Last Day in Belém

Today was our last day in Belém! I’m so sad to go but I’m super pumped about going to Rio with Janice and Laura. I’m actually in their room hanging out right now listening to music and discussing places we want to go see.

Our last day here was eventful to say the least. A few of the girls in our group and I went to Ver-O-Peso to do some last minute shopping. Janice and I went off on our own because we wanted to go to a separate part of the market. I had to get my mom these lantern objects, which aren’t lanterns at all. They’re just paper ceiling decorations. We then ventured to another part of the market to find Janice a tambourine. While we were on our mission, we stopped to buy some jerseys. It was really funny because a guy who worked in the market was so eager to please us. All I have to say is than Janice and I are quite the bargainers. We wouldn’t buy anything from anyone unless they would sell it to us for a cheaper price. Anyways, Janice ended paying this guy for some jerseys and he took off with her money. We were kind of pissed off and looking for where he went. If I saw him I was going to beat him up. But I didn’t have to take it to that level. The little Brazilian man came running back with her change (I guess he didn’t have enough money to break her bill oops!) We did however make it in time to get Janice her tambourine.

After going to the market, we all went to this place that resembled a farm. It was a really nice place though. I really liked how it was in nature and not in a big city. There were chickens running around pecking at the ground and a dock where you could get into a canoe and cruise around in the river. Joanne, Laura, Brit and I were the first to hop in the canoe. Brit and I paddled and we ended up crashing into this wooden object in the water and we got stuck for a little while. Thank god we got out of that sticky little situation. I got some really great pictures but for some reason my computer is deciding not to work. I swear my computer gets PMS and decides to be difficult.

Next, we all went on a short hike on a trail. The trail was really easy to hike, which was good because most of us were in sandals. Being in nature was really nice for a change. I miss being at home and being able to drive somewhere in the woods and just bond with nature. Although the trail was not that long or strenuous, we all still felt a little winded and couldn’t wait to eat lunch. The food wasn’t as bad as everyone was complaining it was.

After eating lunch we went back to the hotel to get ready for our sunset boat trip. I was really worried that it would rain on the boat while we were trying to watch the sunset. The boat we were going on was the same boat we took to the island last week on our beach trip.

The boat left at the docas, which has been a very central location during our stay here. The sunset today was BEAUTIFUL! WOW!!! I don’t know how to put into words the way the sun lights up the sky and how the reflection on the water glows. It really is something you must see in person. If anyone ever goes to Belém I highly recommend taking the sunset boat ride.

The boat ride was really fun! They had dancers again and one of them was our dance instructor on the last boat ride. We went up and down the Amazon and watched the dancers perform traditional dances and they got some of the audience involved for fun. I had a really good time tonight to say the least and I’m really sad to go.

When we got off the boat we had to say goodbye to the people who’s flights don’t depart until tomorrow. My roommate Emily was one of the people. I almost started to cry when I said bye to her. I don’t do goodbyes because they make me really upset for some reason. Goodbye is so permanent and I just can’t handle the stress of going through it. I did want to say goodbye to Emily though. I’m really going to miss her a lot. She was the best roommate I could’ve asked for on this trip. Em-Dogg if you read this- I LOVE YOU!!!!!

I’m also going to miss Raúl, our professor. Raúl has been so patient with us and so helpful. If it wasn’t for him I don’t know how we could’ve survived this trip. Raúl let us go off to do our own thing every night, which was nice but I think I liked having him around more. He is really a great and fascinating guy to talk to. I love how he loves his family and dog so much. He also arranged the coolest events for us to do and took us to some wonderful places to eat. Thank you for everything Raúl!

I’m going to miss everyone come to think of it. Everyone in the group had something special and unique to offer. Everyone was really smart too- I met some of the most intelligent girls I’ve ever known on this trip. I don’t even like writing about goodbyes and this entry is making me sad. I know I shouldn’t be sad because I realize I’ll see these people again, except Dan. Dan is moving back to Chicago. I’m going to miss joking around with Dan and our inside jokes about Summer Heights High. Maybe we’ll all get to see him playing professional volleyball on TV one day.

Anyways, I must go pack for Rio now. I’ll be updating my blog there too so you can all follow the rest of my Brazilian adventure!

Five Things I've Learned About the Amazon

The Amazon is very rich in culture and biodiversity. The tops five things I’ve learned about the Amazon is it’s the most diverse region out of anywhere in the world, deforestation has affected everyone here negatively and the Federal Government is now trying to help. Disease and illness is difficult to control and loggers, farmers and miners negatively affect the indigenous peoples.

The topic I have learned most about is biodiversity. The rainforest is the most bio-diverse place on the planet. Trees, animals and aviary enrich the jungle with so much life- it’s really amazing. The problem in the Amazon is the production of sustainable resources. Because people are farming land illegally, they are cutting down the trees and destroying the ecosystem. Deforestation has devastated the Amazon and it’s biodiversity.

Deforestation is due to the need for the wood. The Amazonian foliage is used for so many different purposes such as food, houses and consumer products. Not only are companies going through and cutting down the forest but loggers and farmers are taking over the land illegally and doing what they please with the resources they obtain. It’s really sad because the indigenous people of Brazil rely on the forest to survive.

The Federal Government is trying to do all they can to protect the Amazon. However, it is difficult to do so when there are so many people illegally inhabiting the land and destroying natural resources. Although the government is not in total control over the land in Brazil, they are working really hard to make a difference. They want to protect the indigenous peoples and figure out how to make the Amazon a more sustainable area. The government also works to protect the forest by doing their best to patrol the territory.

Disease and illnesses are also something that affects the Amazon. Because of the climate, disease is always changing and spreading. It is also really difficult to control because of the mosquitoes and other parasites. Luckily, the Amazon has what we know as universal health care and vaccinate everyone, including Indian tribes. It’s sad though because the Amazon is not a fully developed part of the world so they are still doing research trying to fine cures and vaccines to other illnesses. It is hard to get everyone under disease control consider malaria and yellow fever are two major diseases that are spread throughout the Amazon.

Finally, another thing I learned about the Amazon that I find really important is how farmers, loggers and miners are driving out the indigenous people of the Amazon. These groups have gone through and taken over indigenous territories. They are have been known to massacre indigenous tribes and the courts have convicted some groups of genocide. The indigenous people are an important part of the Amazon. They have lived here for centuries and are considered to be the most knowledgeable people of the Amazon. The government and others social groups are doing all they can to protect the Indians, however, the Indian people also don’t have any laws protecting them from illegal intruders.

