SUNDAY: Hannah’s description of the day was wonderful. Today’s blog will be her description.

“Wow, what a day! I have so much to talk about I don't even know where to begin. The day began very early as we boarded the bus at 6:30 to head off on our adventure for the day. We enjoyed an extra few hours of sleep during the ride to the city of Brotas. There we arrived at an outdoor recreation area with trails for trekking. We all slathered on bug spray and sunscreen for protection, then began our travels. Shortly into the trail, we arrived at a breathtaking waterfall. We all quickly took advantage of the refreshing water and posed for some pictures (including a few O-H-I-Os, of course). After standing underneath of it, one of the Brazilian students informed us that anyone who showered in the waterfall would be married within a year! I have a feeling we'll disprove that legend.

The waterfall left us rejuvenated for more hiking, and we set off to conquer the trail. There were quite a few ups and downs and slippery spots, but everyone helped each other out with balance and support, which made everything much easier. Our next stop was a small waterfall with a swimming hole. We could climb up the waterfall to get to a rock, which we could jump off of into the water. We all ran to the water, but quickly found out that we might be in over our heads. The current was fast and vicious, with an undertow that threatened to suck you under at any time. Some of the guys (and Sara!) were able to fight against the current to get up the waterfall by themselves, and thankfully were very helpful to the rest of us. It was a definite flashback to Seminar I, where we did the physical team building challenges. Everyone assisted each other to make it up to the top of the rock so we could experience jumping into the water. It was an absolute blast and such a thrill.

The hiking got a little rougher after our swim, and many of us (myself especially!) took a few tumbles along the way and got quite muddy. Thankfully, we soon arrived at another waterfall, the tallest one yet. It was definitely refreshing to be able to wash off all of the mud we all (okay, mostly I) had accumulated from various slips and trips. This waterfall gave us the energy to finish up the hike.

Following the hike, we took some time to relax and spend at the pool. During this time, Travis and our guides were joking around and wrestling, and Travis was challenged to a wrestling match by a Brazilian! It was hilarious and so much fun to hear everyone around the pool (Americans and Brazilians alike) laughing and cheering for their representative. Of course, Travis came through for us and won the match.

We all were feeling the burn of the hike, but the adventures of the day were far from over. As we traveled to our next destination, river rafting, we enjoyed singing some classic (loose definition of the word "classic") American music with our Brazilian guides. We arrived at Brotas Aventura, where we signed our lives away, before sitting down to watch a video which we thought was going to be instructions and information. We were mistaken....the whole video (about half an hour) was footage of intense rafting wipe outs. Looking around the room you could see some wide eyes and dropped jaws...we were especially nervous because it is the rainy season in Brazil, and the water level is up very high. Making matters worse, it began to pour down rain as we watched the video, with wind blowing and slamming doors shut. Although we were nervous, we were definitely not going to let this experience slip away, so we suited up with helmets and life jackets and headed for the river.

On the way there, the rain and wind did not let up. It even blew the safety hatch off of the top of the bus, allowing water to pour in. When we arrived at the river, we received some safety instruction and then we were off. Turns out, most of our fears were for naught. The river was pretty calm in most spots, and most of the boats had no incidents. The exception to that was my group...we went beneath some low-hanging trees, where we almost lost Katherine, and at another point, Melinda decided she was sick of us and jumped ship (or she fell, either explanation works). More teamwork came into play, as Francis and Emily pulled her from the water back into our raft.

After our very long day, most of us fell right to sleep as soon as we sat down on the bus and didn't open our eyes until we reached Piracicaba. We split up for dinner and had the rest of the evening to ourselves, which we definitely appreciated the time to relax. All in all, it was an intense and amazing day and we all had some once in a lifetime experiences. I definitely think all of the teamwork and support that were necessary throughout the day brought us closer as a group.”