Our school, everyone hanging out after lunch, waiting for class.
Host mom, Dona Clara, feeding host dog, Pandora.
My host mom is the best. She's been making me a lot of typical Paraense food. Baked fish with a plate açaí, stewed chicken in tucupí and jambu. Tucupí is a sour yellow sauce made from manioc that is in many Paraense dishes.
Yes, I have been eating meat. It's more out of necessity and being polite. Don't get excited, I eat it only when I have too and I won't be coming back to the United States eating hamburgers.
Classes are going well and my Portuguese is coming along nicely. I have an advanced Portuguese class every morning at eight-thirty and a lecture in the afternoons around two.
I take the bus from my neighborhood, Marambaia, to Marco, where my school is located. It's about a twenty-thirty minute bus ride where I'm packed into a tin can. At least I get to get to know the people of Belém intimately.
My new friend Abigail is staying with my host mom's daughter. I guess that makes me her aunt. Abbey and her hosts parents came over to eat lunch on Saturday and afterwards took us out for a night on the town. We went dancing: forrô, pagode, bolero, and disco! The band even invited Abbey and I up on stage to sing with them.
Today is international day of women and yesterday, Sunday, there were big celebrations. I was taken by the hand and coerced in to dancing carimbó in the middle of a crowd. It was awesome! After that Abbey and her host parents took me to the old parts of the city. Absolutely gorgeous, and so full of history. I'll try to get those pictures up on Facebook as soon as I can, but it's a bit tough with the internet situation.
It's hot here. Ridiculously so. And muggy, worse than Sarasota. We'll be traveling in this heat to study rain forest ecology in São Francisco do Pará this week, which is three hours away. I won't be able to post for some time, so just know that I am safe and enjoying the hell out of this country.
I love Pará.
Today's mission: Learn a new dance.
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