Fear and loving in Brasilia

The title of this post is a bit of a trick, because I'm not actually to write about loving, though I am loving my time here so I guess in a roundabout way, I'll be writing about it.  But if you think this post will be rich with details of my love life here, you are dead wrong!! 

 In any case, it has been a long time since I had time to write. On Saturday, I spent another day lounging around at the club.  After all of my zooando (messing with) Nagi for having an easy job, someone almost drowned in the pool and he and Dudu had to put their skills to work to rescue her  I missed it all because I was absorbed in my reading of Assata Shakur's autobiography, but I take back everything I said.  Their job is serious, serio.   After the club, we met up with some of Nagi and Dudu's students for a street roda, which was lots of fun.  Dudu's group is different than Raizes, but the people are great, play beautiful games and challenge me to be faster, more precise and ....well better.  I guess this is one of the first fears I'm facing here -- the fear of playing with people whose games I don't know and whose training background I don't know. Playing with people from Dudu's group really doesn't invoke much fear for me at all, but the general idea always has so I'm glad for this chance to see that as long as I take the time to watch everyone and understand the nature and temperment of their games, I am able to participate, be safe and have fun.

On Sunday, Beija Flor called and came over to take me out. We picked up Vampira and spent the day at two of Brasilia's museums; the Museo de Indios and the Museo Nacional.  We were able to go inside the Catetral Metropolitana de Brasilia just before they closed to see the sunlight beaming in through the starbusrt windows. Then we went to the fancy schmancy Pontao shopping and dining area on Lake Paranoa to have a bowl of acai and watch sunset.  I had a great time with these ladies and we talked a lot about race and class differences and similarities between the US and Brasil.  I love that I am able to have meaningful conversations in Portuguese, though sometimes someone asks me my age and for the life of my I don't understand the question. (Though now that I know that idade means age, I'm catching on.)

Monday was another great day of water.  We went to Alt Plano Leste to visit an amazing series of waterfalls there.  I had to face many of my fears on Monday.  Most of these fears are very silly and I'm glad to be confronting them to see just how silly they are. We rode by motorcycle for about 25 minutes; I was with Jad on his bike and Nagi had Karita on his.  The last part of the ride was over a very bumpy dirt path the type of which terrified me when Nagi and I rode in Jamaica, but by now I have figured out how to go with the bumps and hold on tight at the same time. Jad was being a very cautious driver because he had once had a bad crash on a bicycle, so I felt safe.  When we got there, I saw that there was a series of rocks and boulders that we'd have to climb over to get to the waterfall itself.  I hate rocks and boulders.  Well, I don't hatet them, I love them, but I prefer to walk next to them rather than on them.  I seem to have trouble determining the slope and am always unsure of my steps.  And of course, one slip results in a very hard landing. As I walked in, I realized that there was nothing at all to fear.  My balance and awareness and strength is so improved (clearly as a result of capoeira), and I found myself moving slowly but with surety all the way.  The waterfall isn't very steep but it meanders for a while before falling into a deep pool, perfect for swimming, surrounded by large flat rocks, perfect for sunning.

I did both and even explored the area behind this main pool to see another series of waterfalls -- steeper and without swimable pools at their end.

 When it was time to go I was bummed because I could have spent the whole week there. The hike out (I really shouldn't call it a hike -- it only took about five minutes) was much easier because most of it was on an incline so I had gravity working with me.  Whenever I got scared, I went into carangeijo and crawled my way through.  In my head I was singing, "Olho sapo-o, e urso-o, tem kangaroo-oo-oo, e carangeijo."

The other great part of Monday was that we drove over the Ponte JK two times and this time, on the motorcycle, I was really able to enjoy the view of the bridge cables passing overhead. Supercool.

Monday night I trained at the academy and took the bus there for the first time.  It was so easy. And cheap ($2 Reals).  Zezinho's class was really fun.  We worked on meia lua de compasso rasteira and some floreios.  Ralil drove me home and on the way back told me that my game has gotten better and that he sees me able to do a lot more because I am lighter. It was so nice to hear this encouragement, and I feel the same.  But especially here, I feel lighter and bouncier.  It's amazing what 2 weeks of vacation can do!

Tuesday was mellow.  I cooked a delicious pasta bolognese for the house and everyone enjoyed it a lot. We had to go on a search for a wine opener by knocking on neighbor's doors but I kept telling Jad that the sauce can't be made without wine. It's true, and after he ate it, he agreed.  Trained in Nagi's class on Tuesday night where we worked on vingativa and a very beautiful combination that involves bananeira.  During the training I was partnered with Coru who kept me on my toes my defending my vingativas with foot sweeps, going in for quedas on my martelos, and trying to escala my forehead whenever I was close.  When I began returning the favor (with a queda that sent him to the floor), he was happily surprised and we spent most of the rest of the class practicing our malandragem in addition to the movements Nagi gave. Mutley came for the roda and we got to talk for a while -- it was great to see him finally.

Wednesday was laundry day.  Yes, even on vacation there must be a laundry day. But now all of my clothes are clean and fresh.  Even though I packed as minimally as possible, I realize now that I still overpacked.  I've been wearing the same five items over and over and have a stack of tank tops that are as of yet untouched. I'll have to go shopping for a dress to wear to Jad's wedding at the end of next month, which I am looking forward to.  But I am not looking forward to the shoe shopping.  Shoes are very epxensive here. 

Last night I participated in a presentation of Brazilian arts for the military school here.  About 20 of us from Raizes held a roda for the audience, with some people doing solos first.  I played a couple of games which were fun.  But the most enjoyable part of the night was the roda we held backstage before the show.  The energy was great and the games were fast.  See?

Someone offered to take some pictures of me playing, but my camera was moving kind of slow, so it was hard for him to get good shots.  But here is one of me playing with Beija Flor and one with another guy whose name I forget because in my mind I call him young Tom Cruise (because...err..he looks like a young Tom Cruise).