Dia Cinco em Belem

Today is my presentation on Technology and Engineering! It is 8am right now and I slept much better last night than the previous (I only woke up three times to the unknown noises around the hotel room: squeaks, creaks, knocks..)

After my presentation and class meeting the plan is to go to a bar and watch the opening World cup game! Mexico vs. South Africa

Our plans slightly changed when we went down to the lobby to get breakfast together and there was a note from Raul saying he had car problems and class would be cancelled. Well, a slight relief for me giving me more time to work on my presentation and possible time to catch up on more sleep, but also some confusion for what the day's plan would be if we didn't meet until 12pm. We were all stoked to see the soccer game and we had no way of contacting our professor to find out what was going on. Yay for facebook! We managed to get a hold of Lucas and let him know what our class situation was and asked if he could contact Raul. Great success! We were all able to meet back down in the lobby at 10am. (we napped or updated our blogs for the hour in the meantime.)

Going back downstairs Isabella had arrived first and Raul soon after. He shared with us the "car problems" he received...OH MY GOSH!

Our professor, a native to Belem, for the first time experienced a car-jacking! Last night, the night we (the students and Isabella & Lucas) went to the Rock n Roll restaurant/bar, Raul had made plans with a group of his friends to attend an art show, but never made it... In the very neighborhood and street we had planned to have dinner (but the live music was closed) two young men hopped into the backseat of the car Raul and his two friends were in (they had slowed down for a pothole in the road). The thieves were high on drugs and armed with a gun, they were agitated and nervous and boxing in the driver's girlfriend to the middle of the backseat. These young men (maybe teens) held our teacher and his friends at gunpoint and took everything they could. Ipods (they didn't even know what it was!), all the cell phones (also Iphones), money, and the girlfriend's identification papers! Oh yes, and THE CAR! dropping off our innocent teacher and his friends at an old cemetery! Those were the "car problems" my professor so modestly told us about in the note earlier this morning...$%%$#!@%^&$ SCARY!!! So we have to be very careful in Belem, even the nicer areas.

Lucas got to hotel in the middle of the details, but we caught him up and then we all headed to the bar for the game (locking the car doors immediately)!

We missed the opening ceremony for the game but didn't miss a goal! We got in line for the buffet food during half time and I loaded my plate with all the different assortments of sushi and a small plate of a chocolate pudding/cake dessert. The charge was once again by weight leaving my total for the sushi being $5!!! And the dessert was $2.50. It was so excellent and still unbelievable.

Shortly after sitting back down "GOAL" was scored and we all got back into the game and discussed and reviewed soccer rules and players, new and old.

After the game Raul dropped Karissa, Marisol, and I off near these little market/street shops close to our hotel. They were set up very similar to downtown LA and were selling duffel bags, purses, wallets, and uniquely crafted furniture and baskets. Beautifully woven together and worth buying if I could fit any of it in my luggage! We purchased a Brazilian CD to take back to the hotel and get a better feel for the style. The vendor then referred to me as um"barbie brasileiro", a Brazilian Barbie!

After Raul's horror story we were more cautious than ever (paranoid) and when two men got within five feet of us we decided to leave and go back to the hotel. When the other students met back with us (after they got more money from the bank) we all went to Y.YAMADA to get food supplies to pack for our boat trip the next morning as well as purchase food and drink for the evening. Near the bread aisle an employee referred to me as "barbie brasileiro"! That has started to happen a lot more frequently and it is very clear that I stand out more than I would like here, but I am just hoping that it doesn't necessarily make me a target for anything other than people's barbie commentary.

After the supermarket we brought our dinner and dessert back to the hotel and enjoyed some wine and pizza in Patrick's room.
We all got this downtime to hang out and bond while making the sandwiches for the morning boat trip!