Study abroad programs for college and gap students
Photo Essay: CET Brazil
Photos by Marie Alden (American University), Student Correspondent for CET Brazil, 2019-2020 Academic Year
We traveled to Rio de Janeiro this weekend for four days, just my roommate Katie and I. This is our first night on the beach in Ipanema. This was truly breathtaking, despite our initial idea of Rio being overrated. Simply put; it is not. Here is a photo of me (left) and Katie (right) on Praia Ipanema in Rio. We sat and watched the sunset for a while, drinking caipirinhas (a Brazilian drink with cachaça, lime, and sugar). Many other people were doing the same or playing futebol with their friends. The next morning we woke up early and headed to Parque Lage, a large and beautiful park in the centre of Rio. There we saw monkeys, vines, and beautiful trees, much more humid and lush than what we are used to in São Paulo. We passed a trail that just happened to be the path to Christ the Redeemer. Spontaneously, we decided to climb up, only realising that the trail was much more strenuous and long than we were expecting. We climbed in our normal city clothes and sandals. Once we reached the top (after about 2 hours) we could barely even see Christ! We laughed about it and still took some cloudy photos of his figure. It was chilly and raining at the top, so we quickly descended. On our last day, we went to Museu de Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow). This museum had exhibits that were about sustainable agriculture, technology of the future, and information on climate change and ways to combat it. This museum is now one of my favourites in the world. This sign reads “Nossa Casa está pegando fogo,” meaning that our house (the world) is in flames. Here is another photo of one of the exhibits. Here there are pictures displayed of the water sources on the planet. This exhibit explained the importance of conservation of water and what is happening to our fresh and salt water sources. To conclude, here is another photo of Ipanema and the beautiful rock formations in the distances called Two Brothers. The sunset changed and evolved throughout the night, I couldn’t take enough pictures to capture the beauty of the view.
