we work work work work work the whole day through

Backpackers Sunset is beautiful! I am working in a truly wonderful place! Backpackers sits above the lake and five minutes from my favorite beach, Praia Mole. It is a hostel unlike any other. I work with guests everyday. Almost all of them are from England, Australia, or New Zealand. I talk to them constantly about what to do, where to go, I tell them about Casa Do Pastel! I love it. I get to talk to people and hear about where they have been. I am constantly jealous because all of these people have been traveling for months around South America.

Work is fun, Renata, who also works reception, is so fun. We get along great. I get free meals when I work to which is usually 9-3. So I get breakfast and lunch. Leandro, my boss also cooks a mean churrascaria on Thursdays, which happens to be the night I work b/c I have class Thursday morning. Although I have been working basically everyday, I really enjoy it. It is so fun and I am learning a lot about managing and running a hostel. I have also realized I did learn something back at cofc. I am constantly analyzing how Leandro manages his staff, money, and everything. I already know a few things I will and will not do when and if I have my own inn or hostel!

The best thing about the hostel, other than offering dinner every night for guests, is that we have all these trips planned. Almost every night we have a club or bar or concert to take them to and a couple of times a week we have day trips. This week we had a boat party to Costa da Lagoa, which is area where you can only get by walking or boat! I got to go and it was so fun. There were a lot of awesome people there and we had such a great time. I really have enjoyed it. I am getting restless to travel more however.

There were also a lot of girls come through traveling alone, they said they were fine you just have to be cautious and plan your days, I’m just saying mom.

In the photos: 1. Great veiw from the top deck, 2. where we watch the sun go down on the hang out porch, 3. our sweet van, i really want one!, 4. one of the builidings, sweet I know, 5. the pool, small but awesome!, 6. the boat we took to costa da lagoa, 7. Me working really hard with my clients!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

DAD

So today is Father’s day and I am once again not at home. As I said for mother’s day, traveling has really opened my eyes to how blessed I am. I have a wonderful father who has always put our family before anything else (even golf). Dad has been there for me in everything and I constantly feel blessed to have had him around growing up. When I think about how lucky I am to have had a dad that would get time off of work all the time to take us to the mountains, or to WV, send us to Italy for his birthday, comes to my soccer games (even though I sat the bench), drives me to the airport, flies across the equator to visit me and then sends my sister, (the list goes on and on) it really is amazing. So dad, thank you for all that you have done for me, you are a true blessing in my life. I heard a talk that the best thing a father can do is show his love for his children so that they can see the Heavenly Father’s unconditional love for them. You have gone above and beyond that. So thank you for being such a wonderful dad and I love you, unconditionally as well (but you make it easy)!
Happy Fathers Day!

This of course wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to my fantastic brother who is a wonderful dad too! Your love for Sean is contagious. I have always known you would be a great father by how you helped me growing up. You have the passion, patience, and calm nature that will make you a wonderful dad, which you are already proving. I really just love watching you watch Sean and the joy that is constantly on your face. I feel so honored to be a part of your life and still can’t wait for you to have a baby girl (who acts like Meg and I)! I love you so much.
Happy Fathers Day!

(sorry, couldnt resist)

Who knew I could speak Portuguese?

So, as you devote followers (aka mom and dad and meg, erin, maybe cody, micah I know your not reading) know, my classes are in Portuguese and I do not know what I am doing. One of my classes, Recreation and leisure, finished already because it is only half the semester! I am extremely happy to know I got credit in one class already. That’s right I got credit for a class in a different language. My professor, Gordon, was wonderful. I am sad my favorite class had to be the one to finish. I had to do a presentation for class, thirty minutes long. I really enjoyed it because it was about the recreation and leisure in Charleston. I loved talking about it and it made me sad not to be in Charleston, especially since this was right before Spoletto started. I talked about that as well. My presentation was all in Portuguese, and the wonderful Bea fixed my awful attempt of translating (shout out to google translate)! I presented it all in port. And my professor liked it! Success!

I have also been working with the internship advisor here because I thought it would be wonderful (and easier to pass) if I got an internship in Brazil. Well he has been difficult, so I took matters into my own hands. The same day as my presentation, I met with the boss of a hostel here called Backpackers Sunset, and had an interview in Portuguese. I got the job! Well granted I was offering to work 120 hours for free. I figured out how to get a job, just work for free, people will want you! The place is awesome and I just had to fill out all the paperwork and it was off to work!

