Back To Iturama

Today was the last day of my northeast trip. I´m now in Sao Paulo at an internet cafe, waiting for my bus to Iturama. The month spent with 52 other exchange has been incredible. Sorry about not updating the blog since the first week, didn´t really keep my promises there. Excuses; money, free time and good internet has been scarce. I´ve had my highs and lows on the trip. At times, experiencing both simultaneously. For instance, when I was body surfing in the ocean for the first time in Fortaleza while in the process losing my debit and credit cards. I have started a few posts throughout the trip and when I get back to Iturama, I´ll try finishing them up and posting them.

Northeast Trip

I am one week into likely the best month of my exchange. There were 16 exchange students who met in Belo Horizante last Tuesday. I was first there by a long shot. I arrived at 5:30am, and the next at 3:00pm. I spent the day wondering around the city, looking to buy an official Brazilian soccer jersey with either one of a few numbers I had in mind, using the much-appreciated Christmas money sent to me last week. After looking in about a dozen stores, I was empty-handed. Apparently, since the World Cup there’s been a drought in numbered jerseys. When everyone else was finally arriving at the hotel, a Brazil v Argentina game that I’d been looking forward to for over month was happening. Unfortunately, we got to watch them lose 1-0.  That night we went out for dinner then chilled with people in our room until curfew. The next morning, the 16 of us left the hotel at 6:00am and met 30 more exchange students on our tour bus. We then drove all day to Brasilia, had an orientation meeting then went to a bar for a forro dance lesson. Never did much dancing before coming to Brazil, I probably looked like rain man. The next day, we drove around Brasilia with a tour guide, visiting several churches and government buildings. The trip coordinators said this would be the most boring of the trip. It wasn’t too bad though, and it was good to hear the trip would only get better. The next day, we began driving to Chapada Diamentina, a massive natural park. The drive was about 16 hours long and we split it up into two days on the bus. Our first day in the park was a banger. We went ziplining, snorkeling and descended 800m into a cave. We will now drive further into Chapada Diamentina to climb a mountain, see some waterfalls and go down a natural waterslide while staying in the one five-star hotel of the trip. The internet's super slow for uploading photos right now, so here's my facebook album with pictures of the trip so far: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259365&id=533624758&l=ac2fd31eeb