The hills are alive with the sound of San Franciscoooo

Ok, dorky. Shh. Moving on.

Here's to remembering what happened on recent trip number deux!

I fell in love with San Fran and area. The many many hills, the row houses, the wine, the walking...

Flew out Wednesday evening (straight from work, almost missed my flight O_O), layover in Houston where I caught an EARLIER connection (yay!) that got me into San Fran at 9:30 pm instead of 11:30. Jeremie, the couchsurfer we were staying with, had given me directions on taking the BART to Civic Center and then taking the bus. Guy on the BART (who was the same guy as the one on my flight who PURCHASED my movie viewing abilities on the plane) would NOT let me get off at Civic Center -- because there's too many homeless people and girls like me would get raped and murdered. I tried to assure him that I could throw a few punches with my kickboxing moves (from, um, 6 years ago), but he was adamant. So I get off at Powell instead. Make it to Jeremie & Emilie's around 11. They're a fantastic couple -- here for an 18 month job transfer from France. Jealous?

Thursday morning! My friend Mike and I make our way towards Chinatown (I'm sooo hungry b/c I freakin' missed dinner on the plane when I fell asleep for like 3 min!) and get DIM SUM! SO good! Granted, the same good that later made me nauseous and sick... but totally worth it. Next, head towards Coit Tower where I insist $5 is too much to make it to the top of it, after we trekked up the stairs (in hindsight... probably could've afforded the $5 for a beautiful view). Walked towards Lombard street, but made a pit stop at a coffee shop before we hiked the crazy hill up it. I never imagined (nor did I remember from when I was 9) how STEEP these hills are! At one point, a lady was literally terrified that she would start rolling backwards down it and was clutching onto the guardrails. What a workout. Then we made it to fisherman's wharf and the pier and toured around -- watched street performers (jugglers, crazy instrument players, break dancers, people jumping out of trash cans...) and got some In & Out burgers (what?! I was hungry again.) Ghirardelli Square was delicious also and is where I met THE coolest street musician ever: Starvin' Marvin, who speaks 13 languages! Like, SPEAKS them, not just "knows a few words and calls it a language". He also rhymed all his sentences. What a guy. Then wandered allll along the bay area alllll the way to the Fine Arts Palace. I'm still not entirely sure if there's actually something inside (like a museum), but it was beautiful. Beautiful weather, green grass, wonderful building, and lots of birds and people watching. It's 6 and we told Jeremie and Emilie we'd make dinner at 7, so we find a sweet grocery store (Marina's Market, I think?) and get everything that's needed for some awesome enchiladas. End the night by meeting up with a past couchsurfer of mine, Victor, and his friend and all of us head to a couple of bars. What a day.

Friday's here. We were going to rent a car to get to Sonoma, buuuut the line for the rental is ~1 hr long and if we have no reservations, pretty much SOL, says the guy. Mike calls ferry info lady, Amy, who informs us there's a bus to Sonoma from Vallejo, where we can take the ferry to. So, off we go to to the ferry station! It's pouring right now, but that just gives Alcatraz the look it needs as we pass it by. Get to Vallejo -- Amy lied! No bus! Only one to Napa, which we take, and then Ben (our couchsurfer host) graciously picks us up there. Ben lives on a vineyard. in Sonoma. 'nuff said. He's got the life, alright, and is a way cool dude. There's a couchsurfing dinner tonight in Santa Rosa! So we head to the grocery store, whip up some kick ass mac & cheese, and meet some fun people that night. One of whom gave me a massage whilst eating dinner. That's pretty awesome. :D

Saturdayyy! It's another beautiful day in CalifornIA and we start it out by trekking the wine hills behind Ben's place. I won't lie. I got winded. At the top, I plopped down on the grass which was the best decision I had made so far that day. They soon followed lead. Then, it's wine tasting time! We made it to THREE wineries in Sonoma (Kunde, Family...something, and Ledsor? Lexor? Luxor? I don't remember). Charlie at Winery #2 loved us. Kept repouring our drinks and at the end, didn't let us pay. I'm pretty sure that's why Winery #3 didn't like our lot too much... buncha drunkies. In between we feasted on a picnic lunch from a local grocer. Ben had invited us to a Crystal Method concert, but we decline b/c we have to make it back to Jeremie and Emilie's, so he drops us off close by. The rest of the night was spent chatting and playing boardgames with the two... you definitely need quick reflexes with them.

