seekingmygreaterperhaps

Oi! Tudo Bem?

With the start of the new school year also comes the busy-ness of organizing life again. This time, it comes with also figuring out a new country, making and keeping up with new friends, while also Google translating ingredients while standing in the grocery store. I am currently facing my first Brazilian head cold. (It’s cooler if you put “Brazilian” in front of it right?) Thank goodness for my local pharmacy who know I am a foreigner and help me find the medicine I need. I have even learned something- how to take a sick day when I am actually sick. I lost so much sick leave when I left my last school that I will never make that mistake again.

All that aside, I was feeling better by Saturday and nature was calling. I am really lucky to have made friends with some of the guys from the business department and they took me to the Parque Nacional de Brasilia, but what locals call “Agua Mineral.” The hiker in me was so excited because I was like, omg a national park, let me bring my hiking boots. Well, let’s just say the locals call it agua mineral because that is the main attraction. But what an attraction it is!

Before arriving, we stopped at a padaria to get some picnic supplies: cinnamon rolls, pao de queijo, coconut somethings, somethings else. (It’s hard to not really know what you’re eating, but that is also part of the adventure.) You have to be careful because there are monkeys here that steal people’s food (and their bags that have the food in it)! We weren’t robbed, but I will say the monkeys are very cute, if not pesky.

I just learned this while looking up the Agua Mineral, but this park was created to help conserve Brasilia’s water sources. The park was created to help balance the climate conditions and prevent soil erosion. Brasilia is a planned city, and relatively young, so this park is relatively young as well.

You might be able to tell by our footwear, but this “trail” was not very strenuous. It took about 10 minutes to walk through, but hey, a tree is a tree. I’m still of the mind that Brazil does winter very well.

It was so nice to just play around in the water again. It feels like far too long since I’ve been swimming. There is something about getting into water that brings me back to my 10 year old self. We spent most days at the pool growing up, and I have been a swimmer since high school. I’ve coached for 7 years, and am sad my current school doesn’t have a pool (yet?). Jumping into “refreshing” water and playing around, doing handstands and doggy paddle races were rejuvenating for my spirit.

I can’t say the waters are healing… but I am feeling much healthier after my visit. Coincidence? You decide. 😉

*Bonus* I was able to pay the Brazilian price instead of the general public price because I live here. That pretty much means I’m Brazilian now.

Até a próxima vez!