This was a great day, because I felt like I knew Portuguese, granted I am no where near fluent but it gives me hope!

In the photos: 1. My pedra branca campus, 2. my last day there, 3. the actual pedra branca (white rock), 4. (these are just cause i can) beautiful sunset in santo antonio, 5. eating dinner on praia forte, 6. a sunny sunday afternoon, 7. enjoying the sand in our toes

Paraben per Voce

Karly and I meet up in Rio for the weekend for her birthday, and it was epic. The entire trip actually, including the trip there alone. I flew up from Floripa, and found a cheaper flight with a new airline-Azul. Basically like jet blue in the states (Hilarious that blue is the cheap flights around the world…). Well it was out of Navagantes, which turned out being a lot farther than I thought…. I wound up staying Thursday night with Bea’s friend Adrianna and her daughter, Giorgia. They were amazing and so nice and helpful, and I loved talking to them. Then they took me to the airport at 7 am. It was an adventure, needless to say I made it to Rio, only four hours later than planned….

Well it was Karlys birthday weekend and we celebrated in style. I stayed with my host moms cousin, Sheila, and her two daughters, Livia,18, and Luisa, 16. They were all awesome. I had already met Sheila and Luisa over Easter, but it was so fun. Rodrigo also was in Rio as well. We had fun, Friday night we went to night club near Impanema, I learned that I don’t really like night clubs, and my hatred for heels grew tremendously.

Saturday, Karly got in at 6am, about an hour after we got home, so we slept till afternoon. Then Karly and I caught up and talked all afternoon sitting on the porch overlooking the hills of Rio. We went to dinner and out to a bar that night. Sang Happy birthday in Portuguese to Karly, I still don’t know it… Then we went a frolicked on the Leblon beach. Last we stopped by the lagoa and looked up at the Christ, it was a beautiful night!

Sunday, Karly’s actual birthday we went HANGGLIDING!!!!!!! Well Karly actually paraglided and I hangglided. It was fantastic. It was perfectly clear, great wind, and just so beautiful! I felt like I was flying and the view was indescribable! It was seriously the best. I highly recommend it! Then we went and laid out on Impanema all afternoon and I people watched. Its not tourist season and it was Sunday so it was packed with Cariocas. I got to eat a ton of food that people were walking around with. Cheese, some type of Ariab pastry thing, and Globos washed down with a guarana. It was great, and Globos are my new favorite things ever. I don’t know how to describe them, its like funions, the texture, but not garlicy or greasy. They are just awesome! Karly knew this church in Rio and actually had contacts with the speaker so we went. It was an adventure. They picked us up at 6, church started at 630, and we were there till 10! It was awesome, it was an international church so they had things to translate the talk to English. So I got to understand the sermon. They opened with an hour of worship, which was so amazing. They were singing songs I knew, but in Portuguese, like “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord”. I absolutely loved it. Then they had two talks with some more worship music, and it lasted 3 hours! Both talks were from the Old testament, and just really great. Then we went out to eat with Livia, Rodrigo, and Luisa. We wound up at some burger place, and hold your breath, I love burgers now. I don’t know how it happened, but I actually ordered and enjoyed a hamburger! I told Karly that this was my favorite friend’s birthday! We had a blast!

Monday we watched Casablanca (I got it for Karly b/c she had never seen it, which is a crime), then spent time with everybody before I had to leave to head to the airport. It was a really amazing weekend. I really love Rio and am so glad I get to go with Meg in a month!!!!!


In the photos: 1. Livia, Me, Luisa, and Karly with the mountain we jumped from in the background, 2. Karly and I with the view and the take off area behind us, 3. At the club, I really liked my necklace, thanks sheila (they dressed me), 4. Karly and I at the lake pointing at Christo Redento, 5. me flying a kite, that i just happened to be strapped to..., 6. birthday dinner, with great dessert and candles!, 7. me laughing at myself (right after take off), 8. my beautiful view!

