Tuesday, July 08, 2003
The internet cafe where I am writing this is playing songs like "Don't Stop Believing" and "99 Red Balloons." Strange, though at this point I am not surprised by very much.
Sunday was the first day of my life as a beach bum, hopefully to be followed by many more. Around here the most heated discussions revolve around which is the best beach. Did I mention how much I love this place?
Today we had an optional Afro-Brazilian dance class, which about 40 members of our group attended. I had a great time, and I'm thinking about taking classes there on a regular basis. It was a fabulous workout and a good bonding experience for us. There was one teacher, who was excellent, and three guys who were responsible for providing musical accompaniment on drums and other percussion instruments.
Aside from those two events, things have been pretty normal. I go to one Portuguese class in the morning, take a break, and then go to an evening class called Contemporary Brazil in the historic district of Salvador. They aren't the most fascinating classes in the world, but I'm generally enjoying myself.
One thing that has taken some getting used to is the military. They are everywhere, and sometimes do things called "blitzes," where they set up checkpoints and ask to see everyone's IDs. The other night my bus was stopped by the military in a pretty rough neighborhood. They had all the men get off, and patted them down. A female officer went through all the women's purses. Then the men got back on, and we were on our way. Apparently this is common in Brazil, but it was news to me.
Anyway, I think that's all there is to report. Beijos!
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Sunday was the first day of my life as a beach bum, hopefully to be followed by many more. Around here the most heated discussions revolve around which is the best beach. Did I mention how much I love this place?
Today we had an optional Afro-Brazilian dance class, which about 40 members of our group attended. I had a great time, and I'm thinking about taking classes there on a regular basis. It was a fabulous workout and a good bonding experience for us. There was one teacher, who was excellent, and three guys who were responsible for providing musical accompaniment on drums and other percussion instruments.
Aside from those two events, things have been pretty normal. I go to one Portuguese class in the morning, take a break, and then go to an evening class called Contemporary Brazil in the historic district of Salvador. They aren't the most fascinating classes in the world, but I'm generally enjoying myself.
One thing that has taken some getting used to is the military. They are everywhere, and sometimes do things called "blitzes," where they set up checkpoints and ask to see everyone's IDs. The other night my bus was stopped by the military in a pretty rough neighborhood. They had all the men get off, and patted them down. A female officer went through all the women's purses. Then the men got back on, and we were on our way. Apparently this is common in Brazil, but it was news to me.
Anyway, I think that's all there is to report. Beijos!
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