A different Carnival
by Paula Camara (´17)
Carnival is a holiday when most people stay in Rio to go to “blocos” and to party with friends. Well, I prefer traveling to staying in the big chaos that Rio becomes. This year during Carnival I went to my grandmother’s farm located in a small city called Lavras, Minas Gerais. I usually go there with my parents during vacations or big holidays but this time it was a different experience. I took eight friends with me. This trip was an early celebration of my 15th birthday. We went to my grandma’s farm on Sunday and spent the whole week there, coming back only on the following Saturday. None of my eight friends had ever been to Lavras, so it was a completely new experience for them. My friends who went with me were Luisa, Fernanda, Rafaella, Alexandre, André, Leonardo and Rodrigo.
The trip took about 7 hours. During these many hours we had lots of fun. We talked a lot and listened to music. When we arrived there we went straight to a supermarket. We girls got our own shopping cart and packed it with candies, chocolates, cookies, ice cream, chips and a lot of Nutella. After we left the supermarket we went straight to the farm. As we arrived there the boys went to their room to organize their stuff and the girls did the same. We then decided to go to the pool. We spent a long time in the pool and then we got inside to take a bath and finish organizing the rooms. At last we all had dinner and spent the whole night talking and laughing.
During the week our main activities were going to the pool, eating a lot, playing card games and spending the nights talking. Our typical day was waking up between 11 and 12 o’clock, eating breakfast and then going to the pool; at night we would have dinner, play card games (especially poker), and then stay in one of the rooms talking and watching movies. During the day we would spend most time in the pool, but the boys were always playing soccer or any similar games with the soccer ball. We would only stop to have lunch and then go back to our activities. Almost every day we would stay outside until dark, then we would go in and take a bath, have dinner, and then do our night activities. On some other days we would not follow this routine we would do some other activities.
There was a day when we went to the city to show my friends the school and the university. They were all amazed because both the school and the university are huge and they didn’t imagine finding that in a small city like Lavras. There was another day that the boys and I went fishing with my uncle and my dad in a lake we have in the farm. Another especial day we didn’t follow our typical routine was the day my other uncle prepared a barbecue for us.
During the trip back to Rio we stopped at a city called Tiradentes where we went to the “Matriz”, a very beautiful church that is a famous tourist attraction. At last we stopped at a city called Juíz de Fora to have lunch at a place called Salva Terra.
It was an unforgettable and different week. My friends had the chance to experience a way of life that is completely different from the one we experience in Rio. There were many trees, cows and horses there; things we don’t have much contact with because we live in a big city. For me it was unforgettable because I spent the week with some of my best friends in one of the places I most love in the world. It was amazing to stay with both my real family (my parents, my grandmother, my uncles, and my cousin) and with the family that I chose, that is, my friends. It was the perfect way to celebrate my 15th birthday and I really hope I can do this more often. I loved the trip and I am sure my friends loved it too.
