We arrived in Sao Paulo one week before Carnaval. Samba schools all over town were busy rehearsing for the big day. We had the fortunate opportunity to accompany the samba school Vai Vai (Go Go!) during their last rehearsal.
Before the rehearsal started, Vai Vai members explained the rules and traditions of Carnaval. They introduced instruments and answered our group´s questions. I tried to be a good student and focus on the speakers but found it absolutely impossible with all the commotion in the room. Kids yelling, intricate costumes being displayed, men chatting drinking beers, and the most distracting of all....more than half naked ladies being interviewed for that evening´s news.
After the explaination, in true IHP style, we were given interactive demonstrations. The samba girls taught us their moves and the band handed us their instruments. After the quick practice we bought a few beers, looked at the elaborate costumes, and attempted to dance the samba while 10 year old girls were more adept at moving their hips than we were. When we caravaned back to the bus we were exhausted from dancing to the music and utterly awed by the brazilian passion for this holiday.
-Kayla
1 comment:
It took me a moment to remember that the legal drinking age in Brazil is 18. Do you ever wonder why the US has the highest driking age in the world? I believe, in most countries, the legal age is 18. I think if you're old enough to serve in the military, you're old enough to drink. I wonder if we're not contributing to the problem of binge drinking by college students by making it illegal to drink under the age of 21. I'm wondering, have you noticed a difference with more responsible young drinkers in Brazil than in the US?
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