When I found out that I was going to Brazil, one of the first images that came to my mind (and don't judge me by my stereotyping) was a scene of the Amazon rainforest, the snakes writhing through the trees as and the ground damp from the recent rain. There were parrots of every color and a quiet samba rhythm beating in the background (surely from an indian tribe). I was wearing a classic safari beige suit that matched my beige safari helmet and I was eagerly studying the plants and wildlife as I sketched out new-found species in my handy-dandy notebook. As soon as this image came to my mind I dismissed it and shuddered at my natural American-touristy-nature. But the point is that since I knew I was coming to Brazil, I have wanted to see the Amazon rainforest- the lungs of the earth. And in May, I had that opportunity.
I took off from Rio Preto (a city near mine) with a few of my beloved exchange student friends to meet another 50 exchange students in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas. It was fun going through the airport and trying to find which people were exchange students, identifying them by their out of place clothing, different skin color, loud accent, or the food they were eating. We had people from Italy, the USA, Germany, Canada, France, Australia, Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Belgium, Mexico, Denmark, India, Sweden, The Netherlands, and a few other countries that I'm momentarily forgetting. First, we went on a city tour of Manaus. 
It was a rather rainy day so the pictures of the city didn't turn out that well. But it was a blast because everyone started to get to know each other. Fortunately, it seems that with exchange students it never takes long to be comfortable with each other. I think that because we go into almost every situation or new friendship expecting people to be different, our differences don't come between us and friends can be made with ease. I love this with a passion. I have friends form different countries that I met in Brazil that are COMPLETELY different from me in every aspect. The only thing that we have in common is this exchange and that is strong enough to give us a strong connection.
After our day in Manaus and a night at the hotel, we all moved into three boats. There were about 20 of us on each boat. They were fully equipped with showers, fans, all-you-can-eat bananas, and speakers. We stayed on the boats for the next 8 days, hanging up our hammocks in the boat at night to sleep and basking in the sun during the day.
We spent quite a bit of time chilling on the boats as we navigated down Rio Negro and Rio Solimões This time was spent listening to music, making bracelets, playing cards, dancing, talking, or sleeping. We also stopped almost every day to jump off of the boat and swim in the river. In these moments my American-tourisy side generally got a little freaked out as images of hungry piranhas and snakes that were surely swimming just below me popped into my mind. But luckily, they never got me.
There was a fourth boat that we all tied our boats to and boarded three times a day: the restaurant boat. It was a favorite for many of us. It had the sweetest pineapple I have ever had in my life AND the first toaster Ive come in contact with in Brazil. Life is good.
And even those these boats were pretty incredible, the best parts were our excursions into the forest. We would go out in smaller boats and go on various adventures.
We went on several hikes that led us through the forest at night, using our little flashlights to see the trail and stopping to swim in rivers or waterfalls. One time we hiked into a humid cave at night that got incredibly dark and all of our shoes got soaked. They slowly dried throughout the rest of the trip.
One day we went to visit an Indian tribe that still lived very traditionally. They showed us their medicinal remedies and way of life.
One tradition that they talked about was their test to become an adult. They had these woven gloves with fire ants in them. The tradition was that to become an adult you had to put your hands in them and let the ants bite you. 20 times, each hand. I'll stick with my culture on this one, thanks.
Some of my friends and I used a paint taken from one of the Amazonian fruits to go Indian. Another American-tourisy moment.
Some of my friends were challenged to climb an Açaí tree. A few were able too, but it was incredibly difficult. However, this is how they harvest those delicious, energizing berries.
We went to the Casa de Farinha and I learned how to make tapioca, a kinda of a pancake out of a special flour.
On one of our trips on a smaller boat, we saw a sloth swimming across the river. Our guide slowed down and plucked him out of the water for everyone to hold. It seemed a little dangerous at first to me. Wild animal, taken out of its natural habitat, that just happens to have long, scary claws - LET'S HOLD HIM! I expressed my concern to the guide and he explained to me that he is so slow and lazy that they if he wanted to attack you, he would go so slowly that you would be able to put him down first. "Sloth" in Portuguese is directly translated into "Lazy Thing." And rightly so.
We did actually have the Piranha moment, as touristy as it gets. We all went fishing one early morning for these scary creatures and we almost all caught one. The one that I caught I refused to take off the hook - ITS A PIRANHA!
One of the last things that we did in the forest was leave our mark, lend to the lungs of the world. We each got to plant an Açaí tree! It was drizzling slightly and the earth was warm. And now, one of the trees in the Amazon was planted by my hands. Not gonna lie, that was on my bucket list.
This Amazon was everything that I wanted it to be and more. I woke up everyday in my hammock and looked out at the sunrise on the river. The pinks and oranges and blues touched the trees and were mirrored perfectly in the slowly moving river. The intense amount of life left a palpable feeling in the air that I could feel every time I took a breath. I was surrounded by some of the most interesting, most open minded people in the world. Each of us from a different country, a different family, and a different culture. And together we were living this week of paradise, nature, and serious self-discovery. The intense beauty of this forest sent me into hours of deep thought, gave me vivid dreams, and helped me to redefine my opinion on my exchange, my life, and who I wanted to be. To make a long story short, the Amazon truly affected me in ways I don't even know how to explain.
