2013-01-11 International Parity at Work Day

【Aiden in English】

〖Prelude〗

        There was no place on Earth like Rio de Janeiro, as the natives proudly said.

        Founded in the early 16^th century, Rio was once the capital of Brazil up to 1960. The city remained the nation's cultural and spiritual center with an amalgam of Latin and African heritage.  

        As Brazil's

2013-01-10

【Aiden in English】

        This summer, torrential rain was highly unusual in Rio de Janeiro. We spent the whole morning watching the rain pour on and on. By noon, nothing was improving unless somebody called raindrops the size of bird pellets growing to the size of golf balls as "improving." When a streak of sunlight came through the clouds, Mom took the chance and set the tone for us to explore. At the back of my head, I thought ther

2013-01-09

【Aiden in English】

        We missed the tour bus in the morning, so Mom and I decided to set foot on our own and look around the Brazilian capital, creating ex nihilo in the country's center in 1956. The glaring sunburned my neck as my mom and I walked around the Monumental Axis of Brasilia.

        Like the newly built Anzac Parade of Canberra in Australia, which we visited three years ago, the Monume

2013-01-08

【Aiden in English】

        To start the day, Mom and I were overwhelmed with a breakfast banquet in Brazilian style, from ham to ice cream cake. It looked like quite a delightful cuisine, like its neighbors, Chilean and Argentine, in South America. I did not eat much but felt full once floating in the food sea. Mom indulged herself with Brazilian fresh-roasted coffee and couldn't even walk to our room.

      &nbs

2013-01-07

【Aiden in English】

        The calm wind blew in my face as a ferryboat zipped along with the water docking on the beach of San Martin Island. San Martin was a small, lush island in the center of Iguazu National Park in Argentina, offering the closest views of the falls. The island was rough and strenuous to climb. The stairs never seemed to end! When Mom and I arrived at the top, I felt my legs were made of jelly, and crawling would be the next