Just like Marlene and Joao promised, this city was AWESOME. It was even more fun and interesting I think because of the two girls I went with, one was Sarah- a girl I met through Brazilhostel that is just really fun and cool- she would take us out to the clubs and to party in Lapa all the time. She is studying in Rio, from Mexico, but had lived in France the last 3 years. Naturally we became friends. The other girl was her roommate Louise, a carioca (actually from the city across the bay Niteroi) but she always identified herself with Rio, also going to school there. Louise was just as much fun as Sarah, and kind of our life saver since both of us are foreigners. She was strong, and straight forward but a total goof once in a while and I loved her for that. We spoke Portuguese the entire time, and it was great. She taught us slang and corrected us, which was awesome. We would constantly be attracting attention from waiters, for some reason- especially this one guy on the beach we were convinced was high. He almost didnt give us the bill saying that he would miss us if we left.
The first day there, we took a scooner boat and saw a few different beaches, lagoa azul, and other points of interest. The water was calm and clear, perfect. We ate fresh fish on the boat which was delish- and took a bizilion pictures. There was this really cute baby on the boat, it was the son of a french couple that Sarah made friends with. We took a boat to Trinidade, a neighboring city with better beaches. It was smaller, everything one story, artisan work all over, hippie vibes but the beaches were cool. We had pizza and beer for dinner at a placed called crazies, and REALLY crazies, it was cute, sort of italian-like, wooden everything checkered table clothes everything in the open air, a wooden structure and awning roof. We chatted and laughed it up. We ate and drank a LOT and only paid the equivalent of 5 dollars per person, including tip. Did I mention I love Brazil?
I made the unfortunate mistake of conversing with a HIGHLY drunk older Brazilian man (40) who offered me his seat on the bus back. The girls had to rescue me from him. He was with his dad, who was really cool and interesting, giving me good tips about Parati and Trinidade, he told us about the natural pool that we should go see. Only, his son was annoying, and there were a few times I had to pull away because he was getting so close to my face. Louise was pissed, it was funny and weird and just, unfortunate. Had I noticed that he was not wearing pants (just a whitey tightey bathing suite) I would have not accepted the seat.
That night we explored Parati the historical part of the city, which is all two to three story whitewashed colonial buildings that comes alive at night, with bars and restaurants and stores opening. During the day its strangely quiet. It was the kind of place that made me want to sit at a table outside and drink wine and talk "smart talk" as isabela called it. The lighting at night was amazing: flickering candles and soft street lamps highlighted the wood frames painted in bright accent colors against the otherwise white buildings with dark terracotta roofs. It produced a certain charm, romantic and sophisticated, serene and nostalgic colonial vibes, I loved it.
The next day we went back to see a natural pool in Trinidade. We had to cross through a trail through the forest and over two beaches to get to it. It was an area enclosed by rocks the size of Volkswagens- very cool, slightly disappointing. There were a LOT of people, and the water was pretty cold, not as clear as some of the other beaches. The room we slept in was only accessible by a ladder in the room of our downstairs roommates. It was bizarre, but kitsch and fun- it was just one night. Louise had trouble sleeping because of a traumatic experience involving a cockroach coming into our room. We made her kill it, she was the bravest. It was a great trip, Parati is a must-see place- the patrimonio (fatherhood) of Brazil.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Rua Ouvidor
This post is written in retrospect, but it was one of the coolest things I literally stumbled across while I was there, definitely worth writing about.
One Saturday, I got up, had breakfast with the Argentinian girls who worked at the hostel and then planned on hitting up the museums. I'm not usually that interested in them, or anything that would give me away as a tourist. It was a point of pride when people would mistake me for Brazilian, happened almost every day. Anyways, the museums were all located in a place on the map that had a high concentration of "points of interest" so I figured I would give it a shot. I left around noon and walked; it took about half an hour. The closer I got the more historical, colonial style buildings I would find, and the narrower the streets got. I have this thing about really tall narrow streets, the negative left-over space between two buildings, between two blocks. They are one of my favorite spaces to be in. On one of these roads, Rua Ouvidor, I found the coolest most alive place to be that afternoon.
