Sinking In

Since I last wrote, I have found my groove. The culture shock is wearing off, we are settled in our own sweet space, and my back is almost completely healed. Yay!! My Portuguese is even improving with the help of a three hour group class and a couple of private sessions every week, in addition to my flash cards and constant inquiry of, "Come se diz....(How do you say...). Indeed, I am surrendering to the simplicity of my life here. I typically, wake up shockingly early (5am!) before it's blisteringly hot outside, go running/walking on the beach followed by a swim in the ocean. All this, in the presence of a beautiful sunrise. After our typical breakfast of coffee and papaya, I either go back to sleep (rough life, I know), or practice Portuguese, paint, write, do yoga, lounge around by our rooftop pool, or walk to the fruit market. It is truly a relaxing life we've got going on here. Interestingly, I realize it's my tendency to want to DO MORE, to make some huge difference in the world, to have some amazing journey filled with incredible life changing moments at every turn, so believe it or not, I struggle a little with "just livin' on the beach." However, Lane lovingly reminded me that during these times of worrying or wanting something more/different, I am quite simply, NOT being in the moment. SO true.

So, I'm getting it...slowly. I'm pausing to feel the temperature of the sun on my skin (thank you Cvita), to listen to the waves, and to be thankful for this luxurious chapter in my life. I'm getting over my fears of speaking this language even though I'm terrible (the Brazilians love you for trying, and, hey, I'm good entertainment for them). And again (see by last blog entry), I am finding joy in the details, like the plethora of tiny, perfectly groomed, white fluffy dogs who stroll along with their Brazilian owners on the "boardwalk," as I call it. Who knew?

Here's a bit about the boardwalk...The boardwalk is where I do much of my people watching and strolling. It is basically a wide sidewalk which runs parallel to the ocean, in between the lovely large white beach and the relatively busy road. It's a block from our home. There are restaurants and bars scattered along it serving fish, hamburgers (very popular here), beer and coconut water (personal favorite) to the throngs of bikini wearing Brazilians lounging in plastic chairs stuck in the sand. There are also the required hippies selling their handmade wears and the frequent rolly cart full of fried bread items or ice cream. It's touristy in a "Brazilians on weekend holiday" kind of way, but not very international. We definitely stand out a bit (not too many gringos with dreadlocks here:)) The boardwalk goes on for miles, is lined with palm trees and hotels, and is hands down the local "strip," the gathering place for droves of teenagers, families, beer drinking buddies, scantily clad joggers and the occasional samba band or soccer game. And, for now, it's our strip too.

A few days ago, we were invited to go on a day long drive with our new English friends who I met in my Portuguese class. They live here now and have invested in property up and down the coast. They were great tour guides as they really knew all the great secret spots, AND they were hilarious, AND they insistented upon giving us beer all day long. We had a blast seeing the A-MAAAZE-ING beaches (see pic below) which surround Joao Pessoa. We also discovered that land here is super cheap, like SUPER cheap...hmmm?