Now we're in Floripa!

Hi blog,

Its been a few days since I last wrote – my parents asked if the blog was on a writer’s strike. I want to assure my loyal blog readers that there is no strike – it’s just been a busy busy few days!

The week in Maringa was school intensive. We usually left the hotel by 8:15 and returned around 7. We usually spent the mornings in lectures and the afternoons on tours. Our classes were with both American and Brazillian students so we got to know some of the kids in Maringa!
Lauren and I on the touring bus


On Friday we had lectures in the morning and a student discussion forum in the afternoon and evening. It took forever because, as we learned, Brazilian students tend to be verbose in their explanations of things. When the forum finally ended we were all ready for a little fun. We met up at this amazing restaurant that served, almost exclusively, meat on sticks! We got filet mignon on little sticks (kind of like shish kabobs), and cheese and garlic stuffed bread on sticks, and of course several rounds of caprinihas with cachaCa. It was a really fun night cause we got to hang out with our new Brazillian friends! Good times.
Us with our Brazillian friends, and meat on sticks



Saturday morning we woke up, packed, and checked out of the hotel. Then some professors from the UEM (the university in Maringa) picked us up from the hotel and brought us to the Maringa country club where they threw a huge party for us. The food was unbelievable. Endless chicken, pork, beef, sausage from the churrascaria style barbeque, more garlic cheese bread, amazing salads filled with mango, sun dried tomato, goat cheese, veggies, etc; yuka, and different kinds of brazillian foods. They also served us this pure coconut and rum drink, traditional capirinhas, and a delicious pineapple capriniha. We basically ate and drank all day – it was a never ending feast. It was fun to socialize with the professors and students we had studied with all week. The country club had all kinds of amenities like soccer fields, tennis courts, bocce ball, a huge playground, swimming pools. People were using all of them and we played on the playground all day. It was a really nice way to end the week.
The food


Me with my friend Marcello

Playing on the playground


Around 8 oclock the professors took us back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and then brought us to the bus station. Our bus boarded and left at 9 pm. I was pretty miserable the entire 12 hours we were on the bus. For one, the bus smelled horrible – but the really bad part was that the bus extremely wobbly. For twelve hours I felt like I was on a little boat in a big storm! I tried to read and breathe to calm my nausea and stomach but it didn’t really help and I finally gave in and took some Dramamine. It kicked in pretty quick and I was out like a light. Unfortunately the effects only lasted for a few hours, and the rest of the night I was in and out of sleep. I finally woke up in Florianopolis with a stiff neck and a sore throat.

When our bus arrived in the city we got off and transferred to a smaller chartered bus for our group. As we drove in to the city I was astonished by the beauty and tried to compare it to other places I’ve been. My friend in Maringa, Marcello, told me that Florianopolis might be similar to Miami. Its tropical and there are lots of palm trees, water, boats, etc – but there are these beautiful mountains and hillsides with houses built on them. I think I would compare Florianopolis to a city in California.
We went to breakfast down the street shortly after we arrived. I had a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant – normally this would be my ideal breakfast but I was exhausted, cranky, and felt slightly sick – so I just wanted to get into bed. I hightailed it back to our beautiful resort hotel and got in bed for the rest of the day. I woke up periodically and just felt worse and worse. I think Shani, another girl on the trip, is feeling sick too – so there is a little bit of concern about us being contagious and getting other people sick. Hopefully that doesn’t happen!

Oh, our hotel in Floripa (the short name for Florianopolis) is basically a resort! The room that Jen and I are in doesn’t have a real door but sliding glass doors that open up to a little patio and has a gorgeous view! I’ll take some pictures of it tomorrow.