Benjamin's Fantastic Voyage

Sunday, December 27, 2009

How Fantastic

In actuality, my fantastic voyage did not begin on June 20th, when I stepped onto a plane destined for Santiago, Chile. It began exactly one year ago when my mother, two sisters, and I put our post-dinner eucre game on pause. Since the new year was fast approaching, the topic of conversation turned to our goals for the coming year. When my turn came, I told my family (my dad had now joined the table) of my plans--and my current dilemma.

I had two options: (1) go abroad to Mexico City (which would later be changed to Santiago) during the summer and return for fall classes as normal or (2) find job/internship during the summer and head to Rio de Janeiro during the fall.

And then my sister, Sylvia, stepped to the plate and changed the game.

'Why don't you go on both programs?' she asked me.

I had never really considered such an option primarily because it didn't seem feasible or practical. But when did practicality and feasibility hold determining sway in the decision-making process? That is, of course, not to say the decision was a rash one, made after I listened to 'Life in Technicolor' (yes, Timothy, that song makes me want to buck all sense of practicality, but, yes, that is why I like it. Call me an emotive simpleton. Whatever :) ).

I digress.

Point being: there was A LOT of thinking/agonizing that went into choosing to spend 6 months in two of South America's most prominent countries. Risks were calculated; benefits imagined and believed in. And in the end, option #3 was chosen.

So, away I went.

And no sooner had I left, I have now come home.

I realized a couple weeks into my time in Chile (and my time as a blog writer) that the title for my blog and my trip was a bit...well, yes...corny: 'Benjamin's Fantastic Voyage' (didn't you know I was sponsored by Hallmark?). But having returned home and reviewed the definitions for 'fantastic' and 'voyage,' I feel it is very much appropriate.

'Eccentric, odd, imaginary, or groundless?' Absolutely.

'A long journey...full of adventures?' Far too many to remember them all.

But far too fantastic for me to forget.

For those of you who came along and read the majority--if not all--of the words I wrote: GRACIAS/OBRIGADO/THANK YOU :) I typically do not condone vicariously living, but I hope I gave you all the best opportunity to do so in the past 6 months.

Hasta luego e um grande abraço.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

I Love Technology

What's one thing that Kip Dynamite (Napoleon's older brother) and I have in common?

Yes, it's true: we both love technology.

Thanks to technology, over the past six months I not only was able to receive emails and Facebook posts, I regularly got to see and talk with my family and friends despite being in a different hemisphere.

That meant A LOT.

Every Sunday at 10PM Rio/5 PM Loma time.

Who knew Claire's sold prescription glasses? Or that a blankie could make a quality turban?

The first time I had seen him in 3 months. Unfortunately, he had no voice.

"And then the cow made a noise like this, 'moooo.'"

Something was funny.

CLASSIC TIM.

He sat in SPAC's parking lot--in the DARK--to get the best internet signal. How he knew to do that, I couldn't tell you :)

A video G-chat session with Jenna helps keep the doctor away.

They came by spaceship/PLEASE LOOK @ MEGAN'S FACE.

What a smile :) He's eligible, ladies (although that could be false these days).

Sunday, December 13, 2009

"The time has come"...

...the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings--
And why fantastic voyages must come to an end--
Leaving us waiting for what next the world will bring."

4 hours, 25 minutes left...

Perfect Timing

Here's a good What Were You Thinking? question: What are the top 5 must see things in Rio de Janeiro?

Think about it...and the #1 answer is: Cristo Redentor.

One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the 130-foot tall statue of Christ is Rio's iconic system and one of it's biggest--if not THE biggest--attraction. Most people prioritize visiting it...to the point where it's the first thing they see during their stay. That is, unless your name is Alex Davis and Benjamin Harris.

For 14 weeks, we bided (is that a word?) our sweet time and left a visit to Christ for another day. It was only until only our last week (when we realized that out stay in Rio might not include a visit to Christ) that we finally got our rears in gear. And what a week to choose to go. It started raining last Friday and only paused for bit on Monday. During that stretch, Christ was more often than not engulfed by clouds. Hoping the weather would change, we waited until this past Friday to go.