Sunday, Sunday. Mike leaves in the morning for his flight and I spend the day with Victor. He picks me up and we drive across the Golden Gate Bridge through Muir Woods and the coastline. Even though it was raining, we would stop in between, shoot some pictures, and admire the waves crashing up against the rocks. Make our way after an hour or two to Petaluma -- a quaint little town that seems to have everything it needs (including two Thai places! One of which we ate at). It's getting late and he takes me back to San Fran where I meet up with Ross at the pier. Head to Mission district with him and his sisters for some yummy Mexican tacos, then drive back and forth the Golden Gate again (just because), before he takes me to the airport to catch my flight...

What a trip. 4 full days of awesomeness :) I can't imagine a better way it could have gone.

Austin, you make my heart skip

Alrighty, so I'm back from both trips, but let's recount in order (b/c, let's face it, I'm not going to remember otherwise...)

Oh, Austin. You bring that excited flutter to my stomach, that familiar feeling that brings a smile to my face. After landing in Austin and being driven to mom's house, everything is still in its place (plus some additional newbies... a new skyscraper, a different billboard), and it doesn't feel like I've even ever left.Spend the first night at mom's -- it's good being around her again. How she loves to spoil me :) She shows me the clothes she's been accumulating for me, the sewing machine cover I desperately need, the slipper socks, etc. Work from home Thursday until 3 (let's be honest... probably not my most productive time of work), meet up with the P&G peeps back at campus after checking into the hotel. Good event.

THEN. TRUDY'S! The meal I've been craving for the past 6 months: Trudy's Chicken Stuffed Avocado with a Mexican Martini lovingly next to it. This is one of my favorite meals in.the.world. It's a combination of the knife sliding into the suiza sauce on the crusted breading and the ripe avocado filled with chicken. ~drools~. I had the wonderful company of some of my closest friends: Hussain, Clare, and Clay. I thank you for being part of this and providing me with wonderful warm company :)Hussain (who graciously always ends up being my chauffeur when I'm in town) and I then meet up with the P&G recruiting folks for a wee bit at Baby A's. Karen is hilarious. I love her enough sober, but I may love her even more when she's a wee bit tipsy... We then head over to Hussain's to meet up with Joe, Christina, Jackie, and Brandon for some hookah. Oh Austin. I love you guys. There's something about y'all that grounds me well. Head back to the hotel and find my mom passed out in my bed.

Awake. Work. Well, sorta. Steal breakfast for mom. Head out for lunch with the recruitees at Crown & Anchor and do our training for the organizations (turned out really well! Props to my co-presenter Balt who did an excellent job). Head to Z Tejas for dinner with the recruiting ladiez (Karen and Claire) -- ran a little late and unfortunately missed Andy's band perform at the Parlor. Thankfully, 99.9% of my friends head to Jackie's afterwards so I can lovingly see them all at the same time. UNthankfully, I'm hopelessly tired and cannot keep my eyes open long enough for a decent conversation. I had fun while I was still conscious and then Christina took me back to the hotel :)

Oh Saturday! No work! All play! Mom and I head down to Zilker Park to meet up with Emily and my beautiful goddaughter, Maya. How I miss Emily. We've been through a lot and we're so... grown up now (which is not the same as mature, let me point out). Maya is aadooorable -- full of life, scared of nothing, such a little tomboy. We let her dip her feet in Barton Springs (how I wanted to jump in so badly myself...) We say our good bye's and meet up with Hussain at the Flip Happy Crepes stand down the road. This little trailer stand is Austin in all its essence: so odd and quirky, yet deliciously wonderful. Even the hour long wait was worth it b/c of picnic table conversations. I had the lemon curd with blueberry sauce.
Mom and I shop our hearts out: Texas Thrift Store (my favorite thrift store ever), ROSS, TJ Maxx. How I miss ROSS too... At one point, about half my closet was from there. SUCH good deals. It's sorta like TJ Maxx, but better. and cheaper. Pizza dinner at home then I head down to 6th street for Carlos's birthday celebration (after meeting up with Hussain and Ruwan at Madam Mam's). Sixth street is not the same as it was in college... but I think that largely has to do with the fact that you don't run into people from your classes and your different friend circles anymore b/c most have moved away since graduation... However, this night was as close as it could get to that reminiscence: a good group of friends, even ran into Brooke, Scott, and some other drunkies (haha), watched awkward social situations, got INto social awkward situations, shots, dancing, singing at the top of our lungs. Ahh. One thing I miss about Austin that I wish Cincinnati had is the 6th street concept... where you can dangle in and out of bars with NO cover! Not feeling the vibe? Let's try next door. Before I know it, the bars are closing, I hug my friends good bye for now (come visit me, durn it!), and have a 1/2 hour trek home. Get home at 3, mom and I chat til 4, wake up at 5 am for my 7 am flight. Ouch. My fault. But totally worth it.

