Oi, Oi, Oi, it is now time for me to talk about the fabulous Rio de Janerio. Before I go any further, although Oi is pronounced like Oy Vey, PLEASE do not confuse this friendly greeting as it simply means Hello in Portuguese… what on earth were my Yiddish ancestors thinking when they coined the phrase Oy Vey! And for that let me pause and give an Oy Vey!!!!
Where did I leave you off? Oh right, of course, in the middle of my ever lasting day. I say this because Tuesday January 31st, 2012 was somewhat never ending as I woke up on the ship, explored the Amazon, and then found myself in Rio! Mind you within the span of these 24 hours I believe I took 6 different means of transportation (ship, river boat, canoe, van, bus, airplane--- Oh snap!)
My group once again met in the Union at 8:45 PM… the difference of 12 hours is remarkable as I now confidently strolled into the Union knowing that I had friends waiting for me. We made it to the airport in about 30 minutes and were confident that we certainly had time to spare, come on it was a Tuesday night and our flight was scheduled to leave at 11:45 PM how many people could possibly be traveling at this hour?
Well as the old saying goes, never assume! Picture a group of 30 loud, American students with monstrous hiking bags (of course we were only traveling for a mere 2 days, but come on, we clearly had to look intense), as they approach the ticketing counter only to see the line that literally won’t move… it wasn’t even that there were that many people at the airport, but rather the airline staff chose to move at a snails pace. As we were waiting in line we also had the scare that our carry on could only be 10 pounds… let’s see how well you all know me… how would I react to this situation?
If you guessed perspiration forming, anger building, and arguments shaping on how I would in no way pay for my bag to be checked, then you pinned the tail on the donkey! Now how does this situation pan out?
Naturally, I worked myself up for nothing… if you remember correctly, currently CK is in BRAZIL… and what unit of measure does BRAZIL use? Ahhh yes of course, the metric system. Oppps I had 10 kilos to take on board with me not 10 pounds. Silly CK.
It ended up that although it took forever to get through the ticket counter, security was a breeze and we were able to walk right on the plane! I originally was given a middle seat, but since our plane was empty, I was able to get my own row----well… until I somehow managed to attract a Brazilian about my age to share a row with me. Please notice my use of the term “somehow managed” as I looked like I had fallen out of a tree, okay, okay that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but hopefully you get the idea.
I’ll be down right honest; I was annoyed this guy sat in my row. Why was I annoyed? Simply put --- he screamed, “I PLAN TO CHAT WITH YOU THIS ENTIRE FLIGHT!” In normal circumstances, I am all for mindless banter, but in this case, no way jose… I knew my coming days would bring little to no hours of sleep, thus this would my prime opportunity.
So how did I handle the situation you might ask? Well, when he sat down I gave him a polite hello and then pretended to be half asleep… It actually worked REALLY well.
About an hour into the flight I woke up and Chatty Carlos (masculine version of Cathy) was of course up and waiting to talk to me. But actually… At this point I was actually half asleep, but felt somewhat obligated to make conversation. The conversation ended up being interesting as he asked me what I was doing in Brazil so I explained to him all about Semester at Sea. He then told me that he had also just been studying abroad, but he had been doing research on the Amazon and had lived there for a month. Megan Berman, if you are out there, I think I found your future husband!!! He loves the animals--- for those of you who don’t know Megan, she just returned from a month study abroad program in Tanzania--- thus I believe this is a match made in heaven.
Anyways, after about 10 minutes of our conversation, I could barely keep my eyes open, so I excused myself and fell back asleep… as I began to close my eyes, I felt someone tapping me… NOT AGAIN! I thought I gave all the right body language that I wanted peace and tranquility--- what’s that saying… give them an inch and they want a mile?! Well, I am now ashamed to say that Carlos was taping me because he had reached into his carry on bag and had one of those huge Sponge Bob Square-pants stuffed animals and he was offering for me to use it as a pillow… at the time I was honestly so confused that I really didn’t even understand how nice he was being. And as if that was not enough, he saw that I was really cold and he also handed me his jacket to use as a blanket!!!!
