Sorry about the blog neglect. At first I had the excuse of being in the Northeast, but since then I just haven’t been updating. So I’ll start from the holidays:
Christmas and New Year’s are celebrated very differently here in Brazil. For one thing, they open presents on Christmas Eve, at dinner. My family (including my 2 host brothers who were home for the holidays, and their girlfriends) went to dinner at my host mom’s friend’s house. My host parents even gave me a Kipling (a popular brand in Brazil) bag!
Later that night, everyone in the under-25 sector went to Live Club for Balada do Noél, an all-night party with a band, DJ, and the whole works. Then on Christmas Day, everyone slept until noon, then went to have lunch. Afterward, I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my host brothers and their friends.
New Year’s was the same sort of thing, except that my host sister had come back from the US. Also, Brazil has a fun New Year’s tradition: The color you wear to ring in the new year can bring you luck in a specific area! Red=passion, pink=love, white=peace, green=hope, and yellow=money. I wore a white dress. . . with yellow undies!!
Shortly after the holidays, I left for my January tour of the Northeast. We learned about politics in the capital Brasília; climbed mountains, explored caves, and rode a small waterfall in Chapada Diamantina; danced forró and relaxed on the beaches of Maceió; went dune buggying, sandboarding, and market shopping in Fortaleza; met hippies in Canoa Quebrada; saw cathedrals and shark-filled waters (not for swimming!) in Recife; explored the first capital of Brazil and saw some AMAZING capoeira in Salvador; partied in Porto Seguro; met Jesus in Rio de Janeiro; and swam in crystal waters off of secluded islands in Angra dos Reis. Whew! Yes, we were all exhausted by the end, but it was the most unbelievable month of my life so far!
Then, a week after I got back to Cassi, it was already Carnaval! I was lucky to be able to get to nearby Paranaíba, home of “Carnaíba,” actually considered the best Carnaval in the region. There’s no describing the amount of people, energy, and excitement that came together for those 5 days of straight partying. I can’t imagine what it must have been like in the beach cities!
