As I’ve previously mentioned, IHP does a rural stay in each country we visit. For Brazil, that meant we spent five days in the rural state of Barra du Turvo. During this week we learned a lot about food security and were able to get in touch with nature and disconnect from the busy city of Sao Paulo that we’ve been in.

We had to cross this river on this little boat to get to Barra

Our classroom during the stay

The people who welcomed us into their home in Barra were so kind and gave us insight into their lives and their farming techniques. This is something I’ve never learned about before so it was super exciting for me! We even got to eat fresh food from them while on a tour of their farm!

Our guide cutting us some sugar cane

The sugar cane we ate (which was unbelievably delicious!)

I learned what the heart of a banana bunch looks like!

Fresh fruit every day

This was by far my favorite rural stay. The people who took us in were so genuine and kind. I got stung by a wasp and overreacted, but the host was so kind about it and helped me through it. He shared his personal story that resonated so deeply with all of us and really moved us. We spent a stormy night singing karaoke, and we spent our lunch breaks playing cards — we even got to learn Capoeira from locals (which was so difficult but fun)!

We were truly able to unplug and be present in the moment. I almost wish the stay was longer than just five days. It was a beautiful last rural stay and the memories will always stay with me.