I could have Samba-ed all night

Today is my last day in Curitiba with my host family, and I am sitting here wondering where the time has gone. Every week in Brazil seems like a lifetime- I havn´t even been here for a month.
It is incredible to see how just one week with a Brazilian family has changed the people in our group. After just one weekend suddenly everyone came back to WORDS (our portuguese instruction program) hugging and kissing each other hello and good-bye. Now it is such a habit- it feels awkward when someone doesn´t lean in for a kiss hello!... then I am left just standing there slightly leaned forward in a half hug... But anyway!
My host family has been absolutely wonderful. I have my ´parents´Juliana and Roberto, a 21 year old brother, Caio, and sister, Tatiana (who lives with her husband). I have my own bedroom and bathroom, not to mention access to cuddling with 6 dogs!! My dream come true... On the very first night Caio took me to meet his friends and we hit it off magnificently. Luckily for me, most of them spoke english. We talked about music and movies and travel- they were all so friendly, I felt right at home. One guy, Diogo, actually studied abroad in Appleton, Wisconsin! Needless to say, we became fast friends- sharing memories of cheesecurds, hotdishes, tractors, and the freezing snow. Oh, Wisconsin.












Through the week our group has been pushed through rigorous portuguese instruction. Sometimes I get confused when I am talking even, english and portuguese get flipped around and I have to actually think very carefully sometimes to remember to switch back to english with my group. Everyone is feeling the pressure- and we have all had our breaking points. Mine was when I spent all day with my Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Laury. They speak no english and I have never been so frustrated trying to communicate my ideas and basic conversation topics to someone. That evening my Dad called their home to talk to me, and I was so relieved to finally talk to someone who understood me that I started crying. It was certainly very embarassing in front of my family, but they treated me very sweetly. I also was able to meet my grandma´s cousin, Kurt, who is the sweetest man I have ever met. He was so excited to talk to me and ask about my family, and he adored telling me stories about my dad and grandparents.
Curitiba has many wonderful cultural experiences to offer- markets, parks, museums, zoos, the botanical gardins, icecream, food of all kinds, and most importantly- dancing. Oh the dancing! Last night Tiffany Lotz´s host parents took us to a samba club. It was called Alice Bar and it had a fantastic live band: singing, playing all kinds of drums and instruments. People were dancing in couples or just alone. Tiffany´s parents hit the floor with the most incredible moves I have ever seen. The mother, Luciene, used to be a dance teacher- and she could move like nothing else. The dad, Paulo, danced with each of us, showing us the easy moves. Then suddenly I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. In walked the most fabulous couger I have ever seen in my life. This woman had long maroon hair, a very very mini gold halter dress, and rinestones all over her chest. Her shoes had to have been 5 inches tall. She hit the dance floor- front and center- and danced like a carneval Queen. Meu Deus. I can´t believe I didn´t get a picture...

Now we are leaving the city to go to Puntal do Sul, a city by the ocean. Leaving the skyscrapers and statues for sand dunes and mangroves, we will be studying marine biology and fisherman bycatch. I am praying for sun and for spring to finally come so we can go swimming! One thing to look out for is the ´Bicho de pe´- a parasite that is in the beach sand and will go into your feet... EW.