The Journey to Brazil and My 1st Week

    So exactly a week after my last final exam of my Junior year the journey began! I took off from Newark International Airport and as we rose into the sky I had a final farewell to New York City.  My first destination was Fort Lauderdale where I would catch my flight to Campinas, near São Paulo.





   The switch to all Portuguese being spoken from all English was immediate as I got it line for the flight. Wished I had spent a little more time with my Rosetta Stone, but got by just fine. We landed in Campinas around 5:30 am and I got through customs without a problem. Found the gate for Curitiba, my final destination, and had the joy of watching the sun rise during my first morning in Brazil. Bom Dia!
      

   


   After about 24 hours of traveling I descended into Curtibia and got a view of the city I would be calling home for the next two months.  Then, I finally had the opportunity to meet Marcio (right) and Luiz (left) in person.  Marcio was indispensable before I even got here and am super grateful I have him as a friend and resource.  Luiz as my host "brother" has become my go to person for questions and a great companion.

   Even though I had been up for over 30 hours at this point (didn't really sleep on the plane) the adrenaline of being in Brazil kept me up and Marcio, Luiz, and I went exploring Curitiba.  Our first stop was Jardim Botânico de Curitiba (The Botanical Garden of Curtibia), followed by Parque Barigui (Barigui Park), and finishing up with Oi Torre Panorâmica (The Panoramic Tower).  (Yes, I did some cheesy gymnastics pictures and you can see my reflection in the view from the tower.)  Overall though, it was a great first couple of hours to have in Brazil!

  

   Where am I staying? With a host family!  They are supper cool and have been very welcoming.  I have a host mother and father as well as a brother I already introduced.  We live in an apartment near the center of the city and are around the corner from the Coritibia Football Club. (Although my family supports the other local team, Clube Atlético Paranaense)

My apartment from the outside.

And from the inside looking out.

My Room

 

From the top floor of the building... and then same picture zoomed in a bit

  

   On my first Saturday morning I had the opportunity to practice with the gymnastics team at The Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).  They are certainly a hard working group and I'm super grateful that they are going to let me train with them during my stay here in Brazil! 

   That night Luiz took me out with a few of his friends.  Had a awesome view of the city followed by a night of American rock.  (Brazilians love American media.)  In fact finding Portuguese music on the radio takes some scanning through the stations. 

   Sunday, my host family made a traditional Brazilian BBQ for me.  Everyone got together in the common room and feasted on various meats served hot from the grill!

And bring on the meat sweats!