Party Like a Brazilian.

"Come with happiness in your hearts and samba in your feet." -- John

This commercial for the Norwegian cruise line was on all the time before I left the States and headed for sunny Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now that I am here, I am fully able to understand the phrase "party like a Brazilian". Brazilians sure do know how to have a good time-- usually until at least 2 or 3am. Which I am not cut out for, I'm more at the speed of "nap like a college student."

John is one of the high school teachers at OLM and him and his wife, Vania, invited us over to their house for a couple of days during Carnaval. Vania and a few of her friends came over to our house and then took us over to a bloco at Ipanema. Let me explain these blocos for a second. They are not just a couple of friends hanging out in their front lawns. These are HUGE street carnivals, which usually cover a whole block. Hence bloco. There are people in costume, bands, noise makers, drinks, and huge crowds. These blocos have been going on each weekend since we've arrived on various streets throughout Rio and then became an everyday occurance starting two weeks ago.

We'd attended a couple different blocos, but they had always been in the middle of the day which was always miserably hot and filled with people who are talking and singing in Portuguese. Don't get me wrong, they were fun, but they weren't great. And then we met Vania.

The bloco in Ipanema was at night time, so it was cooler and we were with a couple of people who spoke English and Portuguese, so they could let us know what was going on. We learned how to samba... kind of,  bought some Carnaval memorabilia, and lived life like the Brazilians. It was a late night filled with lots of energy, but also so many memories and laughs.