Wow, so, Carnival...

It's come and (almost) gone, and it seems like the whole city is releasing a post-coital sigh. People have been talking about Carnival here since I arrived at the beginning of December. For an event that effectively drives the entire economy of the city, takes months of preparation, draws thousands upon thousands of tourists from around the world, I was a bit underwhelmed. It seemingly has all the elements that would make a dream world for me: dressing up, wild music and dancing, temporary break in all social norms and regulations, and interesting religious undertones. Sadly, booze, butts, and breasts really seem to be the dominant Carnival experience. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those three things. It's just when they are eclipsing what maybe once was a rich moment of culture...but I suppose my snobbery is showing.

Some highlights for me: turning the corner (several corners, several times) and being swept up in the crowd following this or that bloco, watching Measure for Measure in Portuguese, dancing with the bloco from Tabajaras (where I'm teaching) through Copacobana and running into bunches of people I know, failing to get into the Sambadrome and watching from behind on a pedestrian bridge, hiking the Pão de Açucar with a friend from Vassar and watching the Oscars with Dom instead of doing anything remotely related to Carnival and yet still hearing the sounds sliding across the bay to me as I fell asleep.

Last night I pranced around Santa Teresa with THREE other people who went to Vassar college. Four of us! And three of us lived in Ferry House...amazing. We went to this incredible little bookstore/cafe where they serve homemade artisan pizzas and acoustic musicians play sweet Brazilian melodies as you look out through the trees over Rio de Janeiro. It was my second time there, and I've got to go with Ariana, who's coming on Wednesday! Wow!

Most incredible of all though was the hike I did a couple days ago up Pedro da Gavea. It took three hours or a little more to get up, including a section that was really on the verge of rock climbing (we needed a rope). It was excruciating, but it was amazing to get to the top and look out over the incredible beauty of Rio. Beaches, mountains, forest, the lake, and the ocean surround me in majesty.

Photos to come.