Is this fo' Rio?

We arrived late on sunday and were picked up by Beth, a local here who has been showing us round these past few days. Our proper work on the projects hasn't begun yet, so we've mainly been doing the touristy things - been up sugarloaf, headed downtown, walked along Capacabana and Flamengo Beaches. Its good to just get familiar with the surroundings really.

Our group consists of Sr. Isabel (our group leader), Rachel (UEA -  the best uni represented here), Beccy (St Andrews), Martina (from Slovakia), and Natalie (Cambridge) who is yet to arrive. We are staying in a convent in Santa Teresa, an arty suburb. We are perched on a hill, with Cristo Redentor statue on one side and the Sugarloaf Mountain on the other. There are favelas below us on both sides. The weather is warm, mostly in the 20s, though it's winter so the days are short. The food is good: Eating a lot of rice and beans, with salad, meat, and fruit for dessert. My room is simple, with a bed, cupboard and sink. The view is fantastic (see below!).

All in all the accommodation is great. The sisters and staff here take good care of us, and the location is incredible. We have internet connection, so hopefully i'll be able to get a few blog posts up, but my laptop keyboard is broke which is a bit problematic.

My room view:

The view from the other side of the convent, toward the sugarloaf:

a cheeky monkey ...see him?