Homesick, v1 / Rio Carnaval Postoned? 03.03.11

I leave Ouro Preto tonight on the overnight bus back to Rio (why I think overnight buses are ever a good idea, I’ll never know, but that’s a story for another time). The afternoon monsoon is in full effect and the skies are as grey and flat as river stones. I’m annoyed at the steep, slippery hills and gutters swollen with powerful little rivers. I suppose I’ve forgotten to mention: Brazil is having an extremely wet Summer and in Ouro Preto, the rains in the past few days have been monsoon-like. Storms have been pelting southern Brazil since late January and have caused dangerous floods that have resulted in several deaths. In fact, I just heard rumor from a friend who lives in Sao Paulo that Rio carnaval might be delayed due to recent storms. Now there’s part of me that hears a similar and familiar rumor in my head from years past, “So I hear there are going to be, like, huge dust storms on the playa this year. I mean really, really bad!” And of course you get to Burning Man and yes, there’s a dust storm, but it’s not “like, really, really bad,” just your typical dust storm. So my hope is that this rumor is just that, a rumor. However, being a stranger in a strange land with no access to insider information, I’ll have no way of knowing until I actually get to Rio tomorrow. I’ve tried to look up any news of it on the web, but I’ve found nothing.

Maybe it’s three-day-long rain and grey skies, but today I’ve had my first real bout with an aching homesickness. I feel very far away and very alone. This even in the midst of everyone here in Ouro Preto gearing up for carnaval – people in high, party spirits, the sound of drum troupes practicing staccato samba rhythms in some house or garden just out of site, teams of city employees decorating the streets with huge, brightly-colored puppets, streamers, and lanterns on the streets… in fact it makes me feel even lonelier as I watch people having a great time with their friends. It’s interesting to me that one can feel so alone in a room full of happy people.