I feel like Christopher Columbus!!!

Today during class we talked a little about the robbery... what we did wrong, what we did right, and how to not have it happen again. Basically, we were at a dangerous beach, and it got too late. The main problem was that none of us knew that it was a dangerous part of the city! Crazy things like this happen very rarely when you study abroad, but even after all that... all of us still in NO WAY regret coming to Brazil! The robbery was just a wrong place at the wrong time moment, and it could easily happen anywhere when you don't know the area... even some places in Nashville. So, after learning what we did wrong and laughing a little about the situation... we were back in business for enjoying Brazil!

It is so great that every student wants to move on and still experience Brazil because recently we have stumbled upon so many new discoveries! The first of which... SQUEAKY CHEESE.

The discovery of this new amazing substance happened at the very place where the worst of our trip occurred... the Futuro beach.

It all began when Amber, Abbey, and I... as typical Americans... decided to order a cheeseburger at the beach. We knew the burgers in Brazil tasted a lot different than ones back home, but nothing could have prepared our taste buds for what was about to happen...

The phenomenon occurred when I took a bite of my burger. I chewed it for a little bit... but then stopped and looked around. I had heard the weirdest noise. I decided it was nothing and started eating again, but then the strange squeaking noise came back! I looked underneath my table to see if it was someone's flip flops making that noise... but everyone was bare foot. Then I looked above our umbrella to see if some strange tropical bird had landed on top of it... but once again... nothing. I noticed Amber and Abbey looking around just as puzzled as I was. Our eyes met, and we finally realized what was going on...

The squeaking was coming from our mouths!!!!

We all started freaking out! I think Amber and Abbey were little concerned about the quality of their squeaking cheese, and what exactly was making it squeak... but I was having fun making music with my cheese!!!! We realized that the cheese never actually got any smaller... it was just kinda... there. So, we took the rest out and started poking at it with our forks!! It felt exactly like silly putty! And actually now that I think about it, it tasted exactly like silly putty, too!!! (Don't ask me how I know that.)

We were so excited about this amazing substance that I told my home stay mom about it right when we got back! She started laughing and said they call that "Rubber Cheese" in Brazil. It is just white cheese that is very thick and tends to sound like it is squeaking in your mouth. I'm pretty sure I want to bring this amazing Squeaking Cheese back to America and sell it on infomercials!!! I mean, this thing could have so many uses it's incredible!! And it is so much fun! It could be the next slinky!


Squeaky Cheese for breakfast at my home stay the next morning!

But the Squeaky Cheese was not the only discovery we made! Today we went to the Central Mercado. There are many versions of the Mercado, or Market Place. Some are outside along the beach, but this one in particular was in a 4 story building! The inside of it reminded me a LOT of our Panhellenic building back at Tennessee! Only instead of hundreds of sorority girls on every level there were hundreds of shops with dresses, bags, shoes, hammocks... EVERYTHING you can imagine for $5-$25!!! We would walk to one shop where the owner would run out and say a price, then immediately lower it if we looked uninterested. I didn't even feel bad about buying a shirt at one store, then jewelry at another, then a bag at yet another because at the end of the day I had only spend the equivalent of $20!!! I do believe I have found my new favorite place to go to in Brazil!!! Too bad I make my poor dad come with me...