A little bit of catching up!

I meant to post a lot more....but time has been limited! I'm truly trying to appreciate each moment and not spend a lot time with my technology, of which I have plenty! Whether that means not always taking photos non-stop or sitting with minha familia brasileira in the evenings, I want to remember that this time is an investment and a gift, a precious experience. That being said, I'm still going to share some photos :)

This weekend was a blur, but a good blur. On Saturday, Paula took me on the bus, to show me the route I would need to take to get to my language classes, which began today. Thank goodness she did! It wasn't too wildly different from the buses of London, which I used daily for three years, but the language component intimidated me at first.

Not to torment those of you in the Frozen North, but this is the view from the bus route I'll be taking every day for the next month. I KNOW! How does anyone ever go to work here? It's gorgeous.

We found my school, and then Paula took me to the Farol da Barra, the Lighthouse of Barra.

Yep, that's me, the still very white girl in front of the lighthouse. Afterwards, we did some posing, got some of the mandatory pictures of the gorgeous water, and then....cold, green coconuts. I first had fresh coconut water in Belize, and I can never go back to the bottled...stuff....we have in the USA. The flavor doesn't compare.

I also got to try o carne de coco, or the meat of the coconut. A little part of the coconut is sliced off by the skillful man who sells the coconuts, and you use that to scoop out the soft inside of the young coconut. We also had calda de cana, which is sugar cane juice. Add a little lime, and although sweet, it is delicious over ice!

In the evening, we went to the Elevator Lacerda, which connects the lower city of Salvador to the upper city. There is a beautiful vista. We also walked through Pelourinho, which is one of the oldest districts in the city. I'd add a picture, but it is dinner time for both people and mosquitoes. I must go get repellent and then eat :)