We made it!

Our plane touched down about 9:00 PM, and we finally made it into our hotel rooms by 10:15, tired from a long bus ride to JFK Airport (leaving campus at 2:00 AM!) and then a 10 hour flight. Gosh, are we happy to be here!

Our hotel, Augusto´s Copacabana, is just a couple of blocks off the beach. Even though it was dark when we arrived, we got to drive for a stretch along the beach, with the palms and little cafes, the blocks and blocks of street artists, the white sand, and the gorgeous moon reflecting off the water. I can´t wait to see it in daylight, because even by night it is magnificent! It´s also hot and humid (very humid!) so I suspect being so close to the beach will come in handy for swimming (or at least stripping down to very few clothes).

We got everyone settled into their rooms, and some of the students immediately went out in search of food. Within a block of our hotel there must be 10 cafes, all with walls open to the street, and all packed with people. I think this is going to be a great neighborhood for us!

So far, Rio de Janiero has the feeling of Miami to me, with a bit of a feeling of the Riviera. But there are these hills that go straight up, with houses all around and right up the sides in some cases. Flying in it was amazing to see the city lights and then realize that we were flying almost right at the level of some of the mountains. Tomorrow, we go to Sugar Loaf to get the view down over the city.

We also had a last-minute schedule change, so in the morning, instead of getting to sleep a bit and get oriented etc, we are going straight away to the favela school. This school is a non-profit run by a large Samba club, educating some of the poorest children in the favelas. I think it will be a great place for us to start to experience Rio...

Martha