O fim do Carnaval (The end of Carnival)

Carnival is coming to end. It came and went so quickly. With tomorrow at noon being the last day, I have less than 24 hours left to enjoy of it! And let me tell you, it's been grand.



Sunday I went to another Carnival celebration at "The Week" (pronounced "Da Wiki" by Brazilians hahaha). It was a blast! Starting at midnight and going until 6 or 7 in the morning, it was a whole lot of dancing and socializing, that's for sure!



Keeping in the spirit of enjoying a CRAZY Carnival, I decided to jump in the club's pool after I got too hot. The club was so hot that the pool felt amazing. I spent the rest of the night dancing and drying off.



On Monday, my friend Lowell and I went to enjoy a traditional Carnival bloco and concert. It was like nothing I've ever been to before. It was almost like a parade but the entire crowd joined in to march and sing and dance.



It began with a fun band playing traditional Brazilian music. Many of the locals knew the words and danced and sang along.



Once we reached our destination, the band continued to play and everyone danced, threw confetti and long strands of paper, and had fun. It was so different. I think in the U.S. people would be embarrassed to just start dancing in public like that so it was a delight to see people just let loose and have fun, not caring about people judging them. Lowell and I certainly had fun.



Afterward, Lowell and I headed into a free community center and enjoyed the artwork and a competitive game of chess. Unfortunately, neither of us had played in so long that we couldn't remember all of the rules. I think we played it wrong!



Later that night, Lowell came over and my host mother, sister, he and I ate spaghetti and talked for hours. For dessert, Lowell and I made cookies. For Valentine's Day, my parents sent a package of Betty Crocker's Chocolate Chip cookie mix and I couldn't wait to share them with my host family. They were the first cookies I had eaten since June 2009 and I couldn't wait to devour them. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so delicious in my entire life.