We woke up early this morning in Rio de Janeiro, to experience our last full day in Brazil, to visit one of the most famous places in Rio - the "Christ the Redeemer" statue atop the famous Corcovado mountain which overlooks all of Rio.  Upon arrival at the bottom of the mountain we took a 20 minute train ride to the top filled with scenic views along the way of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. From the bottom of the mountain the statue looked small, but we all had a change of mind as soon as we stood at the top of the mountain and were right next to it. 

We all enjoyed the breathtaking mix of city, ocean, and mountainous views from atop the mountain. And of course, we spent a good amount of time taking pictures with the Christ statue. The day was a little overcast, but it made for some neat looking pictures as the clouds rolled across the city and mountains. Some of us were even lucky enough to see a monkey on the way down the mountain! We took the trolley back down the mountain (with a little 10 minute delay when it stopped for an unknown reason on the track) and headed over to meet with a Brazilian former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Marcus Vinícius Pratini de Moraes.

Our final visit on the trip was with Brazil's former Minister of Agriculture, Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes.  He discussed the changing landscape of interior Brazil from pasture land into farming.  He also spoke of issues with the environment, cracked a few jokes, and discussed many other topics involving Brazil's agriculture.  Dr. Pratini was a very interesting man with a very interesting background. He knows multiple languages and always presented a story to educate us of the importance of the issue at hand.  Through this visit, it became clear that he has a strong passion for agriculture, a strong passion for his country, and a strong passion for the world's farmers. In order to feed the growing world, Marcus believes in sustaining a strong partnership between the United States and Brazil. He commented on how great our own technology is inside the United States, and how the United States possesses a strong spirit for agricultural innovation and has experience in doing so.  He then went on to link it to Brazil by pointing out that Brazil has a vast landscape that can be used to expand crop production and help combat world hunger.  Feeding the world and preventing hunger are two goals that both of our countries share and with the great partnership between Brazil and the US, the relationship will only continue to get stronger as agriculture becomes an even more important and popular issue in our lives. 

Finally, we had the opportunity to visit a famous Rio de Janeiro favela (or "shanty town").  In the neighborhood of Cantagalo, we came to understand about the less prevalent side of Brazilian city life.  Away from scenic touristy views is a less fortunate culture that experiences poverty to a significant degree.  People who dwell in these neighborhoods live in a world drastically different from our plush American lifestyle.  These citizens are the lower class that must labor to earn the accommodations that many of us take for granted.  Many must literally build their homes from the ground up, brick by brick on a steep mountainside, to provide means of living for their family and friends.  Working in construction, many even buy materials from their employers to bring home to make space for the next generation.  It was eye-opening experience to see how their lives differed from many of our own and those in the rest of the country that we have seen.  As we walked through the small passage-ways and crevices inherent throughout their communities we learned about what it means to live a different way of life.  We were all humbled by this visit and taught us a lot about Rio de Janeiro and some of the issues Rio, and Brazil itself face going forward.  One of our favorite parts of the visit was being able to tour the favela on foot, guided by 23 and 24-year old men who actually grew up in the neighborhood and still live there.  Andre, one of the guides, told us a story about how he had overcome his rough childhood upbringing by earning a way to attend a public University to study computer science.  He studies hard to make good grades and is enjoying life as a young adult earning success in academia.  It was amazing to hear his story.

We ended our trip with a delicious farewell dinner at Balada Mix in Rio.  We all had a choice of steak, fish, or chicken as an entrée, and were treated to brownie sundaes for dessert.  This was probably the last time that many of us will have had the chance to drink the delicious fresh squeezed Brazilian fruit juices accompanying a meal for a long long time.  We have been very lucky!  It's to the beach and the airport tomorrow....time to say Tchau!

For more photos, click here!