brasil

My junior year of college I got to go on a study abroad to brasil. I was 21 at the time and got to go because I was an honorary fraternity in the ag college. We went for six weeks and there was 11 of us, 3 of us guys and 8 girls. I was the oldest guy, but there was a girl that was in her mid thirties that went also. 

We went during winter quarter, which was a good way to avoid another Ohio winter. I really liked being in brasil because I could understand most of the portugeuse they were speaking, it was very similar to spanish. We had about four weeks worth of classes and the rest of the time we were touring. I got a good tan and by the end of the trip I was being mistaken as a native brazilian. We learned plenty about brazil during the classes and I can't wait to get back. I would have to think the highlight of my trip was going to see the Christ the Redeemer statue that they have in Rio de Janerio. The beaches they were fantastic and the weather was good the whole time. We stayed in Piricicaba most of the trip, at a hotel called antoino's palace. Piricicaba is in the state of Sao Paulo. One weekend everyone stayed with different host families, and I stayed with our portuguese language teacher and her son Thiago. Thiago was about 19 then and the fun thing to do for his cohort was to hang out at the local "posto" which is portuguese for gas station. At the posto you could buy beers one at a time, go out front and drink it, then go back for another beer when you needed another one. It was a pretty fun night for me. Other highlights include discovering chuhascarias where you get served a variety of meats on a skewer at a table, buffet style. I usually got my fill of food from doing that. The worst thing that happened to me involves drinking. We went to some type of research facility one day and our tour guide was some young dude. The guy also meet us all for dinner and drinks that night at some trendy night spot. He wanted to see some one get really drunk that night because in brasil people usually know their limits and don't allow themselves to get drunk. Long story short I drank so much that one of the girls called me a drinking machine and staggered back to my hotel room by myself around 3:30 that night. I slept through the alarm, but one one the fellows woke me up and I made it to the bus to leave for the day by 6:45. When we stopped for lunch a couple of hours later, everyone thought I looked like death, but I went to the bathroom and dropped some dumpage and was fine. 

I can't wait to go back to brazil and if/when I get married I am going to try to honeymoon in rio de janerio. I won't drink as much but the food and weather and sights there should be enough fun with the right person.