Brasil, dia 2: getting my conference on

Hi, again. I’m back online for a few minutes at the conference, where I don’t have to pay through the nose. However, there will shortly be a line for the ethernet cables, so I should be quick. Here’s what I wrote last night:

It’s the end of the first day of the conference, and I’m back at the hotel. It’s been a good day so far, though I have seen nothing but this hotel, the conference venue hotel, and the complicated twists of streets, on-ramps and rotaries that connect the two. But I have eaten a lot of food.

Breakfast at the hotel is pretty good, and much more elaborate than the more typical coffee and roll that I remember. (But the coffee is not as good as I remember…) There’s a full buffet with various stations: cold cuts and cheeses (including Romeo and Juliet), fresh fruit (small papayas and pineapple seem to be in season), breads and pastries (including more pão de queijo and a gooey chocolate cake) as well as scambled eggs and various breakfast meats.

They are feeding us lots at the conference, too. There are two coffee breaks, featuring different baked goods and also fresh squeezed juices. Morning juices were either orange or watermelon, afternoon had orange or pineapple. There was also a big lunch buffet. The more interesting things (to me) were okra salad and palm hearts. The hot food was very salty, and shockingly, had a vegetarian entree (gnocchi in cream sauce).

Also, did you realize that I was not just down here for the food? There were actually some talks and posters going on today. Plus I’ve gotten to see a bunch of people I don’t see often, and I’ve met some cool people, too. Including some Brazilians. I even have plans to meet up on Saturday with a woman who lives in São Paulo. (I’m hoping to get her help making a hotel reservation, which I still don’t have…)

I still have no pictures to share, due to some technical difficulties. I’ll hopefully solve these tomorrow.

Now I need to get to sleep, as we need to get up early tomorrow. You know, for the breakfast. Oh, right. And the conference. Our poster is tomorrow, and all.