2/27/13

This post might be a little less visually appeasing because I only have one photo to add, and I didn't even take it myself. But that doesn't mean the past few days haven't been crazy/fun/excellent by any means, it just means I'm lazy with my camera. Plus, I think it's on its way to breaking, too. I don't know what the hell is up with me and breaking cameras, but I don't really deem myself responsible for either time this has happened. Stuff breaks, that's life.

The weekend in Floripa was possibly one of the craziest of my life, rivaling the randomness, excitement, and spontaneity of my weekends in Chelan, the Gorge, and road trips to California. On Saturday, after some time in the sun, Dallas and I had a premonition that it was about to be a great night, and indeed it was.

We started it off on the right foot, going out to an excellent seafood restaurant as a group and having all kinds of oysters, crab, 4 different shrimp dishes, cod, and calamari. Accompanied with a glass of pure, fresh-squeezed suco de maracuja and a view of a secluded beach, I was truly in heaven. On a mature note, Trevin, Dallas and I had a fantastic discussion about family and the dynamics of brotherhood over this meal, and it was a discussion I won't forget. I live for moments like that.

Having been fed up with Brazilians' inability to adequately prefunk, we started off the night American style, dressing up to go out, throwing down some shots of whiskey, and listening to American music, probably annoying the neighbors with our loudness but not caring at the time. By about midnight, 1230ish we headed on a walk down to the club area to see what was going on at Cafe de la Musique (I was stoked to see that they had one in Floripa, too).

By the time Dallas and I got there, we were disappointed to find out that it was closed, but not to our surprise... as nice of an area as Jurere was, it is not known for a vibrant night life. That being said, we heard the welcoming sound of blasting house music off in the distance, and beckoned its call. When we got to the source, we found that it was just someone's beach house (a pretty damn nice beach house at that), and it was only one dude and four girls just going hard while the guy was DJ'ing. We asked if we could join, and they welcomed us in to join the festa.

The guy, named Dirceu, had a legit DJ setup, and asked me if I would like to have a go at it. Having only screwed around with some YouTube DJ'ing, at first the program was a little foreign, but I got the hang of it quickly and would like to think that I was doing well! I was mixing drops, buildups, volumes, loops, etc. and it was all coming out smooth in my drunk mind. Finally put my extensive electronic music listening and knowledge to a test! It was addicting, a total blast and definitely something I could see myself doing again or even as a side hobby.

He gave Dallas and I some drinks, and the atmosphere was an excellent party scene despite the lack of size. For the sake of decency, I will spare some of the social details but would be happy to explain in person between good friends. Let's just say that it was an awesome night (and legal I promise). Dallas didn't make it past about 5am and went home, but I raged on. Tucker Max would have appreciated it.

An absolute sweetheart named Vanessa and I went to go watch the sunrise on the same beach where I had just had dinner hours before. When we came back, I must have dozed off because by the time I woke up again, around 1030 am, I quickly realized that I missed the bus to go snorkeling with my study abroad group, and had no means of communicating with any of them to let them know I wasn't dead or something. Once I reunited with them, I was met by a bunch of questions and people saying "I'm glad you're alive!" ... which has more or less been an accurate quote to label how my colleagues have treated my antics on this trip thus far.

The next morning I went and bought a pair of boardshorts, changed at some good samaritan's house, put my clothes in a bag and set off down the beach to meet up with that group from the night before again. I found them after I had walked the entire length and doubled back, and proceeded to hang out with them all day in the sun. I had an amazing day to say the least. The girls were hilarious, fun, cool people, and Dirceu is possibly one of the nicest, most generous people I have ever met. By about 6, I headed back to the condo, and was too tired to do anything exciting that night so I crashed early. Despite the lack of sleep, my spirits were totally uplifted.

The next day we came back to the good ol' Eco Hostel again. At midnight, it was Mitch's birthday, and I Iced him accordingly.

Yesterday I met up with Patrícia in Iguatemi, a part of town I was not familiar with, and for the next four or five hours had an amazing time with her walking around different parks, shopping areas, etc. And it was awful sweet of her when she insisted on returning the favor in buying me a sushi dinner, I was touched. She's a really great girl, and it's because of people like her that I'm sad to leave Brazil.

Last night was a lot of fun! We celebrated Mitch's birthday, and carried him around Cidade Baixa with a good troop of birthday wishers. Met a really intelligent, well informed Australian guy and talked to him for hours about political issues. It only reaffirmed my intent to move down to that area someday in the near future. After all, I'm as much a Kiwi as I am an American.

