last days

I'm in the final stages of prepping for my 5 month stay in Brazil - I leave the Pacific Northwest tomorrow, first for a ten-day stint in New York City, then straight to Rio from there.

This'll be my fourth trip to Brazil, and my second full Carnaval season. I've already outstripped all of my teachers in terms of sheer time logged in Brazil; now I want to take it up another level. Last season was difficult, lonely, and amazing all at once. This year I'm hoping for less of the "difficult, lonely" part, now that I know more Portuguese and have friends there, and even more of the "amazing" part. This year I won't be living alone; I'll be with friends. And this year I want to play with a Rio escola, if I can, and go back to Salvador... and visit Recife at last. I'm hoping that I will be in a musical position now where I can comprehend even more of what I'm seeing. And I'm so looking forward to seeing all my Bangalafumenga friends again, from my 70-person bloco (drum group) in Rio.

I'm also aware, though, this time, of the good things that Seattle has to offer. Every day, these last two weeks, I've been soaking in all the good parts: The serene quiet - just a car going by now and then, a crow calling. Great big lungfuls of clean, clean rain-washed air. The distant mountains ringing the horizon. The lush greenness everywhere - trees lining every street, yards overflowing with flowers. Beautiful little houses all in a row (and not a one of them behind a barbed-wired-topped iron fence with a 24-hour security guard). Being able to saunter down the street with an ipod dangling from one hand, a laptop from the other, nice jewelry around my neck, cash in my pocket, and never worrying about getting mugged. And the APPLES! The markets full of bins and bins of fresh fall apples! The CHEDDAR CHEESE! I never realized how much I love apples and cheddar cheese until they were rare, exotic, and expensive luxury imports.

Blending in. Nobody staring at me. Being able to have real conversations (in English) with my friends.

On the other hand, it sure is getting gray and rainy here.... and I miss the music, I miss the all night thunderous open-hearted parties, everybody always dancing, never just standing and watching; I miss the extravagantly warm greetings of bear-hugs and double kisses; and the blazing sun and the wide, wide beach.

ok, gotta go pack now, gotta say goodbye to some friends.