Alvin Hathaway
West Virginia University College of Law, 2L
May 27, 2007
Day 15 Reflection

While in Brazil I have experienced many new and exciting things. One experience I look forward to each day is the food starting with breakfast. A typical Brazilian breakfast consists of freshly baked bread, ham and cheese and a variety of exotic food. Another thing I look forward to is the exciting events we had on our schedule each day. Two of my most memorable events were the Futbol game, Flamengo versus Botafogo and the Favela Funk Party.

Futbol or soccer, as it is called in the States, is by far the most popular sport in Brazil and can be compared to one of the most popular sports in the States, futebol americano. Once we got to the stadium is was pretty evident that the most popular team was Flamengo. Outside the stadium fans marched around the stadium waving Flamengo flags and chanting team songs. The stadium was flooded with thousands of fans dressed in the team colors of the Flamengo, red and black. Though both Botafogo and Flamengo are Rio teams, I was very happy that I was able to get a black and red flamengo jersey beforehand because they were by far the Lakers of Rio. This experience reminded me of student section at WVU Mountaineer football games, where students are covered in blue and gold from head to feet. Like at WVU football games, the Flamengo fans sang a chant to express there dedication to there favorite team. “Uma vez flamengo, sempre flamego/flamengo sempre en hei de ser/e’o meu maior prazer ve-lo brilhar/seja na terra, seja no mar/vencer! vencer! vencer!/uma vez flamengo, flamengo at morrer!” (Once Flamengo, always Flamengo/I will always be flamengo/my greatest feeling is to see them shine/Over the land, over the sea/To win! To win! To Win!/ One Time Flamengo, Flamengo until death). While the Flamengo chant is much more emotional than our “LETS GO” ? “MOUNTAINEERS” chant, the same sort of team spirit was present.

Later that day we were yet off to another event, a Favela Funk Party. To my surprise the atmosphere and location of the party were quite different from how I previously imagined it. I imagined an outdoor carnival like atmosphere, but instead the party was located in a gigantic warehouse with a top balcony level (with VIP booths) and a few long bars. A few other things also surprised me. I was surprised to see that the disc jockey was using what seemed to be top of the line equipment. The DJs equipment looked like something that you would expect a DJ on MTV to be using. The funk party also had a gigantic projection screen which displayed various advertisements during the night. As midnight approached, most of the group was tired after a fun filled day. So we hung out for a little while longer then returned back to the hostel to rest for another exciting day.