Submitted by Benjamin Sekowski on the 2024 Winter PLSC/LARC program in Brazil…
The first week of Brazil was full of new experiences and adventures. We first arrived in Manaus and stayed there for two nights. We had class in the hotel and outside. We then toured the Opera House, the fish market, and several other buildings. It was interesting to see the history of Manaus including their past with growing rubber trees. They are no longer able to profit from rubber trees because they can be grown cheaper in Malaysia. The fancy historic buildings stood out from what most of the town looked like. Another aspect of Manaus was that very few locals spoke English, for they spoke their native language of Portuguese. It was a bit of a challenge to order at restaurants and get information at the airports, but it is an experience I appreciate and I wish I learned more Portuguese before the trip. The locals were very nice and welcoming, for I got to talk to some people in the fish market.
After Manaus we flew to Tefe and then took a boat ride to the Uakari Lodge in the Amazon. There was amazing local food and plenty of wildlife in the river and the forest. As someone who loves nature, I loved seeing the dolphins, caimans, arapaimas, and birds. We got to multiple boat rides and saw the sunset. On the last day in the Amazon we got to hike 3.8 miles in the woods, which was buggy and hot, but seeing all the nature was worth it. The first week of Brazil was a great start and full of bonding and learning experiences with the class. (Submitted on January 7, 2024)