I am once again exhausted from the wonder that is Brazil. I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with the Ribeiros and Lozanos, eating 4 different types of breads, coffee, and juice. As Higor and I finished our meal, we planned to take a quick trip to a local “shopping”, or as we Americans refer to it, a mall. Higor and I paced down the streets of Curitiba, camera in hand, as he gave me a bit of an informal tour of his new home in portuguese. I’ve asked him to talk to me in portuguese as much as possible, as I am an aspiring philologist at heart. I like to think I’m learning to language fairly quickly, but it is still a struggle to start words with the right sounds or for that matter, end them correctly as well. My hosts are kind teachers.
After the brief shopping experience, we returned home empty handed and prepared for the day ahead, which for Higor consisted of going to church to prepare for services and for me consisted of a full-blown, sight-seeing, touristy journey into the hot spots in Brazil. Sarah was working and schooling for the majority of the day, so I wouldn’t see her until later on in the evening. First, my travelmates and I visited the Opera Do Arame which was unfortunately closed for remodeling, and would continue to be closed until mid-June. We then headed to the Parque Tangua where I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the landscape. Valleys, trees, and a lake that stretched to the distance captured my heart as I stood on the top of the fort-like structure. We walked a good distance to the bottom of Tangua where a tunnel led to the lake and waterfall. It was a beautiful sight indeed and the long walk was worth it.
We then headed northeast to fill our bellies with the most delicious meat my tongue has ever laid its tastebuds on. The Grande Estrella Churrasqueria had a wooden church-like interior with a similar atmosphere in its silence. We sat down for a brief moment as the hostess took our drink orders and then we proceeded to the Buffet where salads and sides awaited us. I wondered where all the good meat was, noticing that I had only placed the slightest slab of steak on my plate. It was then that the waiters came one at a time, each offering us a slice of a different type of meat. They held the long silver knife against the surface of each meat as they told me what kind it was. I politely smiled, not understanding a word of their quick mumbles and said “Si, por favor” to every offer. I had pork, beef, chicken, boar, and other types of meat I was too hungry to care about. I ate and ate until my bellybutton nearly popped out of it’s crevice.
We went home, but not before picking up Tiago who had ridden a bus for seven hours just to see his old friends from West Kendall. He grabbed my arm as I walked passed him at the bus station and we laughed and greeted each other with a hug. It was good to see my old friend again and I was eager to catch up and continue learning the language. He, too, was eager to show off his english which had improved much since the last time we had spoken.
The rest of the day consisted of us chatting about brazilian music, culture, politics, and naturally all things goofy. My first full day on Brazilian land has been a fulfilling day. I await for tomorrow when I will attend Higor and Sarah’s youth group for the first time. Sarah came up with the idea that I should host a Brazilian version of “Gibberish Murder” for the crowd. It’s not as violent as it sounds, I promise. Tomorrow, I’ll explain what it is and how it went.
Boa noite.
