I only have 5 weeks left in Brazil!!! How did that happen? The last two or three weeks have been hectic. I have been making every effort to try something new each day, mostly using suggestions from my handy Lonely Planet book (they should thank me for free advertising).
My weekends in Rio are quickly coming to an end. Tonight I will travel to Arraial do Cabo, one of the world's most beautiful beaches, for the weekend with some friends. A group of Brazilians are friends with my friend's friend, and they have offered to let several of us stay in their house for the weekend. Brazilian hospitality is quite strange. It is often the case that they will not do anything with you unless they perceive they will gain something from the interaction. Other times, they are extremely nice and generous.
Next weekend I am flying to Iguaçu, and the weekend after that I have tentative plans with some Brazilian friends to go to some unknown location and stay in somebody's house yet again. The World Cup will start shortly thereafter. I have two USC friends coming down for the first week of the Cup that I am excited to babysit. By the time they leave, I will have less than 10 days until I board the plane to head back to the U.S.
It is such a weird feeling to be able to clearly envision the rest of my experience here. I feel as though I spent the first 2 months full of wonder and mystery not knowing what memories I would carry home with me. Then I spent about 6 weeks living completely in the present. Today, it is as if I have been slapped in the face with the end.
Here's to making the most of the last 5 weeks!
Friday, May 23, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Intro to Brazilian Food
The Brazilian diet is even more disgusting than the American diet. I have consumed more sugar and fat here in Brazil than I have in the last 2 years combined. However, I am so incredibly active that the food does not seem to have an immediate negative effect on my body. I walk somewhere between 5 and 10 miles on the average day. In the States, I spend almost all of my time sitting on a box inside of a box looking at a box.
For breakfast, Brazilians typically eat just bread and butter with coffee. A special breakfast (what is typically given to tourists in hotels or hostels) would also include fruit, cheese, ham and possibly coffee cake.
Lunch is typically the biggest meal of the day here. Both lunch and dinner include rice and beans (ALWAYS), some type of meat (chicken, beef, pork or fish) and a vegetable or salad of some sort.
There are great restaurants here, but most are pricey. Nothing here is targeted towards middle class consumers, because a middle class hardly exists. In the states, it is pretty simple to fill up for 10-15 dollars. Here, you either eat at home or pay the equivalent of 20-30 dollars to eat out. Restaurants are always packed with tourists and a few elite Brazilians, but the majority of citizens do not consider eating out as part of their life.
One way to really get your money's worth is to go to a Rodizio restaurant, the famous all-you-can-eat Brazilian style restaurant where waiters bring around endless amounts of food to your table. The most common Rodizio style joints are churrasco (BBQ), sushi and pizza. Back during Carnaval, I went to a sushi rodizio with several German guys who are all bigger than me. The restaurant hated us.
For breakfast, Brazilians typically eat just bread and butter with coffee. A special breakfast (what is typically given to tourists in hotels or hostels) would also include fruit, cheese, ham and possibly coffee cake.
Lunch is typically the biggest meal of the day here. Both lunch and dinner include rice and beans (ALWAYS), some type of meat (chicken, beef, pork or fish) and a vegetable or salad of some sort.
There are great restaurants here, but most are pricey. Nothing here is targeted towards middle class consumers, because a middle class hardly exists. In the states, it is pretty simple to fill up for 10-15 dollars. Here, you either eat at home or pay the equivalent of 20-30 dollars to eat out. Restaurants are always packed with tourists and a few elite Brazilians, but the majority of citizens do not consider eating out as part of their life.
One way to really get your money's worth is to go to a Rodizio restaurant, the famous all-you-can-eat Brazilian style restaurant where waiters bring around endless amounts of food to your table. The most common Rodizio style joints are churrasco (BBQ), sushi and pizza. Back during Carnaval, I went to a sushi rodizio with several German guys who are all bigger than me. The restaurant hated us.
Friday, May 2, 2014
A Quick Lesson From Nature
Why, yes, I am listening to Colors of the Wind as I write this.
Some of the pictures from below come from inspiring places. In general, being abroad leaves a lot of time to do nothing but think (sometimes too much time). When I was in such places, I did a whole lot of thinking. I put my Emerson and Thoreau hat on from Junior year of high school. Here you have the best "Universal Truth" I came up with during the journey.
Chapada Diamantina is full of companies that offer treks through the mountains, waterfalls, etc. For one of the routes, we decided to bypass the tour guide and just see what we could find on our own. Our adventure was slightly dangerous, but you can't live in fear. We went for it, and we made it to the destination: yet another amazing waterfall.
The journey to this waterfall takes you up a small mountain, through a thick forest, and then rock-hopping against the current of a river. The guides know all the turns to make in the forest and which rocks are easiest to jump through. Obviously, we did not.
Take a deep breath. Brace yourself Here comes my profound life metaphor I learned from hopping through the rocks.
When jumping from rock to rock, it is very interesting how hesitation is your worst enemy. At first, I thought it would be best to calculate each move in a very precise manner. With some experience, I found out that speed and momentum were necessary to pull off a lot of the jumps with ease. The few times I fell or scratched myself were the times I spent longest trying to determine my next move.
Alright, Mr. Emerson. My analysis of my experience on the rocks is as follows. Really, it is nothing more than a cliché we hear everyday. Essentially, I learned the importance of following my instincts. Sometimes, perhaps in life's most important decisions, we must feel instead of think. I have a tendency to over-rationalize everything I do. How valuable it will be to have a personal and natural memory that reminds me of the ever-important balance between thoughts and feelings that I so often forget.
Some of the pictures from below come from inspiring places. In general, being abroad leaves a lot of time to do nothing but think (sometimes too much time). When I was in such places, I did a whole lot of thinking. I put my Emerson and Thoreau hat on from Junior year of high school. Here you have the best "Universal Truth" I came up with during the journey.
Chapada Diamantina is full of companies that offer treks through the mountains, waterfalls, etc. For one of the routes, we decided to bypass the tour guide and just see what we could find on our own. Our adventure was slightly dangerous, but you can't live in fear. We went for it, and we made it to the destination: yet another amazing waterfall.
The journey to this waterfall takes you up a small mountain, through a thick forest, and then rock-hopping against the current of a river. The guides know all the turns to make in the forest and which rocks are easiest to jump through. Obviously, we did not.
Take a deep breath. Brace yourself Here comes my profound life metaphor I learned from hopping through the rocks.
When jumping from rock to rock, it is very interesting how hesitation is your worst enemy. At first, I thought it would be best to calculate each move in a very precise manner. With some experience, I found out that speed and momentum were necessary to pull off a lot of the jumps with ease. The few times I fell or scratched myself were the times I spent longest trying to determine my next move.
Alright, Mr. Emerson. My analysis of my experience on the rocks is as follows. Really, it is nothing more than a cliché we hear everyday. Essentially, I learned the importance of following my instincts. Sometimes, perhaps in life's most important decisions, we must feel instead of think. I have a tendency to over-rationalize everything I do. How valuable it will be to have a personal and natural memory that reminds me of the ever-important balance between thoughts and feelings that I so often forget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)