Brazil has certainly been a trip. Not only in the sense of vacation but also in the sense of inducing surprise. This country is one of the most (if not THE most) scenic, picturesque places I've been in my life. From the bustling work-oriented city of Sao Paulo to the "can-party" attitude of Rio de Janeiro, all the while having an strong colonial history in world heritage site cities like Paraty, Brasil has left me speechless.

Back on December 26 I said my goodbyes in Buenos Aires and headed to the airport. Again, the fantastic Aerolineas Argentinas gave me a ham sandwich in my Kosher meal, so we were off to a good start (or not). I always say to people that you may think you speak a foreign language, but speaking with native speakers proves to you otherwise. From the get-go, the fast speaking Paulistas (people from Sao Paulo) caught me off guard. However, through a series of hand signals and slow speech, I was able to rely on the kindness of these people to help me reach my destinations during my stay. Eventually though, I got the hang of it and worked it all out.

From the first day to the last, my positive impression of Brazil grew stronger. Sao Paulo is a massive city, full of museums, activities, restaurants and people... EVERYWHERE! In my 4 days there I was able to go to some incredible museums, my favorite of which being the Museum of the Portuguese Language. As a linguistics student, it was particularly interesting to have a museum dedicated to my study. Each day, I ventured out into the city for the entire day, and over the course of my days there saw a cathedral, the Mercado Municipal, the Japanese area of the city (like American Chinatowns), along with other cool attractions. One night for dinner, my host/friend Gisele (who was living in the same house as me in Buenos Aires) and I made a plan to meet two friends that I had met back in Uruguay. They hadn't met each other, but hit it off quite well I think. The communication was a bit frustrating because with Gisele i spoke in Spanish and with these other friends in English. We had a great time at the very least. My friends, Anderson, without any hesitation offered to make a day plan for me for the day after dinner. From the beginning of the day to the afternoon, I was set up with a logical itinerary which included good food, noteworthy buildings, and a couple museums (he even included a map)! After a couple days in the concrete city though, I was off.

As anyone who knows me can attest to, I'm not a big partier. Several weeks prior I decided that for myself, Rio de Janeiro would be too much insanity for New Years Eve, and so I instead opted to go to the coastal colonial city of Paraty, in the Rio de Janeiro state. The drive to and from Paraty was green from the time I left Sao Paulo until the second we entered Paraty, as well as from there to Rio de Janeiro. In fact, Paraty made the New York Times list of top 45 places to go in 2012 (so I can tick that off my list)! The city is full of beautiful white buildings accented in different colors and it was very sightly. It's a small city so walking all of it was a manageable task for one day but it was just so relaxing. Unfortunately it drizzled for almost every minute I was there, but in the summer it's really SO refreshing. While there, I met some great people from all over, mostly Brazilians who showed us how to celebrate a Brazilian new years properly. On New Years Eve, a group of about 10-15 of us went down to the beach, dressed in all white, watched the fireworks and after the strike of midnight, went to the water and jumped through seven waves, making a wish with each for the upcoming year. We had a great time and I still got to sleep by 3:00!!! YAYY! Several days later, severals friends heavier, I was off to Rio de Janeiro, earlier than expected (because my original plan of going to a tropical beach island seemed uninviting in the rain).

Rio de Janeiro, a Cidade Maravilhosa (the Marvelous City), has one of the most well deserved nicknames I've heard before. It was incredible. A good balance of tourism and work, but more than anything, beautiful. The beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema packed with people, rain or shine, and an overall incredible energy. While I was here, I had the fortune of seeing some friends I had met in Buenos Aires, and ended up doing most activities with them. Deepti, one of these friends, and her boyfriend Adam were such a great pair to tour with. They were active and motivated but still were happy to sleep in and get a late start. Rather than draw out a short story of every activity, I'll give a list what I saw and did. Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf Mountain), Favela tour (the Brazilian version of a shantytown) where I rode on the back of a motorcycle for the first time (nearly s#*tting myself along the way), Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer statue), Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, of course some days on the beach, Santa Teresa, the Center of the city, Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí, (where I got to see the Rio de Janeiro samba schools practice for the upcoming Carnaval) and much much more. I think I averaged an Açaí bowl per day, with granola, banana, and honey... It was incredible, I need to find it somewhere at home! Looking back, I'm glad I went against the advice I was given and spent a total of 9 days in Rio. It's a beautiful, big, fun city that really is meant to be done at a leisurely pace. I can't wait to one day come back to Brazil and pick up where I left off. The energy of the people here gives me the impression that spending Carnaval here would certainly be an incredible experience.

I'm currently sitting in the bus station, waiting to head back to Sao Paulo for one last day. From there I will be leaving to see some of my favorite people in the world in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Now that I've delivered all the good news and stories here comes the not so good news part. For those of you who don't know, I took the December LSAT with the hopes of having one final great score to then submit my applications with. For whatever reason, my stars didn't align and while I was in Rio, results were emailed out. Unfortunately, my score was not to my liking. With the support from my parents and sister, I was able to come to the resolution to apply to fewer schools, and ones that are more in my realistic range. If I end up unhappy with the options set before me, I could potentially be taking a second gap year, which doesn't even sound all that bad. What is certain is that life goes on and I'm on the track I'm meant to be. Life is a journey, and I'm along for the ride.

That's it and that's all readers. Until next time, take care and thanks for stopping by. Photos will be up soon if they aren't by the time you read this. Até logo!