um dia em ipe

it always seems like maturity just sneaks up on me and broadens my view of life without warning. the trip to brasil has been chock full of everything. beautiful mountains, people, and beaches juxtaposed with smog, poverty, and racism. add getting ripped off by my taxi from the airport, being psuedo molested by an old brasilian, and feeling eerily connected to the kids from favellas and you have my first 2 nights in ipenema. although i am staying in a penthouse on the beach i am real CLEAR that this right here is not my life. i have been invited to someone else´s. my emotions have been in overdrive feeling scared and sad mostly. all in all i am very very happy. the sadness and fear are reminders of the struggle that has brought me here. (those of u that know me know what that means.)

in other news...i can´t quite articulate how it is strange to be connected to the US and all the US means without claiming the US as a true home.

this is a life changing experience.