After being in Rio for two weeks solo, Mark joined me on Friday, September 9! Traveling to Barra da Tijuca is not the easiest feat. Mark left on Thursday evening and arrived in Brazil Friday morning at 8 am. It takes two buses and about two hours with traffic to get to the Western region…
As I was searching for a place to stay on Airbnb.com, I almost rented a room from a woman (Claudia) who had two sons. But just before I confirmed the room, I found the apartment on the beach and chose that instead. In the process, Claudia and I became Facebook friends, and she seemed to…
The second day I traveled to downtown Rio to get my credentials and uniform. I took the scenic route by bus and connected with a new train called the VLT. Very few people spoke English. Thank goodness for my phone and Google Translate. The line was super long, but they pulled out the volunteers and moved…
I settled in the first day, found the market got a few directions and ate dinner at a small kiosk restaurant across the street on the beach. The area seems to be pretty safe and everyone is very friendly and helpful. It’s winter here but still perfect beach weather day and night. I haven’t seen…
In 2012 after the London Olympics, Mark and I decided to volunteer for the 2016 Paralympics. After three years of applying, interviewing, and training, the time is finally here! I decided to accept the one month roster that I was assigned, so I arrived on August 25. Mark arrives two weeks later, and will volunteer…