A Tour of the City

August 15 is a holiday celebrated in the state of Para to recognize the day that it became part of the Union (I believe that is why we got off of school! :) It was strange to have a break after only being in school for seven days.

Two people who attend the English church service on Sunday afternoons offered to take me on a tour of the city. The teachers gave their approval, and I took advantage of spending some time with people closer to my age. :) We met at the school and took the bus to the Museo, which is basically like a zoo. I had a great time! They speak English fairly well, but wanted me to correct their slight mistakes. They had fun trying to teach me Portuguese. At the end of the day, they said I was practically Brazilian! I'm not sure that knowing how to say 6 words/phrases qualifies me to be Brazilian, but I didn't argue with them. There were many birds, monkeys, turtles, otters, crocodiles, snakes, manatees, and other animals. My "tour guides" would tell me the name in Portuguese and I would help them pronounce the English names. It was a fun little game. :) I'm afraid that had there been a test at the end, they would have passed with flying colors and I.... would not have done so well.... :)

I was able to get lots of exercise as we walked around the city. We decided not to take the bus so that I would be able to see more (and it was free! :) My legs are feeling it today.... I love flip-flops, but they are probably not the best touring shoes....

While the zoo itself was similar to ones I have visited in the States, the trees and bushes were much different. It was so cool to see! This is a large tree that we had to take a picture with. (the guy that was with us love taking pictures.....*CASSIDY AND ERIN: not quite as much as you... :)*

After walking around the city all morning, we stopped to get pizza for lunch. Now, pizza here, as you would expect, is much different than pizza in the States. First of all, it has little to no sauce. Instead, Brazilians often put ketchsup or.... are you sitting down?....mayonnaise... on top. Then come the toppings. They begin with what we may consider "normal" : ham, olives, and tomatoes. Then..... they add eggs and peas.... (*AUNT LISA: I wouldn't recommend the pizza to you! :) I wish I had taken a picture to show you! I will admit that as I was serving myself, I "struggled" with getting the pizza to my plate. In the process, I lost an olive and a good amount of eggs and peas. I wasn't able to put ketchup or mayonnaise on top of my pizza. But I did enjoy what remained of my piece. :)

My tour guides took me to multiple squares, one of which is known for a "Hippie Fair". I did not buy anything, but scoped out the stands for next time. It was quite the place!

This picture reminds me of "Mulan" for some reason.... :) (and then I think of *Megan Nish*!! :)

After walking around in the heat, we went to the mall for ice cream. Once again, I forget what I had. However, I know it was a Brazilian fruit flavor with Brazilian nut and chocolate pieces. I would recommend it! We decided that we deserved some rest time, so we went to a movie. Now, I am sure that many of you are thinking, "A movie? How could YOU see a movie in BRAZIL?!" Let me explain: in Brazil, they watch American movies in English with Portuguese subtitles. It reminded me of watching movies in Spanish class with English subtitles. I surely wouldn't like it! However, yesterday, it was fine with me! :)

ZAC: Remember that book that we read that had the giant lillypads in it? Well I saw some at the zoo! No, I didn't stand on them - I don't think they were that big. But look how big they were! I could easily have sat on them in Indian-style (or criss-cross-applesauce, to be politically correct...)

What a great day!

Thanks, Kamila and Eliseu, for being wonderful tour guides!! I had a lot of fun!