It turned out to be alright, considering. I met some good people and spent most of my time relaxing on the beach or by the pool. During one of the days by the pool, this guy below came walking through the pool area. He definitely had no problem posing for pictures.
The first week in Brazil can be summed up with a couple of words...soccer, beach, fun. I believe the below photo captures that. We had a small soccer ball that we brought to the beach, and some Brazilians asked if they could use it. I watched as Brazilians of various ages (and Ken) played for a while on the beach. It was the type of thing I hoped to experience while in Brazil.