Finally back in Berlin

So I have actually been back in Berlin for almost a week, but I have been so busy with getting back into the classroom, I have barely had time or energy to write. Let's just say Brazil was amazing. I think it is my new favorite place.

I spent the first 5 days of the trip in Rio and had a blast. There is so much to do their. We took a tour of the major sites in the city. Rio has an amazing forest in the middle of the city. It has great waterfalls and awesome views.

I went scuba diving off the coast north of Rio. There was lots of cool sea life. I saw two huge sea turtles. They reminded me of the ones in Finding Nemo. I also so lots of creatures I had never experienced before. It was a really great dive.

The day before we left for Salvador we went hang gliding off a mountain in Rio. That was such a great experience. I wasn't scared to jump, but when it was time to land, I got a little nervous. The wind comes at you so strong as you get closer to the ground. I have never felt that way before, it was wonderful. I can't wait to do something like that again. Maybe next time jump out of a plane. Who knows.

My next 4 days were spent in Salvador. This was not quite as thrilling as Rio because I was there for a conference. The conference was put on by Microsoft, and if you have ever been to one of their conferences, you know, they are intense. We were in conference like activities until 9pm most nights. Then we would go out to dinner and out on the town. I barely got any sleep.

The last night we were there, they put on a Gala dinner for all the participants. It was very fancy. We were asked to wear white, because that is a symbol of peace. They definitely did not skimp on anything. My drink was never empty. I drank champagne most of the night.

When we got back to the hotel around 1am, most of the people were still in the lobby having a few drinks. Someone suggested we go to the beach near by and I thought that was a great idea. We sat on the beach and drank a little more and talked for a while. That ended up being a really late night, but the most fun in Salvador.

My favorite thing about the conference is that I got to meet so many people from all over the world. It was so nice to be there and I came back very motivated to make a difference. Just ask my mother we had a great discussion on the phone about it.

Below you will find the pictures I have from Brazil. I hope to get the scuba diving pictures soon, so I will make another slide show of that. And also look for a post of my pictures in India as well.