Intro to Rio

From a window seal in Rio...

The stars are different in the southern hemisphere. I can't see the Big Dipper, Venus, or Beetlejuice. I haven't studied enough astronomy to know for sure if my location is to blame, if it's the time of night, or if all the lights and tall buildings are hindering my view, but I can smell the beach two blocks away. 

I am staying in a hotel between Copacabana and Ipanema, two of the world's most acclaimed beaches. Growing up as a total lake-rat, the smell of salt water and sand hit me as soon as we got here. There are 10 people in our program including Adriana, a doctorate professor in the Walton College who I believe has become mildly Americanized compared to the traditionally wild Brazilian locals we are getting to know.

My roommate is a girl named Carolina; Salvadorian by decent, she was raised in NWA but speaks Spanish fluently and some Portuguese. We have been conversing in Spanish and English 60%/40%, respectively- which is advisable if you don't want to stand out as Americans abroad. The dark hair is working! (I am a blonde naturally, but died it brownish-red yesterday to alleviate whatever extra attention being the only blonde in Rio would have attracted.) I actually haven't had much contact with the locals thus far, but apparently Carolina and I are American-magnets! We ran into two 3 American students today and a fellow traveler from Boston walking down the road. 

This is extremely out of the ordinary. 

I think it's beginner's luck. 

No one else I've seen/heard speaks English or Spanish.

It feels great (and sandy!) to be in Rio finally, although short lived for now...

Tomorrow morning we are taking a day trip to Sao Paolo to visit the Embraer manufacturing facilities there. The main focus of our program is to visit business facilities around Brazil for exposure to cultural practices and economic development. 

I will check in later this week with better stories about life in Rio. We only just arrived this morning, and aside from a mild medical emergency before take off and one of our program members getting locked in his room for 3 hours, it has been very chill:

Checked in

Exchanged currency

Ate lunch

Visited the beach 

(See Instagram @cjane_smile)

Ate dinner

Although, we are starting to doubt the availability of hot water in this hotel... 

so NOT a #firstworldproblem 

Be back in touch soon. 

(Instagram will be easiest to update, I believe.)

Thank you for visiting! 

Friends and family I love you and miss you! 

WISHING A HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BROTHER JOSHUA ~!~

-CJ