Wanderlust

I remember talking to P about the title of my blog and why I chose it. We were talking about bjork and how awesome she is-and how this song is my/our current favorite. P said this song explains alot about where is she in her life and I feel similarly. Plus its just a really dope song.

I hope they don't pull this off so u can see the video, which is equally dope:



wanderlust;bjork;volta

i am leaving this harbour
giving urban a farewell
it's inhabitants seem to keen on god
i cannot stomach their rights and wrongs
i have lost my origin
and i don't want to find it again
rather sailing into nature's laws
and be held by ocean's paws

wanderlust!
relentlessly craving wanderlust
peel off the layers
until you get the core
did i imagine it would be like this
was it something like this i wished for
or will i want more

lust for comfort
suffocates the soul
this relentless restlessness
liberates me
i feel at home whenever
the unknown surrounds me
i receive its embrace
aboard my floating house

wanderlust!
relentlessly craving wanderlust
peel off the layers
until you get the core
did i imagine it would be like this
was it something like this i wished for
or will i want more

wanderlust
from island to island
wanderlust
united in movement
wonderful
i enjoy it with you

wanderlust!

can you spot a pattern?
relentlessly restless
restless relentlessly

Back

to work...




my back to work face...

Almost Back

Last two days in Rio were a blur.

Spent Thursday sightseeing and shopping:



Spent Friday morning shopping and sunbathing:



Spent Friday evening in the airport:


(But also shopping):



Spent Saturday morning traveling...

Recurring Themes

Recurring themes with the group so far:

SAFETY
I have seen a number of issues come up questioning, asking for, and trying to create safety. Then there is Boal, whose mantra seems to be "life is not safe, and theatre is not safe, because theatre is life". I can accept that fully, and yet at the same time, I have not felt comfortable in that. Both because I do not feel physically safe, and because I haven't been able to fully trust the group with my ideas and feelings. Only in smaller circles have I felt supported and held up.
Also, the group, I believe, turned on Boal because they were not able to bring things to our group leaders earlier-we hadn't been given a chance to meet and express our needs fully, beacsue we are always under time constraints.

TIME
Another HUGE theme. What is on time? And how do we stay on it in a place where we can even FIND it! This theme can go so many places, but for me, I have begun to feel better about time in terms of my age and when I had planned to get this or that done before this or that age. It has made me think about the way that things happen, being in divine order, and how one can never put a time frame on those things.

COMMUNICATION
I can begin this one with the obvious. At first, there was no phone, no internet, and a miserable me. I wanted so desperately, for everyone to know exactly what was going on with me when I arrived so that they wouldn't worry. Then I realized that people knew where to contact me and I felt better. I send one email a day, and that has freed up my TIME to think, to interact, and enjo my experience here.
With the group, the lines have been down. We have done well with some repairs here and there, but it seems like we have too large of a problem to deal with in short spurts. What HAS helped us is being in class, and telling one another's stories, and saying things with our bodies and in character that we may not have otherwise.
I think that is profound, and has saved our group from failure.
Outside of our group, lack of communication has reulted from a lack of understanding, primarily due to LANGUAGE.

LANGUAGE
Sometimes words are wonderful, and other times, they fall short. the language barrier has been difficult for everyone, but has really taken a toll on the group experience in class. We are relying on THEM to speak english, not vice versa, which puts us in a place that should be one of humility and gratitude. Not the case. As a whole, I think we have shown our butts, and have played out the role of the arrogant, naive Americans, that arrive with a sense of entitlement everywhere they go. That has been difficult for me to handle, especially in the moments where i am tired of trying to speak Portuguese and get comfortable with assuming others should understand me. I made a comment to Pe, about people responding to me in english when i try to speak to them in Portuguese. He said "Everybody wants to practice". I think that makes alot of sense.

PROCESS
By now, I'm am so tired of the word. I feel like I have done a great deal of processing on this trip, and not all of it has been helpful. But in the quiet moments, or when I get to speak sincerely, and someone comes up to me and shares something they were thinking, I am grateful for that processing. There is a spirit of competition in the air even in processing with this group. Who can get the last word, whose comment was more insightful... I don't think we are saying this out loud, but we are in a place, an opportunity to be encouraging toward one another, and sometimes we miss is because we want to be seen and heard by the group. That is powerful, because it means that people are seeking validation from the group. But it can fester so quickly, that we all have to be careful to listen to ourselves. That's all that I am trying to do.

Day 10: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:
Today was slow, but again, I am very tired. It is safe to say I am ready to go home. I wrote a letter to DJ in Buzios, and will send it off today.
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Last night I went to a party in the Favelas that reminded me of the West Indian Day Parade.I hadn´t expected to go to them before I left, but i was surprised to find parts of the favelas that seemed so similar to home it was eerie. The place the party was in was comparable to a slaughterhouse, butyou wouldn´t know it because the place was so packed, and it had a stage. But upstairs there were these livestock sized compartmentations that were doubling for someting like a boot you would get at a baseball game. Great view of the action and you have some space to be with friends. Only it seemed that all these booth-things were packed with gringo/a foreigners: Polih, American, British, etc. And in almost every booth were two or three Brazilian women, dancing. It was much less blatant than it sounds, but I thought of what is must mean to be considered exotic to another race/culture...
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CLASS NOTES:

Today's class was BOAL LABORATORY
I have been looking forward to this class since he mentioned it the first evening e explained what we would be doing.

I took part in this technique that was attempting to go from TO to Rainbow. The young lady whose story I was a part of was dealing with expectations placed on her by her father that she had both failed and exceeded, but if she confronted him about those expectations, he would only focus on how she had failed him. I was glad her story was chosen.

We were going to look at the things that were NOT being said by the protagonist, and "weapons" being used by the antagonist, and we did, but then we moved into a scene that required costume, etc. and didnt go over very well. After removing the costume, and really focusing on the protagonist, things began to come together, at least in my eyes.
We were not able to finish, but Im glad she stepped up.

BOAL:
Reiterates: when you talk about yourself, you expose yourself, this is the risk of theatre. There IS safety here, becasue nothing is meant to hurt you, but there is still risk.

He talked about group differences also, and how the only thing that changes really is vocabulary. You have to meet a person at their level of knowledge.

Boal

I think now that I have had time to think about why I came to Brazil and what I expected, I realized that my only expectations were for myself, which allowed me to have an open perspective. I was so glad that Boal interacted with us as much as he did, and took the time to explain things to us, often repeatedly. I hadn´t realized that the argument about whether or not RoD was therapy would even be an issue, and honestly, when it came up, I felt like drama therapy was infringing on my expereince. But I remember something a friend said to me before I started the drama terapy program, which was, "you will come to see everything through the eyes of drama therapy". This is true to a degree, but sometimes you must switch the lens for your own good...like Boal was saying, in order to teach TO to a group of graduate students, school children, or those with mental illness, you should come to their level, and then use the opportunity to teach things they may not know.
Also, I have been thinking about how these techniques would be useful in my work, and in my community (as always). I picture myself really being a part of PTO and te work they do in the states, as they relocate to Minneapolis. I feel privledged to have worked with Chris Vine, and then Boal himself, and now have an opportunity to be close to a major US group. I feel very much inspired by Boal and his jokers, especially Barbara, who is below:

Day 9: Journal Excerpts

Buzios Day 2:

This morning was very windy and cool. The rain is lazy and on and off today. Still a beautiful place. I want to stay longer!

Today we did a bit of sightseeing(and not-seeing) on the coast. The beach we went to was a long shallow stretch, accompanied by some stand alone islands that were said to have created by a volcano long ago. They told us some more about the research project at the university, and then we visited another marsh site. This one was covered by water some years ago, and now it holds up a road and coastline homes. The university is interesed in the artifacts that lie beneath the surface here, and wants to get them out before developers start to build. However, others believe that the area will once again get covered by the ocean waters.

Our tour, not as effective as everyone had hoped, was indeed a little draining. I am still very tired.
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Eats, shopping...
Buzios is beatiful, but again you see here the abject poverty, clashing with the lifestyle of tourists and wealthier Brazilians.

Day 8: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:

LAPA!

Lapa was sooooo much fun. I was so glad I went. The crowd was intense, and exciting, and so different from what we see everyday when we arrive at the center. The streets were packed with people dancing, drinking, eating, meeting... The first place I went in had a full band of drums. Bass, djembe, timpani(?). I was really impressed and glad to have found a really unique place that was worth telling people about.
The rest of the evening was spent talking and dancing in the Boal center.

The boys were still out then too. Different environment, same intensity.
----

On our way to Buzios. Looking forward to this bus ride and getting some sleep.
----

We went to a rest stop on out was to Buzios that had food and souveniers, but they were also giving out vaccines. Wild.
----

Buzios is beautiful, our hotel reminds me of a bed and breakfast. The town is so small, but very trendy, and makes sense as a nearby getaway for those who can afford to come. We went to a beautiful restaurant and got to know some more about our hosts who seem very nice. I want to come here again with DJ, and really be able to enjoy what Buzios has to offer.
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WORKSHOP:

The drama therapy workshop seemed to start awkwardly because we were late, and it seemed so few people had come, but by the time we began, we seemed to have 50 or 60 people in the room. The warmup was fun to watch, and I was so glad to see how quickly people took to the game. At the same time, I think the rules had been glazed over and changed by the group to some degree. I think we were supposed ot be observing the differences and similarities, not making them up, but it seemed to work out anyway.

Storytelling was the next technique, and 5 men raised their hand to go up. The story was of Mr. Black and Ms. White and how they ruin the enviornment together for money's sake. I was anxious about where the story was going at first, but it highlighted the different ways that people think about the interactions between black and white and what can save all of us from self-destructing from the pressure of it. A rainbow! It was funny that a rainbow was chosen as the guide, since we seem to be struggling with Boal's rainbow back in Rio.

After the story, three solutions were chosen from the story and enacted on the floor/stage. My group's solution was for the guide to transform the "trash" into "jewels" and everyone live happily ever after. Fairy tale accomplished. I got the sense though, that people needed to say more about this issue, and we tried during the next chapter, but all that came out were songs and a monolougue.

I was not expecting an evening of song to emerge from the "coffee chat", but that is indeed what happened. Personlly, I am glad it did. I felt that singing to each other might have been the best we can do right now, and that's great. When the young lady began to sing her song, I teared up, not just becasue it was pretty, but becasue I knew what she was singing about before they even translated it. I could hear it. I was listening. The translation turned out to be "take the hand of God and go".
I wanted to sing more, I felt things welling up in me that I often only feel in church at home. I could remember the release I felt on Sunadys when the chior sang, and I hoped other people were feeling that too.

I sugessed we sing the Negro National Anthem, but I couldn't because I was to upset. But as other people sang, I recalled the words:


Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears have been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, Our God, where we met Thee;
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our GOD,
True to our native land

by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

Day 7: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:

I woke up today wanting to write about freedom.

What are my freedoms, and how have they manifested on this trip. Also, in what ways am i feeling restricted-and is it appropriate to act against them, or work to change them?

Being part of a group highlights freedoms and restrictions. This group is free to move about, but if it to remain a group, individuals become more limited. I feel like this group operates to allow as much freedom as possible for indiviuals which is affecting the degree to which it feels like a group (if that makes sense). As a result, individuals are left feeling unsafe and isolated.

On our way to the day treatment center, we drove past these immense favelas, huge and sprawling, and they left me thinking about appearances. I was struck by the appearance of those favelas, the garbage, and the homeless, but I had no interaction with people living there to back up an assumption of a miserable existence. I'm sure some of these places are dangerous, but people love each other there, and work hard, and laugh, and raise their children. But they are isolated, and so am I, in my bus that is driving through and doesn't stop. And that makes me really, really sad.

On the other hand, the performance at the facility was great. I got a chance to participate, and I really enjoyed hearing from the men and women in treatment there. They had very similar concerns to things I hear from those i have worked with in the States, and what we reinforced for each other is that there are other people working to chip away at the prejudice directed toward people with mental illness.

What I realized on this trip though, was that everyone had not previously working with the mentally ill. I had forgotten that, and was surprised at the discomfort some clearly felt. However, I think by the end of the performance, everyone was drawn in and open to receiving the beauty of these men and women.

I bought some orange beads, made by one of the patients, before we left.


