My wonderful TEFL class and trainers on the day of our graduation!
Both Cora and I worked for a time at Alberque do Pirata, a hostel in the southern part of Florianopolis
Alberque do Pirata
Lots of time was spent in these hammocks relaxing!!!
One of the beautiful beaches Joaquina in Florianopolis
Soon after we arrived in Salvador da Bahia, Brasil we went to the Festival de Yemanja, the goddess of the sea. You celebrated with lots of music and people, and by going to the water, making a wish and placing a rose in the water as an offering to Yemanja.
Here's just a little taste of what we've been up to lately!!! We left beautiful Floripa after both recovering from our various ailments and arrived in Salvador da Bahia, which both of us took a few days to warm up to, but have come to love. It's very different from Floripa, there is a large African influence left from when the slave trade came to port here, so it is much more culturally rich and diverse. So far, we've explored the city a bit, gone to a few beaches, practiced our Portuguese, and gotten nice and tan!!! It's always sunny here unlike Floripa, so we've been using tons of sunscreen!!!
Cora is taking Portuguese classes at Idioma, another local language school, so far she's learning a lot and really enjoying them! Hopefully we won't forget everything we've learned when we get to Chile!!!!
As for me, I'm enjoying the company of my mom!!! She arrived safely in Salvador on Wednesday after some slight plane troubles (her plane from Sao Paulo got canceled!) and has been melting from the heat and enjoying a little bit of summer during winter! Cora and I will be playing tour guides for the next few days, which means we will see some of the wonders Salvador has also!!!
After that, we're gearing up for Carnaval, which the city is already preparing for with bleachers on the streets called "camarotes" where you can reserve a space to watch the passing parade. More on that after we experience a true Brazilian Carnaval!
This was just a little update, until later, and good luck to those in the Bay Area with the raging storms!
Caitlin