All five of these topics I’ve discussed are serious issues in the Amazon. Brazil is doing all that it can to help improve the overall lives of the people and the Amazon. I really hope that these conditions improve overtime. I hope I live to see the day when Brazil makes it’s transition from being a developing country to a developed one.

Top Five Things I've Leanred About Science Reporting

I have learned numerous important issues when it comes to science reporting. The top five I will discuss are that you cannot be sure that the information a scientist is telling you is true, don’t make mistakes and always check your facts, the most important thing is to always be prepared and have your sources lined up, nature reporting is more about what you observe as opposed to environmental reporting which is based on facts and finally, provide your lead with facts and quotes.

You can never be sure when you are a science reporter whether or not your sources are telling you honest facts. This is a huge issue for science reporters because if they do not go back and double check their facts and their source have provided them with false information, heir reputation will be damaged. Sources will make up information to tell you either because they really would like their product to be public or because they are heavily influenced by the company they are working for. You can never know if they are following the money aspect or if they have a hidden agenda. As a result, they are more likely to tell you all the good information about the product and leave out the negative. If the story becomes published and it turns out that the source provided false information, then there is nothing you can do to undo the damage that has already been done.

This leads up to the next most important thing I’ve learned about science reporting. DON’T MAKE MISTAKES!!! Always check your facts. This is really important because if you do not go back and double-check your information and there is a mistake, chances are you will damage your reputation in some way. A science reporter has only one reputation and you want that reputation to be the best. If it’s not, chances are people are not going to want you writing for them. I cannot stress how important it is to clarify information and go back and make sure everything is correct.

Third, another really important thing to consider when science reporting, is to be prepared and already have your sources lined up. This is especially important when natural disasters occur for example, a volcano erupts or a tsunami wipes out an island. This way when a natural disaster occurs, you already know whom your expert sources are and already have your questions so you can be the first to publish the story. Another example of when it would be important to have your sources lined up is when a tragedy like a plane crashes. That way you can have your sources who knows why a plane crashes or what could have caused the plan to crash.

When a science reporter is reporting about nature, they tend to use more descriptive language and write about their own experiences in nature. Environmental reporting, however, is not the same. When you are reporting about the environment you should include statistics, charts, graphs and even how is affects global, social and economical issues. For example, when a science reporting is doing a story on global warming, they might discuss how is it going to effect us in the future as opposed to what is going on right now. Environmental reporting tends to more about what needs to be done and nature reporting is about what is going on right now, for example, the extinction of polar bears.

The fifth most important thing I’ve learned about science reporting is to provide you lead with facts and quotes. Without these two items the lead probably won’t appear as interesting as it could be. It also shows that you are getting information from a knowledgeable. It also gives more background information about what you will be discussing later on in the story. The story is also more credible if the lead is followed by facts and quotes.

The BEACH

We went to a real beach today! I love beaches, especially ones that have real sand. Although the beach isn’t what we in California know as a beach it was still so relaxing and peaceful. It was a little island and you could tell that the lifestyle in this area was totally different than in the city.

It took us about an hour to drive there from our hotel. The drive went by quickly. I think that could be because Kendra and I talked about movie, books and TV shows. I seriously love Kendra. For those of you who don’t know this already, Kendra is my boss at the Daily 49er.

At only 19 years old, she’s taken on the role as City Editor. She is so bright and talking with her makes me want to be a better news writer. Same thing goes with Joanne. Joanne is on a whole other level of maturity. She’s only 20 and works as the Editor in Chief at the newspaper. Joanne is one of those people who you know will accomplish anything she puts her mind to. I really respect both Joanne and Kendra. I consider myself lucky to be working with such amazing people.

When we got to the beach you could immediately tell it was going to be one of those beautiful days. The sky here is so blue and the clouds make this place appear so heavenly.


It was probably quite comical to see our entire class taking pictures and laying all in a row on the beach. The water in the Amazon is really warm, but it does sometimes have patches of cold water that come from the ocean.

Raúl decided we should leave the spot we had originally stopped to go further down the road to another part of the beach because there was a restaurant where we could order some lunch. Sounded good to me! So we packed up our towels and drove to the other end of the beach.

The restaurant we ate at was really nice. It was completely open like a taverna and looked over the Amazon. The food was so so, but as always we had a good time. Kendra and I split fried chicken. The drumsticks had NO meat on them. I thought it was pretty funny because our class jokes about how everything here is so malnourished.

There was also a bee that would not leave us alone, mainly me. I’ve never been stung before so I don’t know if I’m allergic and I’m not about to find out if I am on this trip. Lisa and I stayed away from the table until our food came.

After lunch, we all walked down to the beach and swam in the Amazon. The water was murky, just like it was at the other beach we went to last weekend but it was cleaner. After about 10 minutes of swimming it started to rain. It was only a little drizzle, but then it started to really come down. Our day at the beach was over.

Carla, Lisa and I did however make a new friend. The dog we named Paris, because she had a marking that looked like the Eiffel Tower on her chest, was the sweetest dog ever. You could tell that we were all animal lovers by the way we gathered and gave the puppy so much love. We were sad to say goodbye.

Once the rain stopped, we all got into the van and drove back to the hotel. I quickly finished my papers so that I could go to Favella’s with everyone tonight. I am happy to say that I have completed everything, except for my media packages for each story. I’m going to complete those tomorrow if my computer doesn’t blow up before I can get to it.

My computer has been acting so strange lately. It all started in Long Beach around final period. I don’t know why it’s been geeking out lately, but it’ll just randomly freeze up or trip out. For example like right now- I’ll be typing a word and it’ll keep adding letters when I’m typing! It’s really annoying.

Emily, Dan, Kendra and I all decided to leave later than the rest of the group to go to dinner. We got into a cab who told us he knew where Favella’s was then asked us if we were going to the Docas. NO we were not going to the Docas- this guy had no idea what Favella’s even was. With that, we got out of the cab and just walked there. Without Kendra we should not have known where we were going.

Once we got to Favella’s I realized the group had already ordered their food and drinks so I quickly got a waiter and ordered my food and a beer. I really needed a beer.
There was a live band that went on tonight! They were a Brazilian band that sang American music. They busted out with some Rebelution and of course, we all sang along.

Raúl’s friend Renato met us at Favella’s again. This time, Joanne and I got to talk with him and get to know about how he became a doctor. He talked with us about his time in Massachusetts and how he worked in Denver. He is so charming! I must say that if I were a Brazilian girl that I would go after Renato haha.

