After spending the day at school meeting faculty and helping our teachers set up for Monday, the art teacher offered to show us how to use the bus system and explain which buses will take us where. We eagerly accepted.
This turned into a wonderful afternoon that in addition to bus education included a walk on Copacabana beach and my first experience at a juice bar. I got a drink that consisted of "cupuaçu"which is a native fruit that looks something like this.
The drink was mostly sour with a little sweet and very refreshing but next I'll be getting something a little more sweet.
In the morning I went on the most fascinating yet terrifying grocery shopping trip of my entire life. The grocery store was probably about 80% unfamiliar foods, which of course was the fascinating part. Everything was in Portuguese though so some things we were looking for were a little difficult to find. We were stressed about how crowded and unfamiliar everything was, so we ended up grabbing mostly American foods that we could recognize based on the packaging. Next time though, that will not be the case. I want to try all 80% of those unfamiliar foods by the time I leave.
After grocery shopping we ventured out to Copacabana once again for a little sunbathing and swimming. I've heard too many negative comments about Copacabana being a hot spot for pick pockets, so I left my camera. Luckily, my roommate Kyleigh had her phone on her and took this photo.
Incredible, right?
After a few hours we decided to head home to make sure we made it before dark. We got on a bus, paid our fare and about 45 minutes later ended up at the bus garage nowhere near our neighborhood. Luckily, while we were in search for a map, we ended up in a shopping mall that had an English-speaking information desk attendant who gave us very specific directions along with a few other maps and a Rio guide in English. So maybe it was fate that we got lost. I must say it was an enlightening experience to be lost in a foreign city. I didn't realize until now how dependent I am upon technology to get me out of sticky situations, and how loosely I used the term "lost" in previous situations.
Sunday
Lazy day spent at the villa reading and preparing for school tomorrow. We did take a walk and here are some pictures of the beauty that can be found in our neighborhood.
And tomorrow, I meet my kindergartners. Life doesn't get much better than this.
No comments:
Post a Comment