Ok, ok. I realize it has been a while. Sorry. I have many things to post but a few may have to wait until my return to the US- the whole no-internet-in-the-house thing makes maintaing a blog a little diffcult. But I've gotten really good at Free Cell. haha.

So a few weekends ago I returned to Florianopolis, but this time not for the surfing. I went to the International Festival de Swasthya Yoga. In a way it reminded me of the dance conventions I used to go to in high school- arriving excited and with an intention to dance as much as possible, maybe meet some new people, learn some new moves, and be amazed at the really good dancing that goes on there. So now just replace 'dance' with 'yoga' and you've pretty much got the idea. There was no set time to eat lunch, which was not fun for me because I wanted to do as many of the practices as possible, but food is kinda important, and it was actually really good at the hotel, so I forced myself to skip a practica and sit down for just a bit. It was also really hard to choose what it was I wanted to do, because there were three practicas going on at the same time for the whole day, and it was almost toture to choose between kriya, asana em circulo, and shive e os archetipos. I know that doesn't mean anything to you guys, but trust me- they are all really cool. I did learn some new moves, as well as learn a little bit more about the ideology of Swasthya. I met some really cool people, too. Everyone there was super-legal. They were really patient with my accent, and really excited that someone from the United States would come to a Fest-Yoga and take advantage of all the awesome things that go on there. There were dance parties at night that I had to leave by 4am cuz I just can't keep pace with these Brasilians, but which kept going for a few more hours.

I even got to meet the Master himself- Mestre DeRose. That was amazing. The first time I saw him he was standing in the back of the conference room waiting to be introduced with the most patient, most loving, and most genuine smile I have ever seen. It was actually an emotional moment for me- seeing him for the first time among the people that love him so much for the completeness their lives have become because of his work thru Yoga. He seemed to me like a Mother Theresa of Yoga. Not that Mestre DeRose=Yoga, Yoga= India, India= Mother Theresa, therefore Mestre DeRose= Mother Theresa. And I've never even met Mother Theresa. But I get the feeling that Mother Theresa had that kinda of love aura that touched every person near her, and I felt that affection when I saw Mestre DeRose. Hearing him speak was a pleasure- he has a beautiful deep voice with a gorgeous Rio accent, and I could understand every word he said. He has such pride in Yoga and even in Brasil, and a very broad, intelligent, and loving view of the world- you could talk to him for hours without mentioning Yoga and have a really awesome conversation. I felt, when hearing him, that perhaps Yoga itself can change the way the world views Brasil and the way Brasil views the world. Impressive. I also got to meet him one-on-one when my instructor introduced me to him, and that feeling of affection was only multiplied. He took my hand and didn't let go as we talked, rubbing it lightly as if to pass on some of his good will and energy. He was pleased that I was enjoying Yoga, and even said that I could take a look at the English version of one of his book about Yoga (he has what seems like a bazillion- but this one in particular is a really important one to Swasthya and to Yoga). I was speechless to be offered such an honor, and I still am blown away by it. It was a really special moment for me.

I got to see some really powerful choreography by pracicants of Swasthya that took my breath away and blew out lights. Seriously- at the very end of one woman's presentation one of the theater lights shining down on her pretty much exploded. It was a wow moment.

So all in all it was a really great weekend, and it only made it harder for me to want to leave my Yoga family here when I finally have to return.

There's been other things going on as well: I am still studying, although I know it seems like all I do here is Yoga and fun stuff like that. Sometimes the assignments I can do, but sometimes the reading in portuguese is anything but fun. Impossible to understand at the most. But I'm plugging away at it, and I even managed to make two presentations in Portugues for my class. One presentation was of Literature and I presented some of my insights on a particular series of books, and one was at a sort of History Summit about the African Diaspora in which I an the other Americans here gave our insights about being in Brasil and experiencing the African heritage here. The Brasilian students who studied in the US last semester also presented, as well as some professors and historians from the US and Brasil. I'd say it was a success, especially considering that right before my presentation on the first day all the lights in the building went out and we had to reschedule.

The World Cup has begun! For all you Americans out there who have no concept of soccer, this is a really big deal. Brasil hasn't played yet, but all work will stop on Tuesday, when they play their first game. The Brasilians I talk to can't even comprehend that life goes on as usual in the United States, and that the majority of people don't even know that the US has a team at the world cup, or that it is in Germany this year! By the way, the US lost to the Czech Republic today, 3-0. Way to go, guys. So anyways, I am really excited about participating with the Brasilians who know how enjoy a futebol game and I will get back to you on that as I experience it.

In the meantime, enjoy your summer weather as I take out my winter jackets for the cold Curitiba winter. Ok, so its not been reeeeeeeeeally cold, but its pretty chilly. And it did reach frezzing point one night. Which is cold. Especially when central heating does not exist in the edifices here. Yay.

Until next time!