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January 27, 2006
world social forum = fun, confusion, waiting around
First, i have been taking tons of photos, and will post them when i get time to hook my laptop up somewhere.
Highlights of the World Social Forum-
1. meeting 3 new friends, Jacob from N.Y, Orion from Boston, and Tracy from Ireland. together with James and myself, we´ve been having a lot of fun, wandering around the city, looking for vegetarian food, and drinking beer and scotch.
2. going to Choroni, a beach north of the city. even though it was 5 hours of busrides, it was worth it. I was so happy to get some caribbean salt water on my dirty skin.
3. doing some interpreting in some of the conferences. i helped my friend Tracy by doing all of the interpreting for her presentation about how Shell Oil is trying to run a high pressure pipeline through the backyards of her small fishing and farming community. I did ok, everyone was very appreciative, especially the scheduled interpreter who couldn´t understand Tracy´s Irish accent at all.
4. moving from the original youth camp, which was outside the city on top of a rainy, muddy hill, to the better youth camp, located in the center of the city.
5. wandering all over the city, since we can take the metro and citybusses for free during the Forum.
6. hanging out with Brazilians, which totally makes me want to go to Brazil and learn Portuguese. maybe later on this trip.
Lowlights of the World Social Forum-
1. it´s totally unorganized, conferences don´t happen when or where they are supposed to, musical acts cancel, there are tons or weirdo s. american cults, hippys, and hare krishnas all over the youth camp, playing drums until the sun comes up and building dreamcatchers between the poor trees.
all in all, it´s been fun and worth it to have come. i leave for Bogota on Monday, and plan 2 weeks there, a week in medellin, and then off towards the coast. if i time it right, i will get to attend Carnivales in Baranquilla, the second craziest party in S. america, after carnivales in Rio. anyone wanna come down and meet me for that one, i think it´s the 20th or so of Feb.? p.s. it´s gonna be absolute craziness. (andrew, go check travelocity or sta travel, hint hint).
Ok, gonna go look for vege restaurants. Hugo Chavez is speaking tonight, but i might pass on it, chances are slim that we´ll get into the stadium, and it´s sure to go really late.
Posted by bendan at January 27, 2006 12:25 PM
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