Reading this post with a different set of eyes, it seems to ramble about nothingness. Chronological events. Uninteresting. However, with MY eyes, there are about 20 instances where my heart fluttered just reading this. Certain locations that bring back memories, events, people... Zilker, Crown, Madam Mam's, just to name a few. Wonderful Austin places that are associated with a chunk of my life that I'm grateful for. I felt like this trip gave me a good amount of time to absorb time with friends, family, and Austin places.

People often ask WHY I left Austin if I love it so much, or why I won't go back. Here's the thing... if life happens to place me back in Austin, I won't complain. However, if I have control of it, there are just too many places in the world that I have yet to discover that might make my heart skip. Wouldn't it be great to get those emotions in many areas of the world instead of just one?

Oops, just kidding.

Ok, so I lied... I WILL be traveling in between now and my South Africa trip. Twice, actually. >_>

Next Wednesday, P&G is sending me to Austin for recruiting! Fly in Wednesday night, work from (mom's) home Thursday, then do organization events Thursday and Friday evening. Other than that, I have FREE time til early early Sunday morning to spend time with mom, friends, and dog :) ALSO! Staying in the Embassy Suites downtown on Thursday and Friday night, so SLUMBER party time!

Theeen I'm going to San Francisco for Easter Weekend + 1.5 days. Fly out Wednesday night and I'm there til Sunday at midnight. I get in Monday around noon... Either gunna work half a day or take it off b/c it's Opening Day here in Cincy (a big deal apparently :P). Hey, I had to take advantage of that long weekend, right?

This leaves me with about 2 days of vacation left (I already set aside days for Christmas-New Years) to take another vacation some time this year... probably after Cape Town.

I love my life. :)

Final Approval for South Africaaaa!!

Yayyyyy! I got the final OK for my 2 month sabbatical to Cape Town, South Africa from end of May to end of July!!

I will be volunteering at a non-profit org called Ikamva Labantu, which helps poorer communities become self sustaining since during the Apartheid. It was started by a lady named Helen Lieberman who initially helped women in these poverty stricken townships. My friend Matt volunteered there last summer, before starting at P&G, and through him I have this awesome connection :) I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing yet, but I guess I'll see what they need me for when I get there!

Sabbatical, you say? But, Nadia, you JUST started at P&G... That's right. Under P&G's HR terms, you can take a sabbatical for up to 3 months after 1 full year of employment, once every 7 years. So, the sooner, the better, right? Granted, I'm not getting paid, but at least I still get my benefits :) I always ALWAYS wanted to go to South Africa AND go to the World Cup and guess what? they're both happening this summer. A week of vacation would not be enough for such a trip (plus, I'm almost out of days anyways...), so I looked into taking a sabbatical and tada! I figured while I'm there for a while, I might as well do something that I'm passionate about!

So now with my final approvals from management, HR, and Employee Relations (thank them all), I can finally feel confident about buying my plane ticket. Also, this sabbatical will be in between my role rotations at work, so it's not negatively effecting my work :) Hopefully when I come back, I'll have a job (I'm working on that right now...)

So, right. Plane ticket next. I'm waiting til Monday to purchase b/c there's a slight slight chance prices will go down... if they go up, I'll have to kick myself. Through Couchsurfing, I've already found myself a place in the middle of Cape Town to stay for the month of June for a mere ~$250. Working things out for July, but I'm not too worried. (I really do at one point need to have a post dedicated to Couchsurfing... it's been an amazing part of my life already.) OH! And I have a ticket for the Netherlands vs. Cameroon game!!!! YEAHHHH! SO excited!

