Kim Matras
West Virginia University College of Law, 3L
Thursday, August 14, 2008

My Trip to Brazil (in a few paragraphs…)

West Virginia University College of Law students with the University of Vila Velha Law and International Relations students

Although it is extremely difficult to sum up my extraordinary trip to Brazil in a few short paragraphs, this is my attempt to describe my journey and the incredible learning experience. First of all, I still can’t believe that I just got home a week ago from a trip where I was in the Amazon holding an anaconda and piranha fishing one day, taking class in Vila Velha the next, and touring the Christo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro shortly there after. Over the course of 18 days I experienced things that many people only dream of, or even fear, doing. My whole life I have wanted to go to Rio, but I never would have guessed that I would enjoy the other parts of Brazil that I visited even more. Going into this trip I knew that I would be, and was a little concerned about, staying on a riverboat on the Amazon River and staying with strangers in Vila Velha. I was particularly excited about going to Rio and seeing all of the famous sites the city has to offer, learning about the culture, experiencing the night life, and shopping. However, as my journey to Brazil began in the Amazon and then took me to meet some of what are now my close friends in Vila Velha, I actually heard myself say, “I don’t want to go to Rio; I want to stay in Vila Velha!”

Starting out on the boat in the Amazon was a great way to thrust us into the culture of Brazil in Amazonia. Not only did we hold wild animals, hunt cayman under the beautiful shooting-star filled sky, go on jungle treks, and fish for piranha; we also held seminars on the devastating deforestation of the Amazon on the deck of our boat, played intense games of “Mafia” until the wee hours of the morning, experienced the great comfort of sleeping in a hammock, and shared much time getting to know one another. This part of the trip couldn’t be better placed in the sequence of destinations. Experiencing the Amazon first brought the group closer and gave us much to look forward to when we reached our other destinations, particularly getting a warm shower!

After a red eye flight to Vila Velha, I can remember getting off the plane and walking into the airport, sun shining, with the biggest smile on my face. I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness right when I was getting off the plane. Besides being excited to meet our hosts, the first thing on everyone’s mind was probably taking a shower. For Nicky Smith and I this seemed that it may not happen for a while because our host was out of town for the day. However, we were wrong. At the airport we met two of the most wonderful people, who would later become two of my very close friends, Maga and Kalif. Maga was Joey Spano’s host and Kalif hosted Mathew Stonestreet and Jasmine Morton. Immediately Maga and Kalif “adopted” us. Maga and her sister Manu took Nicky and I to Maga’s apartment and immediately hooked us up with showers. Right then I knew that the people in this city were something special. Then we were off to the welcome BBQ and later we met up with our actual host Alina. Alina further reinforced my love for the people in Vila Velha. She welcomed us into her home and treated us like sisters. The whole time Vila Velha was amazing! Some days we had class, other days we went to the beach or toured a convent, and at night we would usually go out as a big group to socialize and get to know each other, and of course, to have some caipirinhas (the best Brazilian drink, in my opinion). Going into this experience I never could have imagined growing so close to people in such a short amount of time. Leaving Vila Velha was one of the hardest things to do. It was heart-breaking to leave my new friends that I had grown to love even though I was excited about the next part of our trip, Rio.

With our wonderful hosts from Vila Velha/Vitoria, one last picture before we head out for our last evening together

Arriving late to the airport in Vila Velha allowed only minimal time for tears and goodbyes, which was probably best for me, since I was a blubbering mess. Then, after a quick fifty minute flight, we arrived in Rio de Janeiro! Quickly we checked into our hostel, settled in, and were off to the favela tour. With a quick ride up the hill on motorcycle taxis (one of my favorite parts of the trip) our favela tour began. This was probably an appropriate way to start this part of the trip because we were immediately immersed in this part of Brazilian culture. It was shocking to me and depressing to see how large the favela truly was. From the view on top of a roof in the middle of the favela, it looked like the favela took up ¾ of all of Rio! I felt thankful to have been welcomed into this part of the culture and able to learn about this way of life. I also felt helpless in a way because all I wanted to do was help improve this part of the culture, and felt that this would be a difficult goal to achieve. However, by learning more about the culture and immersing ourselves in it, we can understand how we can help to better the situation.

Rio de Janeiro is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It was absolutely surreal to stand next to the Christo Redentor statue. This is something I have always wanted to see and I am still in awe that I was actually there. Although the day was cloudy and a little rainy, the view was spectacular! Actually I thought the clouds made the hundreds of pictures I took even more alluring. This was not the only magnificent part of the city we saw. Immediately after visiting the Christo statue we were whisked away to Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf). Having no real knowledge of this landmark, I was most excited about the tram ride up to the top! Once we reached the top, I understood the hype and could not get over how beautiful the view of the city was. We were there at sunset and therefore it couldn’t have been more gorgeous.

Also, while in Rio we attended class at FGV, attended a victorious Flemengo game, and experienced some of what Rio’s night life has to offer, as well as a little shopping, of course. It was a truly wonderful trip to Rio and was definitely hard to leave. I don’t think I’ve ever been away from home for so long without being homesick. I guess maybe I felt a sense of home in Brazil. The people along on the trip helped as well because I formed so many close relationships among the group. I went into the trip only really knowing a few people well and came out knowing everyone much better and forming close friendships.

I take away from this experience so much that it is hard to put it all into words. If someone offered me a plane ticket and a visa to go back to Brazil right this second I would not hesitate to go. The cities were amazing, the learning experience was vast, the friendships built are long-lasting, and the experience as a whole is something that I will treasure forever. I have learned so much about myself on this trip and so much about how I want to be. The people and the experience in the Amazon taught me things about respecting nature and the environment, “roughing it” in the jungle, being open to trying new things, and opening myself up to make friends. The people in Vila Velha taught me a most valuable lesson in how I hope to be. The people in that city were the most hospitable, welcoming, generous, helpful, loving, open individuals I have ever come in contact with and I hope to take some of those characteristics away for myself. I miss everyone in Vila Velha so much and I miss the country of Brazil already. Basically, all I really have to say to sum up the trip is “when can I go back and do it all again?!”