Capoeira

I don´t have any new pictures yet, but as per request, here´s a post on my fabulous new hobby--CAPOEIRA!!! It´s a brasilian martial arts/dance that the slaves began. There´s an instrument called a berinbau, and they would fight to the rythm. When a slavemaster would come around, the rythm would change signaling the fighters to appear more like they´re dancing. Anyways, it´s awesome.



Okay, so this picture obviously isn´t in Brazil, but it´s the best one I found to show how 2 people are in the middle fighting, there´s a circle of people around waiting to fight and keeping the rythm, and the instruments.

So anyways, here´s the story: I had my first capoeira class, and I can´t describe how intense and amazing it was. I admit, I was a little freaked out at first to be the only beginner in a class of about 10 extremely fit, muscular guys who had been doing capoeira, giving shows and such for 10-15 years apiece. But then I came back to myself and realized I was the only female ;) . No, but they´re all way awesome, and I couldn´t ask for a more friendly or welcoming group. Not only was that much so great, but we were in this open structure with just a roof over us and no walls, and during the whole class there was a raging thunderstorm all around us. And for the last 15 minutes they did the actual capoeira dance-fight thing, doing flips and kicking this way and that, and it was like nothing I had ever seen before.

www.raizesdobrasil-pi.com

Fun at Heda´s House

I just spent an awesome afternoon at Heda´s house. I´m so jealous-she has 2 brothers and a sister. I miss my bros so much, and their craziness reminded me of home. It was great. But anyways, isn´t this place gorgeous?! Here are her 2 brothers-Rostonio and Vinicius, random pictures of the house and yard, and Heda and me.

Sul House Party II

Wow-I´m looking through all of the photos, and I can´t believe it all happened. I have less than 2 more months here, and my journal and these photos are the only proof that it wasn´t all one fantastic dream where I woke up too soon.

Sul House Party

My aunt threw this AMAZING party last night that went from 10pm-5am, and wow! There were over 500 people (including my family, the other exchangers, and lots more of my friends), and it was so tight! Here are some pictures of setting up at my grandparent´s house.

Aubrey´s Birthday

Here are a few pics of the exchangers at Aubrey´s birthday party. THANKS MOM AND AUNT CHRIS FOR THE FABULOUS OUTFIT I´M WEARING and the other stuff as well!!! So anyways, countries represented here: Argentina, Denmark, Mexico, USA, and Australia/Brazil. Cool, huh?

Carnaval

(Dianna´s house was the green one to the left)

So Carnaval was SO AMAZING that it drained EVERYTHING out of me. Seriously, I think I could sleep for a week straight, and I´m extremely sick (as well as all of my best friends, so Heda´s here and we´re having a get well party). But that´s okay because it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! Every day I went to the beach from about 10am to 5pm swimming in the ocean. Well, when I say ´swimming,´ I mean wading out and being owned by the waves which was way awesome. I was always with Aubrey and Jenn and was joined every day by a different group-Zé, Fernando, Jessica, Dianna, Natalia, Marcelo, and more. We ate kreps, oyster, shrimp, and crab, and wow was it delicious. I never liked seafood before I came to Brazil, but now I´m in love with it! (I swear, I´m going to go into withdrawal when I go home!) But yeah-we also hung out at Dianna´s house swimming in her pool, laying in the hammocks, and having a whole lot of girltalk. After 5 we went home, ate, took a shower and a nap, and left for the partying! Every young person in Louis Correia was at the Bloco, which is this huge semi-type truck with a band on top, creeping along the beach road with everyone dancing around it and having a great time. We stayed there until about 3 am every night, and one time we went latenight swimming, one time we went to an afterparty, and the other two nights it was raining SOOOO hard that we went home. Seriously, I haven´t EVER seen that much rain, and we had a hard time getting home because the roads aren´t the best, many were made of sand, and the water level was really high. Anyways, another great point to mention-I went one day to the dunes. To look at the dunes, marvel in their beauty? No--to drive down them at 85 degree angles. The first time everyone just watched the driver go alone because no one had the guts (or was crazy enough) to do it. Once I saw that it was possible, I went the second time and Aubrey followed. By the third time, Jennifer went too, and the last time everyone went. I don´t know how King´s Island´s going to be able to follow that one up because it was INTENSE! Alright, well I´m sure that´s enough for one day!

Just the beginning...

It´s 2am, and I just got home from 4 straight days of beach-going and Carnaval festivities. So yeah-I´m uber tired, but I still wanted to start posting my pictures for you guys (I have a lot!). The commentary will come soon!

1) Jennifer (host sister), me, and Aubrey on the Coqueira beach
2) Me, Aline, Jennifer, and Aubrey on our way there in the coolest little beach car--didn´t get a photo of the whole thing though. You´d be amazed at how many people squeeze into cars though. The other night we had 17 in a pickup-7 in the front and 10 in the back!
3) Me and Aubrey giving eachother Uncle Auvoro´s handshake after surviving his dune-driving adventure---driving down huge 85 degree angled dunes in a pickup!
4) One of the beachside restaurants we hung out at