Day 2: Brazil
November 22, 2015 - In order to adjust quickly to the Brazilian time zone, 3 hours ahead, it was suggested that we stayed awake until we arrived back at our hotel at 12:30 amafter the professional volleyball match. At the match, we met Stanford volleyball alumni, Alix Klinenan. We presented her with American gifts and she said that the struggle of the language barrier did not prevent her from having a Portuguese best friend from her team. Alix's team won 3-1 and we were featured on Tv during the match. After the late night, the coaches rewarded our win and successful travels with delicious "sorvete" or ice cream and Brazilian chocolates. After the late night, we all slept and woke up at 7:30 am for our hour journey to Saõ Cristóvão. The gym had a roof; however, it was opened to nature and our match was delayed because of rain. We also saw birds flying around the gym. We then defeated another Brazilian team 4-1. All the teams have been interested in our travels and the United States, despite the language restraints. After the match, we took a plethora of photos and the opposing team quickly put on the A5 shirts we exchanged for Saõ Cristóvão jerseys. After our long "chaos" or goodbyes and collecting the team's snapchats and instagrams, we ate at a place equivalent to Fogo de Chao of America. However, the place we ate at had a pasta bar and sushi, unlike the Fogo de Chao in America. Once we arrived back to the hotel, we all had the opportunity to catch up on sleep before dinner. For dinner, we walked to an Americanized burger joint with menus that were written in English. The meal was delicious and reminded us all of the food at home. Every night we have a talk with our guide, Brooke, before we go to bed about our plans for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the first day we will not be playing volleyball and we will receive the opportunity to explore the the true culture of Brazil, specifically their number one sport "fútbol" or soccer which is considered a religion here. We are excited for our eventful day tomorrow and cannot wait to keep you posted!
-Cassidy Cason and Sarah Parker