The First Week Comes to a Close

I guess it would be pretty dishonest of me if I pretended that the next ten months are going to be pure paradise. Sure, I could stay in the apartment I am presently at, with personal trainers for the gym, for swimming lessons, tennis lessons, and spend the rest of my days (at least when I'm not at school) sunbathing by the pool, having breakfast served to me without even having to lift a finger, my clothes washed and folded and returned to me daily, watch Brazilian soap operas while on the treadmill. It almost feels like a resort. But I didn't come here to go to a resort.

View from my bedroom window

This first week hasn't exactly been paradise either, despite the luxurious living conditions. I've had my painful sunburn to deal with, a bad case of pink eye, and some unpleasant food poisoning. My host family seems to think it was the acai I ate that day, but I'm not so sure. Acai is a fruit which grows in a species of palm tree in the Amazon. I've tried it at Booster Juice in Canada, but it is so much more delicious in Brazil. It's eaten in a bowl and tastes a bit like a berry smoothie, and often comes with sliced bananas and granola on top (see picture below). 

Acai in Bowl (Source: http://www.sabetudo.net/tudo-sobre-o-acai.html)

Here is another picture I forgot to put up with my last post, it's a close up of coffee beans from the coffee plantation in Fazenda Bonito.

And to end this post with some interesting and informative reading, I've included a link to an article from the New York Times a friend shared with me. It goes to show just how real the Tropa de Elite II movie is (a must-see film on the corrupt police force in Rio de Janeiro!)

In Brazil, Officers of the Law, Outside the Law