Now I'm in bed with a headache writing this blog, about to make moves on my day. Cheap wine was a bad choice, and I'm paying for it now. My only goals are to make some good food, do my laundry, read more Game of Thrones, buy my ticket to Uruguay, and possibly book a hostel in Punta del Este.

Speaking of which! I'm going to Uruguay tomorrow night! It's bound to be an adventure, especially because I feel convicted to do this trip alone. I'm excited and duly nervous to travel solo. But I'm convinced I will be okay. It's going to be very healthy for me to get some space from the group, no offense to anyone in it... when you're stuck in close quarters with the same random people for a prolonged amount of time, you're bound to get cabin fever.

That being said, if you don't hear from me, don't be too worried. I have no idea what the next few days have in store for me, but I have every confidence in the fact that it's going to be a great experience.

Can't wait to surf in Punta del Este...

Praying for everyone at home.

~2/27/13

2/22/13

What an incredible past few days. Floripa is so nice, with its fabulous beaches, nice city area, great weather, and it's always nice to be around upscale neighborhoods (hate to sound like a snob when I say that).

This place is seriously incredible. And I'm convinced that the fourth picture in that line may or may not have been Michael Jackson's place (he did allegedly own a place in Floripa), that or some other filthy rich millionaire. It inspires me to go to school and get a good degree... man this would be a cool place to call home.

We have had several cool adventures while we've been here. We went in to town and did some shopping and explored the city on one of the days, which was cool. A little too touristy for my liking but it was definitely gorgeous. I ended up getting a few "trinkets" from a talented street vendor who claimed to have killed the snake whose skin he used in his artwork... and having met him, I totally believe it. The guy was a badass, and gave me a sweet handmade peace sign necklace which unfortunately came off while bodysurfing today. I was actually rather upset about that, but what did I expect.

That night, Dallas and I had a hell of an adventure. After doing some drinking and night swimming down by the beach close to our condo, we decided to go wreak havoc upon the Jurere area. I'm not going to go into details, because this is a story better told between friends who would appreciate my crazy side, and not necessarily details I would love to share with the public or want my teachers knowing... let's just say it involved multiple security guards, a sea turtle, and multiple adrenaline rushes. Hit me up if you want details.

The next morning we set out for an amazing, difficult hike to an absolutely gorgeous beach. It was about half an hour dead uphill to the summit, and another half down to a secluded beach. I have to admit, it was quite a difficult hike, and I was sweating bullets. But it was badass to say the least, and we hauled ass through the jungle to get to this prime destination. Possibly my favorite beach I had ever been to.

The first and third pictures are from the summit, the middle is of the beach itself once we got down there.

While we were there, we had an amazing time. It was a world-class beach, with perfect blue waves rolling in at just the perfect height for bodysurfing, the sand stretching on for a while, and all tucked within this gorgeous, secluded cove with very few other people there. It was heaven on earth.

While we were there, Dallas and I decided to climb this huge, seriously steep hill that was off the right side of the beach. It was a hell of a trek; very tiring, steep, and ballsy. When we got up to the top, there were these awesome rocks that stretched out like fingers or planks overlooking the beach below. It was easily one of my favorite places I have been in all my life. Currently waiting on Dallas for photos of us up there, but they are sweet. Below is a photo of the peak itself. If you look closely you can see the jagged rocks up at the top.

Today was excellent. We were given a "free day" by our professors, so I just woke up, did my registration for Spring Quarter, and then Dallas and I headed to Mole, the beach we went to the first day where there's the picture of us from the back looking out over the water. The intention was to surf, but it was so extremely windy that we had to take refuge around the side of some beach-shop shack and wait it out. May not have seemed like fun, but it was an absolute blast. After the weather cleared up a bit, we got a couple drinks at some beachside bars (including possibly the greatest cocktail I have ever had) and hung out, enjoying the life.

We spent the rest of the day here in Jurere hanging out with the other bros, and kinda low keyed it a bit on the beach just chillin. I must say, I'm really in my element here. Having such an amazing time, and truly stress free. It's wonderful.

Only complaint: I have so many fucking mosquito bites that it is hard to sleep. It's actually really shitty.

Other than that, life is great.

Missing everyone back at home, hope all is well and I'm really looking forward to seeing all my friends and family again.

