After some free days, it was time for some educational visits so today we started the day with a visit to the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). We attended a few presentations about the university and its chemistry program, followed by a tour of some of their labs, including a small photocatalysis and stokes demonstration experiments, and a tour around the campus. One thing that really stood out about the campus was the number of political banners hanging around, such as one calling for Americans to leave Venezuela, as well as another saying that Iran should not become a second Vietnam. In short, it’s pretty clear what they think of our good friend Donald over here. They also have an open-air theater on campus, which was nice to see.

After a quick lunch stop, we headed to the Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã). The museum is housed in a very interesting building, but unfortunately, that turned out to be the most interesting part of the visit. The exhibits were mostly about climate change and the importance of taking better care of the planet, but there wasn’t much new information.

After visiting the museum, we naturally went to watch France vs. Spain at a restaurant/bar, where Spain absolutely dismantled France. Which for some, marked the end of the day, whilst others once again took to the Caipirinhas and Rio’s nightlife.

Part of the group of the group decided to join the club for some live samba concert to move their hips and enjoy their night.

P.S. Since today’s update is a bit short, I thought I’d share one more funny thing about Brazil. Many toilet seats here are made of a soft material, so you kind of sink into them. But that’s not even the strangest part—you’re not allowed to flush toilet paper because the sewer system is too old and too narrow. Instead, you have to throw it into a trash bin next to the toilet. 💩