Life as a Carioca (person who lives in Rio) continues to be nice. I've been back to Ipanema (on Monday... my fourth time there, already?), but have yet to go swimming. That will change, over the course of my stay here.
The soccer game on Sunday was certainly an experience. I found that most of the time it was more fun to watch the crazy crowds or the landscape visible through the stadium than to watch the game (no one scored). Nevertheless, it was good fun. The director of my volunteering program is a big fan of the Botafogo team, so we all wore black and white and sat in the Botafogo fan stands (they were playing Flamengo, another one of the big Rio teams).
On Tuesday morning I went to the grocery store, where I have been discovering more interesting Brazilian food (they have more than just guava paste!). I also had the pleasure of seeing a cockatiel grocery shopping (on the shoulder of its owner). I wonder what people in the US would think if I took Mel shopping with me?
Later I went to the circus. The kids will be putting on a show in a week, so we've been working on their acts. The structure of rehearsals has lessened the craziness a bit... but not too much, of course. I'm really enjoying getting to know some of the kids—the little ones are quite cute, and I think they're getting to know me better. Yesterday there was a meeting with the parents (mostly moms) of some of the kids, so I got to spend some time with them. I didn't have a chance to talk with them much, but it was good to meet them briefly. Whenever I'm working with the kids, I often wonder what their home lives are like.
Yesterday morning I took a short walk around Santa Teresa, the neighborhood where I'm staying, and visited the Parque das Ruínas. It's a small park at the top of the hill, centered on a ruined house that used to belong to a carioca socialite at the beginning of the 1900s. It was nice to walk around the ramps in the house and picture it full of guests dancing or eating or chatting. The roof also has a beautiful panoramic view of Rio! In addition, right next to the house is a small circus rig, put there in memory of a famous Rio circus artist. I love how much circus there is in this city!
Later, I had a nice lunch with two other girls staying in my house (from the US and South Africa), and then wandered around Saara, the "bazaar" area in Rio. It's made up of narrow streets that are packed on either side with stores selling anything and everything—food, bags, shoes, etc. I didn't buy anything, but it was enjoyable just to walk through it.
Ps. I apologize for the title. Can't think of anything more interesting at the moment :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment