Hey Blog!!
It’s been a BUSY month away from writing, but I am so excited to be back. Starting fresh with a whole new semester abroad… I am in Rio de Janeiro! These past three days have been a whirlwind, and I’ve been trying my best to soak it all in. I arrived in Brazil on Friday morning (July 26th) after taking a red-eye flight from Atlanta on Thursday night. This trip was extra special because I flew with seven other members of my American cohort (which has never happened before). It was fun to start the semester off all together, and traveling together was ideal for safety reasons moving to Brazil. Everything went smoothly during our travels which is ALWAYS a win when starting a semester abroad. Packing was something that all of us procrastinated this time (probably because this is our third time moving across the world for a semester lol). Once we arrived in Rio, some of the cohort was able to move right into our student housing (Uliving) but others weren’t. I am part of the “others,” so I will be staying in a hotel room with my friend Tessa until August 6th. It’s not ideal, but she’s the best temporary roommate and we’re making the most of it!!
Bad quality pic but a good quality airport crew :)
A pic taken in our Uber from the airport
Our first three days have been busy…
The day we arrived, we unpacked a little bit and got settled in our hotel room, and then we headed on over to our future apartment, Uliving. Uliving is student housing for multiple universities, and my university (FGV EBAPE) has a partnership with them, so most of my cohort will be living there! They hosted a welcome party for international students going to FGV, and it was honestly a lot of fun! Right when we walked in we were guided into a “Caipirinha” making class (one of the most common Brazilian drinks)! It was DELICIOUS! It’s made out of lime, sugar, cachaça, and ice. We got to meet up with international students in our cohort, and chat with new exchange students too. We got a tour of the building, and then were brought downstairs to a restaurant where they hosted a mini party for us to hang out with each other! There was a band, and so many people ready to talk and meet! The vibes were really fun and it kicked off the semester on a positive note for sure.
My first meal (at the restaurant beside "Uliving")
Amazing different meats!
On Saturday, we went to the Botafogo Mall (about a 7 minute walk) and cruised around. We bought acai bowls for lunch, and then we met up with a huge group of exchange students on the beach in Ipanema! We spent hours here. I bought fresh corn on the beach and a Brazilian Canga towel (basically super thin and colorful beach towels that are sold everywhere). We played volleyball, watched soccer games, and just chilled. The waves were incredibly huge, and the water was a little cold but I still swam a little bit! After the beach we went to a steak restaurant and had another yummy meat packed meal.
Sunset at the beach!
So many soccer/volleyball games are played on the beach! So fun to watch and play too.
Of course, I’ve been practicing my Portuguese everywhere! It has been really fun to finally be in Brazil and use it (after studying it throughout college). It’s rewarding to be able to communicate, but obviously its a huge adjustment to suddenly be in a completely new world, so I am giving myself grace with all the new-ness. I have been constantly saying words out loud to practice pronunciation and looking up words quick on google translate as they pop into my head. I have a running list of words on my phone that I want to become really familiar with, so I've been adding to it probably 30 times a day. My Brazilian friends have been so helpful and I now only text them in Portuguese. I have asked them a lot of questions about how locals say certain phrases, or just overall advice here. One thing that we learned (which we were actually warned about by the cohort ahead of us) is that Uber drivers/drivers in general find it extremely disrespectful if you shut the car door hard. You have to genuinely hold the door until its almost shut, and make it very gentle. Slamming the door (in typical American fashion) upsets them- so we are really mindful of that now.
Minha Canga para a praia
Sunday was so so awesome. We woke up and got our Brazilian breakfast at the hotel, and then headed to the waterfront area to run with a group of friends! It was beyond beautiful and the energy and vibes were unmatched. So many people doing so many things. They were exercising, getting outdoor massages, weightlifting, throwing family birthday parties, and shopping around. I know this will be a favorite spot of mine this semester. :)
After that, we ate lunch (another delicious meal of rice, beans, veggies, and chicken), and then wandered around the area that our future apartment is at. We stopped at a smoothie/fruit stand and then went to a grocery store quick. At night, we went to an outdoor yoga class at sunset. It was hosted around the Ipanema lagoon and it was STUNNING. Our instructor played the ukulele, sang to us during meditation practices, and encouraged mindfulness. This happens every week, so I already know that I will be attending every Sunday with my friends!
Our yoga setup <3 Genuinely the coolest class EVER
After yoga, our Brazilian friend brought us to one of her favorite restaurants in Ipanema, where we ate dinner “family style”. We had the BEST picanha steak, green rice, french fries, pico, farofa, “pastel” (empanadas with shrimp), and “dadinho de tapioca” (tapioca squares with honey). It was my favorite meal here so far.
Dadinho de tapioca, "pastels de camarão," e salada
Classes started today and registration has been nothing short of confusing. All of us just showed up to school with no confirmation or clue if we were even enrolled in the class. And turns out we haven’t been enrolled for any haha! It’s really just a cultural thing, and we don't need to be too stressed about it, but it's a HUGE contrast to class registration in the US which we find to be really funny. All classes here are 3.5 hours, and I’ll get a completely new course load beginning of October (so we will have four or five classes at a time, per quarter).
Another random delicious meal...
Our first day of school was fun! We have been meeting students from Brazil, but also exchange students from around the world. Everyone has been friendly and up to hang out whenever, so I think it will be a really fun semester! Also- our school is pretty. The section where I will take most of my classes is pretty small, but the campus is nice and we are already loving the food at our "cafeteria". We had to go on a hunt to try to activate our student ID’s, and were a little confused today, but we’ll get the hang of it all soon! At this point, we are all really used to being the "new students" at a university, so we all have learned how to adapt quick and help each other out. SO thankful to be in this cohort.
First day of SENIOR YEAR?!?!
Also- I finally bought my pair of Havaianas! Yay! :) They're white with the Brazilian flag on them, so I'll include a picture next time.
Thanks for kicking off this new semester with me!
Love, <3
Brigitte
*This post is delayed by a day because of wifi issues, so technically I finished my second day of school today. I'll talk about what I missed next week!
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