Boat Ride

My host dad loves to go boating, so one Saturday we went out on the water.  I invited my exchangee friend Peter since he loves anything to do with  motors.  We embarqued at the yacht club which  is right by the sugar loaf mountains and went all the way to Niteroi.  In Rio they have this joke that goes:  “what’s the best view from Niteroi……..Rio”.   The thing about jokes is that the humor is different in other cultures is that for  foreigners it’s not usually funny.  That’s also one of the reasons they warn us to not make jokes at first, because what we consider funny could be offensive in another culture.

The ride was really enjoyable, and the weather absolutely perfect!  Oh, and a short side note-my hair is sort of turning red in the sun, it wasn’t just the photo!  Today we’re leaving to Angra dos Reis to spend the weekend.  Today it poured to the point where a street lamp exploded.  I was waiting for a bus when I heard/saw it.  That was frightening.  So we’re hoping the weather improves so we can go on a boat ride this weekend as well!

Completly unaware that I was the object of photography.

Os Gringos.

Not from the boat ride....but a funny pic from a beach day.  They will do
anything to sell you food!  Hahaha

My host father's boat.

Peter (from Germany) and I enjoying the view.

Grafiti, Beach, and Mingau

One thing that I’ve found very interesting this year is that in the Portuguese language, there they make a distinguished difference between graffiti and street art.  In English we tend to refer to everything as graffiti, even though it has a negative connotation.  By establishing two different names it brings a beauty to the street art.  In Portuguese you say graffiti when it’s like art and pichacao when it's letters, or just a gang symbol sprayed all over the place. 

Personally I enjoy street art a lot.  In my opinion it brings a new life to the city through its brightness and color.  I’d much rather look at a design than a simple concrete grey wall!

I’ve been trying to take advantage of the sun here in Brasil.  Being in the sun seems to put a bit of energy in me.  But taking the bus everyday an hour to the beach was getting old.  But then I discovered that there’s a beach relatively near my school.  It’s just that the waters are dirty, so it’s advised not to swim in the waters.  It also has a park nearby which has all these paths for walking, running and bike riding.  It looks so peaceful!

One of the things I’ve missed most about home is my pets.  All my host families have dogs, and while I like dogs I definitely have a preference for cats!  So I love to go to my host aunt’s house and play with her kitten that has grown up so much this year!  

My favorite piece of street art that I see everyday on the way to school.

It doesn't hurt to die if it's for love.

I don't know how to talk but I know how to paint.

Meet My Host Family

My host family is incredible, they make me feel like a part of the family. 

My host father Carlos is an engineer and teaches at the federal university.  His favorite pastime is sailing on his boat.  He goes every weekend the weather is good.

My host mother Patrícia works as the assistant to a judge.  She loves her dogs, and spending time with her friends. 

My host sister Duda is 22 years old, and she’s getting ready to study modeling/fashion in college.  She had been in university studying pharmacy but decided that it just wasn’t for her.  Because of the way the college system works in Brazil she has to take a course to be able to enter in another university. 

Their daughter Marcella is on exchange in California this year, but I do not know her.  I met her at my first rotary event, my first  week here, but there were so many people and I didn’t get to know her. 

We’re planning a weekend in Angra dos Reis where we’ll go out on the boat.  I’m really looking forward to it!

A beautiful city

The other week, we exchange students decided that we wanted to see the city lights from up high.  Of course, as exchange students we always try to find the cheapest way to do things as possible.  So we decided to climb the sugar loaf in order to see the sunset.  We embarked on the upward journey conquering the smaller mountain around 4 o’clock, and the journey took about half an hour.  At 5, the sun is already setting!  At a little before 6 it’s pitch dark. 

The city is beautiful at night, especially from a bird’s eye view!  Looking down I remember thinking to myself, this is why they call it the wonderful city…

I think though that every big city looks better at night.  Something about the little specks of light on the black canvass we call the sky is breathtaking.  Two weeks after I arrived I remember driving back from the airport after dropping Nicholas off to board his plane to York.

 We had taken a van so that his friends could come and see him off.  I mentioned that I thought the favela looked very pretty at night.  I had only seen the lights, and hadn’t known that it was a slum.  They laughed at me and said favelas aren’t pretty.  But I have to admit, I think there is an aspect of beauty in them.  The vibrant colors in the day, and at night the lights. 

We couldn’t go down for free on the cable cars until 7 and it was much too dark to hike back down, so we bought some ice cream and sat around a table laughing and reminiscing on our year.  How fast it’s gone by.  Wow.  In less than a month, the first exchange student will go home, with the rest of us following shortly behind.  I’m so accustomed to seeing everyone here, and in a couple of months we’ll be spread out throughout the world.  It’s incredible what this year has given me…

At the top right hand corner you can see the christ!