~2/22/13

2/18/13

Prelude: Here's a couple randos I snapped in the park the other day. So gorgeous.

Saturday night we saw the last of the Carnaval parades in Porto Seco, which were absolutely gorgeous to watch. The amount of time, effort, passion, and money they put in to those costumes is incredible. Just go look up Carnaval parades on Google images if you have never seen it, it's amazing. Here's a couple pictures.

Ah... but here we are in Florianopolis! Commonly known as Floripa. We got in yesterday after a long, sweaty bus ride from POA around 630 or 7. This place is refreshing, and so nice. I strongly recommend that if you're ever coming to the South of Brasil, come here. It's legit, the beaches are sweet, the food is great, yeah. I'm happy here. Did some bodysurfing in the cool clean water, drank some mimosas, got a little sunburn going... in the middle of February. Blows my mind that we're here. Plus, me, Kal, Mitch, and Dallas have a legit condo that we're staying in, which is a nice upgrade from the Eco Hostel. Here for a whole week longer... too down.

2/16/13

Time is flying lately.

I didn't even realize it's been so long since I wrote my blog, it's only felt like a day or two. As usual, it's been exciting, fun, and I've been getting a lot out of it.

I'm quickly realizing that there is not much of a point of me trying to explain the specifics of a lot of what I do here, there's just so much where you would have to be in my shoes experiencing it if that makes sense. I assume that's the same with just about everyone's study abroad experience, and probably why you don't hear too many stories from friends who go abroad.

However, I'll be happy to point out some notable moments in the past few days. Tuesday we had a fantastic time in the streets celebrating the last night of Carnaval! There would be conga lines that spontaneously formed and people would just run by, suck you in, and take you around the party. It was so much fun, I never would've expected that doing something so simple would be such a cool moment! I definitely got molested by some less than attractive girl, which was weird, but I ended up having an incredible night regardless. Everyone is so happy here during Carnaval, regardless of race, social class, etc. It's like the 4th of July... for 5 days.

Wednesday was great for different reasons. Sarah, Kasey, Kari and I went to a Catholic mass downtown for Ash Wednesday. Now, I may not be Catholic, but as a Christian I figured it was definitely fitting to go to a service. What an experience! The church was just gorgeous inside and out, and it was wonderful to go the service with those girls and have some holy moments.

Yeah, that was kind of cool.

I just want to say, the majority of the stories that make it onto the blog are partying-related, and I realize that. It just happens to be that the funny, memorable stories tend to happen while partying. My point is, don't be misconceived. I truly don't just party all the time here, I do a lot of just hanging out, working out, cooking, napping, etc that doesn't involve a party atmosphere. It's just that it would very be boring if I told all the small details of my daily life you know?

Thursday night Luis took me, Fuadi, and Vinay out to Novo Hamburgo, a city about 45 minutes away, where we had an excellent night. I neglected to bring my camera, but we had a great time at this upscale bar and later at this nightclub where they were bumping all kinds of American hip hop from like 2009 (the stuff I happen to know word for word) and the mainstream cliche electronic music that you hear everywhere here. It's like they only know of 5 electro songs, and they play them on repeat. I swear, I will never listen to Levels or Don't You Worry Child casually again after this trip.

Last night was pretty cool. Kal and I went out to Thomas Pub in Padre Chagas with these two Brazilian friends we made from Sao Paulo, which was a great time. Your typical Brazilian night out... packed bar with gorgeous ladies, good times with the friends, got home around 4 or 430. The guys we went out with are truly remarkable individuals. One, named Luca, is a lawyer here in Brasil, and we talked for a while about our passions in law, legal theory, and such. It was refreshing to have conversations about law again, made me look forward to LSJ in the spring actually. Very fun night for sure.

And now, just chillin in a beanbag chair, with no real plans today. I'll probably continue my endeavors into Game of Thrones again, God that book is good.

Praying for all you back home, hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and such.

~ 2/16/13

2/11/13

The madness of Carnaval continues...

Saturday night was an unexpected blast. It started with us running off to see this parade that was going on down the street, which was more or less a group of 500+ commonly dressed Brazilians drinking beer and dancing behind a van with giant speakers strapped to it while a band played. From the outside, we weren't too impressed... until we decided to join the party! For a while it was just me and most of the girls from our group, but then we ran into Dallas and Kal who joined us in samba-ing down the street, lightly drinking and having a grand old time. Knock that one off the bucket list: dance in the streets during Carnaval- check.