My camera broke again tonight! I’m so mad. Luckily it still works and its just a little piece of plastic that broke, but still it’s really annoying. Hopefully if my camera breaks I can go get a Leica like Janice. Her camera is so awesome and it takes the best pictures.

After a few beers and some good live music, a few of the girls and I decided to head back to the hotel. We sang Beautiful by Christina Aguilera the whole way back because it was playing on the radio. The cab driver, who looked like Christopher Lloyd’s character in Back to the Future, laughed at us. We probably sounded terrible haha.

Now I’m back in my hotel room and I’m so ready to pass out. I have such a busy day tomorrow. I have to go to the little alley market to get my mom some lanterns she wanted then going to a place for lunch where they have trails to explore. I better remember to wear my vans. Raúl also wants to take us to dinner on a boat tomorrow where you watch the sunset. I can’t wait!! On top of all that, I need to do my media packages so I don’t know how much free time I’m going to have to relax on my last day in Belém.

I’m going to bed now. Ciao!

News Story: IDESP Researching for Sustainable Development in the State of Pará

The Instituto de Desenvolvimento Econômico, Social e Ambiental do Pará, or IDESP, is a research institution working on how to make landscape changes and sustainable development in the state of Pará.

IDESP focuses on important issues on the state such as social, economic and environmental development. This institution is focusing on sustainable science in local, regional and global aspects. The Brazilian government controls IDESP.

Today, deforestation and illegal logging and cattle ranching cause a lot of problems. They have negatively affected the sustainable development in Pará. According to Peter Mann de Toledo, a researcher at IDESP, “[The IDESP] is expected to provide crucial information.”

The most important question researchers ask is, “What should we do to solve the problems in Pará and make the land more sustainable?”

In order to solve this issue, IDESP has gone through and measured soil content, taken satellite images of the landscape and utilize scientific information. After gathering all the data, IDESP writes research reports then organizes seminars with the government to begin the process. “The more informed we are, the better decisions we make,” said Toledo.

There are three pressures that are affecting the landscape of the forest: cattle, soybean and sugarcane. All three of these pressures are affecting the land negatively. The use of cattle forms the “arc of deforestation” as a result of burning crops. Pasturing soybean has led to the highest rates of deforestation and sugarcane is used for its bio-fuel.

However, misinformation about the area is an immense problem. IDESP’s main goal is to get the Paránese population to increase production in areas that are not in the forest. If the researchers are not accurate, they will not be able to stop people from cutting down and using the forest for production.

Toledo says that the answer is to integrate. “You can build a robust database and develop sustainable territories,” he said.

A law is in the process of being passed, in order to solve the issue of not knowing whom the land belongs to. The New Program Settle, according to the Foreign Policy website, is a bill waiting on that will grant ownership rights to previously illegal occupiers of vast tracts of land in the Amazon.

This bill will force landowners to become responsible for the property. This now solves the dilemma on not knowing whom the land belongs to. The citizens who have occupied the land illegally have to pay the previous owner of the land and the government in order to remain on the property.

IDESP is re-thinking production and as a result, Pará will become a sustainable developing state.

News Story: Açaí Now Too Expensive For People of Brazil

Euterpe Oleracea, also known as açaí, is an essential fruit in the Brazilian diet and used to be the most affordable resource in the Amazon.

Açaí is an indigenous palm tree that grows in the rainforest. The native South American fruit used to only cost 1 or 2 reais per liter. Today, açaí costs 10 reais per liter. “Açaí is almost the same price as meat,” said Ima Vieira, an ecologist and director of Museu Emílio Goeldi in Belém, “It used to be the most affordable price for local people.”

Global demand for açaí has increased dramatically over the years and is now grown solely for cultivated as an export. As a result, there is an increase in local price and açaí is too expensive for the people who live here. The palm produces about 20 kg of fruit per year.

According to Açaí Berry Time, açaí has been in the region of Brazil for centuries. Before açaí became a popular product in the western region of the world, it used to be used for medicinal purposes by tribesmen in the Amazon.

Brazilians rely on açaí as a large portion of their diet because the berry has one of the highest antioxidant contents and helps control cholesterol. In addition, açaí helps the immune system, shield the heart and fight infection.

The process to produce açaí is very complex. First, natives club up the Açaí palm tree and cut the branches to gather the berries. Once the berries are cut, they are then transported to a production company and exported as an international product. There are many citizens involved in the course of producing açaí. “There are many middle men,” said Vieira.

Açaí can come in three forms: berries, juice and powder. The açaí berries are typically added in salads and the powder is used as a supplement.

However, the manufacturing of açaí is seen as an opportunity to produce a product without disturbing the rainforest. The rainforest is losing its biodiversity as a result of deforestation. From 2003-2004 over a billion trees were cut down. It is still unknown whether or not açaí has been affect by deforestation due to its rapid growth in the forest, where it’s mass-produced.

The people of Brazil do not know whether açaí is affected by the deforestation of the rainforest. Only time will tell what the future holds for the latest nutritional fruit.

Our trip is almost over!!

I hardly got any sleep last night! I asked my professor, Raúl, if I could do some extra credit work by writing a news story on each speaker we had come speak to our class. Definitely a lot more difficult than I thought!

I was also super frustrated with my computer uploading videos for my media packages! I don’t know what it is but for some reason my computer has been freaking out lately. I think it has to do something with how moist my room gets because of the humidity.

Emily, Dan and I finally finished the first season of Summer Heights High. Emily has never seen the show before so Dan and I decided that we had to have her watch it with us. I have to say that my favorite character in the show is Jonah, the troubled year 8 student who is obsessed with break dancing.

Enough about that though, let’s talk Brazil! I’m seriously obsessed with being here and don’t want to go back to the U.S. Luckily, Janice, Laura and I are going to Rio on Saturday. I’m so happy I extended my trip.

Raúl, his friend Renato, an ear, nose and throat doctor and our entire class went to a really nice restaurant last night called ROXY. The food was absolutely amazing! The places Raúl takes our class to eat are really good. It’s when we go out searching for restaurants on our own when the food is typically borderline horrible. Renato is very handsome and polite. He did his residency at Harvard. I was sad that I was sitting at the opposite end of the table because he seemed like a really interesting person to talk to.

Renato gave us a ride to a bar that our class went to for some drinks. This bar had some of the most interesting illustrations of people I’ve ever seen on the wall. I took a bunch of pictures because I thought the paintings of people were really funny. Our cab driver home was insane, but that’s nothing new.

Today, a journalism student by the name of Diego came to our class today to interview us and get to know a little more about why we were in Belém for a story he was writing. He was really kind and his English was very clear. I could understand everything he was saying.

