Speedos, Speedos, Everywhere

Yes, it´s true, the most popular style for lounging at the beach these days is the infamous speedo. It seems to be that the less you wear in Brazil, the more stylish you are. Despite the rather shocking display of body parts, I was glad to escape the city of Sao Paulo last weekend and head to the coast. Masha´s host parents own an apartment right on the sand (you can see the view from the windows in the pictures above) and they kindly lent it to a few of us for the weekend. We spent the entirety of two days lounging on the sand in beautiful sunny weather. It could not have been more perfect! The water was so warm, with few big waves, so floating in the ocean felt like sitting in a hot tub. At one point during low tide, Cate and I swam to the small island right off the shore. We didn´t explore too much for fear of poisonous tropical animals hungry for bare feet, but we did make friends with some helpful locals. We had to climb over rocks to reach the island´s shore, and they offered a helping hand in navigating the rougher patches. All in all, I didn´t want to leave! I can´t think of a better way to spend a weekend, plus, I couldn´t let myself leave Brazil without checking out the sandy beaches!

The Fourth and Final Destination

BRAZIL. I am finally on the last leg of my worldwide adventure. At first glance, Sao Paulo is more than overwhelming. With over 20 million inhabitants and a sprawling metropolis, the city puts New York to shame. In a short tourist video of the city, I learned that Sao Paulo has the biggest Lebanese population outside of Lebanon, the biggest Italian population outside of Italy, the biggest Japanese population outside of Japan, and many, many more immigrants. My case study this time will be focused on immigration, rights, and citizenship by focusing on the Bolivian population that has come to Brazil looking for economic opportunities.

During my rare moments of free time, I have tried to take in as much of the city as possible. We spent the first couple nights in a hotel until we met our host families. My host family is Argentine, so we speak Spanish throughout the day. This definitely complicates things when I´m simultaneously trying to learn Portuguese! However, I think I´m holding my ground pretty well and I find it easy to navigate the city. My host mom and sister took Julianna and I to the Museum of Portuguese Language last weekend. Unsurprisingly, everything was in Portuguese. But, it was wonderful to have them there to explain some of the more complicated aspects of the museum. Afterwards, we spent the afternoon at the Pinocoteca, an art museum in the city. My host sister is eighteen years old and goes to art school, so we accompanied her on a class assignment. In the Pinocoteca, I saw an extensive Andy Warhol exhibit as well as art exhibits of famous Brazilian artists. It was hilarious to watch my host mom posing with all the statues in the museum...she is a riot! In her younger days, she was an activist against the military dictatorship, but her most recent careers include being an artist, a Spanish professor, a translator, and an artist. We have been eating well here so far. It is nice to finally have more variety in our food that was so lacking in Vietnam. On the streets in Sao Paulo, you can buy a bowl of delicious corn for only 3 reais. My host mom is also a great cook. She especially loves fruits and has promised to take us to the fruit market on Friday morning!

In the photo above, I am at my laboratory at theBhutantan Institute. Our group traveled here on a group fieldtrip to learn about the ways snake venom is being used to create antidotes and other pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned right before I entered the venomous snake exist where HUGE pythons are kept. Thankfully, my camera is back to working like normal...

I have spent the rest of my free time exploring Avenida Paulista. Avenida Paulista is the most famous street in the city because of all it´s shopping! On Sunday, Cate, Julianna, and I found an antique market that was fun to explore. One night last weekend, all the IHPers were invited to Heather´s homestay. We climbed to the rooftop and just stared in awe at the 360 degree view of tall buildings and lights as far as the eye could see!

Of course, the reason I have so little free time is because I spent the majority of my day at school. I go to school at Santa Casa, a private medical school near the center of Sao Paulo. We are constantly asked whether or not we are med students because, here in Brazil, the education system is arranged so that you begin medical school at the age of 18 - exactly like college is to us! The best part about my experience in Brazil, as opposed to the other countries I have visited, is the opportunity to meet and befriend a ton of local students. On the first day of class, four third-year medical students (all 20 or 21 years old) kindly invited me to sit with them at lunch. It is great to build connections with peers all over the world!

Academically, the Brazil part of the program has been incredible. This week we have been focusing on maternal health, so we visited NGOs based on women´s rights and women´s health. Today we traveled to a maternity ward of a public hospital and saw first-hand how the health system has arranged for women to be coached on Kangaroo Care, breast-feeding, and natural births as opposed to Cesarean sections. The health system in Brazil is extremely unique and is incredible in so many ways. Everyone, no matter their ability to pay or their citizenship or their race or their gender, has access to universal health care in Brazil. I could even go in for a procedure or check-up and not pay a dime. There are still parts that need to be worked out and better arranged for implementation of equal access, but overall it is such an accomplishment. Tomorrow we begin our academic component on HIV/AIDS in Brazil. Brazil is one of the countries that is most applauded for how it has handled the HIV/AIDS crisis - by providing FREE anti-retroviral drugs to all patients. This starkly contrasts what I saw in South Africa and even the United States.