Will need to get yellow fever vaccination at some point as well. And the downside of buying a place... still need to pay mortgage for the 2 months I won't be here. Maybe I can somehow work out a deal with a friend or P&G intern renting it while I'm gone...

AHHHH I'M SO EXCITED! I've heard amaaazing things about Cape Town... it's probably a good thing I'm buying a roundtrip ticket. I. can't. wait.

Granted, I probably won't be able to travel between now and then, so the posts in the next 3 months will probably be about SA preparation. I'll try to keep it interesting :P

Tally Chart and Things We Learned in Brazil

So on our cruise to the Bahamas last year, we brought with us a Tally Chart of things to do while on the trip... for which we would get points for. Giant chart that was printed on 11X17" paper. I ended up winning by 1 point (don't ask how). Since then we've brought the "tally concept" into other events of our lives, like when we had a Tally War Bar Crawl last September (I lost this one... don't ask why). Anyhoo, one bar-night, Sally, Mariam, and I scribbled down some tally ideas for this trip on a napkin. We sort of forgot about it during our trip, but now post trip, I will fill in the items that won some tally's...

• # of times something gets stolen: Me:1 (my camera)
• # of indecent exposures: Mariam:1 (unintentional...)
• # of times someone gets mad at you: Sally:1 (...)
  
• # of friends you make (need #'s or email): Sally&Me:1 (Diago), Kyle:1 (Paul), Matt:1 (Paulo?), All:3 (Daniel, Erika, Cass)
• # of free caipirinhas/drinks: Sally&Kendra:1 (beer from Ohio guy)
• # of times you go missing: Me:1 (bus station... almost once in metro), Matt:1 (does staying in Paraty count?)
• # of times a meal is substituted with liquid: All:...uhh...don't know the number, but it happened a lot, since we didn't eat much and drank on the streets
• # of sunburns: Matt:1 (baaaack)

Alright, now for the things we learned about Brazil/Brazilians:

• they like to weigh their plates
• they don't sweat
• they don't shave their legs
• they love to eat face in public places at all hours
• thong swimsuits are OK for little girls (and all body types for that matter)
• Red short speedo's are in fashion for men
• Red lights are optional
• Cars speed UP for pedestrians (vrrrooom!)
• Police officers have giant guns and huge batons
• It's ok to pee while you're dancing
• Brazilians love to talk. They'll talk more and faster if you don't understand
• They love bread, ham, and cheese
• You always get straws with your drink
• Can't flush toilet paper
• The hot attractive stereotype of Brazil is untrue
• Even people that rip you off are nice and chatty
• Not as overly dangerous as warned
• Crocodiles in favelas eat bodies
• Rio public transportation is hot
• Sunscreen is overpriced
• Brazilians are friendly & helpful
• Time is fluid
• They have great stamina to party all day/night
• They love chanting the same song over and over
• Strangers try to kiss you during Carnaval
• Their leg hairs are blond
• Everyone knows martial arts
• Bottled water is a necessity
• All hot men are gay
• Men love dressing up as women
• No mosquito's in Rio
• There are no cats, only dogs
• Acai has the highest amount of calories of all the fruit
  

What we need to learn:

• Who's Bob?
• Where are all the hot people? (at the Samba rehearsals?)

So much still to learn... must go back....

Trading Brazil's wonderful heat for Cincinnati's 9" snow -- I'm back

Day 1 - Leaving Cincinnati
Worked a half day, way hectic (you know how THE most important things always seems to happen 1 min before you leave for vacation?), then Sals graciously picked us all up and off we go to the airport. Meet my wonderful friend Kyle in Dallas airport -- she's been waiting there for over 3 hours. Yes, she's already drunk off of margaritas. Buys me a birthday drink, we take another shot, and oops, we're probably past the allowable intoxication level to get on a plane. It works out well and we pass out...

