Brazil

I've been in Joao Pessoa, Brazil with my girlfriend, Ingrid for the past two months. Time flies and it feels like I've been here for two weeks.

The sky had a dusty tint on the ride from Recife to Joao Pessoa and there were dudes cooking food and burning trash on the side of the interstate. On my second night in town we were driving to get ice cream and three men on two motorcycles crashed into the side of the car. I went to buy bubblegum to cover the beer on our breath while Ingrid waited on the insurance guy to show up. He showed up and said it wasn't anything major and hopped back on his moped and rode away.

Crab & Skol

We went to the beach on Sunday and had hairy crabs for lunch. Ingrid really got down on it, sucking the juice out of the legs. My favorite part was the brain, it tasted like chewy sand. A Brazilian guy told me that American dicks were smaller than Japanese dicks. I didn't understand Portuguese well at the time and I don't understand how he knows dick sizes of men from other countries.

Quick Fact: hotels in Joao Pessoa are used hourly for sex, not really for travelers like in the U.S.

I traveled to Guarabira with Ingrid, Ilkson and Fernanda. It's a small town to the west of Joao Pessoa. Ingrid and her family were there handling some legal issues and I mainly stood outside on the sidewalk. People stared at me- it was apparently obvious that I was from somewhere else. Two small girls walked past me 4-5 times just staring. I didn't feel uneasy because I was also staring at them.

A frozen Caju

The food is amazing and I regularly have 2-3 cooked meals each day. Beans and rice are the main staples. There's a fruit called Caju that looks like an apricot, but it also has an edible nut growing out of the top- I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the concept when I first saw it. There's also a Frosted Flakes style cereal called Moca Flakes and it's the best cereal in the world. I can't explain it, but I love it. Acai is also amazing- it's eaten cold and it has a sandy/ice cream texture. It's slightly sweet with a vegetable aftertaste.

I've been running frequently and I participated in a 10k a few weeks back. I finished 9th out of approximately 500 runners and afterwards I was interviewed on Brazilian TV. I told the interviewer (in English) that the first half of the race was hard and the second half was easy. Then in Portuguese, "I love feijoada (beans), I love goiaba (fruit), thank you Brazilians!" I also signed up for a race on December 16th, but I decided to stay in the bed that morning. I have a t-shirt from the event though.

With Ingrid at Cabo Branco

Brazilian Race Stats:
Meia Maratona 10K: 9th
Corrida da Vitoria 10K: DNS

The beach is amazing. Interestingly, you will not find many sea shells, but you will find sand dollars. Ingrid also beat me pretty bad at a paddleball-type game on the beach a few weeks back.

I have around one month left, unless I extend. I'll be updating (frequently/infrequently) mainly because I need to remember it all!

Tchau and Merry Christmas.