Ok, this is my first official blog in England since my visit to Brazil. I had an amazing time- the people, food, culture are wonderful. I am currently compiling my thoughts and notable experiences (though each day was blog-worthy), and shall be writing about them in my next blog, so watch this space...

I have had a very active and enjoyable weekend with my host family. I think that so far, my time with them has been one of the highlights of the trip, since it has enabled me to experience the Brazilian culture first hand. My family has been extremely accomodating- from turning down the air conditioning (believe me, it can get to Amazon-type temperatures) to taking me shopping for a new bag (since my recently acquired clothes and souvenirs have rendered it impossible to close my suitcase!) . They are also very loving and affectionate. I get the impression that they generally like to hug each other a lot- and I can honestly say that I have not been missing out on any tlc while I have been there. On Saturday, for example, I thought I had a cold and before I knew it, paracetamol and lemon tea were being thrust into my hands! Needless to say, I made a speedy recovery.

We spent the weekend visiting extended family- everybody made me feel at home. We also went to my family´s second home, and looked at family photos. That was really nice, and suprisingly, I didn´t feel homesick at all- I really felt as though I was looking at pictures of my own family. And of course, after that, they asked to see pictures of my family in England, and I was able to practice my Portuguese by pointing out my family members. It actually turned out to be quite an amusing experience.

On Saturday night, we went to the open markets (I can´t remember the exact name, but there were lots and lots of stores and most of them were still open at 12pm) so I could buy souvenirs. I had a lot of fun bartering and trying on clothes- my mum has a great fashion sense lol. Whilst shopping, however I was absolutely petrified when a man- all painted in silver- started walking behind me and screaming at the top of his high-pitched voice! I think the best way to describe his voice is like that of a chipmunk. I was petrified- naturally, and started running- and then my host family burst out laughing and told me that he was a street performer. Then he started body popping and doing Michael-Jackson style moves, still speaking in his chipmunk-style voice. Eventually, I gathered enough courage to take a photo with him (which I will upload asap), but I was sooooo freaked out!

On Sunday, we had a more relaxed day. We did a bit of shopping and we went out to eat tapioca- which, unfortunately I did not like :-( However, the evening was pleasantly rounded off by watching capoeira. I may start taking capoeira lessons when I get back to England...as well as samba and salsa lessons!!

Ok this is my first ever blog so I am feeling rather excited. Sorry it´s taken so long!

I am having an amazing time in Fortaleza! My host family are absolutely amazing! I have a mum, a dad, two sisters (15 and and a brother (3). They have been so welcoming and accommodating. So far, we have been shopping at the ABSOLUTELY HUMONGOUS mall in central Fortaleza, where I bought a few souvenirs (that was on Sunday). I felt rather small in such a big and busy place. I think the closest that we have in Birmingham is the Bull Ring- this is the only comparison that I can make!

During the day I spent some time on my project (I believe that it is coming on), and we went downtown to the markets (though we didn´t actually go inside the markets, as the teachers said that it might have been dangerous- never mind!) We were accompanied by Pedro, who I met in the English class that I have been helping out with for the last two days. He´s really nice- he was teaching me Portuguese, and I was teaching him English. He is an incredible violinist! And he told me that as there are no music teachers in this school, he had to teach himself. Speaking to him really humbled me- we have so much in England that we take for granted. I also feel that the trip has inspired me to try to take a more proactive role in helping other people. I am going to start a to do list!


Finally, last night, I spent some quality time with my host family. We went out and took some crazy photos! My ´mum´ is really cool, and her fashion sense is definately on point. I really couldn´t have asked for a better host family! They have invited me to come back the next time I go to Brazil! I also said that if they ever want to visit England, they will always have a place to stay.