So. Imagine that tall narrow space, the old, charming colonial buildings with their shallow balconies protruding into the street space stories above your head... The cobblestoned road with no car access...add a string of restaurants, sleek awnings stretching past the sidewalk, a mess of occupied tables and chairs tangled in the middle of the road, on the sidewalk, people having lunch and drinking beer- singing- dancing with the pick-up samba band set up in the center, speakers and all. AMAZING.
The band was young, and it seemed like anyone could just walk up to the table grab an instrument and start playing. All their equipment was set up outside, people were crowded around them, singing along, dancing, drinking- having a good time. There were some women holding their kids, singing and dancing, it was so cute. Music is such a part of their lives here, it's made me appreciate it more. The band was in a circle around two tables, on which were a bunch of samba instruments, a tamborine like thing, a pan with a drumstick, a wooden ridged shell thing you scratch with another piece of wood... all kinds of stuff. The two main guys leading the show were playing a guitar and a banjo. There was this drum like thing they play that makes a high pitched "oi" sound I always thought was just someone's voice. It was so fun, and so cool to see everyone and their mom singing these samba songs I spent the whole day there. I met some girls from England and we had a beer together, dancing along to the music and laughing at our mispronounced lyrics.
Rua Ouvidor ended on a street that happened to be having a fair that day. More restaurants, artisan work and live music. I bought a leather bracelet I'm obsessed with, and watched amazingly acrobatic street performers, I have a video of this one guy that is unreal. There was a photographer with a table selling his work, which was all VERY good, I took down his email- you can get his stuff online too. By the time I realized what time it was it was starting to get dark. I had an hour to get back and get ready before I met friends to go to a samba club. I spent the whole day there... loved every second. Days like that were the best. Its both a little scary and exhilaratingly wonderful to be on your own in a foreign city... I love it. It's like my favorite adrenaline rush... that and heights. Maybe that's why Rio was so perfect for me. It has both.
One Saturday, I got up, had breakfast with the Argentinian girls who worked at the hostel and then planned on hitting up the museums. I'm not usually that interested in them, or anything that would give me away as a tourist. It was a point of pride when people would mistake me for Brazilian, happened almost every day. Anyways, the museums were all located in a place on the map that had a high concentration of "points of interest" so I figured I would give it a shot. I left around noon and walked; it took about half an hour. The closer I got the more historical, colonial style buildings I would find, and the narrower the streets got. I have this thing about really tall narrow streets, the negative left-over space between two buildings, between two blocks. They are one of my favorite spaces to be in. On one of these roads, Rua Ouvidor, I found the coolest most alive place to be that afternoon.
So. Imagine that tall narrow space, the old, charming colonial buildings with their shallow balconies protruding into the street space stories above your head... The cobblestoned road with no car access...add a string of restaurants, sleek awnings stretching past the sidewalk, a mess of occupied tables and chairs tangled in the middle of the road, on the sidewalk, people having lunch and drinking beer- singing- dancing with the pick-up samba band set up in the center, speakers and all. AMAZING.
The band was young, and it seemed like anyone could just walk up to the table grab an instrument and start playing. All their equipment was set up outside, people were crowded around them, singing along, dancing, drinking- having a good time. There were some women holding their kids, singing and dancing, it was so cute. Music is such a part of their lives here, it's made me appreciate it more. The band was in a circle around two tables, on which were a bunch of samba instruments, a tamborine like thing, a pan with a drumstick, a wooden ridged shell thing you scratch with another piece of wood... all kinds of stuff. The two main guys leading the show were playing a guitar and a banjo. There was this drum like thing they play that makes a high pitched "oi" sound I always thought was just someone's voice. It was so fun, and so cool to see everyone and their mom singing these samba songs I spent the whole day there. I met some girls from England and we had a beer together, dancing along to the music and laughing at our mispronounced lyrics.
