The Pantanal, AIESEC Conference & Family

When it was Easter, I got some presents from my students. Here in Brazil, they give out chocolate eggs for Easter. One teacher said that he’s been here for four years and he didn’t get any presents. I told him he is just not popular. 

On the weekend, I went to Campo Grande, a city in the West. It took me 22 hours, a personal record. The trip was supposed to be only about 17 hours, but I missed my bus because I didn’t know from which stations it was going to leave. Then there were delays because it was Easter. I wasted the day on the way, so I had to miss a day at work and stay there. It’s because I wanted to go to the Pantanal. There are only packages with a minimum of two days. The packages included ‘B, L & D,’ which means breakfast, lunch & dinner (or, as the guide first said, beer, ladies and drugs). So I walked around for a little and saw an Easter rock concert for Jesus celebrating his passage. The next day, I had a few hours before going to the Pantanal, so I walked around the city. Nothing special.

It took five hours to get to the jeep safari’s starting point. The highlight was a bunch of Caimans (a type of crocodile) chilling on the shore. Then we had dinner and at night we went to see Caimans’ eyes. The next day we went fishing. I caught my first fish ever, and then three more. I had one for lunch, although Piranhas don’t have a lot of meat. Then we went on a boat tour. I saw many animals, but the best part was when the guide caught a Caiman. I was also bitten a thousand times by mosquitoes. By the end of the trip, it looked like I had a disease. That was pretty much the end of the adventures. I had to wake up at 4:45 a.m. the next day to make it to the bus in time. I spent the whole day and night on the road. I took a boat, truck, bus, metro, and walked to get home. It took 26 hours, a new record. However, when I got home I got ready and went straight to work, so in total it was 28.5 hours. I could have crossed all of Western Europe in that time. One does not simply get around in Brazil. Big country is big. 

The next weekend, I went to an AIESEC conference. This marks the first time I meet many Brazilians my age. I have been here for two and a half months, yet I only had one friend: my housemate. This was because I travelled every weekend. Although I did make friends when I travelled, it’s very unlikely that I will see them again, as they are from other continents. At the conference, I met many awesome people, and most of them spoke English well. I felt like a celebrity, especially after a session where I was asked to talk about my country. AIESEC in USP is quite similar to what it’s like in Canada. This conference served as an introduction (more like indoctrination with Tunak Tunak) for all the new members, so it wasn’t very big. Nevertheless, it was still a lot of fun, and I got to rest a lot.

The next weekend I went to see some of my family in another city. I met someone who plays the piano very well. She also makes these plays with classical music themes for kids. It was very interesting. Then we went to a birthday party. Later on, we went to one of their houses and played the piano and guitar and sang altogether. The next day we went for lunch, and then I came back to São Paulo.

Meanwhile at school, we had an Arabian day. There was Lebanese food, including Kibe, Hummos, Esfiha, Falafel and Tabouleh, and Arabian decoration. It was cool. Today, we went on a school trip. We saw a park and a museum. I was saving time, money and there were guides as well. It was great.

I will leave you with this great video of São Paulo: http://vimeo.com/33825865

...and some information about the Pantanal:

The Pantanal is a tropical wetland. It is one of the world's largest wetlands of any kind. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological, and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined. The Pantanal ecosystem is home to 3500 known plant species, 1000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species, 480 reptile species and over 9,000 different subspecies of invertebrates.

Brasilia

I went to Brasilia, the nation’s capital. I had an amazing time. I got a 50% discount on my flight because of where I work. I thought a flight would be quite fast, but it took me seven hours to get from home to the hostel. The next day, I met a fellow Paulistano and we went sightseeing. She was also an English teacher, so she spoke English very well. We saw a TV tower which looked like a slim Eiffel Tower. It had the best view of Brasilia and the Monumental Axis. Later on, around sunset, we went on a boat tour. The weather was great and there was live music. We were also picked up and dropped off. I then hung out with some people from the hostel. The next day, I did some more sightseeing with tours of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Congress

The city is very well-designed. It’s also an UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built in four years – from 1956-1960. However, it’s not very practical, and pedestrians are somewhat unwelcome. There are many places with no sidewalk, and traffic lights on the axis take the day off on Sunday. I was able to see everything I wanted before it started raining. I got back to the hostel early, but there were quite a few people and we hung out. One girl also made pasta. It was a lot of fun, and that is why I stay in hostels as opposed to hotels.

The next day, there was not much to do, so I just went walking around with a friend. I flew back to Guarulhos airport, which, incidentally, is where I landed on my first day in Brazil. It was exactly two months ago, so it felt like I came full circle

In the past two months, I have seen many cities, learned the language, tried most of the local food, and got to know the cultura Brasileiro. It has been amazing, and I have to say that I love Brazil. I just can’t wait for the next four months, and for all the adventures they have in store for me.

What I Think of Brazil

This is an article which I wrote for the Faculty of Economics newspaper at USP (University of São Paulo). I thought you might like it.

Why I love Brazil

I have been in Brazil for two months. In that time, I have visited many cities, learnt the language, tried most of the local food and got to know the ‘cultura Brasileira.’ It has been amazing, and I have to say that I love Brazil. I am surprised and delighted by how many amazing places there are to visit in Brazil. I now have a giant Brazilian flag hanging in my room. I simply had to write about it.

Brazil has this overall fun-in-the-air feeling. Maybe it’s the sun, or the smiles, or the music, or the food. Speaking of food, where do I begin? Brazil has many restaurants where you pay by the kilo and serve yourself buffet-style from heaping piles of fresh cooking. There are the delicious Churrascarias. There are also many tropical fruits and berries (and their fresh juices), from pineapple to acai. Another reason is the value for money. Food, telecommunications, local transportation, rent, and alcohol, among other things, are all relatively cheap.

Brazil is abundant in beauty. I mean that in several ways. I have heard of Brazil winning awards for “Most Beautiful Beaches” or “Most Beautiful Scenery,” or even “Most Beautiful People.” But you really have to admit: Brazil is gorgeous, no matter what type of beauty floats your boat. The Amazon, Pantanal, the Atlantic forests, the Northeast beaches, Cerrado, Foz do Iguacu, and Rio are just some of the gorgeous natural places in Brazil. It is definitely one of the most diverse set of ecosystems on earth. Let's not forget the architectural beauty of Brazil’s colonial and planned cities, most importantly Ouro Preto and Brasilia.

The locals are very friendly and outgoing. On all of my trips so far, I was never lonely, making new friends every time. The population is also very diverse. It actually includes the largest African population outside of Nigeria, the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, and more Lebanese people than anywhere else, including Lebanon! There are also many German and Italian communities in the South. This diversity is reflected in the Brazilian culture itself.

Brazil is the 5th largest country, has the world’s 5th largest population, 6th largest economy and a land mass larger than the continental U.S. It is, for lack of a better word, epic. It’s worth it to pay attention to Brazil, because it’s important. And it’s fun!