Brazil.
Well now I’m a international traveler with experience. The first day we got to brazil was the last day of carnival. So we went around pelirinho the first day and went shopping in the marcado. I bought a crazy capoiera painting for 60 real which is pretty cheap. It was so amazing. Then we saw some capoiera and the people were nuts. They were so into it and the music behind was enchanting. That’s the least of that day though because at night was CARNIVAL! We (Steve, Andrew, Caitlin, Claire, Kim, and Sarah) took a bus to the party and met two Brazilians who knew what was going on and where to go. They took us to the point where there was a light house and where the floats drove by. They, and a few girls from our group spent 200 real to go up to the camarote, but me and 6 others didn’t have the money to do that. So, we just hung out on the streets where all the people were (it’s a bit less safe and a little sketchy). There we danced for hours and followed fat boy slim’s float. It was the craziest party I’ve ever seen, 3 million people were in the streets and buildings. I met a few people who spoke Spanish and we talked a little. There were all these people dressed like ghandi, and on their hat it said “sons of ghandi”. He came up to me and asked which of the girls we were with were single. I told him none were and matched us all up. Then I think he came onto me and wanted to kiss me HAHA. So after we left, we piled 7 of us into a little cab. There were two up front, three sitting, and two on the laps. It was so much fun.
The next day we went to the beach. The water is gorgeous and warm. It was seriously incredible. Many girls were wearing less clothing than American beaches, but they weren’t topless. Upon our arrival, we were planning to go to boi preto which is a brazilian rodezio. That is a steak house which has unlimited meat and food. It was undescribably good. Never have I eaten so much meat. They also had amazing drinks and desserts. One highlight was as we were leaving, the captain and deans came into the steak house so we got to socialize a little. O and the Captain has the best name ever, Roman Krystonovich. I am totally being him for Halloween. We returned to the ship and went back out with some of the people. It was a great time listening to live music and sitting outside in the beautiful Brazilian weather.
The next day was another relaxing day at the beach and grocery store. We bought some beer and took it to the beach to avoid the insane prices there. The water was again beautiful. Its so clear and warm. There were a lot of people there working too, like there were two guys who would go around with water buckets and cool the sand down around your area. That night was our Futebol game! It was Bahia who is the best D2 team in their conference against the worst team in the league. Bahia won 3 – 0. but the fans were the notable part. There was a whole cheering section despite it being a nothing game. O and the buses were amazing too. In brazil, there aren’t many if any passenger trains so there are some bus rides that can last upwards of 30 hours, so the buses are immaculate. They reclined, had foot rests, tv’s, the works; even curtains.
The next day, I did a majority of my shopping for people by walking around Pelirinho again. I bought a few shirts and souveniers. Nothing really notable happened at this point. That night, we went out to celebrate the last night in Brazil. It was a blast, but I didn’t get back until late which meant I accidentally slept through my trip in the morning which really stinks because I wanted to do it pretty bad. Instead, we went to a brazilian mall and got back in time for a delicious BBQ on the ship!!!
But enough with what I did in Brazil. So much more of it is the cultural reactions and analysis of the society as a whole. First thing that really stood out to me was the extreme poverty in this country. It was not the idealized country we think of filled with beautiful women and wealth. At carnival, there were kids, no older than 8 walking around the urine, beer and who knows what else soaked streets without shoes on picking up beer cans that people discarded. They wanted the five cent return on the can. There were also adults doing this, but the kids really stood out. I refused to drop any cans on the ground, I would hold onto the can until they came by, then I’d hand them the can. And the robot man I spoke with in the streets taught me a lot. There was a human robot (like in eurotrip) on a corner and he was really cool, so we bought him a beer and I talked with him for about 15 min in spanish. He said he was very hungry and thirsty so he was happy we bought him something to drink. People in my group had seen him earlier that morning at 9am so I asked what time he got there and he said 5am, and it was about 10pm when I spoke with him. So he was out there a long time. I asked if he lived close to the corner that he was on and he pointed to the ground and said he lived right there, implying on that corner which was pretty tough. There were always people sleeping in the streets. I even saw a man washing his clothes in a fountain in the square. It was definitely a shock to see that kind of thing. Also public urination takes place a lot.
Another shock was the traffic laws. Apparently after a certain time, they stop monitoring the red lights so cab drivers don’t stop at them. I heard that there were a lot of carjackings going on at red lights so that’s why they don’t enforce the running red light policy anymore. Also, Brazil is completely self sufficient with their energy. They make ethanol out of their sugarcane. I had the privilege of being in the cab which ran on natural gas when it needed fueling. There everything is full service, but they don’t just pump your gas. Everyone inside the vehicle must exit and leave all doors open, then they pop the hood and trunk. They attach a nozzle to the engine and it fills a tank located in the trunk with natural gas. It was a crazy way to refuel the car.
Another notable story about Brazil goes back to their extreme poverty. At night, kids walk the street and beg for money. They are all thin, poorly clothed and persistent. One boy, nicknamed Jackson because of his Michael Jackson dance moves, would dance and ask for a Real. Or other kids would come up and say “un Real please, I’m Hungry” and hold their belly. It was really sad to see but you can’t give them any money because it perpetuates the cycle. Javier, our interport lecturer told us if we wanted to help to give money directly to an organization instead of a person. When you give money to a beggar it shows them it works and they are less likely to go out and get a job. When you give money to the organization, they can instill school programs etc for the kids, that way they have a better chance later on in life when they have an education. Well that’s it for brazil right now. Obrigado! Caio!