Later that night, we went out to Padre Chagas, the rich district, with Mitch's cousin Bruno and his girlfriend Bianca. They are a great couple, and super nice people. It was a pretty chill night, we just made some extended conversation in Portuguese and had a solid time at the bar. We went back to their apartment where Bruno and I played some music where he was on the guitar and I was singing. That was an unforgettable experience, it brings a smile to my face to remember it.

Yesterday was incredible, for several reasons all revolving around the Tiesto concert.

Dallas, Rachael, and I took a bus out to Atlantida and got in around 830. From there, we just hung out around the town, got some food, and waited for the rest of our troop to arrive. What really impressed me is that 100% of our group decided to go to this show, even though none of us were obligated to. I don't know if it's a bandwagon thing, or whatever, but I'm cool with it, I'm really glad they realized how cool of an opportunity that was. I just know that when I saw on Facebook that Tiesto was coming to a sweet outdoor beach club during Carnaval, there was no way I was missing that.

I have mixed feelings about the show, even though overall it was a great experience. I'll start with the good: Tiesto was incredible, we got to be really close to him while he played, I made a couple cool Brazilian friends, most of the people we were there with (in our group) were a ton of fun to be around, and the women anywhere you looked were drop dead gorgeous. The bad: babysitting/ dealing with people in our group who get too drunk is a buzzkill (no pun intended), the whole group traveling dynamic is always a clusterfuck, and the most disappointing part of the night (for me): Brazilians don't know how to rave. Simply put. I couldn't believe it! We showed up, and literally every girl was dressed to impress, heels and all. Not like they were going to an awesome sweaty rave party like we do in the States. But they would just stand there, sip on their drinks casually, and TALK with their friends while the #2 DJ IN THE WORLD was playing a killer set. WHAT?! That, and Dallas and I were the only dudes wearing colored shorts and tanktops. It was like we dressed to the theme of the party but walked in to the wrong one, I was so confused. That being said, we still went hard and had a great time- American style.  And we found some Brazilians to party with us like that, which was great. Makes me miss that scene back in Seattle.. I had never been so oddly disappointed in a crowd like that before.

Notice, in each of the three pictures above, that you can notice a bunch of Brazilians NOT going hard. UGH

Anyway, we were up all night at this club, then took taxis to the beach to watch the sunrise. I hadn't seen a sun rise on the ocean since I was a boy in New Zealand, and it blew my mind. I had only seen the sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the West Coast of the US. It was easily one of the most therapeutic moments of my life, spiritual even. You can't just sit there, in complete silence, watching God conduct his symphony of the sunrise, without getting to some thinking... and it was exactly what I needed. I thought first about how I had only seen sunsets over the ocean, and how they are equally yet inversely just as breathtaking as the sunrises. Reminds you that the world keeps spinning, regardless of what you do while you're on it. Waves will always keep rolling in, the wind will always keep blowing, and the sun will always rise off the East Coast and set in the West... it was a beautiful moment. That got me to thinking about myself critically, what makes me tick, why I do what I do during the day, why I surround myself with the people I do and why I do/don't like them, etc.

*A fair warning- I'm about to rant about life, so if you're sensitive to that, skip to the end *

I always come to the same conclusion: I do life with the intention of maximizing every day, and to open doors to walk through in the future. This counts on many levels: spiritually, academically, socially, morally, athletically, physically, healthily. I choose to do what I do by asking myself how I can benefit from this, or how someone I care about can benefit from this. Shit, even a complete stranger. I always find myself asking "why not?" and "would I regret not doing this?" as reassurance. That is why I have stepped out of my comfort zone so many times in my life, in so many aspects... and why I have made it a primary goal of mine to be skilled and proficient in many different areas of life where many people only pride themselves with one or two life skills.

For example, one aspect of my personality that I am confident in is that I know I am socially gifted. I mean this in the sense that I have a lot of friends from many different walks of life, of different ages, who carry themselves with completely different personalities and moral values. Not many people have as diverse of a friend group as I do, and I don't mean that judgmentally; it's just a legitimate observation. So many people only surround themselves with people that remind them of... themselves. People with the same color skin, the same God, the same upbringing, the same passions or hobbies, etc. The way I see it, why are so many people like that? Why do so many people compartmentalize themselves, only make one type of friend, only let one influence drive them, and let themselves get so closed minded? Why does it seem like I'm one of the only people I know who likes to branch out, always participate in various activities, travel to foreign/previously unknown places, make new friends everywhere I go, spend time with and get to know wonderful girls, be open about my thoughts and feelings to people, be the leader in a group, and indulge in just about every random adventure that presents itself to me? If you have one life to live, why sit back and not realize your potential as a human being, or the potential of others?