Next, we went to the mall to have lunch and shop around. Janice, Emily, Carla and I separated from the group and went across the street to another mall. They had some really cute stuff in this area. I got three dresses for Rio, which is something I needed because I’m running out of clothes.
After eating lunch and some shopping, we all piled back into the van and made our way to the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Econômico, Social a Ambiental do Pará, also known as IDESP.

Our speaker was a researcher for the company named Peter Mann de Toledo. His lecture was about landscape changes and sustainable development in the state of Pará. This research institution focuses on important issues of the state such as social, economic and environmental development.

After the lecture I was so confused as to what Toledo was trying to explain to us. After writing a story about it I understand what he is saying. Groups such as farmers and loggers run a piece of land that they do not own legally. IDESP’s job is to go to these areas and take samples by measuring the soil content, take satellite photos of the area and come up with a proposal as to how to make Pará a more sustainable state. Once all this information is gathered, ISPEC takes their proposal to the government where they discuss how to come to a solution in making the land more sustainable. “The more informed we are, the better decisions we make,” said Toledo.

IDESP does nothing other than research on how to make the land more sustainable. This company is run by the government so I find it reassuring that they work hand-in-hand in order to come up with a solution on how to stop deforestation of the rainforest. There is also a new law coming into play on taxing the farmers who are using land illegally. Not only are these farmers going to have to pay the people they purchased the land from illegally, but they are also going to have to pay taxes to the government in order to keep the land.

I hope this law gets approved because the fact that the rainforest is becoming so devastated due to these farmers is really disappointing. It seems as though Pará will achieve their goal in making the land more sustainable. “We must re-think production,” explain Toledo. He’s right. If they don’t, the state of Pará is never going to make the transition from a developing country to a developed country.

After the speaker we came back to the hotel, again. I’m super stressed out that I’m not going to get all my work done because I want to go out with everyone and experience everything, but I also have so much work to do because I really want an “A” in this class. I’m working really, really hard though so hopefully my work will pay off.

Well I must be off to go write more papers and do more research. I’m really hungry and can’t wait to go to dinner tonight. I think we’re going to an Italian restaurant that Raúl recommended we go, so it’ll probably be good food again. Check out my news story on IDESP later tonight or tomorrow.

Peace out.

News Story: Massacres of the Indigenous Tribes in the Amazon

The indigenous tribes of the Amazon have survived three massacres due to territorial conflicts.

The first was in 1966 when rubber prospectors attacked the Cinta Larga, a tribe of indigenous people who occupy the western region of the Amazon. This massacre, also known as Massacre at Parallel 11, was a result of many violent encounters between the Cinta Larga and gold, rubber, timber and diamond miners.

The second massacre happened at the Capacete Stream in 1988 and today is considered by the Brazilian courts as genocide. Four members of the Tikuna tribe were killed, 19 wounded and 10 disappeared.

The third massacre took place in he 1980s,when forty thousand Brazilian gold-miners invaded the Yanomami tribe in northern Brazil. According to Survival International, a movement for tribal people, the miners shot them, destroyed villages and spread diseases to the tribe; this killed off 20 percent of the Yanomami in severs years.

Again in 1993, miners entered the village of Haximú, murdering 16 more Yanomami, including an infant. The Brazilian court convicted five miners guilty of genocide.

Indians were not capable of protecting themselves, so in 1970 Brazil instilled a law for their protection. However, the law changed in 1988 with the new Brazilian Constitution. “The protection of Indians no longer existed on paper,” said anthropologist Claudia Lopez.

In the 19th century, Brazil began its first project to integrate the indigenous people in the state of Pará. In 1910, military officer, Marshal Rondon, was the first director of Brazil's Indian Protection Bureau, also known as Fundação Nacional do Índio or Indian Protection Service (SPI/FUNAI). FUNAI was a protection organization for Indian well-being and culture. According to Lopez, their goal was to attract, pacify and integrate Indians. In doing so, they incorporated the indigenous peoples as border guards.

“The Indians then had to rely on the government and FUNAI for their protection,” Lopez said.

Today, there are 230 indigenous groups, making Brazil the most diverse country in the entire Amazon. “It is difficult to determine the number of Indians in Brazil,” said Lopez “Six hundred thousand people are an acceptable number”.

Indigenous people were seen as a “problem” to Brazilians. They thought there was too much land for too few Indians. However, the knowledge indigenous people have about their own territory can be used as a resource to preserve the environment.

Rainstorm

We got to meet the UFC Lightweight Champion of the World Lyoto Machida yesterday!! He and some of his sponsors were eating at the same restaurant we went to last night. One of his sponsors, Bony, is the owner of MonaVie. MonaVie is an açaí importing company from Brazil and is very popular in the U.S.

It was storming last night. I have never seen it rain so hard in my life. You couldn't even see in front of you because the rain was coming down so hard. Bony, being the gentleman he is, offered to give all 10 of us a ride so we didn't have to walk in the rain. We all piled into a medium-sized SUV cramming five people in the middle and five people in the trunk. It was quite a site!

On our drive, Bony explained to us why people don't stop at stop lights. "It's very dangerous here and people will rob you if you stop," he said. No wonder, it totally makes sense!

We went to the Museu Emílio Goeldi again this morning. The director of the museum, Ima Vieira, came and spoke to us about deforestation and how sustainable resources are decreasing in the Amazon. The nice part about this lecture was that she spoke English.

I was especially interested in learning about açaí because it is the most sustainable resource in the Amazon. "In the past three years, the price of açaí has increased almost 10 times," explained Vieira. I can't believe this! It used to cost one or two reais (Brazilian currency) for one liter of açaí. Now, because it is in such high demand, açaí costs 10 reais! Again, I will be writing a news story about açaí and how the price increase is negatively affecting the lives of Brazilians.

We went to the Parque da Residência for lunch this afternoon. The park used to be an official governor's residence in the early 20th century. The best part of the park was the ice-cream parlor (yum).

As much as I love food, I don't know how big of a fan I am of Brazilian food. I did try Brazilian fish for the first time though, and I must say it wasn't bad. Everything else is too salty. I can't wait to go home and chow down In-N-Out Burger. Mmmm a number three with animal style fries and grilled onions sounds delicious! Anyways, the point is that the food wasn't bad today.

After eating at the park Raúl had planned a surprise visit for us. Our surprise was going to the José Liberto, which used to be a prison from 1749 until 2000. I'm not gunna lie, that place had some really crazy stuff to see. For example, there were tools used as torturing devices for prison inmates. The roll looked the most painful.This is a picture of the roll. It's the one to the right. All I can say it that I feel sorry for anyone who had to experience the wrath of the roll.