Day 2 - 10 min layover in Sao Paolo, arrive in Rio, go to Niteroi...and wake up in Sao Paolo, where we have literally about 10 min til our next flight leaves. Miraculously, we make it after the lady at the gate screams at us to RUUUUUUN! Land in Rio -- all is well so far :) Get outside... it's HOOOOOT! Our skins begin to glisten, but there's something wonderful about this feeling of heat. Took a bus to Niteroi -- about an hour from Rio. SPEAKING OF BUS: the bus drivers are CRAZY in Brazil! Well, drivers in general really. Lanes? imaginary. speed UP for pedestrians. those damn gate things on the bus are impossible for big backpacks and suitcases. buses always win the chicken game. Anyhoo, meet our delightful couchsurfer host Daniel at the mall (note: shopping mall visit #1 in Brazil) after a few hours and make our way to his mom's house. Go for a hike in the neighborhood with Daniel and Carol to do some groceries and eat some acai before heading back. Pack out 5 of us on the floor upstairs and pass out after a long day... (Welcome, first night of many mosquito bites. Sally got eaten alive.)


Day 3 - Out to Copacabana beach day, Sugar Loaf-ing it up
Alright, we have it down. First full day of Rio -- bring on the cliche tourist sightings! It takes about 1 hr 40 min to get to the beach, but so worth it. Hmm... where are all these hot people we always hear off? They must all be rehearsing for the Carnaval parade... Also! Our introduction to caipirinhas! The lady who sells them tells me that after 3 of these, I'll be fluent in Portuguese. I kinda believe her. We do our scoping -- feast our non-subtle eyes on Diogo (Diago?), our first Brazilian phone number, ha. After a good tanning session, we're off to Sugar Loaf. Yeahhh, views are totally worth it. It's a fun ride up too!

Day 4 - Moving to Rio, getting a bus ticket, seeing Christ, watching the Carnaval rehearsal
Full day ahead of us: decided to move to Daniel's apt in Rio instead (closer!), then Daniel sets up a deal with 2 cab drivers to cart us around the city fo R$70 (~$35)and take us to the bus station and the Christ statue. Works for the most part until a van company convinces our cab driver he's not allowed up the mountain even partially for the statue and we get ripped off an additional R$45 to take his stupid van. Oh and surprise, at the top of the mountain we see TAXI CABS -- somehow they WERE allowed up? Ugh. Whatevs. Tourists getting ripped off happens. The statue was pretty neat. We pondered how the hell they built the thing and how they got the materials up that mount. Oh and by the way, cab #2 broke down by now, so we make a deal with cab #1 to take all of us to the Sambodromo for the Carnaval rehearsal (which is free!) for R$30. MADNESS at the rehearsal! The parades themselves will consist of 12 samba schools, each with like 3000 members, but this last rehearsal is for Salguiero, last year's winning samba school. It's incredible how fast the dancers feet move. And their costumes! How can they even move in those? Long night... we had back to Daniel's after finding the metro.

Day 5 - Trekking down to Angra dos Reis
Head on over back to the hectic bus station (it's getting busierrrrr) for our bus trip to Angra. The bus must have been the first airconditioned thing we'd sat in for days and it was niiiiiice! About 3 hrs later we make it there and realize we really haven't eaten much on this trip. Silly us. So we hoist our bags and wander the ~30 min (p.s. Brazilian time is fluid. Helpful tip? Usually double the amount they tell you it takes to get somewhere. And remember that it's blistering hot) to a recommended restaurant WHICH CLOSES RIGHT INFRONT OF US! Sadness. Enter: Erika and Cass -- a couple living there that runs a bed, breakfast, and boat business. Erika's originally from Angra, Cass from Mississippi. They make an awesome pair. They tell us about their awesome boat and how for R$200 they take us to 4 islands, cook us bbq, and provide us drinks. There are no real nice beaches in Angra, but the 365 island that are around it are worth checking out. Funnily, we run into them again later and they give us a ride to our couchsurfer's place (Kelvin) after picking up his keys. And then... run into them again during grocery shopping. We cave and splurge the R$200 for what sounds like an amazing boat trip the next day. We eat dinner with Kelvin and his neighbor Tuan (right?) and then call it a night. I spend my first night ever in a hammock -- surprisingly comfortable!