Rua Ouvidor ended on a street that happened to be having a fair that day. More restaurants, artisan work and live music. I bought a leather bracelet I'm obsessed with, and watched amazingly acrobatic street performers, I have a video of this one guy that is unreal. There was a photographer with a table selling his work, which was all VERY good, I took down his email- you can get his stuff online too. By the time I realized what time it was it was starting to get dark. I had an hour to get back and get ready before I met friends to go to a samba club. I spent the whole day there... loved every second. Days like that were the best. Its both a little scary and exhilaratingly wonderful to be on your own in a foreign city... I love it. It's like my favorite adrenaline rush... that and heights. Maybe that's why Rio was so perfect for me. It has both.
Saudade
9 hours left in Brazil. It seems surreal- I can't tell if its that fact, or the strong coffee I had this morning that is making my stomach flip. Suddenly I want a lot of things. I want to be close to my family and friends from home, but live in Rio, maybe not indefinitely, but I feel like our time together is being cut off. I want to speak Portuguese and do my architecting here. I want to keep the friends I have made here as close as they are to me now. I want there to be seasons in Brazil, especially fall- and for the mosquitoes to leave me alone. I want to remember everything, forget nothing that has happened over the last 3 months, because most of it was great, and what wasn't just made the great parts even better.
This has been the best experience of my life. I totally fell in love with Brazil, with Portuguese, with the people I have met. Though I miss home, nothing like this would have happened in Michigan. Never would I meet a family on a tour and become like a family member to them during the course of a day. I wouldn't have learned how important for an architect to always think of themselves as a designer first, or how valued it is as a profession here. Granted, there would probably be less tears in Michigan- but I am even grateful for those, because they remind me of how much I really LIVED these three months in Brazil. Saudade, that sickly achy feeling you get- nostalgic and sentimental when you truly miss something- I don't know how to escape it. If I am not missing my family and friends from the states, I will be missing my family and friends from Brazil. I can't stop thinking how lucky and fortunate I am for getting here. I've experienced, seen, heard, felt things and been places that people dream of their whole lives. And I made it happen. Just me. Even though it feels like the end, it can't be, I will find my way back. But first, I do really want to be back in the states for a while. I have a whole new appreciation for the great things I have going there. An awesome family, not without flaws but at least we really love each other. GREAT friends who I can't wait to see. A job in a city I like, with people that I loved working with, a roof over my head and (hopefully) my favorite soup when I get back (are you reading this fifcia? don't forget smietanka- love you lots). The only thing I am not looking forward to is paying off my student loans and taxes... haha adds more fuel to the argument for staying put in Brazil.
Sao Paulo is HUGE. I am usually a fan of big cities, I love new york... but this is like, 10 new yorks. I don't even have the patience to really get to know the city. Kevin took me to sushi last night, and it took us like an hour to find a place that was open (most places take mondays off), but it was really good and creative sushi (one was salmon with grilled strawberries and creamcheese- yum) and the other was the best eel roll I ever had. But even Kevin doesn't love Sao Paulo, and he's been working here for years. The traffic, pollution... There are a lot of nice places, its just you have to know where they are and the back roads to get there faster, before you lose your mind in hours of traffic. They even have special restrictions for people, depending on their license plate, they can't drive in the city on certain days, usually its one day during the week after a certain hour. People find ways around it though, like buying a junky car with another license plate- which only worsens the situation...
