a typical day for me (blow by blow)

wake up and have a glass of ice water. go outside on the balcony and enjoy the view. look at the waves. how many surfers can i see? what time is it? is it warm? cold? windy? sunny? cloudy? this will determine what i wear and what i do for the day.

i take a shower which is directly above me and the showerhead doesn~t move. the pressure is good and the water is as hot as i want it to be. the temperature is controlled by twisting a long rod that extends from the showerhead. after the shower, i get into clothes and take some up to the washroom which is just off the front of the house. the washsink is like one you would see in a garage. the detergent comes in a small plastic bag, and i shake some onto the sink and scrub scrub away, then take all the clothes to the balcony to hang dry. i use the surfboard leash to hang the lighter clothes. then? breakfast, my favorite meal of the day.

there is a lot of fruit here so i make a salad with papaya, kiwi, banana, mango and apple with yogurt. sometimes i make toast with cheese. but there are no toasters. i use a long metal-handled tool that has two flat plates that clamp the bread together. i hold it over the stove and as it heats the bread, the cheese melts. then i join ivo in watching a movie or two on the couch in the living room... the couch i will probably have to replace because tb has peed on it. she~s becoming a pain in the ass. we watch what he has which are either war movies, jail movies, or violent capture people-type movies. i tell him in jest that i am going to lock my bedroom door at night.

after one or two movies, he says he~s late to wherever he~s going, which he always does, then spends over an hour getting ready. this is my time to watch tv. watching tv is a very important part of my day. when i watch tv or movies, i learn a lot of portuguese. it~s all in portuguese or subtitled, so i have no chioce but to learn. believe me, there aren~t a lot of channels to choose from. i have fuzzy brazilian music tv, qvc, novelas, news, and the religious channel. i would watch the religious channel if it were some crazy candomblè african voodoo or orixàs jumping around chickens and convulsing, but it~s catholic, of which i am all too familiar. so i watch news. this way, i learn proper portuguese and get to know what~s going on in my country.

after boredom sets in, i go make that long walk to the internet place, which will be gone monday. i will find a new place. the roads are dusty when it~s dry and slippery and muddy when it~s wet. i keep a look outside and at the clock to make sure it~s not dark before walking home. at this time of the evening, many people i know are at the internet place, which is the center of town because it serves as a hostel and restaurant and convenient store. people invite me out. if i decide to go out, this is how it goes...

i go home to eat. i sit around watching more tv. around 7:30, i crave cachaça. i pour one or two drinks or make a caipirinha, then make my way back down in the dark, being more motivated and feeling more relaxed about walking alone. it~s quite safe but i am always aware of my surroundings.

i land at jujubee and lucy~s place, and we jump up and down in a group hug. they make food and caipirinhas, which are plentiful in variety. maracujá, or passion fruit, is my favorite type of caipirinha! maracujà is a fist-sized fruit with a firm yellow skin, as thick as an orange peel but with the smoothness of a baseball. it is cut in half to reveal an orange jelly that holds black seeds resembling watermelon seeds. the jelly is scooped out and eaten raw, or used in pudin (flan or pudding) breads, cakes, caipirinhas, etc. when eaten raw, it~s a strange sensation in your mouth. the jelly slips around and there are harder pods that hold the seeds. the pods pop and the seeds are crunchy and edible. it~s really sweet, and if you haven~t tasted passion fruit, it is a gift from the gods and you~re missing out. delicious! or gostoza as they say here.

another fruit here is goiaba. it looks like a green orange and has a pink inside that is scooped out. the other fruit, and i don~t know the name, is really weird. it looks like a smooth green pinecone, and when cut open, holds a white pudding with pale yellowish seeds. the pudding is really gooey and semi-sweet, but i find it unappetizing.

after a couple shared drinks, we make our way out to a club (just a bar, but they call all the bars clubs). everyone shares their drinks and we talk and dance. we stumble home, laughing, saying we love each other, make fun of each other, and generally do what friends do.

they persuade me to sleep at their house, but there is only one bed they will sleep in. they won~t have it any other way. it~s a brazilian thing. if you all sleep in the same bed, it means you~re friends. so there we are, me, jujubee and lucy all happily alligned in a double bed, and they say "good night my friend". they don~t like not seeing me for more than one day. they think something is wrong. then just before i doze off, juju, in her broken english says "regina, it~s ok when you run away, but i always come to get you. i love you my friend". i say i love you too.

it~s the sweetest way to end the day.