This evening we are supposed to be going out to Lapa. I am anxious about traveling there with the group because i feel like I will be more vulnerable, more visible, and not really able to enjoy myself. With that said, I also don't want to miss this experience. There is a party at the Boal Center, which i think P and I will attend, since I really dont know what to expect.

CLASS NOTES:

"The Normal Ones"
I asked the group what they enjoy about being a part of "the normal ones":
- Getting to play different roles
- having fun
- doing new things

They also relayed to our group their feelings about being decriminated against and how they are working to change stereotypes.

Games:
These have been my favorite games so far,
Blank Character/Protagonist
What you would like to be
Exploring faces
Complete the image
Recognizable ritual
Image/counter-image

----

BOAL:
Boal talked about traditional theatre and how it is formatted to give both the question and the answer, when the absurd is pedagogical without having to give an answer.
TO is trying to understand the situation, trying to humanize humanity. Moreover, the spectactor has to be responsible for what they do.


The questions about yesterday's work were centered around empathy, what the joker should look like, acting, improv, and opportunities in the techniques. I asked about the scenes with children in them, and how people were acting like adults when confronting their childhood oppressors. Boal mentioned that he dislikes when there is too much space from the character and the person who goes up to play them, like adult/child, black man/white woman, etc.

Someone also asked about being able to hear the entire story before creating the image to give the actors a better sense of what is going on. Boal's answer was that when you tell story AFTER creating the image you destroy the opportunity for people to project onto the image, their own ideas to share with the group and the protagonist.




"I want to meet the person who shades my shadow"

Day 6: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:
Today has been wonderful so far. I went swimming this morning, and re-read Boal's take on the four types of catharsis (according to him) :). He says though, that RoD catharsis is about exploring change-
realizing that you have the power to choose IS the catharsis, not coming to the conclusion.


CLASS NOTES:
A Brazilian group performed a Forum Theatre piece for us today. The piece was centered around trying to find work when you are managing a mental illness.
I see this same struggle among the men I work with back home, and sometimes its a frustrating sight. They are often ready to do good work, and complete all the necessary requirements, but are set back by how sluggish they feel on meds, or by prejudiced employers who are skeptical of their ability to care for themselves and/ or others, or if thy can even get the job done.
The language barrier was only disappointing when english-speakers missed the punch lines (when all the Brazilians laughed) and when I wanted to express how I felt about the performance with the actors at the end.
----

We continued Cop-In-The-Head work today. 6 scenes emerged from the original story, that now addressed a similar, recognizable cop in the life of the supporter.

Day 5: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:

I´m so tired this morning. Yesterday with my group we spoke about Psychodrama vs. TO, cultural differences, safety, going in vs. coming out...
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Our morning group meeting-
To me, safety was a big issue that underscored the discussion. People spoke about imposing expectations on Boal unfairly and about our group dynmaics. I am really beginning to feel anxious about where this group is heading. All I said was that i was struggling with my role in the group and still adjusting to Rio.
I am completely frustrated with the lack of maturity i feel is causing these tantrums people are throwing...
----

P and I had a talk to day. I feel torn between paths in my life. There is a future that involves a fight, and a future that involves compromise-and only one life.
Our country is about to experience something extraordinary and fear is rising to a brink. The world is changing - and we are more glued to the media than ever.

I feel like I have been on some kind of conveyor belt. But getting off means I will have to trust unsteady legs, and weak arms, and blurred eyes.

My ´cops´ are preetty profound. They are a SWAT team of highly trained fear-mongers. Some are propogandists and some are gurus. And very often they are in conflict over my will.

I havent felt the freedom to really choose to be in control. And that is because i havent wanted it.

But i want it right now.

A glimpe at my cops reveal my struggles with religion and spirituality, being considered a minority, never being good enough at anything for my mother, being the family oddball, etc. - all things that have led me to struggle with self-esteem, academic success and status, wanting to please... and at the same time i am influenced by other forces that govern my style, body image, work ethic, sexuality...
All of these at one point or another have caused me to re-examine myself. Sometimes the cops win, sometimes i win. But then again, who am I?