As I look back on this sequence of events, I find myself wondering if Carlos were an American, would he do the same thing and offer me his pillow and jacket? If he was a Southerner or Mid-Westerner I think my answer would lead me to believe that he probably would, but I if he were from the East Coast, I would be far more hesitant. As I continue on my adventure, I want to represent America the way Carlos represents Brazil to me, as a person who is welcoming, considerate and above all interested in learning about other cultures.
Two last comments about the plane ride that are worth noting, so much for the short a sweet Blog Posts (sorry Jilly).
At some point during the flight, I woke up and remember being super confused, was I dreaming or was this real life? I looked out the window and to my utter surprise, I saw a sky full of stars. Not just any old stars, but star gazing type stars… As the plane began to descend I could see the city underneath and the stars shining so brightly on top. Absolutely incredible.
The last eventful part of our plane ride experience was trying to navigate the Sao Paolo airport. We all got off the plane and tried to find our next gate, but that was not such an easy task… we managed to go through security 2nd and it wasn’t until the 3rd time (including the first time I went through security in Manaus) that they decided to confiscate my hair mousse. I of course tried to argue with the woman, but quickly backed down as the language barrier made it far too difficult not to add that at this point I was so tired that I just didn’t care.
At 9:45 AM on Wednesday, the group of 30 of us found ourselves in the beautiful Rio de Janerio. Our tour guide for the next 2 days, Patricia greeted us outside of the airport--- such a cute Brazilian in her 20s.
Just like Birthright, where they have you go go go as soon as you get off the plane, was how the Rio adventure began. Our first stop was to a Favela. For those culture buffs out there, a Favela is what Brazilians refer to as the shanty towns that occupy the city of Rio. There are many different Favela communities that are literally right beside one another each having its own distinctive name and identity. Within the past 5 years the Brazilian government has made it their mission to get the gangs out of the Favela by stationing themselves within the communities. Their hard work has paid off as the crime scene has gone way down. I asked Patricia what would have happened to me if I were to go into a different Favela than my own and she explained that the gangs could easily beat me up. I further questioned how would they ever know that I didn’t belong there and she explained that everyone knows everyone within these communities so it would be obvious to the members that I didn’t live there. Can you imagine?!
As we drove to the Favela, I took in some of the scenery… I was most surprised by the hills within Rio. These shanty towns all reside on these giant hills which I totally didn’t expect to see… the hills reminded me a lot of San Francisco, of course not architecturally at all, but just the way that humans started building on the hills.
We were headed to the Babilonia Favela which little did we know has a really cool background. In a nutshell, Babilonia is being used as the Guinea pig Favela by the Brazilian government as they try out new programs in terms of education, health care, environmental concerns, safety, etc. Our tour guide explained that they are also working with the tourism industry so that the community can benefit from when tourists come to look at the Favela. It used to be that community members hated when tourists came in because only the tour company’s benefitted, but now the tour company’s give some of their profits to help the community. The entire Favela concept is fascinating and is something that I am so happy I experienced.
Our bus dropped us off at the bottom of the Favela and then we were promised that although it was a walk up to our breakfast it would be well worth it… and let me just say they were not kidding! A delicious breakfast was waiting for us full of home made breads, cakes, fresh fruit, cheeses, jams, Brazilian juices glore! My favorite part, aside from the food, was that at the end I asked the 3 ladies who prepared our meal to take a picture with me. The ladies faces were beaming as we began to pose for a picture, it was then that I discovered regardless of a language barrier, a picture is a picture and a smile is a smile--- it was so evident how happy these ladies were to be posing in a picture and this was the perfect way to show them my gratitude for our wonderful breakfast.
After our hearty breakfast, it was time to continue on with our hike up to a wonderful view point. We saw some fellow SAS-ers on their way down from the hike and they all kept telling us we had a long way to go, but the view was well worth it… and let me just tell you, they were not kidding. When we finally made it to the top we were looking over the entire city of Rio… I feel a little spoiled to say that this wasn’t even my best view of the city as I quickly came to learn that Rio has tons of breathtaking viewpoints to capture all of Rio.