Day 6 - Boating around the Angra isles
Okay, so looking back on it... we might have gotten ripped off by Erika... R$200 for 7 hrs among 3 islands, a broken down boat, no bbq, paying for our own lunch and drinks. But you know what? For some reason we can't hate her. She's just cool. Getting to know her, she mentioned her apt in Rio on Ipanema beach that we should stay at next time we're in Rio. We sneakily insert cues about how we'll be back in Rio in about 3 days... but no dice. Her mom will be there during Carnaval. Oh well, maybe next time? The islands are gorgeous. SO much green and clear deep waters. We went snorkeling, got surrounded by various fish, and felt like the posh and famous jetting around on the boat, music blasting, past the tourist packed fishermen boats. Stopped off at Ilha Grande (the biggest of the islands) for a wee bit and decided we should get back there some day to spend a few days on it to discover all its beauties and waterfalls. End off with rinsing off in a ritzy hotel's pool before Cass picks us up again and we eat dinner at the mall (shopping mall #3). What a beautiful day. End the night with Kelvin and some of his friends in a poker game. Who won? Psh, I did. Surprised? You shouldn't be (ok, maybe a little.) Luck was on my side that night.


Day 7 - Paraty time!
Ha, I just noticed the unintentional pun I made. ~giggles~ Take another bus (this one, not air conditioned) from Angra to Paraty. We've heard a lot of good things about it -- all turned out true. Quaint little town with an adorable center filled with artisan's shops, restaurants, bars, and souvenirs. We get to our Blue Jungle Hostel, where it's R$20 a night, and are greeted by Phelia, a wonderful German girl who's lived there for about half a year and already speaks fluent Portuguese (there's hope!). Head out to discover the town's center and get back in time to the hostel for our free drinks and for dinner. It starts to storm badly, we attempt to make it out for the night, but after the giant puddles taking up all the streets, we turn back around. So we stay in for a night -- bonding with the other hostel guests, playing music, singing, playing cards, and ridiculous "puzzle" games Matt had up his sleeve that involved "what can be found on Bob's Island" and saying "Johnny Johhny Whoop" correctly. Ridiculous. 9 bunks to a room, no electricity that night, but it wasn't all that bad.Day 8 - Waterfalls and night out in Paraty
Instead of taking the overpriced tours of R$50, we each cough up R$3 for a local bus ride to the waterfalls. Awe. some. Such clear water and running rapids! We slide off of the natural rock slide, that other people are foot sliding down! I would land flat on my face if I did that. We go behind some waterfalls, Kyle jumps off a high cliff (which, btw, she only had 10 seconds of hesitation for whereas it took a group of guys 20 min to get the courage to jump off). Back to Paraty for some shopping and dinner. Man, Brazilians love the "pay for how much your food weighs" style. I think it's awesome -- you get to determine your amount buffet style and choose what you want to eat. They weigh it. You pay. We then head over to Paraty 33 for some live music and finally getting a taste of Cachaca con Miel (caramelized cachaca). Okay, maybe not a "taste"... I got drunk off of 5 shots of those. They are deeeelicious. And so we start wandering the streets, run into some more hostel people, and keep up partying by ending the night in a dance club with some samba and then Lady Gaga, hah. Long night. Went home around 4.


Day 9 - Travel day back to Rio
So we lost Matt today. Well, not "lost" -- he decided he wanted to stay the rest of his days in Paraty instead of going back to Rio. Totally understandable -- I think we all fell in love with Paraty and something was very appealing about its relaxed ambiance versus Rio's hustle and craziness for Carnaval. But Carnaval in Rio? It's one of those things you HAVE to have done if you had the chance. Bucket list item. So we head back. Traffic is ri-dic-ulous once we get into Rio. It's definitely Carnaval time. We arrive an hour or so late at the bus station, take about an hour to find the bus to take us back home, and when we get there: another night of exhaustion of hauling our backpacks. G'night.

Day 10 - Gill and Emily exist, Ipanema beach parades
We finally FINALLY meet up with Gill and Emily due to lack of communication methods, miscommunications, etc. P&G friends finally believe they exist :) Head out to Ipanema beach. Hot guys? yes. Gay? yes. Haha, awesome though. We lay there until a wave or two engulfs us on the beach, so we decide to walk around. Ipanema boulevard is getting busier, buy beers, and set ourselves down for some people watching. Things we've learned about Carnaval? People are drunk at all times of these days, men love dressing up in women's clothes, and strangers love to randomly kiss people. Your face WILL get attacked. The parade was filllled with people and awesome tranny costumes. That night we eat at Frontera (another "weight your plate" place) and then take the metro home. Oh the metro during Carnaval... herds of people smashing themselves into the trains, some times unwillingly (I got pushed into one and friends had to try hard to pull me back out), lack of AC, chanting carnaval songs, pounding on the walls (and smashing windows on occasion). It's quite an experience. Obviously, left us exhausted once again...