Rio was it for me, it would take a lot of convincing and touring with Paulistas that love their city to make me love Sao Paulo as much as I do Rio. The metro system... has like 12 different lines, and more in the works- and they branch out like a spider... I had no idea where I was going when I went out the other day. Good thing I am relatively street smart (ams, mar, shan stop laughing that wasn't sarcastic lol... maybe a little). AND, the metro, the parts I was on it was all above ground like a regular train, and to board and deboard, you would have to cross a two and a half foot gap between the platform and the train car that was about 8 feet deep. I wonder how many injuries they get- it can't be safe. Then again, neither was the tram to Santa Theresa in Rio, where people would be holding on to the bars outside of the tram car. There were no "keep you hands and feet inside the car at all times" signs on this thing, and people would hop on and off freely even while it was moving. Insane. The only downside of Rio, and I guess maybe any big city is litter. It would drive me CRAZY to see people leaving their trash on the beach. No one got as riled up about littering as Joao from Londrina, I admired him for his naturalist attitude- AND for how mad he got when he saw people litter, I learned all kinds of good swear words in Portuguese. He'd always say, "I am just doing my part to be part of nature". Mind you, he was far from any stereotype of a treehugging hippie- he just wanted a cleaner earth. Me too. So anyone who is reading this who has ever thrown things out their car window, or left their trash on the beach or littered at all, think again before you do it again. Joao will find you, and he's a force to be reckoned with.
Speaking of environmental things, the people I meet per chance, like the lady that sat to me on the bus back to Sao Paulo and a really cool taxi driver in Rio always ask me about Obama when they find out I am American. I really hope this administration can start to turn things around. They already have the world's favor- many Brazilians were just as emotional as I was when he won, listening to his speech, his renewed sense of the American dream and hopes for our future. They think that kind of collective spirit is missing in Brazil, but looking from the outside in, everything seems better than it is. There is corruption in our government too, its not just Brazil. But the fact that they are so interested I think its really cool.
Back to packing... its raining in Sao Paulo, Brazil must be sad to see me go.
This has been the best experience of my life. I totally fell in love with Brazil, with Portuguese, with the people I have met. Though I miss home, nothing like this would have happened in Michigan. Never would I meet a family on a tour and become like a family member to them during the course of a day. I wouldn't have learned how important for an architect to always think of themselves as a designer first, or how valued it is as a profession here. Granted, there would probably be less tears in Michigan- but I am even grateful for those, because they remind me of how much I really LIVED these three months in Brazil. Saudade, that sickly achy feeling you get- nostalgic and sentimental when you truly miss something- I don't know how to escape it. If I am not missing my family and friends from the states, I will be missing my family and friends from Brazil. I can't stop thinking how lucky and fortunate I am for getting here. I've experienced, seen, heard, felt things and been places that people dream of their whole lives. And I made it happen. Just me. Even though it feels like the end, it can't be, I will find my way back. But first, I do really want to be back in the states for a while. I have a whole new appreciation for the great things I have going there. An awesome family, not without flaws but at least we really love each other. GREAT friends who I can't wait to see. A job in a city I like, with people that I loved working with, a roof over my head and (hopefully) my favorite soup when I get back (are you reading this fifcia? don't forget smietanka- love you lots). The only thing I am not looking forward to is paying off my student loans and taxes... haha adds more fuel to the argument for staying put in Brazil.
Sao Paulo is HUGE. I am usually a fan of big cities, I love new york... but this is like, 10 new yorks. I don't even have the patience to really get to know the city. Kevin took me to sushi last night, and it took us like an hour to find a place that was open (most places take mondays off), but it was really good and creative sushi (one was salmon with grilled strawberries and creamcheese- yum) and the other was the best eel roll I ever had. But even Kevin doesn't love Sao Paulo, and he's been working here for years. The traffic, pollution... There are a lot of nice places, its just you have to know where they are and the back roads to get there faster, before you lose your mind in hours of traffic. They even have special restrictions for people, depending on their license plate, they can't drive in the city on certain days, usually its one day during the week after a certain hour. People find ways around it though, like buying a junky car with another license plate- which only worsens the situation...