By the time the hike was over it was around 2:00 PM and we were all pooped… we headed to the hotel to check in and were free to do whatever we wanted with the evening. My friend Justine and I chose to adventure the city specifically in hopes of finding some bottles of water and a post office and then anything in between. As we began to explore, we realized that it would probably be easier to just ask the front desk of the hotel where a post office was located… as we walked into our hotel we were greeted by fellow SAS-ers who were purchasing tickets to the Flamingo vs. Bolivia soccer game. The tickets to the game included transportation to and from the game along with a guide… Honestly, the price was right, the opportunity was there, so Justine and I chose to act in the moment and go to the soccer game with no hesitation… best decision EVER!
Quick side note: forgot to mention the previous day I had talked with some people about potentially going to the game, but once I found out it was an hour away and the game was in high demand, I lost interest thinking it would logistically be too difficult to be able to go.
Well as I have always believed, everything truly happens for a reason… had Justine not needed to get her stamps for her letters, then we wouldn’t have gone back to the hotel for information and then we wouldn’t have run into the other SAS students and I wouldn’t have gone to the SOCCER MATCH! How cool is that?!
This leads us to Travel Lesson #4- don’t try to plan every inch of your trip in a foreign city… you have to allow for things to just fall into place, as these often are the best experiences.
Side note: for those of you who are Brazilian soccer fans, you probably know of the Flamingo team, but for those of you who are not, have no fear I will explain. This game would be like the Yankees playing the Red Sox in baseball in the US… as you can imagine this was a big time game.
Soccer games in Brazil (and I am assuming the rest of South America) start at 10:00 PM--- can you imagine if that was the case for football in the US? There is just no way Andy Klein could keep himself up that late, the 9:00 PM Monday night football games are pushing it…
Anyways, the plan was that the van would be at our hotel by 7:15 PM as there would be lots and lots of traffic to get to the game, so we wanted to be sure to allow plenty of time. The next question was what on earth we should wear to this game… I know, I know, so American/ girly of me, but I actually wanted to blend in as much as possible, so Justine and I thought to ask the man at the front desk. Good thing he did, he instructed us to be as casual as possible, noting that jean shorts and a white t-shirts would be perfect. He told us not to wear any jewelry and if we chose to bring a camera we would be fine, but just be sure to have a place to keep it such as a small purse. Finally, he explained that it was not so much that the game would be unsafe, but rather if Flamingo lost, the crowd could become a bit out of control, so that was the purpose of blending in with everyone. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous after hearing this pep talk from the receptionist, but I also knew that this was going to be a true culture immersion, thus I was ready for the games to begin!
Justine and I chose to eat dinner near our hotel, but per usual I was being indecisive and picky… how can you blame me? I was looking for just the right cuisine. We stumbled upon what I would refer to as a “hole in the wall”, a tiny restaurant that ended up being exactly the type of food and atmosphere we wanted. Ordering our food was a bit comical, but the pictures on the wall proved to be the perfect solution to our language barrier… Justine and I simply pointed to the chicken with rice & beans--- clearly I was happy. For those who hate how I always make minor adjustments to my order, you should be pleased to know that I don’t try any of those shenanigans in these countries, as they would get lost in translation. The meal was delicious--- the rice had pesto in it and it was so delicious… for my Sig Delts out there, get Ms. Ada to do this one night! It’s actually divine… Hahahah ;) The waiters at the restaurant loved us and as we were leaving they asked for our names to friend us on Facebook, dad now can you understand why I have millions of friends on Facebook?!
After dinner we went back to the hotel, rested for a little while, then got ready for the big game. The ride to the game ended up being quite the language emersion as there were 6 English speakers, 4 Spanish speakers, and 4 Portuguese speakers… it was hilarious because our guide had to repeat his speech in 3 different languages. It was a good thing we left so early as there was certainly mucho mucho mucho traffic! The best part about the car ride experience was that Justine had to pee so badly… alright I guess that is mean to say it was the best part, but it was hilarious. She kept asking the guide how much longer and I guess his English was his weakest language because he kept replying, “yes yes my American friends we will get to the game on time it doesn’t start until 10:00 PM.”
