The Anitta show is the main event for the first “bloco” of the weeklong event. Much like a tailgate before a football game, “blocos” are organized street parties which take place before the parades of Carnival, and last long afterwards. Unbeknownst to many abroad, who may assume the true Carnival is some mega-samba parade in Rio, this is where much of the true soul of Carnival is - in the streets.

 

I am still stuck in the middle of this Brazilian human knot and look around to make sure I am not separated from my friends. We all came out tonight hoping to get a taste of Carnival and the fact this concert is free makes it delicious. When we arrived, we had eagerly run up into the crowd, trying to get as close to the front as possible. The further we got into the audience, the tighter it became. Now, there is not a single inch of my body that is not pressed tightly against someone else’s.

 

My face is being squashed between the faces of two Brazilian men trying to have a conversation around me. Awkwardly, I make eye contact with them and say a quick desculpa! (sorry!). Cranking my neck to look backwards, I see my friend Maddi looking just as uncomfortable as I feel. We look at each other, and exchange expressions that say something along the lines of “ok, that’s enough, let’s go!” I hulk-smash my way backwards and grab her hand and the hand of another exchange student who is with us and made a beeline to nearest open space. It took us a good ten minutes to work our way back out to a little opening.

 

Along the way we pass kissing couples, other students, parents with their children, and even groups of old ladies. I’ve been in Brazil for ten months, but being in this crowd for less than an hour I feel I am finally seeing the true Brazil. It is the most diverse crowd I have ever been in. People of every age, color, fashion and class were there. Everyone from Florianopolis is here. It is incredible.

 

Everywhere I look, people are moving, swaying, jumping, and dancing together. Sporadic sprays of shaving cream are being shot into the air landing on us like snow flurries as we pass by. The atmosphere is electric, and you can't stop yourself from joining in. Somewhere along the way, we decided to go looking for the nearest Caipirinha booths.

 

For those not familiar, the Caipirinha is Brazil's national drink. That's right, I live in a country with a national drink. It's made with lime juice, sugar, crushed ice, and Cachaça (a liquor made from sugarcane juice)... basically, the Caipirinha is the Mojito’s cooler, simpler cousin. It is a cheap, delicious way to cool off.

 

It’s also very strong.

 

Done with the concert, and happy to have chilled, tall Caipirinhas in hand, we head off in search of the next party. Again, we find ourselves caught up in various crowds of Brazilians. We try holding hands like kindergarteners on a class field trip so as not lose each other again. We slowly file our way through. Several times I trip, catching the tip of my flip flops on the uneven black and white cobblestone sidewalks which are characteristic to Brazil. The air is thick with humidity and cigarette smoke. Jorge Ben Jor lyrics spill out of almost every bar we passed, which are filled to capacity with people attempting (and succeeding) to keep the night going. Before long, we are far from the Anitta show and are walking by ourselves. Looking at the clock, it's now almost 2 am. We are getting a little tired, so we sit down on a street corner and chat up the people who passed by. Eventually, we figure out from these passersby that no more bloco parties are still going on, so we all head home to rest up for the next bloco.