Now it's a giant jewelry shop and a gems and indigenous artifacts museum. I bought my mom and sister both some really beautiful gems. The gems were so cheap because there's a large abundance of them. I asked Raúl because I was curious as to why they weren't outrageously priced.


We then left the prison and came back to the hotel. I just checked my facebook and I'm glad to see that one of the Brazilian students, Bih, has been writing to me. She is so cute and what she says is so funny. I really hope we get to hang out with the Brazilian students again before we leave.

Oh good news! I'm officially going to Rio de Janeiro with Janice and Laura! I'm so pumped!! Hopefully Carla can get her flights changed so she can come too.

I have so much work to do tonight, ugh. I feel like I am constantly working. I guess that's a good thing but I am also the only person who doesn't nap between class and dinner and I don't go to bed until 3 a.m. every night. I'm not even doing anything I shouldn't be doing, like stalking people on facebook or anything like that. I feel like I'm constantly working, but hopefully my hard work will pay off. I really hope it does!

Gotta get back to work. Ciao!

News Story: Viral and Parasitic Control at the Instituto Evandro Chagas

Viral and parasitic diseases are a problem concerning public health in the Amazon.

The Amazon region of Brazil, Belém, has 22 million inhabitants. The human occupation is accompanied by a decline in the standard of life. The people live with low levels of education, lack of essential sanitary conditions, increase of diseases and decrease of awareness to health. The Instituto Evandro Chagas’ (IEC) main goal for the Brazilian population is to improve the overall quality of life.

The IEC acts in the field of public health, developing studies in biological sciences and has played a prominent part in tropical and environmental medicine. There are six different areas the IEC focuses on: surveillance in health and environment, monitoring health and environmental problems emerging in Amazonian states, providing support at both state and municipal levels, water contamination and cause of disease, research projects in health and the environment and technical training to personnel in the secretary of surveillance in health.

Elisabeth Santos, director of the IEC, says that since 1992 the control over disease has worsened. The IEC has studied the field of Public Health and biomedical research for more than 70 years.

Vectors transmit viral and parasitic diseases. A vector is any agent that carries a transmitted disease, for example, mosquitoes are vectors of yellow fever. Yellow fever is a complicated disease and there is no cure. “We are trying to figure out what kind of virus it is,” said Santos.

There are four types of parasitic diseases affecting the Amazonian community: arboviral disease, malaria, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. These diseases are a priority pertaining to public health issues in the Amazon.

There are two stages that come with being infected with Chagas disease: the acute stage (shortly after the infection) and the chronic stage (develops over many years). Swelling occurs during at acute stage and the chronic stage affects the nervous system, digestive system and heart.

Next, arboviral diseases come from ticks and mosquitoes and are capable of infecting birds and mammals. The characteristics of this infection are headache, fever, swelling of the brain and death.

Third, an infective female Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria. Symptoms of the disease are fever, joint pain, shivering, vomiting, anemia, retinal damage and convulsions. “Malaria is under control everywhere except the Amazon,” says Santos.

Finally, a bite from a certain species of sand fly transmits leishmaniasis. There are four types of leishmaniasis: visceral, cutaneous, diffuse cutaneous and mucocutaneous. The infection causes skin sores, fever, liver and spleen damage and anemia.

In order to understand the transmission of these diseases, the IEC studies genetic variability of the transmitters, genotype diversity, distribution and description of recently identified species of vectors and hosts.

With that, the IEC has accomplished biological, biochemical and molecular studies to help describe seven leishmania species in the Amazon basin. In addition, they have been successful in identifying biochemical markers providing characterization in regards to Chagas disease.

Nowadays, Amazonians are provided with free vaccinations in order to avoid obtaining horrible diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. “Companies are aggressive in vaccinating the entire population, including the indigenous peoples,” said Santos.

Week II

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I have one word. CRAAAAAAAANKY!

Today was pretty cool. We started off by going to the Instituto Evandro Chagas, which is a medical research facility in Belém. The guest speaker and director of the facility was Elisabeth Santos. She discussed how the company works on a region of developed lands and the effects of the development. She went on to discuss certain diseases in the Amazon and how Yellow Fever has currently infected the Amazon.
Yellow Fever infected people in the Amazon two years ago. She went on to discuss how disease cannot leave he Amazon due to the fact that it lives in the forest. However, we did learn that Brazil provides vaccines for everyone, even the indigenous people. They have what we know as free health care. I really wish America would get up on the times and provide free health care for everyone. We learned about how disease is controlled here as well. I'm going to be writing a small story about all of this so if you want to learn more, check out my blog later tonight or tomorrow.

We then got to take a tour of the facility, which to tell you the truth, was pretty eerie. I must say that it reminded me of a mental institution from the 1950s.

We got to go to a different mall today, which was interesting. The food I had wasn't very good. Some of the stuff smelled like mildew or mold. Come to think of it, I think a lot of stuff here smells like mildew. I think that must be because the air is so damp here.

I bought a Brazilian flag! I'm stoked because now I can put it in my room at home in Long Beach. I kind of miss Long Beach. I miss the food and my friends, well some. I miss my roommate Stephanie a lot. I consider her my little Buddha.

Next, we went back to the Museu Emílio Goeldi again. I love that place! we got to see the jaguar again and he was stressing out to say the least.

Our speaker at the park was Claudi Lopez. She is a researcher and anthropologist at the museum. She's also Colombian, which was a plus because she spoke to us in Spanish, not Portuguese. She discussed the general problems of the indigenous people of Brazil . The goal of her speaking to us was to have us be aware of the general views of the indigenous people of the Amazon. She then discussed the implications of nation security and indigenous people and concluded with how the issues should be treated. The native people were once given protective laws, then had them taken away and now only have one law in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988. It is in article 130, which established the respect of all Brazilian people. Again, this will all be discussed in my next post.

I learned a lot today, especially about indigenous tribes of the Amazon. I think it would be really interesting to be able to go out in the Amazon and spend a few days with one of the 230 tribes. I don't know how well that would work and it probably won't ever happen. I would like it to though. Well, I'm going to wake up Emily because we have to meet everyone downstairs for diner soon. Read my story later!!!

The Parade

Today was SO much fun! Our class got to march in a parade that only happens two months out of the year- June and October. Some of the students who we had met at the university met us at the hotel at 9 a.m. The main girl who set the whole meeting up name is Karina. She is a sweetheart. She also speaks English! Most of the student who took us to the parade spoke English too.

