Arroz, sol, e festa!

Rice, sun, and party. That's pretty much what i do. Oh, and school too.
My host mother makes rice and beans with pretty much every meal! The food is sooo good!

I don't know why there is a culture of tanning. Huh? I'm trying to avoid the sun and you're trying to soak it? On a U.V. scale, it is 10 here in Salvador pretty much all the time. That's really dangerous! It's the 2nd to last on the end of the danger spectrum. Definitely don't need skin cancer or anything like that. But i do need to even out my "krispy-kreme: glaze" arm and leg tan. It's bad.

Ahhhhh I am in Brazil. I bought my ticket to go to Rio de Janeiro next month!!!

I need to start doing stuff that is productive, such as volunteering or learning how to play a percussion instrument. My host brother and his friends can play the guitar. Last night, his friend played "Is this love" by Bob Marley and he sang it in English. It was awesome.

Brazil has a lot of weird animals, such as a monkey-squirrel that acts as my alarm at 5am every day!!! They are tiny. Also, açaí is soooo good! I did not know it existed. There's a place that specializes in it right by my house. I want to go right now!! it's 8:11pm. It's made into some type of liquid/sorbet/ ahhh just so good.

I miss being in the states, but Brazil is beautiful.
tchau

The kitchen utensils are keeping me from eating watermelon with my hands.

How do you eat fruit in Brazil, with your hands or through the usage of kitchen utensils? So fancy!

Clique. It never ceases to get old. I've noticed it soo much with the other students and it makes me mad. I hate it. I want to be friends with everyone. I don't want to exclude myself and miss out on the opportunity of getting to know everyone. I've made the effort to make conversations with almost everyone. But, like high school, the close minded & stuck-up stick together.

I've gone out so many times this week. The bars/clubs are really fun (depending on who you go with). I haven't really been digging the Brazilian dance styles because I don't know how to dance them. I'm hoping to learn tho, they seem really fun!

I recently went out to a restaurant with a friend from the program. We drank beers and talked for three hours. It was really fun actually, i had a great time. Simple things make me happy. But the rain is so random. It was raining on our way there. When we got there, it stopped. As soon as we got up to go home, it started raining again. Crazy!!

Today is my 25th day in Brazil. I bought a flight to go to Rio de Janeiro in October for 5 days. I just want to explore and see the Cristo Redentor statue.

Morro de São Paolo

Just got back from one of the best Islands ever! Actually, the only island i've ever been to. After a ferry ride, a car ride, and another boat, we finally made it to our 4 night stay at a place where the only method of transportation is by wheelbarrow.

Drinks, food, beaches, women, live music. The best. I made friends with so many locals, it was ridiculous. Our neighbor dresses up as Captain Jack Sparrow during his free time. We stayed right across from a market that sells so much alcohol. We may have bought them out.

Brazil is crazy about electronic music and Lady Gaga. One of the clubs was on a hillside and it was outdoors! How awesome is that; dancing to music while the ocean breeze is cooling you down.

You know its time to wake up when the sun is in your face, ice is being bagged, and the neighbors are playing loud music. Our only knowledge of time was either from ipods or cameras.

I got to see my first Capoeira performance! And then we explored. We had no directions. Why the fudge for?! No destination.

Unfortunately, i did not get to see the sunrise from the island. You would think that being in a place with a bunch of people that i know, somebody would have woken me up to see it. Selfish, right? Eh. F it.

I definitely won't miss cold showers with shower-heads that shock you, the mosquito's, or the expensive food. But i will miss being on the island with everyone from the program that was able to go.

I have to go now. tchau.

Chilean band playing salsa music in Brazil

There are 38 people in our program. I think all 38 of us were out last night together celebrating one of the girl's 21st birthday. She is Brazilian and Chinese, cool right?! We were in Pelourinho which is in the western part of Salvador. This is where slaves received their punishment during the time when the Portuguese invaded this native land. But anyways....The live band filled with drums on the street was awesome! People were dancing freely.

After that we went to a club/bar for a night of salsa music. I like salsa music but i still need more practice in dancing to it. I'm very eager to learn; want to teach me? Obrigado (thank you). I had 4 Capirinha's which is equivalent to about 8 shots worth of Brazilian liquor. Success. The night had it's FUgly parts, but what can you do. hmmm. You get to see people's hidden side when they drink. I'm very observant. Lets converse about it over coffee.

Anyways....Today i got out of class at 12:00. Then sat for 20 minutes listening to pointless info. Walked home for 20 minutes. Ate for 20 minutes. Did my hw, and got back to my next class which started at 1:30pm. Crazy. Once class was over, went to the mall to try and buy a phone. Fail. Foreigners need passports to obtain a cellular device and i don't carry mine with me. Oh and i bought a highlighter! I can't read and mark stuff down without one.

My host sister who is 25 has a 2 year old son. He calls me "uncle Bryant," but in English, not in Portuguese. I hope he doesn't cry when I leave.

Yep.