Now, I am about to head out for a soccer aka FUTBOL game! I don´t quite know what to expect...my host-grandma spends all hours of the day (and the wee hours of the morning) glued to the TV. If she is as obsessed with futbol as I think she is, I can only imagine what the crowd will be like tonight!

Edit: Now that I am back from the game, here are some photos! It was also exciting to find out that we were on TV!

Does the Easter Bunny come to Vietnam?

On Monday, all of IHP loaded into a bus and traveled to Mai Chau Valley. I had originally expected that we'd be divided into individual homestays, but when we arrived, it turned out that we'd all be living together in one large stilt house! The stilt houses are traditional for the White Thai minority tribe. We had one local family hosting us, but they lived in a home adjacent to the one where we were staying. Some good advice: when you are in a stilt house, don't look down! It is easy to look between the cracks in the straw floor and get a little nervous of heights...

All 34 of us slept on mats on the ground inside the one-roomed home. We ate our meals underneath the house and held class in a separate building elsewhere in the village. The classroom had the most beautiful view of the rice paddies in the valley and the mountains surrounding us. Many times, our group discussions would be interupted by the mooing of a cow or the heavy footsteps of a buffalo! Unfortunately, as our time in Vietnam comes to a close, our workload gets heavier and heavier. I spent more time that I would have wanted working on the many written assignments that were due. But, I was able to get out once and a while. I took walks around the mountains and even climbed up 1266 stairs (someone counted) to reach a cave at the top. I wish I had the appropriate gear to go splunking! Instead, I only explored the entrance of the cave, but I hear from other friends that it actually keeps going deeper and deeper. Some IHPers even had to turn back after a while because it just never ended!

My absolute favorite part of the week was when we rented bikes and explored the village and surrounding mountains. Cate, Masha, and I went all around town on our bikes. It was beautiful, warm, and sunny in Mai Chau the whole time. We followed the road until we had left the village, then we rode through more rice paddies until we came upon another, more isolated town. It was such an amazing ride!

The time I spent in Mai Chau Valley was incredible. I didn't want to leave! On our last night, a farewell party was thrown for us where we ate a large meal, drank traditional rice wine through bamboo straws, and talked around a bonfire. Now, I am back in Hanoi and beginning to figure out HOW I am going to pack for the flight to Brazil. There is a 40 pound weight limit for one bag - it's going to be a miracle if I can make that happen!

Last night, I attended another farewell dinner, this time with my host family. The dinner took place at a famous restaurant in Hanoi. The food was laid out in a buffet style and featured everything from Japanese sushi to traditional Vietnamese food to pizza and spaghetti. It was a great celebration!

After attending a lovely Easter mass this morning, I am getting ready to embark on the final leg of my trip! I'll be on a plane for 24 hours, not including a three hour layover in Paris, France. I think this means I technically will be on FIVE continents this semester...

Brazil, here I come!

On a Boat

Ha Long Bay is literally a natural wonder of the world. With over 600 rock islands piercing above the bay's surface, it's like a labyrinth just waiting to be explored. I spent last weekend viewing these giant formations from the deck of a boat! Life on a boat, as we all know from the infamous SNL song, is glamorous, and this was no exception! We were served delicious, 10-course meals and slept in sizeable rooms with our own private bathrooms. I am very excited to report that I tried every type of seafood that was served, including prawns, crab, squid, fish, oysters, and more! (This is not an April Fool's joke...).

While I was there, the weather was slightly foggy and cold, giving the scenery and extra sense of mystery. The water is a torquoise color, unlike I have ever seen before. One of the highlights of my abroad trip thus far was getting to kayak! Cate and I found our way into a cave on our kayak. The cave opened up unto a large cove. It was so peaceful inside, I have never seen anything so beautiful! I wish I had been brave enough to bring my camera on the kayaking excursion so I could have something to show. Basically, once on the other side of the cave-bridge and into the cove, it felt like you were completely enclosed on all sides by the sheer, towering rocks. A family of monkies played in the vines. I just wanted to sit in the middle of the water and let the sun shine down on us. After leaving this secret cove, we ventured out and about through the maze of islands. We found a small opening in one rock formation and we managed to manuever through it to the other side! Despite all of these water-filled adventures, we did manage to get on land. Our boat took us to a cave that reminded me a lot of Carlsbad Caverns. It wasn't quite as big or as well preserved, but the stalagtites and stalagmites inside the cavern were beautiful. It was a lot of fun to get out and do some hiking after being caught up in city life in Hanoi for so long.


Back on the boat, after our elaborate meals, I had the time of my life singing karaoke! Karaoke is a huge deal in Vietnam. There are karaoke bars on every street in Hanoi, but this was the only time we could find a place that had songs in English. Imagine how hard it would be to simultaneously make up a tune AND try to read in Vietnamese...

It seemed like we had to leave so soon after we arrived, but all of my classmates and I had to get to our next destination - our rural homestay in Mai Chau Valley!

(Go NESCACs! All the students in my program who go to a NESCAC school)

(Holding on for dear life!! )