Leaving Rio

Rodrigo finally got me to shave my head. Actually, we just buzzed it. And to be honest, I was all for shaving it once we started, but he said this would look better. So far, its cooler, no sunburn, and easy to keep up. I've even been getting good comments, so I'm all for it. I've been with my friend Priscilla for about two hours now, and it's about three hours til we have to leave for the airport. No sleep for me… I can already glimpse at the frustration and how much I'll improve, as Priscilla cuts me no breaks and speaks only rapid Portuguese. All explanations in Portuguese too… She studies in English sometimes, as her field is Neurobiology, and its hard to get all books in Portuguese… but she I don't think she likes to speak. She helped me cut down my bags from like 10 shirts to 5, and we took out a bunch of other stuff I didn't need. She is the packing champ, since she's only taking 5 kilos, and I'm taking about 12 or so. But I'm also leaving for 3 times as long… so there. It was kind of sad leaving Rodrigo's house, though I know I'll be back. His family was so nice to me, I can't quite explain. I was immedietely treated as one of the family. I hope I can duplicate the same hospitality in my house one day. I'm also a bit nervous about the trip. It's my first time outside Rio, my Portuguese will really be tested, and I just found out the North is actually just as dangerous as Rio, which is the opposite as to what I had thought. I've been living in Niteroi, outside Rio, which is “mais tranquila” or safer. So I'm going to keep both eyes open at all times. Thankfully, I'll be with Brasileiras for the first two weeks. Also, it's going to be hotter, although I'm not quite sure how that is possible. And our plans of camping have me a bit timid, as I've been able to escape to air conditioned rooms until now. I'll be offline for a while, I think, but I will hopefully keep my thoughts on paper, and transcribe later. Até logo.