May 2nd-3rd

May 2nd-3rd 2009, Jonny’s Daily Journal

We departed from Atlanta, Georgia at 9:20 PM and after an agonizing 8-9 hour plane ride (in which I had around 45 minutes of actual sleep) we arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After going through customs we were greeted by Claudio and …… two of Professor Budny’s good friends. Their connection with Professor Budny is the reason there is a Brazil Plus 3 Program. Since our hotel in Santos was not ready, the 24 of us all got on the “Style Bus” and cruised around Sao Paulo. We visited a cultural art exhibit which had incredible works of architecture, sculptures, paintings, and other pieces of art all having to do with the rich culture of Brazil.

After the art exhibit, we hopped back onto the bus and travelled from the plateau in which Sao Paulo is located on down to the port city of Santos. Uncle Dan made sure we did not miss out on the beautiful mountainside view of the city of Santos. I noticed many things different and similar about Brazil from America. One difference was the amount of vibrant colors and cultural art in the buildings. Another difference was the option of ethanol fuel for the cars.

After Professor Budny brought us to the hotel, Gonzaga Flats, he took us around the local streets and showed us the main area in which we will be living. He showed us a 24 hour grocery store, mall, various restaurants and of course, the beach! From around 3 to 7:30PM we were given free time. Budny suggested that we use that time to enjoy the beach so that’s just what me and some guys did. The beaches were pretty empty because it was cloudy, a Sunday, and the big game was on, but the water was fine and we swam in it for what seemed like hours. It turned out only to be maybe an hour and a half so we took the extra time we had to explore more on the streets. While me and one of my roommates were out searching for a churro, we encountered one of the wildest riots we’ve ever seen. The big Santos soccer game was on and everyone rushed the main city square. Flags were waving, people were chanting, cars were honking, and flares were being lit. A canister releasing some brown gas was actually thrown our way. I thought it was tear gas but it was actually just some colored gas thrown by a crazed fan. Later in the night a group of us went to a local night club and saw a band perform some modern Brazilian.music.