I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR: I'm not saying this because I think highly of myself, or am putting myself above anyone else. I have my faults, just like anyone else, and I'll be the first to admit that. Rather, I am making a fair and unbiased observation about what makes me tick as a person in comparison to the thousands of other people I know who live their lives by different, more closed-minded philosophies. That doesn't make them wrong, but it leads me to question why I am different. Why I'm never bored, never scared of stepping out of my comfort zone, never alone unless I want to be... whereas I see a lot of people every day who close themselves off to the world, are too nervous/anxious to try anything risky, are constantly worried about what other people will think of them, or will judge a person before they get to know them on any kind of personal level.

While you're on this planet, you have so much at your fingertips any given day: countries to explore, cultures to appreciate, foods to eat, romances to enjoy, languages to learn, jobs to work, music to listen to, pleasures to indulge in, friends to be made... and only one life to live. Why not get the most you can out of this adventure we know as life? Why the fuck not.

That's just who I am: a guy that actually lives by carpe diem and believes that enriching yourself with friendships is one of the most valuable things you can possibly do in life.

If you have any feedback about that assertion I just made, I would really love to hear it and/or have a discussion with you about it, positive or negative. Email me at gtruschel@gmail.com or hit up on Facebook.

Getting to bed- watching the live footage of the Carnaval parades in Rio and it's completely blowing my mind. One of the most impressive visual spectacles on this Earth, definitely on my bucket list to see at some point in my life.

Last day of Carnaval tomorrow, vamos lá!

~2/11/13

2/9/13

The first night of Carnaval was pretty cool... not as epic as I was expecting by any means, but cool nonetheless. I think, actually, I know, it was because we were stuck in Porto Alegre, and all the locals who make this place as much fun as it is leave for beach towns and such during Carnaval. That being said, it was still culturally exciting, and I enjoyed myself.

We went to go watch the traditional parades at this complex slightly outside of town last night around 10, and stayed until around 1 before we left. It was an impressive set up, with this avenue going in between bleachers for about a quarter of a mile where the different samba schools would give their presentations they had worked for months on. They were very elaborately decorated and well choreographed, and it was definitely a visual spectacle. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Only downside to the night was we went to a club afterward as a big group, and not only was it severely lacking attractive women, it was full of gay dudes, and I've never felt like such a piece of meat. It was seriously awkward. Now don't get me wrong, I'm by no means a homophobe! I could care less if my friends are gay, it's whatever to me, do your own thing. But the second I start to get hit on by a dude, or multiple dudes, or get super gay looks... like any other straight guy, I'm gonna freak out a little bit. I had never been so uncomfortable in a club setting.

Had a good nightcap though with the homies. And today has been chillin, we're about to go out again soon to go check out some parades which should be cool!

Then tomorrow we leave for Atlantida to go see Tiesto at Maori Beach Club! I'm too ready. I am expecting greatness. Hope all is well in the cold/snowy/rainy US!

~ 2/9/13

2/8/13

I have to admit, I've definitely been getting lazier when it comes to taking pictures and writing this blog. It's not because I don't want to, just seems that there aren't enough hours in the day. And, I hate feeling like a tourist snapping a bunch of pictures left and right. That being said, I'll try to sum up what I've done the past few days and supplement it with the few pictures I've taken.

We went on a boat cruise of the city earlier this week, which was chillin. I just sat there in the same place on this boat, shades on, checking out the sights. Porto Alegre is a pretty interesting port city, with some nice upscale island living off in the bay. I could see myself getting a house there someday if I end up with a ton of money... haha.

That night, we went out to PretoZe again, and kinda got jipped out of paying a large cover after I had worked out a deal with a guy who worked there to get us in for free. That, and I swear there was something wrong with their caiparinhas. Maybe it was just me, but I don't know if I'm heading back there. It's whatever, I mean I still had fun, but there are better clubs and bars around.

