Not sure how much of yesterday I actually described, but I'll start in the evening and you can skip ahead if you've heard it all before. Edilson informed me we were going to the movies, so we went and met his friend Felipe and Felipe's girlfriend Natalie. She lives in a house with some other people who may or may not be related to her, one of whom was an English teacher. So that was nice - he spoke perfect English, but with a "deep south" American accent. He lived in Florida and Texas for some time.
Then we drove to the cinema (Felipe and Edilson are like Brazilian boyracers) in a black 4x4 with tinted windows, playing drum and bass. Felt a lil' bit gangster if I'm honest. The cinema had a queue around the corner, so we gave up on that and went bowling instead. I realised I had not been in years and whenever I go I have the barriers up. So I bowled to perfect zeros, before getting seriously embarrassed and upping my game a bit. I only came out about fifteen points behind the others, but I think the guys slowed up for me!
So then we went and looked around the shops for a bit - I was shocked at the prices, until I remembered that one real is forty pence, so it actually was really cheap! Then we drove to a pizza restaurant where someone parked the car for us, like in America (is it called valeting? or is that when people clean your car? I don't know and I'm not sure I care). In the restaurant, you just paid one price and then waiters would go to the kitchen, pick up a pizza and wander between the tables offering you a slice. They all had different ones - I thought it was quite clever. They also have sweet pizzas here, with chocolate, banana, marshmallow, merangue, lemon, pasionfruit etc (no all on one slice!) and the bases are made with cocao powder.
After dinner we went back to Natalie's house where I managed to explain to the English teacher that because of the time difference it felt like 3am and please could someone take me home? However when I got back there was a party in full swing for one of Zeila's friend's daughters, or maybe she was a relative - I'm not sure. Anyway, she looked about six and the party was barbie-themed. They fed me a cocktail that, as far as I can remember was made with wine and possibly milk and some sort of Brazilian fruit that has no translation and maybe coconut too, anyway I slept like a baby!
Later...
I got interrupted by Church at that point, so let me back-track and I'll try to include as much as possible without boring you. It's now day three in Brazil. So yesterday morning I had to get up criminally early, but then spent all day lazing by and occasionally swimming in a pool. So that was lovely.
Then I went to meet one of Edilson's friends, I think her name was Maria, but I've met about fifty people this weekend, so I'm not entirely sure. She had just got back from a two-month stay in Canada with a host family, so her English was very good. She thanked me for speaking slowly though - this is possibly the one occasion when that tried-and-tested British technique of speaking slowly and loudly actualy paid off. Also, she described my accent as "beautiful", though I think that was merely in comparison to our American friends across the pond. The news was on the telly while I was there and there were pictures of massive flooding - about half-way up the cars. I asked her where it was and she replied, with eerie calm "that's in Sao Paulo". So the city is that big, that it can be raining in one part and not in another and flooded in one part and not in another. But I think that's partly due to the fact that Sao Paulo is fairly hilly. Apparently it's a common complaint in Sao Paulo - they pay taxes and want better flood defenses, they seemed to mind this more than the crime rates or prolific graffiti. Anyway, the football was given more coverage than the flooding, so I don't think that it was considered too serious.
Then I returned home and had a shower and changed my clothes (by the by I usually get through at least two outfits in a day, not because I'm indulging in the English custom of "dressing for dinner", but because of the heat - by mid-afternoon whatever you're wearing is covered in suncream and sweat - not pretty I know) and got on the computer to write the first half of this post, and send emails to the lucky few. At which point I was interrupted by Zeila as it was time for the evening service at Church.
Their church is very nice, quite small and opens on to the street, but the people are very friendly. There was a girl called Danielle (Daniella?) there who translated the basics of the sermon for me and produced an English Bible, but I won't bore you with speeches on morality. I also had a chat with Marco, Lucelia's 10 year-old cousin, who is very sweet but obviously does not have one word of English, so stretched my Portuguese to the limits! It didin't take long.
Just as I got back to the house Edilson turned up and said we should go to see the Batteria, which, literally translated means drums, but in reality is the local Samba group. They were practising at the social club in preparation for Carnival. Then one of the neighbours called me a "gringa" which is slang for foreigner, but not offensive I don't think. When I walk around the neighbourhood people often stare and when I am inrtoduced everyone immediately asks where I'm from as it's so obvious I'm not from Brazil - "muito branca" they say - "very white".
So we went down the road to the social club, which looked to me like a warehouse with a bit of tinsel and some large posters displaying local interests - samba, football and some election posters. The batteria was amazing. I have seen samba in England, but nothing like this. The warehouse was open to the street and the noise was such that there would have been an avalanche of complaints by Daily Mail readers if it had been in England. But it was beautiful - all age groups were there, the ice-cream store was doing a roaring trade (I'm pretty sure Edilson fed me sweetcorn-flavoured ice-cream) and there were smiles on everyone's faces. I felt a bit reserved and British.
As well as the drummers, there were other percussion instruments and singers and dancers and a very large croud watching. The dancers were amazing. There were lots of children and adults following a basic routine, the members of the public around the outside who weren't following a routine and some prefessionals. There were three women wearing sashes - one said "first princess of the batteria", another "second princess of the batteria" and the third something which I couldn't translate, but I think roughly means "woman" or "mother" or "matron of the batteria" - she was an older woman. And these three danced the samba like I've never seen it before (that sounds very naive and touristy...) but they were wearing proper carnival outfits - all sequins and tiny skirts etc. And they danced so fast - in 6-inch heels! I thought one of them was sure to break a leg. Then there were a couple dancing - quite a large black woman, with her hair pulled back into a tight bun and a knee-length white skirt that flew straight out when she spun around. She had a flag in a holder on her hip and danced in a way that was a little samba and a little like ballroom dancing, with her male partner who looked the part in an open shirt and slicked-back hair. When she spun her skirts flew out and the flag waved and the two of them danced around and around the band, while the princesses of the drums danced in front and the children and adults following the routine were outside them and the general public danced around the edges. It was quite a sight. Anyway, it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon, so I fell into bed at about one!
That's probably enough for now, I'm not sure what's happening today, but I do know I'm going on a road trip to Rio de Janeiro on the 5th so you can expect radio silence for a few days after then. Love to all xx
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