Day 11 - Rio centro, concert, back to Ipanema and Copacabana
We meet Emily and Gill in the city center at noon and find ourselves at a Carnaval concert at a square with Samba music. Once again, lots of drunk people, saw a girl PEE on herself while peeing (we moved shortly after), rando's trying to make out with you, and oh the heat. It was marvelous. Head back to Ipanema, more people watching, more parades, almost lose each other in the crowds once again, and back to Copacabana for Emily and Gill's hotel to dip our feet in their pool water. There's another parade right outside their hotel, but by this point, we're almost paraded out. Split up for dinner, between a Churascaria and a "weigh your plate place" that also has an all-you-can-eat pizza for R$15. Do some shopping at a night bazaar in Copa and head to the hotel to watch some of the Carnaval parade on TV. Baaack home. Another night of crazy metro-ness.

Day 12 - last day in Brazil... back to the cold
Our flight's not 'til 8, but with all this crazy Carnaval-ness, we decide it's smart to leave for the airport at 4 and take it easy for the day. We spend the afternoon in the shopping mall near Daniel's (shopping mall #4), eat our last fast food, hold some fun conversations, drink our last juices (btw, juices or '"sucos" are AMAZING in Brazil -- it's like biting into fresh fruit. We really DO need more juice bars in the US). At 4, grab some cabs, make our way to the airport -- by now I'm pretty proud that I can hold semi-decent conversations with the cab driver :) Just needed to stay in Brazil a little longer... Good bye, Brazil.

Alright. Long entry. Needless to say, I know I've forgotten a lot of events during these days... maybe I'll re-post if I randomly remember them. Everyone took a lot of pics, which is good b/c my camera ended up getting stolen out of my checked luggage (jinxed it when I boasted how no one had been robbed or kidnapped during this trip). Alright, I'm exhausted (sounds familiar) and heading to bed... work tomorrow morning... Good night, Cincinnati.

Calling an official meeting for Brazil preparations

Soooo... we are now 24 days away from GOING TO BRAAAZZIIIILLLL! That's right, 7 friends and I are trekking down to Rio and surrounding area from Feb 4-15 to not only submerge in the wonderful Brazilian culture none of us have experienced yet, but to be part of the biggest party in the world -- Carnaval!

The 7 wonderful people joining me on this adventure are: Kyle, Gill, Emily, Sally, Mariam, Lakendra, and Matt. A nice mix of best buds from college, a significant other, and some of my besties from work :) And today 6 of us had an official meeting to discuss the remaining details and wrap-ups. Our itinerary is as follows:

Feb 4 - fly out of Cincy
Feb 5-8 - Rio, part 1
Feb 8-10 - Angra dos Reis - a beach town
Feb 10-12 - Paraty - another beach town!
Feb 12-15 - Rio, part 2

The Rio part 1 portion will be dedicated to doing all of the touristy stuff since it's pre-Carnaval, so hopefully pre-massiveamountsoftourists. We will be couchsurfing* during Rio part 1&2 and in Angra. Angra and Paraty will be devoted to quality beach and relax time, with perhaps a boat trip out to Ilha Grande. We are hostel-ing it in Paraty in what looks like an awesome place: http://www.bluejunglehostel.com/ What I'm excited about? A FREE WELCOME DRINK AND FREE BREAKFAST! YEAH!! Rio part 2 will be Carnaval time -- ahhhhhh :)
(*will explain the awesomeness of couchsurfing another time)

So meeting today? Lodging - check. Visas - mostly check (except I don't need one b/c I'm a communist.... or well, European). Possible day activities - check. Figuring out how we're going to keep in touch while we're there - check.

More than 3 weeks away and I'm already super antsy. Scratch. I've been antsy since I brought up the idea to my friends back in October. BRAZIL! The land of... well, hotness and partying. I sound like a cliche tourist? What? Well, of course there's the great cultural aspect and history to the country, but let's be honest...

In preparation to joining the millions of pretty bodies, Sally, Mariam, and I have taken on the arduous task of getting our bodies in tip top shape. Hopefully. This involves 3 dance classes a week for me. Let's see how long I last.

Brazil. Bring. It. On.