8 months out of the U.S. and cleaning out the bucket list

It's official. In two days I will have been living in Brazil for 8 months. I haven't touched American soil. I haven't eaten Chicago-style pizza or endulged in brownies. I haven't run to the gas station at 2 in the morning with Sara for a slushi. I haven't given my mom or dad a hug. It's incredible how many little things in the U.S. I've missed... and how much more I've experienced in that time outside of the U.S. Eight months is certainly a long time.

However, there are so many things on my bucketlist left to do before I head back to the U.S. While 8 months seems long, there are so many things in this city of 20 million that I haven't done. This weekend was time to knock a few of those things off my list.



Catherine, one of my friends who had to leave the program early last semester, came to visit for the weekend. We decided to conquer a bit more of Sao Paulo that weekend. She, Lowell and I made the hour-long trek to Ibirapuera Park, one of the most beautiful parks in Sao Paulo. After spending some time there, we got tickets to the city's only planetarium for 5 pm that night (the planetarium is so popular and only open on weekends that you have to get tickets hours in advance) before heading over to a free cultural center. There, we listened to a great live concert and watched samba dancing (which I have yet to master...).





Then, we headed back to the park and, as we had an hour to wait before the planetarium show began, we headed to the Afro-Brasil Museum. A huge museum filled with artwork and history of the Afro-Brazilians throughout mainly northern Brazil, the museum reminded me a bit of my first month in Bahia on the northerneastern coast of Brazil. With a rich history built upon many African traditions, it was a completly different experience and mindset than where I am living now, in a whiter, southern Brazil.



Finally, we made it to the planetarium, which had, in fact, sold out its tickets. The show was mediocre but I'm still glad I went.

While my bucketlist seems neverending, the weekend was a good reminder of how much I have left to see of this huge city. There are so many things left to do that I can't get lazy; I need to keep moving and searching for more experiences.