After fourteen hours of air travel, including a layover spent entirely in Charlotte's security checkpoint, I finally arrived in Philadelphia Sunday morning. There really is no place like home, even if you have to travel through customs, immigration, and security to get there.
I truly enjoyed my six months in Brazil. It wasn't always easy to adapt to the culture or to take care of things at home while abroad, but with every challenge, I grew wiser, more resourceful, and usually more flexible. Six months was just the right amount of time to complete a fair bit of my dissertation research, delve into the Portuguese language, and begin to understand Brazilian culture.
Now it is time for me to finish my dissertation in Pittsburgh. I will miss all the friends I made during my stay in Rio, but I know that many of us will stay in touch. I will also miss walking to the beach, taste-testing all the different tropical fruits, and of course, I will miss the tropical sun. (Pittsburgh could use some of that sun!) I will not miss Rio's public transit, or lack thereof, nor the 4am street-sweepers or 10pm trash-collectors. It all balances out in the end.
This blog is now finished. You can page through old entries by clicking the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the screen. You can also view my photos from Brazil (and other trips I've taken) on my Picasa homepage. Feel free to leave comments on both sites.
Thank you all for joining me along this journey.
Até a próxima vez. Until next time.
Briana
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Farewells & New Journeys
July 21, 2011
I know you are all anxiously awaiting news from the Amazon and for my overdue post from Salvador--they're coming!--but I wanted to take this opportunity to blog in the moment [for once].
I just returned from a farewell lunch with my good friend Dani, a Carioca who took me under her wing and showed me her city for these past six months. Dani is leaving at midnight tonight for two weeks in England. Since I just returned from Manaus yesterday and she leaves for England tonight, today was literally the last possible day we could say our good-byes. (We didn't want to say them too soon!)
We decided to go to an organic buffet restaurant in Leblon, one that I had passed many times and had never tried. It was worth it! Afterwards, we walked further into Leblon--almost to the beach--for dessert at a cute little café. I like the café for its "homey" atmosphere and friendly waitstaff. Today they had telenovelas, or Brazilian soap operas, playing on TV. We tried to get the check during what was apparently a dramatic scene, so we had to wait a few minutes, but we weren't in too much of a rush, so it was okay.
Dani and I also brought gifts for each another. My gifts for Dani combined the practical with the cute. On the practical side, I brought her a notebook from the University of Pittsburgh (where I study in the U.S.), and on the cute side, I brought her a miniature woven-fiber purse that I had bought in Bahia. We were apparently thinking along the same lines because she also gave me a purse--this time with the wave pattern that covers many of the walkways and beaches in Rio--and she also gave me an adorable brigadeiro keychain. (Brigadeiros are the Brazilian chocolate delicacies that really are one of a kind.) In addition to the purse and keychain, Dani's father also recorded two DVDs of the televised Carnaval parades for me--I can hardly wait to watch them!
Dani and I both agree that my six months in Rio passed more quickly than either of us could have imagined. It seems like just yesterday we were making plans for Carnaval at the Sambódromo. Now we are both embarking on new journeys: Dani to England (her first transatlantic flight!) and me back to the U.S. for my final year of grad school.
So it may be time for us to go our separate ways, but I for one, will never forget my time here in Rio. It would never have been the same without you, Dani! Obrigada por tudo e até a próxima vez!
I just returned from a farewell lunch with my good friend Dani, a Carioca who took me under her wing and showed me her city for these past six months. Dani is leaving at midnight tonight for two weeks in England. Since I just returned from Manaus yesterday and she leaves for England tonight, today was literally the last possible day we could say our good-byes. (We didn't want to say them too soon!)
We decided to go to an organic buffet restaurant in Leblon, one that I had passed many times and had never tried. It was worth it! Afterwards, we walked further into Leblon--almost to the beach--for dessert at a cute little café. I like the café for its "homey" atmosphere and friendly waitstaff. Today they had telenovelas, or Brazilian soap operas, playing on TV. We tried to get the check during what was apparently a dramatic scene, so we had to wait a few minutes, but we weren't in too much of a rush, so it was okay.
Dani and I also brought gifts for each another. My gifts for Dani combined the practical with the cute. On the practical side, I brought her a notebook from the University of Pittsburgh (where I study in the U.S.), and on the cute side, I brought her a miniature woven-fiber purse that I had bought in Bahia. We were apparently thinking along the same lines because she also gave me a purse--this time with the wave pattern that covers many of the walkways and beaches in Rio--and she also gave me an adorable brigadeiro keychain. (Brigadeiros are the Brazilian chocolate delicacies that really are one of a kind.) In addition to the purse and keychain, Dani's father also recorded two DVDs of the televised Carnaval parades for me--I can hardly wait to watch them!
Here's everything together:
Dani and I both agree that my six months in Rio passed more quickly than either of us could have imagined. It seems like just yesterday we were making plans for Carnaval at the Sambódromo. Now we are both embarking on new journeys: Dani to England (her first transatlantic flight!) and me back to the U.S. for my final year of grad school.
So it may be time for us to go our separate ways, but I for one, will never forget my time here in Rio. It would never have been the same without you, Dani! Obrigada por tudo e até a próxima vez!
