Maraba

I´m in a little internet cafe in Maraba right now and can´t really figure out how to use the apostraphe key, which ends up being a lot more important than you might think.

Maraba is a pretty cool little city. Not as cool as Santarem, but I like it. Its also in the Sul do Para, which is infinetely more different than Santarem in the western part of the state. The South is a whole different Para for sure.

We left on Monday and began the long drive in our convees to the south of the state. Theres been so much seen and talked about so far and I dont really know where to start, Im a little overwhlemed and without my diary nearby nor pictures its a little hard to recall everything. What I have been learning a lot about is how communities can organize against injustice, externally against the government and large landowners/interests and internally to strengthen community. Basically, what I am studying at school, anthropology=community development and social solidarity, is not useless.

Tomorrow we begin our rural homestay with the MST community south of here. Very excited.

In Maraba there isnt really too much to do, but its nice to walk around. The hotel is closeby to this amazing little açai shop. Where we eat all of our meals, and by we I mean a few friends and I, and by all I mean dinner. But its great. Very filling, and sleep-inducing. Im gonna miss the purple goo back home.

We also visited Tucurui Dam the other day. Right now, it is the fourth highest energy producing hydroelectric dam in the world. We got to hear from both the managers of Tucurui and its development plans as well as spokespersons from the communities that have been flooded due to its construction, amngst with that all of the community organizing that must take place to first for your rights against such a giant.

As much as I can miss the people back home, back at school, and all the rest, theres something to be said for just being cut off from it all. Checking my email once in 10 days is nice, to be honest. And you cant grow if you keep staying close to what is familiar. Being in my rural homestay, or maybe just Brazil in general, has taught me that. I like being cut off. I like being forced into situations here, but above all, I like being alone and on my own. I like the independence. Which is so strange for me, because usually I am afraid to be alone, and for the first real time here, I like to embrace it. I love the feeling of just going with what life throws at you and thinking about the now. Maybe it is selfish to some extent, but isnt the whole point of a semester abroad to find yourself, to find time for you, to be a little selfish?

Things are good here, and I feel secure with life in general. It means a lot to me to feel good about living in the now. As someone said to me once, "wrestling taught me that above all else, everything always works out, andd so im generally not worried about life". Well said.