Rio was it for me, it would take a lot of convincing and touring with Paulistas that love their city to make me love Sao Paulo as much as I do Rio. The metro system... has like 12 different lines, and more in the works- and they branch out like a spider... I had no idea where I was going when I went out the other day. Good thing I am relatively street smart (ams, mar, shan stop laughing that wasn't sarcastic lol... maybe a little). AND, the metro, the parts I was on it was all above ground like a regular train, and to board and deboard, you would have to cross a two and a half foot gap between the platform and the train car that was about 8 feet deep. I wonder how many injuries they get- it can't be safe. Then again, neither was the tram to Santa Theresa in Rio, where people would be holding on to the bars outside of the tram car. There were no "keep you hands and feet inside the car at all times" signs on this thing, and people would hop on and off freely even while it was moving. Insane. The only downside of Rio, and I guess maybe any big city is litter. It would drive me CRAZY to see people leaving their trash on the beach. No one got as riled up about littering as Joao from Londrina, I admired him for his naturalist attitude- AND for how mad he got when he saw people litter, I learned all kinds of good swear words in Portuguese. He'd always say, "I am just doing my part to be part of nature". Mind you, he was far from any stereotype of a treehugging hippie- he just wanted a cleaner earth. Me too. So anyone who is reading this who has ever thrown things out their car window, or left their trash on the beach or littered at all, think again before you do it again. Joao will find you, and he's a force to be reckoned with.
Speaking of environmental things, the people I meet per chance, like the lady that sat to me on the bus back to Sao Paulo and a really cool taxi driver in Rio always ask me about Obama when they find out I am American. I really hope this administration can start to turn things around. They already have the world's favor- many Brazilians were just as emotional as I was when he won, listening to his speech, his renewed sense of the American dream and hopes for our future. They think that kind of collective spirit is missing in Brazil, but looking from the outside in, everything seems better than it is. There is corruption in our government too, its not just Brazil. But the fact that they are so interested I think its really cool.
Back to packing... its raining in Sao Paulo, Brazil must be sad to see me go.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Reveillon 2009
- I spent New Years Eve on Copacabana beach with over 2 million people.
- I ate grilled chicken hearts.
I'm not sure which one is more astounding, but the chicken was actually really good. Copacabana was amazing. I wish there were better words to describe, but it really was like a dream, the best most fantastic kind. There were stages set up, famous Brazilian bands playing pagoda music with Samba beats. Everyone knew all the words to the songs... I was jealous but then I caught on and sang along too. We took a gazilion pictures in front of the Copacabana Palace, the richest, most expensive, and best lit hotel on the shore. Somehow we managed to sneak 5 bottles of champagne onto the metro. By "we" I'm referring to the 4 awesome Brazilians that I met a few night before, and ended up spending Reveillon with. I met Jefe at a club in Lapa one of the first nights in Rio, and from there he introduced me to his roommates, and a friend who was visiting. I'm not a strong proponent of meeting people at clubs, however I just had a good feeling about him and went with it, and it turned out he was really really great. I feel so lucky to have him and his friends, because there is no way I would have the impression of Rio that I do now. The real Rio, not just the touristy pre-packaged Rio that the whole world thinks of. Example: They know this juice lady, who makes the best blended juices maybe in all of Rio. She has an outdoor stand in a flea market section of Rio that I would have never thought or known to stop at, as its exterior is modest to say the least. She was great though, joking with us as she went to town, juicing, straining, flipping cups with efficient yet artistic skill.
I love Rio. It could be the people I have met, or the amazing beach that makes me smile everytime I look at the 5 foot crashing waves and the laughing kids popping back up after the wave passes- or the hostel with its wonderfully quirky and assorted personalities. Its definitely not the mosquitos, which love me here. Or the heat that makes it hard to fall asleep. I think it is a combination of all these things- but all I can think is how lucky I am. Some people save their whole lives for a chance to come here- and I did. I have seen Rio, lived Rio, breathed and swam in Rio, and even, yes- fell in love, or at least something like it.
