This is the post for May 26 thru May 30. I'm just getting around to posting it now:
So I arrived at the Rio Hostel Friday morning around 10 AM. We had a bit of confusion at the airport. I arrived on the same flight as a classmate but we had another classmate coming in at a separate terminal. We had arranged for the hostel's taxi to come pick all three of us up, so while we were walking to the other terminal, the driver had already picked up our other classmate and was making his way to our terminal. After waiting for eachother, we eventually figured out what was going on, but it was a good first lesson in improvising- something that we're learning to develop as a class, and something Brazilians are notoriously good at.
Alrite so a lot has happened in the last 4 days and only now do I feel like I'm beginning to collect 
my thoughts and find a rhythm. The red eye from Sac to Houston last Tuesday/Wednesday threw me off and I've been constantly doing something or going somewhere ever since. We went to 
Rice University, which was much smaller than I was expecting- only about 3400 undergrads or so. The best part was definitely the big bucket of crawfish Wednesday night. The weather was so hot and humid that this was 
probably the only time it was really bearable to be outside.
my thoughts and find a rhythm. The red eye from Sac to Houston last Tuesday/Wednesday threw me off and I've been constantly doing something or going somewhere ever since. We went to 
Rice University, which was much smaller than I was expecting- only about 3400 undergrads or so. The best part was definitely the big bucket of crawfish Wednesday night. The weather was so hot and humid that this was 
probably the only time it was really bearable to be outside.So I arrived at the Rio Hostel Friday morning around 10 AM. We had a bit of confusion at the airport. I arrived on the same flight as a classmate but we had another classmate coming in at a separate terminal. We had arranged for the hostel's taxi to come pick all three of us up, so while we were walking to the other terminal, the driver had already picked up our other classmate and was making his way to our terminal. After waiting for eachother, we eventually figured out what was going on, but it was a good first lesson in improvising- something that we're learning to develop as a class, and something Brazilians are notoriously good at.
The Rio Hostel was great, especially the view of the city. Here's a pic to the left. After getting settled I went with four classmates to navigate the neighborhood and find some food. We went to a place a few blocks away called the Novo Republica. It had a great spread of food, and a pay-by-the-gram system. The meat is amazing here, but a bit on the salty side. We then came back to the hostel, got further settled, and went back out to explore. Rio is a fascinating place, and I don't have a great deal to compare it too (I've never been south of San Diego).
So after returning from the walk around Rio we settled in a little more, then went out for dinner and wandered Lapa which was full of people, bars, and insanity of every variety. At one we found some people who spoke English. I had a great conversation with some locals and finally learned some Portuguese - generally, I find it hard to correctly pronounce the words I read. It's definitelty harder than Italian and Spanish in this respect. Perhaps French is a good comparison.
The next day I went with some classmates on a jeep tour of the Corcovado. On the jeep ride out of the hostel we saw people continuing the party in Lapa even at 8 AM. Supposedly stuff like this happens all the time- very unlike the U.S. where bars usually close at 2. It made me wonder who has to clean up the mess, and how Rio will deal with this during the upcoming increases in tourism. It seems like events like this would be a good place to start and to practice the types of processes that will need to be in place by 2016.
Our tour guide for the Corcovado was awesome. Funny, honest, and helpful, he did his best to answer all kinds of crazy questions we threw at him. He talked a lot about the income divide between the rich and poor, and used as an example the workers who come to the wealthy areas to be nannies, maids, and workers of various undesirable jobs. He said they generally come from different favelas and make 400-600 Reais a month while those employeeing them make five or six times this. He discussed the increase in hotel buidling that has occured in the upscale areas of Ipanema and the speculation that has caused people to buy with the hopes of turning them for a profit in the next five years. Also during this tour, we went on a walk through the rainforest, and 
the guide knew a great deal. I asked him if he was excited about all the tourism Rio is expecting over the next few years, and he said people in his position will probably be overqualified because the majority of the hiring for positions like guides and event assistants will go to people with lesser skills. Successfuly integrating knowledgable people like this will be key if Rio is to come up with a successful strategy for the upcoming tourism spike, so it was enlightening hearing his response.
the guide knew a great deal. I asked him if he was excited about all the tourism Rio is expecting over the next few years, and he said people in his position will probably be overqualified because the majority of the hiring for positions like guides and event assistants will go to people with lesser skills. Successfuly integrating knowledgable people like this will be key if Rio is to come up with a successful strategy for the upcoming tourism spike, so it was enlightening hearing his response. Anyway, the excellent guide made for an excellent trip, and hopefully people like this can be the ones facilitating this mass of tourism coming. During the walk through the forest he talked 
about the evolution of the flora and fauna, and asked questions like whether we liked the smell of the tobacco plant, which I didn't, but I suppose that's because I don't smoke. I've attached some pics and a vid of him here (the big spiky thing is a jackfruit). 
The drive by the beach was especially awesome- there were a ton of skydivers and paragliders jumping off a nearby mountain. Maybe I'll try to be one this upcoming weekend.
about the evolution of the flora and fauna, and asked questions like whether we liked the smell of the tobacco plant, which I didn't, but I suppose that's because I don't smoke. I've attached some pics and a vid of him here (the big spiky thing is a jackfruit). 
The drive by the beach was especially awesome- there were a ton of skydivers and paragliders jumping off a nearby mountain. Maybe I'll try to be one this upcoming weekend.After returning to the hostel we went out and ate another meal at Novo Republica, and then went to a soccer game at the Maracana stadium. We joked that it would have been a lot better if the beer had alcohol and it didn't end in a one-one tie. The stadium was surprisingly empty - we coudn't figure out why this was, and it looked like the ticket only cost 15 reais, even though we paid 80 at the hostel for 
the van ride and ticket. Dinner at the hostel was probably the best meal I've had thus far. I never knew rice and beans could taste so good. The chicken was amazing as well. It souded like the cook, Kasha (sp?), was a local woman who comes by and cooks almost every night.
the van ride and ticket. Dinner at the hostel was probably the best meal I've had thus far. I never knew rice and beans could taste so good. The chicken was amazing as well. It souded like the cook, Kasha (sp?), was a local woman who comes by and cooks almost every night.On May 30 I went with some classmates on a boat trip to some nearby islands south of Rio. It was a great deal and I saw some beautiful sites. Got to go swimming off the boat, too, which was especially nice given the heat. I have some cool pics here:
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