A Festa

I just woke up and I want to tell you about my night last night before I get too busy and forget to talk about it on here. It's like 10:40 AM here but I realize it's an absurd hour (4:30, yeah?) over there.

First of all, parties here don't start until 11 or 12 (they would say 23 horas, or meia noite) at night and end around 6 AM. Anyway my friend Gustavo invited me to a party and I had no idea what to expect. I met Gustavo in Berkeley at the Free Speach Cafe. He overheard me and some students talking about our Portuguese class and asked us if we were learning Portuguese, so I started talking to him for a little bit. When I found out he was visiting Berkeley from Rio to learn English, I made a point to befriend him. I'm so glad I did! He's one of the nicest people I've ever met, not even considering the difference in friendliness between the US and here. We communicated for a while via email and helped each other with learning English/Portuguese and I told him when I would be coming down here and everything. So he invited me to a "festa" (party) last night. I had no real plans and I was kinda hoping t0 branch out from the other international kids anyway so I thought I might as well check it out. He told me that this party was put on by his brother and that he was going to be attending with his wife and some other friends. I knew he was older (35ish) and everything so I wasn't sure if this would be fun for younger people or what. But you know, Brazilians know how to have fun at any age. Even these mid-30 year olds stay up until 6 AM partying. Gustavo had his friend Fabio pick us up near my house and we met up with him at Gustavo's parents house. He was having his mom take care of his daughter so that he and his wife could go out. First of all, I knew that Gustavo was probably fairly well off here.... but I had no idea that we'd be picked up in honestly the nicest personal vehicle that I've ever seen, and then taken to really nice beachfront property. So we hung out in the front of this gated building for a while and Gustavo went up to make sure his daughter was ok with him going out and Fabio, my friend Ellie, and I took a taxi to the party. It was at "MAM", the Musem of Modern Art, and there were thousands of people waiting outside. Gustavo eventually got there, and we met up with him, his beautiful wife, and their friends (a lot of them were cousins). Gustavo's brother was one of the main people putting this party on, so he was there too and we met him eventually. Anyway Gustavo had put us on the list so we got our tickets discounted (R$20 vs. R$40ish) and we eventually went in. Ok, this place was really amazing, and the people were sooooo nice. I honestly felt a little poor there. Everyone there was obviously very wealthy, but they still seemed a little more "real" (you know, just not as superficial and stuck up) than wealthy people in the US. The DJ was playing rock music, so it was a lot of American music that I know very well, and it was funny because most of the people there who didn't even speak English knew the lyrics better than I did. It was a reeeeally cool party, and I'm so glad he invited us. Ellie and I had a great time and we loved Gustavo and his friends.

We left there around 3:30ish because the music was getting a little bit too loud for us and my ears were in pain. We knew that Lapa was close by and that a bunch of our friends were there so we took a taxi there to see what was happening. The difference between the two places was crazy! I really can't believe how in this city there's just upper class and poor... no middle ground it seems like. The people in Lapa just seemed poor and drunk compared to where we had been. It was fun anyway though - we met up with our friends and did a little bit of dancing on the street. My friends wanted to find something "happening" but where having very little luck. But I was really enjoying this one spot where we were dancing outside of a place playing some Brazilian funk (Brazilian "funk" is nothing like our funk - it's like our hip hop or rap) and people were doing a cool dance that was comparable to our "electric slide." Anyway we wandered around for a while but I wasn't feeling it anymore so Ellie and I took a cab home. Taking a cab here feels surprisingly safe (but I won't be naive and be too trusting about it, don't worry) and I feel extremely safe getting off near my street because there are so many guards and people looking out for each other's safety. I don't know exactly what time it was when I got home, but it was definitely getting light out.

So yea, that was my night. I had a really good time. It was interesting too that Gustavo's friends who knew of, or had been to, San Diego were saying how comparable it is to Rio. I hadn't thought about it before, but it's very true. The beach, the city, the weather (besides the fact that it's a lot hotter and more humid here)... everything besides the language, the bikini size, and the social statuses. The more I think about it, the more interesting of a point that is. I think I might like Rio a little better anyway ;)

Ok well I could go on and on and on about things but that's pretty much all I really need to tell you right now. I probably could use some more sleep but it's a nice day out so I think I might head down to the beach and try to get a little more of a Brazilian tan-line :) Tchau, e ate logo!

Beijos