Brasil vs. Portugal

Last night was the Brasil vs. Portugal game, a match that, despite the hype, turned out to be one of the more boring games I have ever seen -- and that's saying a lot for a sport that tends to move slowly anyway. Considering Will and I stayed up until 2:30 am to finish it, I must say the zero-zero tie was somewhat of a disappointment.

Good thing the events surrounding the game were so spectacular!

Will and I went to Copacabana Restaurant with some of his workmates for a full-on churrasco dinner, samba and salsa dancing, and a pre-game show of capoeira and music. I must say, it gave me saudades do Brasil in the worst way. It was great getting to speak Portuguese, and in fact once the waiters found out I was "Brasilian" they kept lugging me around to interpret for them, and gave me the best cuts of meat. (I was the only one at the table to get any picanha!) The atmosphere was very authentic; they even had "street vendors" come around trying to sell you roses and stuffed bears. Will had picked out a cute little teddy bear for me, but couldn't get rid of it fast enough once he found out it was $20. I guess it's the Brasilian atmosphere with Aussie prices.

After an amazing capoeira show, complete with tumbles and flips and teaching the Australianos (the emcee kept telling the Brasilian girls -- in Portuguese so the Aussie couldn't understand -- "whoever needs an Australian visa, here's a good catch!"), the game finally came on. Of course, I fell asleep around half-time but apparently didn't miss much.

Here's a picture that Will and I got wrangled into buying. To be honest, it's actually kind of an annoyance to have a print picture. Case and point: we can't upload it to the blog, so we had to circuitously take a picture of the picture that we purchased.


Overall it was a fabulous night and reminded me so much of where I came from. It's easy to assimilate yourself into new cultures, while sometimes forgetting the experiences that made you who you are. Whether it be the United States or Brasil, nights like last night are important reminders not just of cultural distinctions, but of the meaning of home.