I also met this amazing family during a tour I did of Rio. I held my pride and spent one day as a complete tourist, even though I hated the idea of it. It was good though, we saw the - Sambodromo, where Carnaval is held- designed by none other than the great Oscar Niemeyer. Then Maracana stadium, one of the largest football stadiums in the country- if not the largest. Kaka, is now taken the place of Ronaldo as the hottest footballer in my book. We went to Pao de Azucar, Sugarloaf, a huge group of rock formations that identify the Rio skyline. It is a contender for one of the seven new wonders of the world. And then, of course, we saw the statue of Christ the Redemptor, which was really cool. It was so high up we were in the clouds, made it feel more heaven-like, more spiritual and mystical- very beautiful. This family, was the coolest. The mother and I started talking right away, and she was super interested in the states, in how I was liking Brazil, etc. Her ten year old daughter Luana and I were best friends, attached at the hip by the end of the day- she was such a sweetie. They are from Sao Paulo, and found me on orkut, so hopefully I will get to meet them when I go back there before my flight back.
I think I could stay here. Sometimes I really do see myself working abroad for longer than just this internship, which was great. Rio is beautiful, and its starting to feel normal. I know that I will miss it, but I also know that I need to go back. I miss my friends and family, and I know I'm being a baby but, I can't help it. It's the truth. I would have had to leave knowing I was going to stay to be able to do it. Plus, any time I think of staying, it seems so far and surreal, like I'd be a different person if I did. I'd have to float between two worlds, because I wouldn't be able to give up my family and friends in the states. Maybe one day, when I'm rich I'll have an apartment in Rio, and then I'll take my friends and family there.
Rio de Janeiro, I will come back to you. Promise.
I love Rio. It could be the people I have met, or the amazing beach that makes me smile everytime I look at the 5 foot crashing waves and the laughing kids popping back up after the wave passes- or the hostel with its wonderfully quirky and assorted personalities. Its definitely not the mosquitos, which love me here. Or the heat that makes it hard to fall asleep. I think it is a combination of all these things- but all I can think is how lucky I am. Some people save their whole lives for a chance to come here- and I did. I have seen Rio, lived Rio, breathed and swam in Rio, and even, yes- fell in love, or at least something like it.
I also met this amazing family during a tour I did of Rio. I held my pride and spent one day as a complete tourist, even though I hated the idea of it. It was good though, we saw the - Sambodromo, where Carnaval is held- designed by none other than the great Oscar Niemeyer. Then Maracana stadium, one of the largest football stadiums in the country- if not the largest. Kaka, is now taken the place of Ronaldo as the hottest footballer in my book. We went to Pao de Azucar, Sugarloaf, a huge group of rock formations that identify the Rio skyline. It is a contender for one of the seven new wonders of the world. And then, of course, we saw the statue of Christ the Redemptor, which was really cool. It was so high up we were in the clouds, made it feel more heaven-like, more spiritual and mystical- very beautiful. This family, was the coolest. The mother and I started talking right away, and she was super interested in the states, in how I was liking Brazil, etc. Her ten year old daughter Luana and I were best friends, attached at the hip by the end of the day- she was such a sweetie. They are from Sao Paulo, and found me on orkut, so hopefully I will get to meet them when I go back there before my flight back.
I think I could stay here. Sometimes I really do see myself working abroad for longer than just this internship, which was great. Rio is beautiful, and its starting to feel normal. I know that I will miss it, but I also know that I need to go back. I miss my friends and family, and I know I'm being a baby but, I can't help it. It's the truth. I would have had to leave knowing I was going to stay to be able to do it. Plus, any time I think of staying, it seems so far and surreal, like I'd be a different person if I did. I'd have to float between two worlds, because I wouldn't be able to give up my family and friends in the states. Maybe one day, when I'm rich I'll have an apartment in Rio, and then I'll take my friends and family there.
Rio de Janeiro, I will come back to you. Promise.
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