Brazil!

Brazil was so amazing! We docked in the city of Manaus after sailing up the Amazon River. On the first day in port I got to know the city and visited the opera house and walked through the local fish, vegetable and banana markets. Later that night we went dancing at a place called School of Samba with Professor Lina from the university in Manaus and several hundred Semester at Sea students. The people of Manaus were practicing for Carnival if June and they allowed us to dance and celebrate with them. The next day I set out early with a group from the ship for our homestay in a village called Acajatuba on the Rio Negro. We split up into pairs and met the families that we would be staying with for the next two days. I was staying with a young couple and there 1 and ½ year old daughter Maria Clara. They live in a small, beautiful house that was very open with a small yard surrounded by trees. They lived right next to the local school that provides free education up to high school. They showed us their home and where we would be sleeping in hammocks as well as teaching us about the plants around their home and the kinds of fruits that these plants produced. After lunch and a siesta we played futbol or soccer with the local kids and after several hours were defeated 4-3. We then headed out on small boats to go fishing. We caught 6 pirannahs and 2 catfish which we brought back to the village so our host families could eat them. We then watched the sun set over the Rio Negro before beginning to search for Caymen. A Cayman is similar to an alligator or crocodile but besides the difference in location they also have different jaw structures. We then returned to the village for dinner with our families before a dance presentation from the children of Acajatuba. They then taught several traditional dances. My partner, Gabriel was very patient and helpful as I learned the steps. After playing with the smaller children we went to sleep in our gently swaying hammocks. We woke up early the next morning, around 5:15 am to watch the sun rise over the river and look at the gray dolphins who live in the Amazon and its tributaries. We returned for a breakfast of tapioca pancakes and fried bananas. After helping with the dishes, cleaning the house and preparing to make lunch we set off for a hike in the jungle. We examined many trees and their uses for food and medicine. The forest was beautiful and lush. We then made our way back to Acajatuba by boat to eat lunch and say goodbye to our new friends. Although there was a language barrier (They only spoke Portuguese and I only speak English and a little Spanish) we were able to communicate and make a connection. My new family wrote me the sweetest note in Portuguese (which I will hopefully be able to provide a rough translation of later). We left later that day to return to Manaus and our ship.