Aftermath of an Adventure

Well... I'm back in Iowa.

My last day in Brazil was low key and I took advantage of practically our only free day during the entire trip to do a little exploring on my own: walking up and down Paulista Avenue, one of the main business centers. That night we flew into the states and within the blink of an eye were back in the snowy, icy, negative temperature weather.

After arriving to my apartment, it took two days to completely unpack, clean and organize myself; the length of time largely due to jet-lag induced bouts of narcolepsy. The length of time also due to the double and triple amount of items produced from the delayed baggage fiasco, including:

5 total pieces of luggage
a box of rotting food (I tried to bring Christmas dinner back to Iowa with me)
new iPod stereo deck with no iPod to put in it
new winter clothes I bought myself for Christmas
and dirty summer clothes to add to the laundry basket full of dirties already here
3 bottles of shampoo and 3 bottles conditioner
two toiletry bags, 2 make up bags (and double the toiletries themselves)

****

Despite the ups and downs of the Brazilian saga, it was well worth it. I had a fabulous introduction to the country, the people, the language, and most importantly the dancing. I look forward to future trips that will occur on my terms: I get to choose the travel mates, the length of stay and the activities to participate in. The only thing is, who knows when that will be.


This afternoon I went looking for something like the yummy fresh fruit juice that you could purchase at any corner snack bar in Brazil. Unfortunately, Iowa City could not satisfy my craving. Fortunately, I won't be around these parts much longer...