When we finally reached the stadium Justine and I sprinted inside to find that only VIP ticket holders could access the first floor bathrooms, thus we had to go all the way to the top. I of course imagined that we would go up one level and that we would be able to find a bathroom right there… but then again that would be far too easy. This stadium only had a bottom floor and a top floor and in order to access the top floor you had to walk all the way up this windy walk way… They have these types of walkways in the states, but generally they have levels in between so it’s not a big deal. At this point, Justine is about to pee in her pants so she actually takes off running up the spiral walkway as I am chasing after her… the 2 of us must have looked completely nuts because everyone started cheering for us to run faster, faster, faster. So much for keeping a low profile!!!
As we all know, Brazilians live for soccer. It is amazing to watch as these grown men and women will scream for their mighty Flamingos to get to the goal. The best part about soccer is that you can see how it unites the country of Brazil together…the smiles it brings and the passion it breeds really do shine through. I am happy to announce that the Flamingos pulled out a 2-0 victory! With this game I came to the realization that I am not a bad luck charm, as the team I want can win a game when I am in the audience… how can you blame me for thinking this way when my favorite teams are: Redskins and Nationals?!
In regards to feeling safe--- that honestly didn’t even cross my mind when I was at the game. I was however grateful for the hotel receptionist recommendation to come to the game in casual attire as it would have been extremely awkward to come all dressed up. Oh right, how could I forget another great part about the game? Justine and I managed to sweet talk our way into getting free Flamingo jerseys--- mine is not a legitimate one at all, but Justine’s on the other hand is actually a good one with a $150 value!
Finally, for your culture update… Brazil will be hosting the 2014 World Cup AND the 2016 Summer Olympic games (2 BIG deal events). That being said, this is Brazil’s time to shine and apparently this time they are ready. From readings, lectures, and US Brazilian Embassy members, we should all be confident that Brazil could come out of these events in a much better economic position.
Another side note: as we entered the Amazon we welcomed on 3 US Brazilian Embassy members in the middle of the Amazon River… how cool? They actually came out to us on a little boat and somehow we managed to get them on board! They lead a bunch of lectures so we were able to hear insight not only on their knowledge of Brazil, but also on the job of an Embassy member.
A las, my never ending day ended around 1:00 AM on Thursday February 2nd! Of course, like any good SASer, sleeping for more than 7 hours on the trip would be a crime, thus I was up and ready to go go go at 7:45 AM for another day in Rio.
Thursday February 2nd
We were up and ready to rock and roll for day 2 in Rio… today’s morning activities included a jeep ride to a water fall area that I have to say has little to actually blog about… I’ll just go over the highlights by providing a picture and a minor explanation
Here are the waterfalls that we got to see…
Thanks for continuing to read on throughout my Blog as you a las found the answer to my trivia question from my Dominica Blog… The one and ONLY Andrew Louis Klein correctly answered, “Brazil was named after the Brasil wood…” I have to admit he only gets partial credit for this response if you carefully read the question it was 2 parted… the 2nd portion asked for the 2 other countries that are also named in this fashion and that would be Argentina and the Ivory Coast.
After the jeep ride we were free to do whatever we wanted with the rest of the day… my friends and I chose to go chat it up with Jesus better known as Holy Redeemer and 1 of the 7 wonders of the world. To get to the statue one must purchase a ticket (gotta love tourist traps) and then take a short train ride up to the top--- yet another picturesque view of Rio, but this time you can see from every angle.
Once you reach the time, swallow all shame in being ultra tourist, whip out your camera and let the games begin… your mission: capture your subject and the statue while refraining from photographing other tourists in the background and also make sure your subjects eyes stay open as the sun sure is shinning bright--- it’s a near impossible game, that only those fit enough can survive. How do you think I did?
