Post 5: Capoeira Take 2

Yesterday we had our second Portuguese class in the morning. I do feel like the class is helping me learn how to pronounce words better and learn some basic phrases. The coolest thing that it's helped me be able to do is to listen better, so that when people are speaking Portuguese, I am starting to be able to understand a bit of what they are saying. I think this comes from just being around the language all the time as well. 

For lunch we went to a marketplace where they had a bunch of produce on the first level and restaurants on the second level. I tried a tradition Brazilian meal that had rice, black eyed peas, dried beef, tomatoes, and these interesting sour peppers I had never tasted before. From here, we went back to Campus Casa for our second energy lecture which covered each form of fossil fuel energy and how it works. This will be important to understand when we are discussing how to transition away from fossil fuels. 

After class, Jason, Kyra and I attended an actual Capoiera class hosted by the same people who had taught us the night before. It cost only 50 $R and we got so much out of the experience. The class is taught in the back of a vegan and vegetarian restaurant. The atmosphere of this place is almost indescribable, but I will try my best to convey it. We walked in, first through a garden, and then through a little shop filled with vegan cosmetics and soaps and stuff. It also had artwork from local artists. Then, as you kept walking, you entered a second garden space where the restaurant was. There were several tables set up around the garden area, and a hammock was set up on the side which if you laid in, you could see the stars. And way in the back, there was a classroom where several classes are taught daily, and tonight it was Capoeira. 

When we arrived, we met with the instructor who translated for us the night before, Hugo, and the leader of the group, Geraldo. Geraldo told us about how he works here every day gardening during the day, and teaching Capoeira at night (which to me, sounds like an amazing retirement plan). He took us up to his garden space on the roof which had a pond and vegetable garden with a rainwater-fed watering system. He was very passionate about his work here and it was so cool to watch him tell us about it. 

Then we started our class. There were a total of nine of us, including the teachers, so we got way more one-on-one help. Hugo taught us most of the moves, so we had an English-speaking instructor. I still wouldn't consider myself "good" at the moves, but this lesson definitely helped me feel more comfortable with them. We went over the basic moves we had learned the previous night, and then we learned some new tricks, even some offensive moves like kicks. For the second half of class, we "played" or danced to music as we had done the night before. 7 people had instruments, and we danced in twos. I danced with Hugo. 

I loved it. Getting up from my seat when it wad my turn was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. This dance is so far out of my comfort zone, especially with 7 other people watching us. When I first started I felt a bit awkward, but as we kept going I picked up on the rhythm a bit better. They have created a completely judge free environment, so I felt safe to be myself. It's almost like a form of meditation or therapy, in a way.

My favorite part about the dance is how you are able to connect with others through it. As you dance, you are supposed to never break eye contact with the other person, even as you turn around constantly. It seems like a simple thing, but it's refreshing when we live in a culture where everyone looks down at their phones instead of talking and connecting to each other. As I danced with Jason, Kyra, and Hugo, we laughed when we messed up moves, smiled at each other, and kept eye contact the entire time. I walked out of the class with three great friends I've felt like I've known for years rather than just 4 days, or in Hugo's case, just 1. 

We all ate dinner together afterwards. Geraldo thanked us several times for visiting and that the money we gave him will help him build a workshop or garden space in the backyard so that he can continue to grow good for the restaurant. They asked about our studies and what we like to do for fun, and our lives back home. And then they told us about their lives, Hugo told us about his film and art studies in America. We talked about random things too, like we were good friends our whole lives. For example, at one point we all were just doing British accents. It was so natural and cool to have real conversation, which is interesting because we could barely speak one another's languages. 

They also took us on a tour of the building. We had to go through the kitchen to get to the roof, so we put on some hair nets (and of course we had to take a picture with them on). On the roof, they have compost bins where they collect all of the waste from the restaurant. All of their water is rainwater-fed and filtered and they hope to become completely zero-waste and sustainable in a few years. It was so interesting that although this night was not planned for us through the dialogue, it lined up perfectly with our sustainable energy theme. 

Eventually we said goodbye to everyone (with the intention of coming back again) and we headed back to Campus Casa with Hugo. Hugo knew a good jazz club near our place that we would like, so we stopped by the hostel, picked the rest of our class up, including Professor Pfluger, and we headed out. It was a wonderful night. The music was fantastic - a mix of both American and Portuguese jazz, and it was just so cool to be able to hang out with everyone, including Hugo. 

Since coming to Brazil, every day has been better than the last. Yesterday was amazing, so I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip holds for us.