We took the bus, which was quite an experience. The bus system is really weird here. You get on the bus and in the middle there is a teller who takes your money and then you exit from the back of the bus. Before I could pay the teller, the bus driver slammed on the gas and I ate it in front of everyone. My knees had hit a ledge and my hands were full of money so there was no way of saving myself. It was really funny.

The parade began at Estação das Docas and went all the way until the Praça da República. I’m not sure of how far we actually walked, but it was definitely a more than a few blocks. The decorations and outfits worn by locals for the parade were amazing! People dressed up in bright, colorful clothing and some people were on stilts wearing white face paint. There were so many people there! The students we were with said that there were 10,000 people there. It was extremely hot a few of us girls bought hats. Janice and I bought a giant sombrero looking hat, which kept hitting people in the face. I thought the hat worked in my favor because those of you who know me well know I don’t like to be touched by strangers so my sombrero was my protection haha.

While we were marching, vendors were actually walking in the crowd selling beverages and little bulls on sticks. The bulls were so cute! I bought one, but then I lost it… figures. As we walked down the street (it’s blocked off or else we all would have for sure been hit by cars because the drivers here are crazy!) people sang and danced to some traditional songs.

Once we got to the Praca de Republica, there were hundreds of vendors selling almost everything and anything you can think of. The one thing I love about Brazil is the fact it’s so cheap! That, and the fact almost every bathroom has a squishy toilet seat. I bought so many gifts. To all my friends back home in the states, get excited for some really cool presents! The coolest item I bought today was a bracelet made of anaconda skin. I’m never taking it off.

I must say that I don’t think I have ever shopped for so long in my life. Janice, Laura and I went to almost every vendor. We bought jewelry, wind chimes, clothes and some really beautiful art. During our shopping, we could hear a live band playing in the center of the park. It seemed too hectic to go anywhere around that area, so we mainly stayed on the outside of the madness.

We also saw some of the cutest puppies for sale! Ahh I wanted to take one home with me in the worst way. In addition, I got to eat the most amazing churro. I don’t know what was in the center but I can only describe is as a gooey sugary filling. It was truly amazing. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.

Because our whole group decided to go our separate ways when we reached the park, we had decided to meet at 1:30 at a bank and go somewhere else from there. When we all met at the bank, we unanimously decided to stay at the park and enjoy our time with the Brazilian students. I think a lot of the Brazilian girls think I’m funny because they laughed at almost everything I had to say. They also thought I was crazy- I don’t blame them haha.

As we continued to shop, I realized I had a hole in my bag from the painting I had bought. I don’t think I lost anything except the little bull on a stick I bought, but then again I bought a lot of stuff. I really don’t think anything fell out besides the bull.

AHHHHH side note!- My bed is infested with bugs. I feel them crawling all over me all the time! I spray my bed and my body with bug spray all the time but these suckers wont seem to die. It’s really starting to become a problem haha.

Anyways, back to my story about today. Joanne got her hair braided. For those of you who don’t know Joanne, she has the thickets hair I have every seen. However, it didn’t take them that long to braid her whole head. I think it looks awesome! I’m glad she did it because someone on this trip had to get their hair braided or do something wild along those lines.

I also saw the funniest thing today. One of the vendors on the “hippy” side of the park had the craziest tattoo I have ever seen. It was on his stomach below his belly button of a woman with her lets spread eagle and her vagina fully exposed. The best part of the tattoo was the pierced part, which was on her vagina, made to look like she had her clit pierced. He came up to Lisa and I asking us if we wanted to get a piercing or tattoo done by him. NOOOOOOO THANKS is all we had to say.

After Joanne’s hair was done getting braided, we walked to the mall. By this point in the day the only people who had stayed with the Karina and her friends were Lisa, Kendra, Joanne and I. Karina took my bag full of gifts from me and carried it. I was begging her to give it back to me to let me hold it because it was honestly about ten pounds. She refused saying it was too heavy for me to carry and she wanted to help. She then had one of the boys who we were with carry it for me but I eventually talked him into letting me take it back. I felt bad- I didn’t want them to have to suffer carry all my stuff! We met everyone in the mall where we got some food and relaxed a little while.

Soon after that, we all decided it was time to go home. We took the bus back to near the hotel and parted ways with our new Brazilian friends. I really hope we get to see them again before we head back to the states. Luckily, we exchanged e-mail, skype names, and facebooks. I actually think I just got a request from one of the girls to be my friend.

Today was the best day ever! We got to hang out with a group of wonderful Brazilian’s and partake in an event that has gone on in Brazil for years! Plus, I got all my shopping out of the way…well maybe haha. I still need to go get my mom some lanterns she saw in my pictures that she wanted. I must say that if I could go back and do it all over again that I wouldn’t change a thing.

News Story- By Alex & Emily

The trees of the Amazon are on the breach of extinction. Mata Alântica was a region of tropical moist forest lining the Atlantic coast of Brazil. It’s lush green foliage that once flourished and produced abundant resources for the natives, is currently diminished as a consequence of urbanization. According to veterinarian, Messias Costa, nearly 5 percent of Mata Atlântica still remains.

The Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi is the first botanical park and aquarium in Brazil, which was founded in 1895. Joice Santos, communications co-coordinator, described the park as a “living classroom”. Here one can observe endangered trees of the rainforest. Some species include the Guajará, Tucum and Bambu-amarelo. “Trees offer many resources for people and animals,” said Costa.

Trees are very important to the Amazon. They provide shade, food, roofing, oxygen and housing for animals. The first tree we encountered was the Samaumeira, which is one of the tallest trees in the Amazon. Reaching up to 50 meters in height, the Samaumeira prevents the sunlight from reaching the floor of the rainforest.

The most important and popular palm tree in the Amazon is the Açai tree. The flavorful berries produced by the tree are enjoyed around the world. Açai also contains antioxidants and is a vital factor in the Amazon because it makes up a significant portion of the Brazilian diet. In Belém, you can find Açai used in juice, ice cream and salads.

Next we came upon the Mogno, one of the most endangered trees in the rainforest. Generally known as mahogany, Mongo is used for flooring and furnishings and is the most expensive wood you can buy. Mahogany is also used for making boats and musical instruments, for example, Ringo Starr from The Beatles played a mahogany guitar.

Our favorite tree is Paxiúba. This tree is called “the tree that walks” because over time it grows sideways across the rainforest floor. This is because it’s roots are very shallow and have difficulty obtaining nutrients from the soil. This palm is one of the most common trees in the rainforest as an outcome of being able to thrive in damp tropical areas. In addition, the palm is valued by birds and is used to make jewelry.