At this point, Leah and Hannah needed to have nap time while Justine, Maddie and I were still going strong. We decided to take a taxi back to the hotel so Leah and Hannah could sleep while the 3 of us went down to the Copacabana beach…We hung out around the beach for a while and funny enough ran into some other SASers who had traveled to Rio independently… in Dominica it was obvious that you would run into people, but come on what are the chances of doing that in Rio?!
At around 6:30 we decided to head back to the hotel and begin to freshen up for what we had all been waiting for… Rio’s night life. Would it be live up to all the hype? Only time would tell…
It was decided that we would all meet in the lobby around 9:00 PM to make our way to a restaurant for dinner. Mind you, night life in Rio doesn’t start “heating up” until 12:00- 1:00 AM so there was actually no rush to our evening. We ate at a nice Portuguese restaurant, although I think our request for a restaurant was lost in translation as the food on the menu appeared to be American/ Italian-esque… so who knows! Lucky for us they had a menu in English so that made the ordering go a lot smoother.
The night life in Rio is definitely all that it is cracked up to be… I had always thought that Athens, Georgia had an amazing night-life, but to the Bulldawg Nation let me be the first to tell “ya’all”, the Brazilians do it better!
Sadly, bright and early on Friday morning it was time to say my goodbyes to the amazing city of Rio de Janerio and head back to the ship… I had been told time and time again by Mara, the SDT house mom, who is from Brazil that once I went to Brazil I would fall in love with the country… she was of course correct as I have every intention of returning and staying even longer next time! Perhaps for the 2016 Olympic Games!?
I’ll leave you with one last hilarious story from my travels that will certainly leave you questioning whether I should be trusted to navigate Ghana on my own.
Fast forward to the plane ride: this is a direct flight from Rio to Manaus. I am the first of about 60 fellow SAS students, but because I once again wanted (and actually got) a row to myself, I ended up being a few rows in front of the bulk of the other SAS students.
As soon as we boarded the plane I fell fast asleep. Mid slumber I remember feeling the plane land and I recall thinking to myself… “Ooo wow, a direct flight is so much faster than a connecting flight…” I then fell back in and out of dream land. The next thing I knew people were getting off the plane so I quickly gathered my belongings and headed off the plane as well.
As I waited for the other SASers to come off the plane, I was so confused what was taking them so long. After about 5 minutes I decided I should probably get back on the plane to see what they were doing… When I got back on, I saw that everyone was still sitting in their seats--- at this point I was REALLY confused! I then walked over to my friend and asked, “why is everyone waiting around?” Her reply, “Caryn, we are in Brasilia! Didn’t you hear them announce it like 10 times if you are going to Manaus, stay on the plane?!” I kid you not I got off the darn plane and was standing there like an idiot!
The best part is that no one noticed so when I told them all about it they were hysterical… I am now known as “that girl who got off the plane in Brasila” ;) Cherrio.
Hopefully you once again enjoyed---Where in the WORLD is CK?! Sorry for the novel, I try to keep them short, but once I get into the groove, I don’t want to leave anything out.
Now for the preview for GHANA! I will be there from Monday February 13- Friday February 17th (yayay for a good 5 days of traveling). Jenna and I are planning on traveling independently on Monday and Tuesday in hopes of making it to Cape Coast (about 3 hours from Tema where we will be docked). Cape Coast is home to the slave dungeons in which we have been told if you go to Ghana you MUST see the dungeons. Additionally I have field trips that I have to do for my classes, but refuse to tell you more, so you better check back to my blog. It’s so hard to believe I will actually be stepping foot on the continent of Africa--- I have waited so long to be here, and in all honesty, it still hasn’t hit me!!!!
As for the trivia question: explain to me the meaning behind the various colors on the flag of Ghana.
Finally, my father also correctly answered the other half of the trivia question which was how many days will I be living in the year 2012… the correct answer is 367 DAYS! Booooo ya! I get to live 1 extra day then all you all… know why? I will live the day of April 20, 2012 twice as I will cross the international dateline, thus beating the day before it occurs in its last time zone, so we will live the day again! My explanations can sometimes be poor, so I hope you were all able to follow me with that one.
Ciao--- from the big blue sea.
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