We awoke to bright sun everywhere--except Christ, who, due to crazy air currents, was still surrounding by clouds. Nevertheless, we left our hotel with the hope that things would get better, figuring that even if we didn't see the spectacular views seeing Christ (even surrounded by clouds) was better than not going at all.

Lucky for us, the weather had dampened the tourist traffic, so we made it up with relative ease and no delay. But we still found ourselves in the clouds. Seeing as we had no obligations until that night, we decided to wait it out. The weather would periodically increasour hope when, at various points, the clouds would broke and reveal a glimpse of below.

Come on, clouds.

Alex is frustrated.

5 minutes became 20; 20 became 45; and then, Jesus pulled a Moses and parted the clouds like nobody's business.

Oh, what a view.

While we really should have gone earlier on in our time here (especially when it was less rainy), in hindsight I'm glad we waited until the end. Looking out over the city that has been my home for the past 3.5 months and reflect on the blessing it has been to live here was a great way to spend my last Friday morning in Rio de Janeiro. In light of our weather delay and the subsequent parting of the sea of clouds, it was, in a sense, perfect timing.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Addison Claire

Three years ago today, I became an uncle.

Happy birthday to you :)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

A (Brazilian) Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

This past Wednesday night/Thursday morning, two of my friends/classmates and I sat down to watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" on YouTube to help us get in the mood for the coming holiday. Little did I know Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang's experience would foreshadow my own.

Even though we were (still are) in Brazil for the holiday, my friends and I were determined to celebrate Thanksgiving in the typical American fashion: eating a massive meal. We had talked about it since we arrived in Rio, and ideas and planning intensified as November rolled around. But over the course of our time here, our group has developed a notorious habit of talking but not walking--that is, we have intentions to do things, but actually carrying them out is an entirely different story: we were planning to go to Salvador but never actually did; we were supposed go hang-gliding but slept in; and we were going to on a boat tour of the Cagarras Islands, but we'll see if that actually happens. As Thanksgiving got closer, plans for a meal did seem to become more clear. But there was still a sense of doubt through it all, a sense that we weren't going to pull it off.

I was not about to let this happen. And neither was my friend, Christa.

So with a week remaining before the big day, we designated ourselves the official meal coordinators. And over the course of the week, we made lists, sent emails and invitations, assigned tasks, went shopping, made sure everyone was on the same page, and did our best eliminate any sense of doubt that Thanksgiving wasn't going to happen. When Thanksgiving morning finally rolled around, our engines really got going: Christa started cooking as soon as she got up (at 6AM), and I, along with my old roommate, Alex, moved tables and chairs from different apartments into the apartment where we were having dinner. We took a break to head to class from 2 to 5, but even then, our minds were still on dinner and on what we still needed to do to prep for it. When we got home at 5:30, I immediately turned on all four burners (increasing the room temp from a cool 95 to 105/110) and began cooking cornbread, mashed potatoes, and four hams--all at once. I didn't stop cooking--or sweating--until 8:30. And even after I was finished, I certainly didn't stop stressing about other preparations that needed to be finished.

The set-up.

It wasn't until 9:30, when all 12 of us finally sat down at the three tables we had squished together in the very small apartment, that I finally relaxed.

And that's when I had my Charlie Brown moment. Much like Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty experience in the movie, I realized when I sat down at the table and began to listen as we went around saying what we were thankful for that I had gotten caught up in all the preparations. In an effort to ensure that Thanksgiving was celebrated in Brazil, I had missed the essential point of the holiday--the one that we were celebrating. Yes, it was very nice and very comforting to have four small tasty hams (we couldn't find a turkey), a massive dish of baked mac 'n' cheese, a pot of mashed potatoes, a tray of cornbread, a dish of stuffing and casserole, and a box of Brazilian brigadeiros. But it was even nicer and more comforting to sit down, rest, and enjoy the company of people who have been a significant part of your life for a good portion of the past year.

Going to work.

The night turned out to be one of the best spent in Brazil. The food was indeed incredible (and more than enough...we actually celebrated Thanksgiving two more times). But the company was even better. Many people said this throughout the night: we are probably one of the most eclectic groups ever assembled to live together (we would make a great cast for Real World: Rio). But from 9:30PM to 2:30AM, none of our differences mattered. In fact, they made the night all the more rich.