Blogging from Brazil: Carnaval!

So, I just got back from 3 full days of Carnaval and I have to say that I am pretty exhausted. On the first day we left at 6:30 in the morning. We stayed with some friends at an apartment located in Barra da Tijuca. Although it was somewhat far from the events, it was free, so no complaints here. I did not end up going to the main parade because unfortunately the tickets are at the very least 600 reais, which is equal to a lot of money in U.S. dollars. But Carnaval is not just about the parade in the Sambodramo. There are a ton of Blocos all over Rio. Blocos is basically Carnaval on the street. It is composed of one decorated truck with a band playing music and a ton of drunk people, drunk people being key. Everyone at every Bloco was excited and usually were dressed in some sort of costume. After arriving on the first day we went to a Bloco in Leblon, a very nice neighborhood in Rio. After listening to some music at the bloco we spent the rest of the day at the beach in Leblon. Probably the worst part of Carnaval was having to travel back to Barra da Tijuca, because it is far and transportation was also somewhat limited. Anyway, second day was also very exciting. We went to a Bloco in Ipanema and ended up on the beach as well at the end of the day. Can't say that partying in Rio was terribly exhausting but it really took it out of you. For the last day we went to a very interesting Bloco. We went to Bloco Sargento Pimenta (Sargent Pepper). All of the music at the Bloco was music from the Beatles, mostly in English but also some songs in Portuguese. The whole place was full of people! Everybody was having a good time and were dressed in costumes that were related to the Beatles. I believe that approximately 100,000 people were just at that Bloco. So finally, the next day we decided it was time to call it a Carnaval. Gotta say that I am not hating Brazil right now! Soon (March 5th) classes start and we will see how I feel about my stay here