The Tucum palm tree produces fruits that are used for bio-diesel production. It grows to be 60 feet tall and is native to Brazil. The Tucum produces an orange-yellow fruit that contains vitamin A, which helps to prevent eye disease and is three times the amount you would absorb from a carrot. The seeds it produces are very dense and are used to make bio-jewelry and other artwork such as carvings. It is also used for fishing nets, sailing ropes, hammocks and baskets. The wood is resistant to salt water, mold and mildew.

Bambu-amarelo is the most widely known type a tree that grows in the Amazon. It has a growth rate up to 60 centimeters a day, making it the fastest growing wood plant. Bambu-amarelo has multiple uses. It is used for culinary purposes, medicine, construction and art. Not only is it important to Brazilian culture, but it is significant in other cultures as well, for example, the Chinese culture.

Pau-Rosa is another palm tree that grows in the Amazon and is Portuguese for rosewood. This palm is not durable, however, it is used to make Chanel Number 5 perfume and rosewood oil. It is resistant to insect and fungal attacks. Because it is widely used to manufacture various products, it has become an endangered palm of the rainforest.

Finally, we learned about the Jarina, which is a small palm with a thick trunk. It is known as “vegetable ivory” because it is harder than wood and carves just like ivory. Before World War II, Jarina was used to make buttons and handles for walking canes. In addition, it was mistaken for authentic elephant ivory. It also emits a strong-scented perfume. The Jarina has a slow growth rate, taking up to 3-4 years to germinate and survives to be over 100 years old. Because the wood is so durable, it is used for building and construction. It is also used for food, ornaments, manufacturing pieces of knee support, piano keys, small statues, souvenirs and jewelry.

All things considered, we feel it is important to protect the endangered trees of the rainforest. They are utilized in numerous innovative ways and are crucial ingredient in Amazonian culture. Although the palms sow their own seeds, it is important that we preserve the rainforest in order to avoid arboreal extinction.

Swimming in the Amazon

I was so hung-over today. We stayed out until 4a.m. at this club called DEJAVU. It was so much fun minus when some Brazilian guy came up and stuck his tongue in my ear ewwwww! His breath smelled like cheese and I smelt cheese the rest of the night. I literally screamed bloody murder and felt like I was going to throw up the rest of the night. All in all, it was the best night yet

I actually swam in the Amazon today! It's not infested with piranhas like in the movies.

We took a boat down the Amazon in order to get to the island where the beach was. The boat ride was really, really fun. There was live music and dancing. We also got to lie out the whole way there, which was nice because I got super tan. I'm probably the tannest I've been in a while. It was sooooo hot on the boat, but thank god they had cold showers on the deck where we all regularly cooled ourselves off.

When we got to the island, we had to hike a little ways in order to get to the beach. The beach was so pretty and the sand was so nice, considering it isn't imported or anything like in the states. Lunch was complimentary with our trip! The food was delicious- thinking about it now is making my stomach growl.

Most of our group got in and swam around in the Amazon. I was kind of skeptical though because the water is really murky and pretty nasty smelling. But hey, how many American girls can say they swam in the Amazon?

After a few hours we had to get back to the boat and sail back to the mainland. I didn't really notice it I guess on the way to the island, but there are Amazonian who canoe in the Amazon and people were throwing bags of food to them from our boat. It reminded me of Indians who had food thrown to them by settlers back in the day.

Joanne, Brit and I were brave enough to get up in front of a crowd of Brazilians and dance on our ride back. Two instructors were pulling people up from the crowd to teach them how to dance. I made a fool of myself and almost fell fifty times. If I had ate it in front of all those people I would've been so embarrassed! We have some pretty good pictures of it on facebook if anyone wants to check them out.

The ride back to Belém definitely seemed shorted than the way there. We docked the boat and took cabs back to the hotel. I have this habit now where I call our hotel home. It for sure isn't home. Speaking of, I wonder how everything is in California?

I'm planning on extending my trip until the 24th to go to Rio with some of the girls. I really hope my parents let me go because I think it would be a great experience and I might as well considering I'm already in Brazil. Besides, my flight schedule back is ridiculous! I go about ten hours out of my way in order to get back to Long Beach. Not cool! So, we'll see if my dream comes true and if I can go to Rio next week!!

Museus

Today was the equivalent to Valentine's Day in Brazil. There were couples everywhere! Most of them displayed some major PDA, which grossed me out and made me want to throw up. I hate when people are just sucking face making loud smacking noises. At least go somewhere private haha.

We visited two really awesome museums today. The first was the Museu do Forte do Presépio. It had really great art inside the museum. There were pots and all different types of paintings and displays of gadgets and gizmos that were dug up dating back from the 1700s. The outside of the museum had old cannons looking out over the Amazon and the market that goes off everyday. We weren't there for very long and we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, Therefore, I have no footage to post today. Sorry!

The next place we went to was the Museu de Arte Sacra. This particular museum was really beautiful because it is an old church. In Belém, the church is called Santo Alexandre and it is the oldest church in all of Belém, which was built in 1698. This Jesuit church was built by Indians who were forced to work using brick and clay and they used fish oil as glue. I was disappointed because we couldn't take pictures here either. I would totally get married in this church, that's how beautiful it is. The walls and the front of the church where the priest gives his sermon had the most intricate carved wood. They had used cedar wood because it is large enough to made such huge carvings! The pieces of wood were painted using gold leaf paint and made the church light up when the sun would reflect off of it. What thought was nteresting is that the church isn't used as a church anymore. Instead, they have mini concerts, recitals, and private events such as weddings instead.

Upstairs, they had an entire section that tells different stories of different churches in different religious order. They also had a room filled with silver. They had silverware crowns, plates and candleholders. The church had almost everything donated to them that weren't already discovered in or around the area. I was really amazed by the church today. It seems like such a great and central part of the city.

I took this picture today of these four guys who were putting up a kiosk. It's probably one of my favorite pictures of the trip. It was actually kind of funny because I asked them if I could take a picture of them and one of the guys stood up and thought I was asking him to take a picture with me. Awkward!

By the way, I love our van driver. He always has a huge smile on his face, and even though he has no idea what we are saying to him, he seems to have an understanding of what we are trying to say to him. He always nods and laughs anytime I say something to him.
Today was a really nice day. We go to go to shopping and i did almost all my gifts to bring home for friends and family. I would write what I got for everyone, but I want it to be a surprise. My roommate Emily and I ate lunch alone because everyone was having lunch while we shopped around. I had the best chicken today!! It was on a drumstick and was marinated in teriyaki, I think.