The next day was rough in class. The routine has generally been, on nights we go out, to come back around 4-6 AM, wake up at 930 for class, then pass out for a while after. It works out just fine though, I still get a lot out of class and what not (don't worry mom). Might as well do it while I'm young...

Got a great dinner with Mitch at this pizza place the other night. Got a large, pretty dank pizza, two beers apiece, and a delicious dessert for a total of 40 reais each (the equivalent of $20 American)! Gotta love how cheap it is to live the high life here, I could get used to it. The dessert you see below is a passionfruit mousse... enough said. I'm addicted to maracuja flavored anything here. I'm yet to be disappointed by any fruits or vegetables, they're all ridiculously delicous.

Wednesday night was epic! Luis, Mari, Patrícia and I hung out for a bit at the beginning of the night, then they had to work early in the morning so we took them back to their places. Those girls are such sweethearts. Later, Luis and I went out to a hole in the wall bar, then to a club called Cafe de La Musique, an electro club where our homie Gui was DJ'ing. His stuff is great, check him out on Soundcloud-> LoPressure. I was impressed! We were there for a while, super nice venue, and hung out with some really cool Brazilians. If I had more time right now I'd go into more detail, but here are a few pictures from the night

Yesterday was basically spent recovering, aside from an excellent barbecue that one of our Brazilian academic staff hosted for us last evening, named Leticia. Her, her husband, Rafael, and Giuliano hosted us, and served us a seriously delicious typical Gaucho cuisine. I loved it, and if only I wasn't feeling sick, I would have been in heaven.

Gotta go now, heading to go celebrate the first night of Carnaval! I'm really looking forward to this weekend, should be incredible! Not to mention, I'm gonna go see DJ Tiesto in Atlántida on Sunday night at an outdoor beach club... way too excited!

Also, got to Skype Landon and my momma today. Super happy about that! Looking forward to catching up with other friends from back home!

Bottom line: still just loving life here in Brazil. Couldn't be happier

~2/8/13

2/4/12

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. We just had a long weekend, and I didn't have access/ care to have access to my computer at the time. Let me just start out by saying that I just love being disconnected from the real world on some level or another. It is relieving not to be constantly carrying around my iPhone, or always checking my Facebook/email. It gives me time to enjoy the world I live in, in the moment I'm living it. I almost feel bad for the people on this trip who are still just as connected to their iPhones or social media sources. Not that it's a bad thing at all, or that I'm looking down on them, but I just feel that in order to get fully immersed in this new culture, you gotta cut the umbilical cord from home/parents/friends/social media. I have gotten so much out of carrying around a camera instead of a phone.

That being said, time to recap on the long weekend which seemed to even extend into tonight, Monday. I'm going to save a lot of the details for the sake of brevity, so if you have further questions, just ask.

So, Thursday night, I went on my first Brazilian date! A double date nonetheless, but it went great. My date, Patrícia, was just a sweetheart to hang out with again, and the other couple was great company as well. We went out to this great sushi place in the rich district, then after to a bar on the other side of town. Looking back on it, it went great. It is so much fun for me to get thrown into these situations where I am forced to speak Portuguese, especially for prolonged periods of time. Looking forward to another experience like that with that group, Brazilians are awesomely romantic and fun to say the least.

Friday morning, Dallas and I left to go to Torres, a beach town about 2 hours away by car, 3 by bus. It was so much bigger than expected, I loved it. Worked up a solid sunburn chillin on the beach with Dallas Friday. Ruby was there too, and we spent some time with her later that night and a little bit during the day too. For the most part, just had a great day staying on the beach, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand... haha. Here are some pictures of the city/beach. I took these the next day before a giant rainstorm, but I'll get to that story in a bit. That's just why the pictures are cloudy.

 Just imagine that, but blue skies. I've generally been pretty good about bringing a camera to the right instances, but this time I spaced. I enjoyed myself though, great day.

That night shit got weird though. There is a ceremony that they celebrate every year, that I really don't remember the name of. It's like a mix of African/Brazilian/Catholic rituals put into one ceremony to celebrate the sea goddess or something like that. All I know is that it was one of the most culturally impressive things I had ever seen. Look up Brazilian ritual February 2, maybe that can explain it better than I can. Plus, it was dark, and very hard to take pictures of. In a nutshell, imagine several hundred people watching a very particular, spiritual, and intense ritual conducted by about 12 people on the beach to a candlelit altar and the sea. I would be happy to explain in person if you have questions. All I know is that neither me or Dallas had been so confused in all our lives. And we totally just happened upon it; we thought it was a candlelight vigil or something at first.

