monsoons, bridges, and airports…

Leaving my apartment in aracruz

So it’s 6:30am on a cool, rainy Saturday morning and I am sitting here at the airport in Vitoria, waiting for my flight to Salvador, Bahia… which has been delayed at least 50 minutes. Because of a passport misshap, my roommate from Aracruz had to turn back at the airport and take a 2.5hr detour to correct the situation and will attempt to take a later flight to meet me. I haven’t even left the state of Espirito Santo yet and already the adventure has begun.

beach day!

At the beach, finally!

So I know it’s been a few days since the last post but between my crazy busy days, my horrible Brazilian phone and internet service, and our on-again off-again but really almost always off-again wifi in our apartment building, its been almost impossible to reply to your messages, post pics, and of course write. Even now it’s going on 1am and I have to do makeup tomorrow (hey, my first Brazilian client!!), and attend a wedding in the morning. So no time to chat, but I finally made it to the beach!! So including some pics from the day…

Tchau for now,
La

working out and teaching english…

The exercise park near the city center in aracruz, Espírito Santo, brazil

So yesterday I was tired. But I started the day with a run at the exercise park, a really cool and free spot near the city center with various sections where you could walk or run a track, do different obstacles in sand banks, and use some metal gym-like structures for resistance and weight.

After my run at the exercise park in Aracruz; Sávio chilling as usual lol

Since I’ve definitely been off my workout routine since I’ve been here, I was happy to be invited to join Sueli and her family. Pretty awesome way to start the day, even though it left me a bit more tired than expected… Since Chelle came here many times in the past and 3 months ago with the intention  to make brazil her home, she’s working hard to obtain the right documents to stay and also volunteers at a school to teach English. And since ysterday afternoon she was out doing follow up work, I had the afternoon to kinda crash.

the water has two temps – cold and colder…

at the group for service this morning at the hall in aracruz, espirito santo, brazil (not sure why i’m cheesing)

So this mornings shower was so disrespectful. I already told y’all that the seasons are changing here in Aracruz. We are at the end of Autumn, heading into Winter. Not winter, winter, like home in DC. But cooler for here in this part of Brasil. So when I woke this morning and went to shower for our meeting, it was rather cool – just like the water. Which usually is no big deal, but as it takes a bit longer for the sun to warm things up on some days… these cold and colder showers are something to get used to.

english?? yea right…

So basically, I got got. Thought I was coming to Brasil to assist the English group, which is actually true, but turns out we work english territory on saturday afternoons… only. But if you are out in the field almost everyday like we are, you are working in Portuguese… only. So… my brain is clocking mad overtime these days.

oi de casa!

Breakfast mugs, bom dia!

Pronounced oy-gee-ca-sa, it’s the greeting yelled out when approaching a neighbors gate in the ministry. Since the windows and/or doors are usually open, it’s how you announce you are at someones home without just walking all up in their space, and they will usually come out to greet you. And if no one comes you can bate palmas (bachee-pall-mas), clap your hands, to get the house holders attention and repeat oi de casa!

service, sunshine, and spotty wifi…

The cutest little menina chatting me up in Portuguese

So can I just say that this is the third time I am editing this blog post ?!  Every time I have a free moment to write or steal some time in between service calls, the wifi doesn’t work. Or it works long enough for me to finally complete a post but then disappears when I’m trying to upload photos. Do you know how many experiences and stories and photos I’ve had to remember so that I can share them in my posts? I am telling you truly, this has really been some experience. And its only been a little over a week.