CLASS NOTES:
I left my journal today, but we did games first as usual, and then went into Cop-In-The-Head. I offered a story today, about Monday night's encounter with the young boys and what my reaction was. Boal felt that it wasn't an eligible story for Cop-In-The-Head (cith) work becasue I had already made a decision in the situation, and futhermore it wasn't ethical to hit children.
I think what I should have done was tell a different part of the story, or said more but I was mainly disappointed because there was an opportunity to talk about cultural and racial differences and issues in this c.i.t.h. and i would have liked to have seen where that went.

A's story was chosen and she spoke about her experience in a Brazilian club. The theme was universal i think, in that everyone in the group could picture her discomfort clearly and where her cops might have come from.
I don't think it would have been that easy in my case, becasue the violator was young and poor and sober and black. A did not describe the race of the man who was trying to kiss her but I wonder where things might have gone if she had.

The exercise ran over and we will have to continue tomorrow.

Day 4: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:

I don´t want to go back to my job! I miss this!
----

What is with people attacking Boal? Some of my classmates are being flat out disrespectful.

I think people are projecting their own ideas on Boal´s techniques in terms of how they should look, OR they just aren´t listening.
Our group has gone into attack mode-we are taking out our need for group processing on Boal and his jokers for not taking care of us.
NOT GOOD.

CLASS NOTES:

Tree of TO (REVISED, see FOR MY GRANDMA...)

Interesting point made by Boal:
There should be no interpretation from the leader...only multiple mirrors. The protagonist takes from these mirrors what he or she wants, OR what he or she is ABLE to take, because sometimes you can´t take things because you arent ready to do so.

Stupid Stuff=Newspapers(WORD), Television(IMAGE), Radio(SOUND).
We are surrounded by input from everywhere!
----

Today´s work was with the Analytical Image:
Boal: When we make an image of reality, it becomes real.
Real expereinces are created out of those images...

Day 3: Journal Excerpts

THOUGHTS:

Thinking about yesterday still. I´m pised that those boys have to do this. They should be playing football and be at the beach. Not ripping off tourists-and taking the blame. If I hadn´t seen that hand-off I would have continued to blame them, but i can´t now.

Last night i dreamt about competition. I don´t remember the details, but the spirit of competition is already in the air.

I am still thinking about the image of the cashew or (Caju) tree that Boal talked about last night and how it relates to the TO tree. I would love to see that actual tree. He said when the tree grows they move to accomodate the tree. What an image, what a metaphor...

----
Totally new feeling today. I am overwhelmed. I am scared. I feel like I have been stripped of my security blanket-the language, the culture... i underestimated the degree and speed of my ability to feel comfortable here.

----
Had a rooftop chat and felt relieved. There are others with similar feelings I didnt account for, but they are starting to share because P and I shared. I still feel uncomfortable though. It was private before and now it´s not. I feel shame in a way, and I also feel like T (whose cellphone was stolen in a similar manner) deserves some positive reinforcement too. She´s not being asked to recount her story, but I am... because I got my item back which makes for a happy ending.

I miss the security that i feel when DJ is with me.

----
I was very touched by K´s story today. I thought feeling rejection from my own father at times-having inadvertently carried out his wishes for so long then to have him fail to support me back-
I played the ¨fetal position¨.I think I identified with it becasue it is often my reaction to intense hurt or confrontation.
In the exchnge with B ¨blank character/protagonist¨ we both talked about our reactions to confrontation. It took awhile to get used to the prolonged eye contact, but it was familiar by the time we were finished.

----
My impression of Boal from the first day has been that he is experienced-he has seen the gamut of the things that people bring to TO. Katie´s tears were not something to pity for him, or even exuse. He showed a different kind of empathy that was inherent in the way he interacted with her.

We often do not pause to process laughter, but we do to process tears.

CLASS NOTES:

We had a short group where we were asked to comment on our first impressions of the culture in RIO. I would say, Intensity, Passion, and Poverty. They all seemed to be well-connected, and they are words that have importance to me in terms of my expereince these past two days. Rio is intense-there´s no easing into Rio. Rio is in your face, and I can imagine someone being in NY for the first time and not speaking the language. How brave! I have much more respect for people who do that now.

