About the Class and our Itinerary

Our class is studying contemporary Brazilian culture and society.  We will start with a week in Rio exploring cultural and historical museums as well as local art and graffiti, visiting a favela, learning about social programs at the Brazilian Development Bank and enjoying the natural sights that Rio de Janeiro has to offer.

Next, we travel to the Amazon and visit Manaus, a city of 2 million people in the midst of the world's largest rain forest.  We will be spending 3 nights and 4 days on a riverboat traveling on the Amazon and its tributaries, learning about the ecosystem and its inhabitants and interacting with local villagers as we make stops along the way. Upon our  return to Manaus, we will have a chance to explore some of the local markets which sell the incredible bounty of fruits, vegetables and fish harvested from the rain forest, visit the Floating Dock as well as the incredible Amazon Opera House, a monument to the global rubber trade more than a century ago.

The last leg of our journey takes us to Salvador di Bahia, the Afro-Brazilian heart of the region and the former capital of Brazil.  In Salvador we will have a chance to experience local cuisine, music, dance and religion by watching a cooking demonstration, participating in a percussion workshop, visiting a Capoeira (a form of dance combining martial arts) school and learning about Candomble (a synchretic religion born in Salvador).  The students will also have two free days to do some exploring on their own and stock up on those souvenirs to bring back.  We will then begin our journey back home.

We hope you will enjoy the accounts of our travel!

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