Day 76

Today was great! I have taken over teaching Joyce's English class while she is in India - it is level 3B, so these students are in their fourth year of studying English (there is the intro level A and B, 1A and B, 2A and B, 3A and B and technically a level 4 although everyone who could be in that class is teaching lower level English classes and doesn't have time!). I speak very little Portuguese with this class, and Joyce organized everything before she left - she even photocopied the worksheets we're supposed to do! - so it has been really easy to take over.

After class, Frank's class was cancelled today so I read my Bible and my last textbook to get through. I practiced my testimony with Maricildes (which I still need to practice a lot!), and then I spent the rest of my afternoon in the break dance room!

There were only three guys there today, and I've hung out with all of them before so I wasn't too embarassed and got to try lots of things :) I kind of fell on my head once, and fell from a handstand flat on my back, which knocked the wind out of me BUT I also managed to finally roll out of a handstand instead of falling to my death so overall it was worth it!! I also practiced stopping in the middle of a cartwheel, which is a way safer way for me to go into a handstand and... other stuff. The plan is to practice more tomorrow, although Saturdays are often really busy days in the breakdance room and I prefer to have lots of space so I don't fall on/kick anybody's head! =)

Catherine went to visit a friend's mom today, so I got a ride home with Frank on the motorcycle... all was normal until we got a flat tire, but we weren't very far from the borracharia (which I don't think has an equivalent in English, someone please let me know if this exists in Canada: a place that only fixes flat tires. They fix car, motorcycle and bike tires, but they don't do repairs like a mechanic does. What do we do in Canada when a flat tire happens? If someone could let me know that would be great.) so Frank pushed the bike there.

While we were waiting for the tire to get changed (we had run over a nail the length of my pinky finger, it was crazy!), we saw our friend Bruno there - he does construction work at Free Flight and knows the lyrics to SO many English songs. Bruno bought Frank and I each a coke - the cutest coke I have ever seen! They came in glass bottles and were 200ml size. Aw! It was all a very South American moment, drinking coke in glass bottles while over-full buses rumbled by and blew dust through the air and families in cars with giant speakers on the roof navigated potholes in front of the borracharia.

The woman who sold the coke was also working some meat on a barbeque next to the borracharia (contributing to the overall very Brazilian ambiance of the day!), and Frank bought a meat kebab. Wow was that the best decision he made all day - he cut me a piece of it to try, and I was kind of sketchy about Brazilian street meat BUT.. it tasted like the most gorgeous steak I've had in my life... I will probably dream about that meat kebab tonight lol.

And then Frank's tire was fixed and we came home, and here I am! It's definitely been a good day =)