A place to sit and surf

We slept next to this mural, at Christ's feet, for the first five weeks in Brazil.

Well, no visas yet, but we may be getting closer!  After speaking with some different lawyers, our director came to the conclusion that they could do better than the originally hired lawyer.  So, the school is paying a large fee to retrieve our documents from the first application so that we can reapply through a different law firm.  Somehow, I feel like it is going to work this time.  We have two more months that we can stay in Brazil, so we hope they will come by then. 

We finally got chairs in our apartment!  B, the friend who allowed us to stay at her home for five weeks, came over for dinner, and after having to sit on our floor, decided to lend us some rather comfortable plastic chairs.  We used those for two weeks until our original chairs were finally fixed.  It turns out that the plastic ones are actually more comfortable

to sit in.  I told Z that we need to invite some people over while we have eight chairs and a couch in our place.  We are considering having a party or inviting the senior class (ten students) over for dinner.

Since we live so close to the ocean and since the weather has been getting steamier and steamier, I have been longing to cool off in the ocean.  So, today I mustered up the courage to tag along with the school surf club for a free surfing lesson!  The school contracts with a local hostel that also serves as a surf shop.  I was so glad to get out there in the water with two teenage boys from school (one of them my Venezuelan student), another teacher, a British tourist, and our friendly instructors, who gave me some tips about how to balance better on the board.  The waves were just right for beginners--that gentle kind that take their time rolling into shore, not too big, not too small.  I caught three waves and stood up each time, though I also lost my balance and toppled over each time, too.  On one occasion, I swallowed a mouthful of saltwater when a second wave came upon me unawares.  After I came into shore, I realized that I had actually stopped thinking about school or any other worries during that hour.  All I was focused on was watching the waves, mostly to avoid getting plummeted!  The other teacher and I agreed that surfing is good therapy.  Hopefully, there will be room in the school car for me to join them again sometime next semester. 

My next goal is to go rock climbing…