I also bought the cutest pair of havianas today. They're bright orange, one of my favorite colors!! They have a store that sells only havianas and let's just say I stocked up. Emily's card wasn't working in the store and we were late meeting at the van. Raúl kinda got mad but hey, at least the van didn't leave without us.

My roommate's computer just broke and she's really upset about it so I'm going to close this short entry from today. Be sure to check out tomorrow's blog because we are going for a boat ride down the Amazon and I'm pretty sure we're going to the beach there too.

Day Four

I got off to a late start today. Because I knew we had the day off, I woke up at around 1 p.m. and realized the day was almost gone. Our entire class slept in though, so I didn't feel too guilty. Today is a holiday in Brazil. From what I gather from one of the people who work in the hotel, today is their equivalent to our Christmas, but without presents and gift giving. Most businesses have the day off and the streets are empty. It was also raining most of the day, which made it difficult to want to leave the hotel.

My roommate, Emily, gathered our whole class together and we went to the Yyamada for lunch.

The Yyamada seems to be a very central location for the people of Belém. Not only is it a grocery store, but it also sells clothing, makeup, toys and it has restaurants and a food court. Everyone in my class calls it the Brazilian WalMart, but I think it's more like a Costco than anything else.
After getting lunch, most of our class stayed and went shopping. I found a pair of Havianas with the Brazilian flag on them. I'm so excited because I have wanted a pair of sandals like the ones I bought for years.

I got some really great pictures of street graffiti today. I think it adds more character to the city and makes the streets more colorful. Some of the graffiti is much more amazing than work I've seen in the states.

Another quality I have noticed about this city is that people put their trash everywhere. It is actually really sad because there are just bags of trash piled up all over the place. This city has so much beauty, but seeing trash everywhere makes it seem like Belém is a dirty city. To all of my readers I don't want to give the impression that Belém looks like a giant dump, but I also don't want to be misleading by writing how beautiful and wonderful Belém is. João, a really nice gentleman who works at the front desk at our hotel, assured us that someone does come and pick up the piles of trash on the side of the road.

We also are working on our projects today. Emily and I have made a ten-minute video and now we're working on our paper about the museu we went to yesterday. Technology has not worked in our favor regarding the paper. Both of our cameras died at the Museu so we only had a small amount of video footage to add in our slide show. I also had to upload all the pictures I took on my phone to my computer. It took a while to go through, but we finally finished our slide show and we're very excited to post it on our blog.

On a separate note, our class went to a really good restaurant/bar last night called Favella. The place was decorated with a lot of random objects; for example, an entire wall was covered in bird house lights hanging from the ceilings used pants as shades. We all had dinner together and the food was probably the best food I've eaten this entire trip.

After our professor decided to leave because he didn't feel well, the rest of us started to order drinks and that's when the night started to get crazy. The soccer game was on (Brazil vs. Paraguay) so everyone was drinking and cheering for Brazil. The game was close and Brazil won by one point.

Our class ended up staying out all night. Our bill came to a total of 705 reais (Brazilian currency), which is the equivalent to about $350. It was quite a shocker at first, but we had enough between all of us.

Tomorrow we are going to the beach!! I'm really excited to see what Brazilian beaches are like. We have to drive two hours to get there, but I think it will be well worth the wait. Well I must close this entry and go work on the rest of my paper. Hopefully I'll have some really great pictures to post tomorrow.

Museu Emílio Goeldi & Parque Zoobotáico

It was bittersweet day for me. We went to the Museu Emíio Goeldi & Parque Zoobotáico, which has been the highlight of my week.
However, my camera broke and died. For some reason the lens won't focus on an image. I'm so pissed off. I also didn't get to see an anaconda today. Dan and I have decided that no matter what, were not leaving Brazil until we see the monstrous snake.

The Museu Emíio Goeldi & Parque Zoobotáico was so amazing. Founded in 1895, the museum is actually an outdoor sanctuary for Amazonian animal species ranging from jaguars, monkeys and giant otters.
Our guide was a Brazilian vet by the name of Messias Costa. Costa was really funny and truly a joy to be around. He would take pictures of the animals close up for us and we even got to go inside the cayman enclosure. For those of you who don't know, a cayman looks just like an alligator. He had remarkable relationships with the animals. The jaguars would all approached the fence and greet him with a roar when he got close, he would also throw plants for the turtle to eat. "Animals have psychological needs too," explains Costa.

The jaguars were by far my favorite attraction. The first one approached the fence letting out a giant roar. He was so beautiful. We also got to see a black jaguar, who has already exceed two years his expected lifespan. The final jaguar we saw was what Costa's called "naughty". When he said he was naughty I didn't know he really meant NAUGHTY! The jaguar came to the edge of the fence and started to masturbate just like a human. Costa's says that this is not normal for a jaguar to do and his previous owner probably taught him how to do this. Although this may seem funny, it's actually really sad because the animal is suffering. This poor animal was psychologically abused earlier on in his life.

Next, we got to see some of the largest trees in the Amazon and an açaí tree. We also saw the Amazon's largest flower, which grows in water with lily pads. There are animals and iguanas roaming free in the Museu, which I thought that was a great.

Costa explained that the reason for biodiversity in the Amazon is because the species are able to adapt. Costa's also told our class that environmental problems exist in the Amazon and in order to solve the problem, the federal government has to first solve the economic issues.

Spider monkeys are so much cuter in person than they are on television. Although they are mean, they seemed really friendly swinging from one end of the enclosure to the next following our class and they seemed to be interested in what we were doing there. After, we took pictures with the caymans and got to get as close as the handlers to them. We were also going to watch a feeding, but the cayman wasn't hungry.

The parrots were hilarious. They spoke Portuguese! They also flipped out when our class stopped giving them attention to look at the two-toed sloth. The sloth was much smaller than I had imagined. The sloths are hard to see because they blend in with the threes.

Finally, our tour ended with Costa's taking pictures of our class and we went to his office where we talked and looked at photos he's taken on the computer. Costa's stays with the indigenous people for days at a time, which I found really interesting. He has some incredible pictures of him with the native Amazonian people.

I'm sad I couldn't get more pictures of the Museu today, however, I did take a lot of pictures and footage on my phone so hopefully I can upload those pictures and they won't appear too grainy on the computer.

Tonight, our entire class is going to a bar to watch the fúbol game! Hopefully Brazil will win.