Water, water everywhere.

The past two days have revolved around water.  On Monday, after spending the morning grading papers for the online class I'm teaching while I'm here, we went to Aqua Mineral.  Last year, when the huge group of Brooklynites came here, most of them went to this beautiful place with two large pools filled with fresh mineral water, but because I was staying with Leo, I didn't make it out for these excursions (and I substituted for it by lounging by his rooftop pool as much as possible).  So, yesterday was my first time there, and it was lovely.   The water was a bit cold at first, but once I was hot from the sun it felt great.

We stayed until it closed at 4pm and went to the snack bar for pastels and caldo de cana (sugar cane juice).  With a squirt of lemon, it was so delicious!!  Later that night, I went to the academy and caught the last part of Zezinho's class where we trained the mei lua de compasso queda.  I already know how to do this move, but he taught us a way to end it where you kind of toss the person away from you after they fall which I, of course, loved.  Then he had a roda with just about 10 people, but the energy was great and I got to play with almost everyone there.  Then Raizes Dudu came to teach the next class where we trained the entrance for that same queda by doing this combo: 1. armada 2. deseda, troca, negative, subeda por atrais 2. mei lus de compasso 1. esqiva and entre por queda. I had to laugh because he pulled Foca's old trick whenever he saw us getting very tired, he'd say "OK, time for a break, let's rest here by doing 40 knee lifts or by doing 30 ganchus."  Everyone was like, "That's what you call a break??!!"  I didn't mind because, unlike Foca, Dudu let us drink water whenever we felt like it, so I felt ready for anything.  My ankle is really doing well here, and I'm so happy that I don't have to sit on the sidelines and can really take advantage of my time in Brasilia to train and play with different people.

This morning I woke up early to go with the other Dudu to a small waterfall, Samadiga (not sure of the spelling, or the pronunciation for that matter.  And Nagi tells me that different people call this place by different names, but that usually no estrangeiros (foreigners) are taken there).  It was beautiful.

We brought Tigressa, Nagi's awesome dog, and spent all morning and part of the afternoon there.  Nagi joined us after he got off of work and some other friends of theirs happened to arrive there, too.  It was a lovely way to pass the day.

On the way home, me and Nagi talked a lot about how lucky I am to have my job teaching online so that I can be able to be on vacation and work a little at the same time with little stress. I might not have employer contributions to my retirement fund, but I have Brazil!!