Have you ever felt truly happy? The type of happy that only
gets portrayed in romantic fiction. Have you ever felt consumed with nothing
but joy and contentment? That is the type of happiness I experienced this
weekend.
I woke up early Saturday morning fully prepared to spend the
next two days sitting on an over populated beach trying not to get sand in
uncomfortable places. I had no idea, a very interesting adventure was in store
for me. My housemates and I loaded our luggage into the car and hit the road! Two
minutes into the 4 and a half hour road trip we realized our rental car did not
come with a radio. Forty-five minutes into our car ride, we realized our rental
car could not go in reverse. (Picture three girls, at a road stop pushing a car
out of a parking space). And 1 hour into our ride, the car’s ABS flashed on and
started beeping uncontrollably, even though there was no problem. We drove
through dense fog, up an extremely curvy mountain, and onto a ferry to take us
to Ilhabela, an island off the coast of Sao Paulo. (With the ABS alarm sounding randomly the entire
time). When we arrived to the island we realized we had another major problem,
we had nowhere sleep! We did not know the address to the air bnb we booked and
the owner was not answering his phone. We spent the afternoon touring while we
waited for the owner to answer us, but when the sun started to set, we knew we
had to book another air bnb. Which is how he stumbled upon our new friend, Leandro
and his family.
While I and my two American roommates were refreshing up, my
Columbian roommate, Mariana was on the phone with the rental car company.
Mariana’s native tongue is Spanish, however she understands a little Portuguese.
In need of a translator, Mariana called over the first person she saw, Leandro.
Leandro was on his way to his friend’s house when Mariana hurriedly explained
her situation to him. It turns out Leandro was the nephew of the women whom we
were staying with. He quickly took care of our car trouble by arranging for the
rental car to be towed and for a taxi to drive us back to Sao Paulo free of
charge.
We spent the evening with Leandro and his family. They welcomed
us into their home, befriended us, fed us, and gave us a personalized tour of
their town. The following day we all went to the beach and when it was time for
us to leave Leandro came with us!
Throughout my time with Leandro and his family I felt nothing
but pure joy, warmth, and relaxation. These are feelings I forgot I could have
dealing with the daily hustle and bustle that comes with being a college
student. I have found several moments of bliss this summer, I hope you find the
same.
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