Well I have been living in Brazil now for just over a week, and what a week it has been. For the most part, I've been living in a hotel with 20 other amazing men and women who, like me, are interested in resource management and ready for an adventure. Everyone on my program is incredible, from the other students to our professors.
Our first excursion in Para included a trip to the mangrove forests. There, we climbed on the branches of the mangrove trees and learned how the locals catch crabs and the contention between conservation groups that want to conserve the area and locals who have been catching crabs there for centuries. It's interesting to really consider what you are trying to conserve, whether it be a lifestyle, species, or resource. We then hiked two miles to a fisherman's home and he and his family cooked us fish that he had caught that morning. It was incredible to be able to talk with him about his livelihood and the sustainable ways in which he lives. Interestingly enough, many of the fishermen that live on the beach technically aren't supposed to build houses there, but when they hear that the government is going to conduct a raid, they simply pack up for a few days and come home after the raid is over.

I now am living with my host family in Belem, and I could not have gotten luckier in this respect. My host father, Ruy, speaks english as does his daught, Thais. The younger daughter, Ellen, is 10 and she is learning English as well and the mother, Raquel, knows no english at all. I am doing my best to be able to speak in Portuguese, but it is so different from what I am used to and I haven't been here for very long at all. The culture is so beautiful; the family is very close and we always keep our doors open. For the most part, I am in a very safe and beautiful city and I could not be happier with the fact that I am able to live here in Brazil.

Tenho que ir agora...Tchau!