Breath Of Fresh Air

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Finally I got away from Belo Horizonte. I had thought that it would be quite fun and totally random to go to the bus station and just pick a destination, but Anderson suggested it would be best to go to his Mums in Extrema for a few days, so I set off.
The journey was a bit crazy, I left at 10.30pm to go from Belo Horizonte to Pousso Alegre where I had to change buses to get to Extrema.
The madness begins.
At the bus station this guy heard the family explaining to me that I had to change buses in Poussa Alegre and said he would help me buy the ticket because he was going on the same bus! He asked the driver if he could sit next to me and he blethered away for a few hours! He even asked me and Anderson etc to a party in his town!
At 4am we got to Pousso Alegre but the ticket office wasn´t open yet so the guy had to go back to the bus and I had to wait for my next bus, there was another guy behind us and he heard the first guy tell me what to do and said he would help me! He was a bit creepy and I was quite worried about being stuck in a bus station at 4am with him! Anyway he insisted on buying me breakfast (I was waiting for the gun to come out, haha!) and waited with me until the office opened and I got my ticket! Although he was strange I thought it would be still safer to wait with him, so other people in the station didn´t see a ´gringa´ sitting on her own as a target!
Then on the second bus the ticket man spent the whole time sitting next to me and showing me pictures of his holidays and giving me chocolate!!
All very strange!!!
However in a way I am glad because I got there safely and it could have been quite scary!!
So at 8am I arrived in Extrema and Amanda, Andersons sister came to pick me up from the bus station.
We went to their mums work. The centre is called Projecto Intergral and works with the kids of Extrema so they don´t spend all their spare time on the streets.
After about half an hour, when they are over their intitial shyness I have about 20 kids hanging off my arms, legs and clothes!
They all crowd around me, then some start worrying that I am getting hot so tell the others to move away so I can have some air!
They ask me so many questions and want to know everything about my trip, the world and me.
I think they all think I am a novelty item, and they want to find out if I am made of the same stuff as them.
I am getting much better at soeaking and understanding Portuguese. I think I have done quite well for 6 weeks, but it is still hard to follow what they are talking about, so again my tactic of nodding and smiling comes into use!
They are all very sweet and curious!
Anderson and Elizangela came to Extrema for the weekend, so it was really nice to see them again.
On satuarday, I went out with Andersons sister, Amanda, and her boyfriend to a club. It was outdoors and quite cool.
I was so happy to be getting out, after spending so much time rocking backwards and forwards (and playing cards) going insane in Belo Horizonte, so PARTY!
Andersons family are all so nice and I like them all.
The other day we were in the supermarket and his mum came round the corner, dragging a Japanese man behind her, she pushed him towards me and said 'Now you can speak Japanese with him!´ I don´t speak Japanese!!! Crazy, but funny!!
I left Extrema yesterday to come back to Sao Paulo until Sunday then I plan to go to a city called Parati, then it will be time to go to Salvador to meet Ann-Marie and Andrea for Christmas and New Year!

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Comments

[Ann Marie]

New Year in Salvador de Bahia!
Wooohooooo! Cant wait to see you soon Jo! Paaarrrrty time! Just like the old days, except for the sun, sea and sand that is...!