The morning following the last meeting in Mimoso, we all packed our stuff and left early in the morning en route to Brasilia. The students and chaperons had a late evening flight to Sao Paulo and then back the US. Flavio had an early evening flight and I would spend the night in Brasilia then I would go to my new location the following morning. We spent most of the day just exploring Brasilia then we said our good-byes and went our separate ways. I'll be living in Brasilia in a few weeks so in future blogs I will describe my experience there.
The following morning I was put on a bus and sent to Goiania my new
location. The bus ride was only a 2 1/2 hours not too bad, but I shocked at the state of the main bus station in the country's capital. It was no better than a bus station you would find in small town. The roof was leaking, it was dirty, smelly and the bathroom facilities were horrible. The bus station in Goiania was, however, the complete opposite. It is located in a big shopping mall, so everything is clean and in good condition.
The new assignment did not take out of the state of Goias. Goiania is the capital. Besides moving from a small town to a large city with close to two million people, I have also had a big change in my living situation. I went from living in a house filled with other people to a hotel room. I am trying not to complain but I must say I do miss the company. There were many perks and downside to living in the hotel. One of the perks was the gym and wi-fi
but the downside was basically eating the same food everyday and not having facilities for cooking and washing. One strange thing about this hotel was the fact that it doesn't have not even one microwave oven in the whole hotel! One night I wanted to pop some microwave popcorn, but I could not because there was no microwave in the hotel. That was a big disappointment.
So my hotel was located downtown in the heart of the city. When I looked out my window all I saw were skyscrapers for what seems like miles. I must say I was surprised to see so many tall buildings. None of the major cities in Brazil, which I know are not a lot, had so many high rises. Most of the high rises appeared to be apartment buildings. There were very few houses and the ones I saw or visited were usually town houses. I must say though that I really missed seeing mountains and beautiful scenery out of my window.
I loved the way the city has designed the parks in Goiania. When you are in them, it feels like you have left the city. Each of the parks I have visited have many trees that provides a lot of shade.
The trees were very tall and somewhat acted as a canopy so you can't really see what is surrounding the park. One the largest park in the city has walking trails that appears to take you into the heart of a forest and on these trails there were signs identifying the different types of wildlife you could see. You can see various animals such as monkeys and typical Brazilian birds. There also several man made lakes and ponds with fishes and turtles. There are usually people feeding the animals.
The following morning I was put on a bus and sent to Goiania my new
location. The bus ride was only a 2 1/2 hours not too bad, but I shocked at the state of the main bus station in the country's capital. It was no better than a bus station you would find in small town. The roof was leaking, it was dirty, smelly and the bathroom facilities were horrible. The bus station in Goiania was, however, the complete opposite. It is located in a big shopping mall, so everything is clean and in good condition.
The new assignment did not take out of the state of Goias. Goiania is the capital. Besides moving from a small town to a large city with close to two million people, I have also had a big change in my living situation. I went from living in a house filled with other people to a hotel room. I am trying not to complain but I must say I do miss the company. There were many perks and downside to living in the hotel. One of the perks was the gym and wi-fi
but the downside was basically eating the same food everyday and not having facilities for cooking and washing. One strange thing about this hotel was the fact that it doesn't have not even one microwave oven in the whole hotel! One night I wanted to pop some microwave popcorn, but I could not because there was no microwave in the hotel. That was a big disappointment.
So my hotel was located downtown in the heart of the city. When I looked out my window all I saw were skyscrapers for what seems like miles. I must say I was surprised to see so many tall buildings. None of the major cities in Brazil, which I know are not a lot, had so many high rises. Most of the high rises appeared to be apartment buildings. There were very few houses and the ones I saw or visited were usually town houses. I must say though that I really missed seeing mountains and beautiful scenery out of my window.
For the first few days, I was feeling very suffocated and trapped in my room because it was raining a lot and all I could see outside of my window were skyscrapers, and grey sky. But a few days later, I was taken to a park in the center of the city. This park was a hidden oasis in the heart of the bustling city. Even though, Goiania
I loved the way the city has designed the parks in Goiania. When you are in them, it feels like you have left the city. Each of the parks I have visited have many trees that provides a lot of shade.
The trees were very tall and somewhat acted as a canopy so you can't really see what is surrounding the park. One the largest park in the city has walking trails that appears to take you into the heart of a forest and on these trails there were signs identifying the different types of wildlife you could see. You can see various animals such as monkeys and typical Brazilian birds. There also several man made lakes and ponds with fishes and turtles. There are usually people feeding the animals.
Walking about the streets of Goiania is like walking in a Latin American New York City. For those who have been to New York City you know you don't need to visit a store to find most things you need, whether it is food, cloth, shoes, fake designer purses and sunglasses or sometimes small appliances. Well, it was the same thing here. You could find any and everything you need on the streets. I was amazed at the different things you could find. One thing I noticed was a seemingly high number of people selling bootleg dvds. On many street corners you would see 3/4 persons selling bootleg dvds.
Another highlight of Goiania is the weekend flea markets. On Saturday night and all day Sunday there are various flea markets called Ferias all over the city. There are usually two types of flea markets, clothes and food. I had the opportunity to two of the most famous ones one weekend. The Feria Hippie or the Hippie Fair and the Feria da Lua or Moon Fair. These were huge and there were a lot of people. There were some many stalls and so many things to choose from and buy. There were some good prices too. Even though Goiania is a large city one thing that I noticed that really impressed me was the fact that there was not much crime. So many people are always worried about my safety here in Brazil, but I must say that so far I feel pretty safe in the places I have been in. In general, most Brazilians see Rio and Sao Paulo as the dangerous cities, while most other cities are considered to be pretty safe.
Another highlight of Goiania is the weekend flea markets. On Saturday night and all day Sunday there are various flea markets called Ferias all over the city. There are usually two types of flea markets, clothes and food. I had the opportunity to two of the most famous ones one weekend. The Feria Hippie or the Hippie Fair and the Feria da Lua or Moon Fair. These were huge and there were a lot of people. There were some many stalls and so many things to choose from and buy. There were some good prices too. Even though Goiania is a large city one thing that I noticed that really impressed me was the fact that there was not much crime. So many people are always worried about my safety here in Brazil, but I must say that so far I feel pretty safe in the places I have been in. In general, most Brazilians see Rio and Sao Paulo as the dangerous cities, while most other cities are considered to be pretty safe.
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