Time for an Update

Hey Guys,
It's been about a month since I last updated the blog, so I decided it was time! A lot of things have happened in that period of time, and I finally have some down time to write about it.
Caitlin arrived in Brazil on the 22nd of December and came to meet me at the hostel I am working at in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. Though she didn´t give me a ton of details, she told me a bit about her TEFL course that I thought was really interesting. The course she took was a month long intensive TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program organized by the same Spanish school that organized our volunteer work. In this course, you learn to teach English by only speaking English to your students. Speaking the students native language during class is not allowed. Because of this, you can use the skills you gain anywhere in the world. In this month, Caitlin told me that she worked a ton, learned a huge amount, wrote a few essays, and taught a week of English classes. It felt like being back in school, she said. She really loved the program and told me how beneficial she felt it was. Caitlin said it was a bit strange at first to be teaching adults, being so young, but she got used to it. There was also another 18 year old girl in the course who she became close friends with. Over all she loved the program and is working at getting a job teaching in either Salvador, our next Brazilian destination, or Chile.
I had been working in my hostel, Albergue do Pirata, for about three weeks before Caitlin arrived. I had grown to really love it here by the time she came. So, when she arrived, Caitlin came to stay at the hostel and worked with me for about a week and a half. The original plan had been for the two of us to start Portuguese classes on another part of the island on the 3rd of January, but I decided to stay and continue working, and Caitlin decided to take the classes as planned. Due to this change of plans, we are separated again. I am still working at the hostel on the south side of the island, and she is taking classes in the center. We will meet up again a few days before leaving Santa Catarina and catch our flight to Salvador together. We leave on the 30th of this month, so we will be reunited in about two weeks.
Albergue do Pirata has been a great part of my trip! It is a hostel run by Argentinians, so though my Portuguese isn´t improving greatly, I speak Spanish almost all day everyday. The other girls I work with, Josephina, and Melisa are lots of fun, and when we are not working we spend most of our time on the beach, crocheting, or doing other types of craft projects. We have actually opened a little store in the hostel where we are trying to sell some of the things we are making. The part of the island that the hostel is in is extremely quiet and there isn't much going on. The beach is beautiful and deserted most of the time, and everyone in the neighborhood knows everyone else. Since this hostel is kind of off the beaten track, we get a lot of very interesting travelers who come to stay. Almost everyone is extremely nice, and because we also have an area to camp and cheaper prices than the rest of the island, we get quite a lot of hippie types completely roughing it. These travelers often have really great stories as well, so I really enjoy chatting with all of our guests that come to stay. Its nice to be away from the gringo trail for a bit, and away from the world run by Lonely Planet. Also, since the hostel is advertised as multi-lingual, we get travelers from all over. We seem to have mainly Argentinians but also a lot of Brazilians and some Europeans as well. As I meet more and more Argentinians, I continue to fall in love with their country, so I'm sure I will be back in the near future.
Caitlin told me that she hasn´t been all that impressed with her classes so far, but they're getting better. She was sick for a week, but is now better and making up the second week of class. Now that she has a different teacher she likes it a lot more. Apart form taking classes, she has been spending a bit of time with our old friend Jovita who lives here.
Interestingly enough, Caitlin and I have both been sick this week. I had to go to the doctor, to get an ingrown toenail operated on, which was an experience to remember. It was very weird to go to the doctor and not be able to speak to him or really understand what was going on. Though I had to go to three hospitals to finally get it fixed, thanks to Brazil being a relatively westernized country, I am almost good to go!
Almost everything that has happened during this time in Santa Catarina has been positive. The holidays were kind of difficult, but we made the best of them, that we could. We celebrated Christmas on both the 24th and 25th because Argentinians celebrate on the 24th. Caitlin and I made a big American Christmas dinner for everyone at the hostel which was a huge amount of work, but definitely worth it. I made stockings as well and played Santa for Caitlin and me, which was a lot of fun. It was strange to celebrate Christmas in the summer, but it was enjoyable anyways. For New Years, we all went to the beach and had a party there. Even though its not what I am used to, and I would have preferred to be with my family, the holidays were still enjoyable. The fact that I saw all my friends going home for Christmas break didn´t help either, but what could I do, I am happy to be in Brazil!
Ok, well I guess that is the extent of my update, but I hope all is well in California!
Belated Happy New Year to all!
Cora