In the morning we headed back to the Itaipu Binational 'no-man's land', to visit the campus of UNILA, which is the University of Latin America. They have a campus set up in the dorms that housed workers during construction of the dam. We met with some Brazilian students, and did a mock Paris Agreement discussion where we acted as countries and regions to reach a consensus on climate change emissions reductions.
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| Like the best Christmas dinner table ever |
After class, we headed to the same buffet we had visited on Sunday. I was actually able to eat this time, and scarfed down as many delicious dishes as possible. After lunch, we went on two cultural visits. Fabio, our secondary tour guide, informed us that there is a very large population of Chinese and Arabic people in Foz Do Iguazu, who work doing commerce across the different borders. The first place we visited was a giant Buddhist temple up on a hill. I have never been to a Buddhist temple, and don't know much about the religion, but the place was pretty and had tons of Buddha sculptures. It seemed like a bit of a tourist trap, but it was neat to see the temple and there were great views across the Paraguayan border.
After the temple, we visited one of the largest mosques in all of Brazil. We got there as they were finishing Ramadan prayers, so we had to wait for a minute before stepping inside. It was my first time in a mosque as well. It was pretty much a big circular room with beautiful carpets for praying and a stand for their imam. I really like the blue and gold designs of Islam, and thought that the inside was very beautiful. Afterwards, we went across the street to an Arabic bakery. For less than $10, I got a plethora of different sweets. I ate a few there, and saved a few for later. In the evening, I napped and then went to a hookah bar with some students for a relaxing last night in the city.
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| Ramadan Mubarak |
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