Samba School Practice - Choosing Music

Yesterday it was the first time in my life that I`ve ever gotten close to a SAMBA EXPERIENCE.


A friend of a friend gave us free tickets to Mangueira Samba School.

Incase you don`t know much about Carnaval Schools...


It was just insanely amazing. I stared around for the first hour. There`s colors of the school: pink, green and white.
The sounds of samba... amazing... seeing people knowing the brand new lyrics... singing and dancing with such intense passion.. wow!!


Mind blowing experience. 

Did it. Another Milestone.

Yesterday I got the call. I got the room at the apartment. This is the first time I actually get a room I truly want.
It has a phenomenal location, it`s clean, it`s relatively safe and I have a window.

I have a room. I have a fan. I have 3 drawers.
There`s a kitchen, a washing machine, a decent bathroom, WIFI and cool living room.
I have ONE roommate. Sheila.

Things I've Done.

A brief list.

• Went to ArtRio Exposition 2013 for FREE.
• Worked in my PJs, watching movies and doing my nails.
• Respected my bitch of a boss... Kept calm, in situations where I would've flipped my switch.
• Went to a VIP Forro party so close to the Christo Redentor statue, I was basically high-fiving him.
• HAVEN'T been robbed yet.
• Made phenomenal friends.
  - Hostel staff.
  - Hostel guests:
      - Richard: British. Early 50s? Who looked brazilian, but wore Brazil tourist shirts, hats and bracelets. He was always with a drink in hand, played the music and loved to dance and videotaped almost every night.
      - Markus: Sweedish. 28. Deeply inlove with his awesome girlfriend. Had a phenomenal sense of humor. Always up to try new things. Vegetarian. Showed us how he was taught to swim by lying on top of two chairs.
       - Zach: American. 33. Loyal. Wants to learn Portuguese.

What's your plan?

I've made plans... I left Canada with a plan. Most of them haven't worked.

The one plan I really had was: I WANT TO LIVE IN RIO.

Every day when I wake up and realize I'm in Rio, I'm happy.

Someone I know came up to me on facebook and asked:
"How long do you plan on staying there?"

"I dunno." I replied.  

"What do you mean you don't know? You can't stay there forever..." The person says.

It's rather funny how people seem to think they have the right to think about what you can or cannot do.

I love being here, right now. I can be here right now. I don't think of it as having an expiring date.

This is what I chose and I'm continuously choosing. 

Back to Square One.

Jobless and Homeless again.

BBQ in Santa Teresa

I got up for breakfast as per usual. I'm still wearing my best sunburn.
I spent hours on the phone with RBC, because even thought I told them I'd be away, they still decided to block my card.
By 5pm, I got an invite to go to Santa Teresa for a BBQ. I left at 6pm... I managed to take a wrong bus and end up in Villa Isabel. Then I took a taxi there.
Saw my awesome Lapa friends. Then made it back home in time to go the Funk Party. I came home, I slept 2 hours and I'm working in my PJs. Only about 4 hours of work to go... Then I'll take a shower, head down to Lapa again... today there's Samba at Pedra do Sal!