a tale of my travels

The thing I most love about Brazil is the different cultures that seem to be infused. Most people think that the United States is pretty culturally diverse, and it's true, but I find that people in Brazil are even more diverse than in the States. When I was there for year, I noticed how each community would segragate themselves from the others. That doesn't really happen here, except with the Japanese and Chinese immigrants. This year we celebrated 100 years of Japanese immigration. It's quite incredible! I'm glad to be back home, there's something about entering the airport, smelling the air and realizing this is where you've been the most happy. I loved Chile though! I am going to write more about it when I am done looking through all the pictures :)

This is in São Bento do Sapucaí, a city in the rural part of São Paulo (the state) surrounded by beautiful mountains. I went there last August to help translate a group of Americans. My favorite part was getting a chance to wander around the streets and taking pictures. It's a quaint little town, known for the mountains and being relatively close to a very famous touristic town called Campos do Jordão. Campos do Jordão is one of the many cities that give you a taste of Europe. It can get pretty cold in the winter and people often go to sightsee and attend the chocolate festivals. However, São Bento stands by itself, because it has its own beauty to offer, being even closer to the mountains.

I really miss it there!