Watched a video on TO in India by a group called Jana Sanskriti. I felt very moved (to tears, actually) by the work they were/are doing, and how a TO group was able to offer new opportunities to its members, empower them, and do the same for every community they touched. I like too that it was a form of theatre that blended with thier culture well.

I realize that I don´t always know how to communicate with my own people, with others in general sometimes, and how theatre has helped me to do that. Communication is so important, and without it, we cannot urvive in this world together.

Healing thrives on communication. Lack of it breeds manipulation and suffering. It is clear to me that this world is in dire need of a reformation of communications.

Day 2: Journal Excerpts

Last night someone was pulling at my door and trying to open it. I don´t know what he was saying-it scared the sit out of me because it woke me up. I called the front desk and 5 min later he was gone. Definately freaked me out.

This morning i went to the beach. The beach make so much sense to me as a place of healing.The water draws in and out refreshing you, draining the stress and all else away. I love the water. In Rio, the mountains line the beach also, so the view is amazing. I can´t imagine being held captive in a place so beautiful (as a slave). I wonder how my ancestors felt about see this, as opposed to those who were brought to the US, and what they saw.

P is here!!! We went to eat and catch up and really felt it was divine intervention that we were both on this trip. Not three hours after we had our little reunion, we were robbed (I was robbed) by three boys two blocks from the hotel.

They came up slowly and to my realization later on, deliberately. One held is hand out for change and then grabbed my necklace. He ran into the street with it and his friend behind him, not even running, but backing away as if to taunt us.
I felt utterly violated and full of pity for this child, who sould have been playing soccer-not stripping tourists of their jewelry. A third oy came from around the corner and we went into the street. I told P we should let them go, i really didnt know what i could have done otherwise. Strange place, strange language... I didnt want to chase them somewhere that would put me in more danger.
Then P said ¨No, we´re getting that chain back¨. And she started to run.

We chased them down until they turned a corner, and then we abandoned the chase to go to the police. There is a station next door to the Hotel, but they werent able to help us because they didnt speak english. The Hotel also sent us to the tourist poliuce in Leblon. Upset with the lack of help, I suggested we at least get the name of the street the boys ran up, to tell the tourist police when we called. (We were NOT going to Leblon, not for a necklace.)

We went around the back of the street at P´s suggesstion, in case they were scoping us out again and ran away. We waiting across the street from the hill they ran up that led into the favelas for about 5 minutes. Lo and behold, two boys saunter down the hill and go into a sidewalk eatery right across from us. We waited for awhile, talking about the situation, and wondering what would come next if they saw us.

They came out again after another few minutes and stood in front. (My heart was racing). They began to talk to a man standing there who seemed like he was connected to the eatery, or they knew well. Not a minute later, one boy pulls my chain from his pocket and hands it to the man. I say to P, ¨That´s it, that´s my chain¨. I dont remember what words we exchanged, but we split up and ran across the street, ambushed the boys and man, and grabbed the chain. And then we ran.

I am still reeling from this very eventful day...



Tonight we met, and spoke to Boal. He i as I thought. Bright, youthful, and so full of wisdom. I look forward to working with him.

We went out to eat. P mentioned he thinks this will be a good group.

I agree.

Day 1: Journal Excerpts

Getting here has been one long day. Work@6:45a, Pack@10a, Flight@3:45p, Flight@8:30p(delayed, so actually 2:30a), Dinner w/friends @ 10p, Back to airport@12:30a, Fight at 2:30a, Rio@1:30p, Hotel@3p.

Many people speak english here, but I am definately at a disadvantage. Saw a few folks and checked into my room. Its very small, a bed and a bathroom, but just right for some winding down.

The city is amazing. So intense. So compact. I am not sure what i expected but it is definately less tropical that i expected it to be. Granted it is Winter now in Rio-I wish inter in Minnesota was like this :) The ´Favelas´ are right near the beach. They have an awesome view, but the culture clash is clear as a bell.

Went to dinner with DT folks. Introduced to the Rio buffet-style restaurants. Wish my sigficant other was here...Wish I spoke Portuguese! Rio at night is beautiful from a rooftop. I am so glad to have this little vacation. I NEED this badly. The sleep, the quiet, the non-work, the reading, the lack-of-stress. This has been worth the work to get here so far. Im looking forward to tomorrow!