Here you can kind of see the group crowded around the semi circle of religious actors, dressed in light blue and white, being led by a blue-dressed woman.

After we got sensory overload from this, Dallas and I dipped to go Bear Grylls it and find a place to camp. We hiked for about an hour down the beach, around a cliff, down another beach, then up a cliff. We hiked around up there, in the moonlight, on the edge of the water, with our uncomfortably heavy backpacks on. Was honestly one of the coolest moments of my life, I love that outdoorsy stuff. We made camp at this perfect location on the cliff, and enjoyed a great conversation until we passed out up there in the tent. Here are some pictures of our campsite taken the morning after when there was some light. I really, really enjoyed myself though. What an incredible experience.

 One of the pictures from the beginning of this entry is from the cliff as well, looking over the city of Torres from the South. That wasn't quite at the campsite, but it was close.

Saturday was pretty fun. Dallas and I roughed it for the first part of the day, got some coffee, hiked, lugged our luggage around, etc. We hung out in Torres for a while, and I caught up on Game of Thrones (the book), which I'm falling in love with. If you haven't gotten on your Game of Thrones game, get on it. We got hit by a massive random storm that afternoon, and stayed in a really cool family's restaurant while we waited out. They were very hospitable, and gave us free dessert and coffee while we waited. And took a few Reals off our bill. Que ótimo! But yeah, as Ollie from Family Guy would say, "it's raining sideways!"

We caught a bus to Xangri-la, where my new homie Luis was staying for the weekend with his family. The bus ride took a really long time, but the bus staff girl was really nice and fun to hang out with for a little while. The bus system is kind of fun to deal with here, it's remarkably easy to catch a reasonably cheap bus anywhere within an 8 hour drive. I might take one to Uruguay next month, we'll see.

While in Xangri-la, Luis introduced us to his really nice family. Dallas can't speak too much Portuguese, so I did my best to be a translator for him while Luis was mine. Funny dynamic, you'd have to have been there. There were a few young-middle-aged couples with kids there, and Luis's aunt. They were so hospitable and nice, and made us an amazing churrasa while we downed some Polars and Heinekens, getting ready to go out that night. I love Gaucho hospitality, reminds me of the South.

 Us before we went out, notice that we're tanner than the brasileiro! Jussayin. Actually though, there are tons of white people down here. That's another subject altogether, but yeah. Throwing that out there

The night was great, and got to be semi blurry for my man Dallas. Got some cool drinks in Capao de Canoa and Atlantida that night, and hung out with some cool people. Luis is becoming a fast friend. Truly exceptional guy who's got his head on straight, and he and I share a lot of life philosophies. Great night though, a lot like the one in Atlantida last weekend except we actually knew what to do this time around. We ended up staying out until about 530 am with this group we met, playing this drinking game until the wee hours of the morning. Excellent times.

I want one of these. Hate to seem like any type of alcoholic, but I think any college kid or beer lover can appreciate that giant dispenser. That would be dangerously popular in America, I fear.

Woke up the next day around 1, had a lunch with Luis' family, then headed back. Had a great convo with Luis about cultural/life differences and such, told him all about fraternities. Never realized how hard the concept of American fraternities is to explain to someone form another country, but I think he gets it/ maybe will make a cameo appearance at some point next year! So he says.

We watched the Super Bowl, streamed live here in Porto Alegre. It was pretty fun, even though no one other than us really appreciated it. Except for Luis, he came to watch it with us as I explained rules of the game to him. Anyway, I was really happy to see Ray Lewis get his title... don't you just love how sports can be romantic? A true athlete can agree. Last night was one of those moments for sure.

Today was a really good day. Refer back to my article on last Monday, and it was basically that. School, food with the boys, worked out with Mitch and Chris, made some dinner, hung out with the crew and drank some wine... now I'm just chillin' out. Having some alone time can be hard to come by when you live in a house with 18 other Americans. Taking advantage of it while it lasts.

Hope all is well back in the states! By the way, my little brother just got accepted to OSU! I'm very proud of him, but I'm still holding out to see if he gets in to UW... Liza, on the other hand, I'm just very excited to see where she chooses. She has some incredible opportunities ahead of her... if you're reading this, Liza, I'm counting on you to become successful billionaire so I could just travel and do life big. Love you two.
~ 2/4/13