Sorry for the Delay!!

I am so sorry for the long wait between posts! The one thing I don't like about this country is how disconnected I am. My host doesn't really have the internet, or cable, and I can't use the phone. So I am going to try to answer all the recent questions and update on like the past week.


Update on the food (at least the food here in Rio). Even though that is exactly what I am doing, Brazilian food is nothing to write home about. Everything in general is more expensive here, despite the approximately 2 to 1 exchange rate. And theres a big startch infatuation that at the same time I understand I despise. I took a picture of a meal I ordered that came with a side of rice and french fries. Can I get some steamed broccoli? Other than that it is very similar to what we have in the US. They have more fruits here, but I've seen they have less herbs and stuff. But there is a meal, the feijoada, that is a traditional thing they have that is specific to here. Its basically a bunch of beans and meat.



Classes. I go to Portuguese class every..single...day. It starts at 830am, and since we all should know that I don't even like to have 930 classes, this is tough. But its better. I take the bus everyday with another student in the program. Its not a long bus ride but it would be a long walk. I learn a lot in class, we do work from a workbook and then listen to music. The music helps us learn about the culture and also new vocab. The visits to the businesses have left something to be desired. So many companies here are run by the country! So as you can imagine, they have little to nothing in the marketing department. But another reason I haven't liked the company visits that much is because they have all been very industrial companies, no consumer goods or anything like that. We have been to an oil company, a power company, a company that does oil and power and mininig and for some reason owns a restaurant, and then a develepmental bank that finances them all. BOOORRRRIIINNGG. I can only look at oil rigs so much. But in the future we will be going to businesses that I am more interested in so I look forward to that. The worst thing about these visits is that I get home so late! I like getting home late because there is nothing to do there and now that the DVD player is broken, there's not much. But I am exhausted because we go from class, to the business, then back, then maybe to eat. Its 9 by the time I come home again.



As a group we have been on a couple of trips and we have somemore planned. I wrote about visiting the favela which is basically the slums. I'm not really a fan of such, but I went anyway. It was good to see but at the end of the day I was really just left sad and extremely tired!!! They put the favelas on hills and the steps to get to the top. I can't find the link right now, but I'm not heavily featured, and its probably for the best. It's like going on a safari....except to see people's lives. Wiggity wiggity wack. BUT we also went to Corcovado this week to see Cristo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer. It is so beautiful, the statue is great and the view of the city is amazing. I can't see it from my house, but it can bee seen from most of Rio. I took lots of pictures, and they all kind of look the same, but it's still very cool. We also went to Pão de Açúcar, but we couldn't go to the top because it was cloudy, and a cloudy picture isn't worth taking. I haven't been to the beach enough for my liking, but hopefully this weekend won't be rainy and I can waste lots of time there. The only thing about the beach is that a) you might get jacked if you fall asleep b) they try to sell you something constantly.



I feel like there are questions that I missed but I don't remember!!