Shenanigans in Beta Carrero

I saw Giraffes! I have decided that giraffes really are my favorite animals. I don’t know if it’s because of there spots, there super long legs, or there amazingly long necks but I love them. I guess I like tall things (most of my fav. people are over 6 ft). I went to an amusement park with my language class one Sunday a couple of weeks ago. I loved it. I went with Adam and Julie, two friends learning Portuguese with me, and then a group of Brazilians learning English from the same professor that I have. We lost them early on, but the three gringos had an amazing time. There were animal trashcans, and a zoo and a few roller coasters. I hate zoos b/c I feel so sorry for the animals, but at the same time, I love them. I saw hippos, giraffes, lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Even a white tiger! I was very sad b/c the white tiger was all alone segregated from the orange tigers, and he was crying when we saw him. I loved her and named her Shenaniga! (I had just told my friends how this is the year of shenanigans!) We also went on this drop roller coaster that was the largest in South America. Needless to say, I was actually terrified. Ashley knows how I don’t like drop roller coasters, but I had jumped out of an airplane, so I could handle this. It was awesome, and extremely horrifying. It was so fast and long that I couldn’t breathe, let alone scream. I actually had trouble standing after…. It was awesome though. We had a great time and enjoyed all the roller coasters and animals. We even hit up the tea cups Julie shares the love of spinning them as fast as possible, and Adam almost puked on us… It was a great day!

In the photos: 1. Julie and I at the entrance were very excited, 2. GIRAFFES!!!!!! I love them it was a momma and her baby!, 3. I thought of you helstrom!, 4. me eating with the turtle, my other favorite animal, 5. are they not awesome, 6. we were curious if there were any bats in the cave, 7. Shenaniga, 8. This guy was awesome he kept talking to us in spanish because he thought we were argentinian, 9. ahhhh, 10. after the ride when i couldnt breath, the guy beside me is not vomiting thank God!

YMCAA

Birthdays in Brazil are huge! Since I am staying with a host family and Bea is one of seven and Sergio is one of eight, I have some kind of party all the time. I have been to graduations, baby showers, anniversary parties, but the most important has always been birthdays. Easter weekend was one of Bea’s brothers 50^th birthday. He lives in Brasília but came to floripa for a long weekend. He is Luisa’s dad, the cousin who was here when I first got here, so I was very excited to see her again. It was a crazy couple of days. His birthday was Friday, and there was a big party at Vo’s house. There were tons of people there. I learned a very interesting Brazilian card game, mastered singing happy birthday (the goal was to sing it 50 times during the entire day) so it would randomly burst out at any time. There was shrimp and guarana flowing (it was good Friday so no meat… even though none of them were catholic!). It was so great being there just to watch all these people come together. It made me really think how alike all people are no matter where they live. They are all happiest around the people they love and just enjoying good food and conversation.

Bea’s cousin, Sheila, and her daughter, Luisa, stayed with us for the weekend as well. They were really fun and spoke great English. We went to the beach together, and talked about Europe, Shelia traveled through it alone when she was younger. (just saying) As you can see we got along well!

Saturday was the big fiesta. They had a banquet room at a hotel overlooking the lake and a huge party with dinner and a band. It was like a wedding reception. When Luisa said lets go dance, you know I was on the dance floor in seconds. I was belting out the lyrics because the second I got out the band started “First I was afraid, I was petrified…” and all was downhill from there! I sang and danced we had a huge circle in the middle of the floor. When Brazilian music poured out I attempted the forro with a couple of people, I mastered it… They tried to teach me there dirty dancing as well near the end. There were two moments that stuck out in my mind the most however. Dancing in a circle of Brazilians to YMCA, yep YMCA. It was surreal to be so far from home, and yet everyone busted out for Youngman! The other was when I was doing my beautiful moves to “its raining men” (another very excited moment for me), and one of Henrique’s daughters turns to me and asks, “is that how everyone dances in the states?” I looked at her, grinned and said “Yes”. So you are welcome friends, Brazilians think that you can dance as well as I do because I couldn’t tell them, that everyone only WISHES they could dance like me. I know all of you will sleep well to know somewhere out there Brazilians are dancing to American songs in full AA dance fashion!

Rodrigo decided to video tape the wonderful dance lessons! It is pretty long, sorry but just watch the beginning and you can get a taste!