get a little awkward, but all you have to do is swallow your pride and accept the fact that you suck at the language. Keep a smile, be friendly, and even though you may not understand exactly what is being said, the people here will still go out of their way to offer you help, assistance, and the opportunity to make basic conversation.

That being said, I am quickly falling in love with the culture here. These people get it. Really though, they get it. People here live for the moment, appreciate the finer things, and carry with them an air of satisfaction with life. You can see it everywhere... in the park people will be hanging out enjoying each other's company, with absolutely no other care in the world rather than how to enjoy the company they surround themselves with and the moment they are living in. On the streets, people will smile and start conversation with you. In the check out line in the grocery store, a random middle aged dude who was behind me started a conversation, quickly realized I suck at portuguese, then switched to the basic english that he knew and started talking about his cats. I really wish people here in America could see the way people live here, it would open their eyes. Brazilians are welcoming, don't carry their status on their shoulders, and go out of their way to enjoy the company of a stranger. Simply put, they're lovers of life, friendships, and their home.

The past couple days, we have been going to school at this gorgeous university whose initials are PUCRS. Don't really remember what it stands for, but the C is for Catholic, and the RS is Rio Grande do Sul, the state of Brasil that I'm living in. We have been taking the most fun portuguese class... and we have such an amazingly hot teacher. Came up with a great hypothesis in class: if all the teachers at UW were amazingly hot Brazilian women, we would actually pay attention in class and get good grades. Just sayin.

Found some amazing clubs and bars around here. As a group, we went to this great place last night a few blocks away that had some awesome food and music. Maybe one of the most fun dinners I've ever had. By the end of the night, it was just four of us dudes (and our awesome profesores) left at the place, all greeks from different houses (DU, AEPi, Pike, TKE) drinking some dank caiparinhas. Then we bought some cigars, came back, and bro'd out tough. And in one of the funniest ways, shit got weird here, but I probably shouldn't talk about it. Nothing negative though, no need to worry.

This group of 17 students and 2 profesores are getting tight fast... we are all enjoying ourselves to the fullest, hanging out in the sun, going for runs in the park, swimming in our pool in the backyard, walking around the town... life is good.

I never wanna come back, even though I love you guys back in Washington. Considering marrying a smoking hot Brazilian so I don't have to leave. ~ 1/11/13

1/09/13

I'm going to make this one quick today, but only because this day has been very hectic and my friends are trying to make moves on having a first night out on the town, and I am eager to join them. By no means has this day been boring.

Man this place is beautiful. We got an early start today, as the majority of today was spent walking around the hectic city with Mitch and various others excitedly trying to catch our bearings. All the people from the program made it to the hostel in one piece! And being the only ones with any remote experience navigating PA, we were willing tour guides. However... we've got some fat blisters from the flip flops and some sunburns. First world problems, I know. But they are good problems to have

We went for a great run today in the park and and found several intriguing bars, also went out for a few great meals with the group here. This last 24 hours has done nothing but excite me further for the next few months... if only I could come up with the words to explain.

The prime discovery of the day was definitely the supermarket that happens to be half a block from our house. To get a picture of it, think of the U District Safeway at the busiest you've ever seen it, but knock down the prices of everything significantly and have everyone speak in a language you barely know.

Had an amazing day and now I'm going out for what is sure to be a great night, Ciao Ciao. Pictures coming to Facebook and here soon ~ 1/09/13

1/08/13

Ate lago from Brasil! This may be my first go at writing a blog, but bear with me. There are bound to be some great stories that come from this trip, and I'll be more than happy to share them.

24 hours after going to the airport in Seattle, I'm pleased to say that Mitchell and I safely made it to our hostel in Porto Alegre. I gotta say, I really feel at peace. Right now it's 2:30 am, and we're just lounging around watching a Portuguese-dubbed over Two and a Half Men with the window open and a fan on... this definitely beats 35 degrees and drizzling. I really hate Washington in the wintertime, save snowboarding and Christmas. I am definitely happiest when the sun's out, and I can't wait to go catch some rays tomorrow... hate to rub it in for all you back at home.

The traveling itself turned out to be a strange but healthy mix of exciting, confusing, and tiring. Long story short, it wasn't easy making all of the connections we needed to make, but somehow it still all worked out better than imagined. We had to do some serious hustling (especially in the Sao Paulo airport) to catch our flights, but in my opinion those kind of experiences only makes it more fun to look back on. I'm just happy that we made it here in one piece... now all I gotta focus on is how to do life in Brasil. But I'm not to worried, I love it here so far! The area is packed with things to do and people to kick it with, the hostel is gonna be a great place to live, and the people so far have been very generous and easy going. Not to mention, the legends are true: the women here really are that attractive. Caramba

Too excited for the adventures that lay ahead! The rest of the people from UW are coming tomorrow! It will be great to see all of them, it's a really solid group. I'm too tired to really think straight right now, so I'm going to go to bed and fill in more details later on.

By the way, I had an amazing last few days in Washington, and I really want to thank everyone I hung out with for making it as great as it was. I'm already excited to see everyone again when I get back

Tudo bem e ciao ciao for now ~ 1/08/13