1. Grandma and the family
2. Friendliness – the vast majority of people are super nice
3. Beaches!!!!!!
4. Bus adventures (aka arm workout)
5. Sun-tanning (yay equator)
6. Cheap drinks, esp. chope, agua de coco, caipiroscas
7. Hammocks
8. Cheap seafood (including lobster), fried balls, churros
9. Traveling on a whim – “So uh, Salvador?” - “yea, ok”
10. Pretty bikinis and shoes
11. Centro– We started out thinking it was sketchy but now we LOVE it! Its crazy and full of stuff and you get the best deals if you bargain and just people watching there is a trip
12. Freedoms that come with “whatever, I’ll never see these people again”
13. Seeing each other every waking moment of every day – the boys better get ready for some double-dating
14. The music, most of it is fun and innovative and we’ll be hearing Beyoncé sing it in 5 years or so
15. Having a house maid – may sound awful, but its nice to have all cooking and cleaning done for us
16. Babies! People bring them everywhere and our research involves babies. (ok, this one is mostly Galina)
17. Drinking beer out of thermoses at home – how to drink in a Catholic household
18. Being the same height as the rest (guess who)
19. Our nightly soaps (esp. “Haji” from Caminho das Indias who may not look Indian but sure is a looker)
1. Little ants that are everywhere
2. The cat calls, the 180’s, the “that’s niiice”, the honking, the staring
3. Taking 2 hours to get anywhere (including the beach)
4. The crazy driving (Fortaleza drivers live to the tune of Ludacris’s “Move bitch”)
5. Sunburns (boo equator)
6. Caipiroscas (it’s a love/hate relationship)
7. Sloooooow to non-existent internet and therefore contact to the outside world
8. Not having a choice of meals – grandma fries everything and dinner is always soup
9. Going to sleep listening to our neighbor practicing percussion
10. Waking up to birds above her head (Galina), blenders and family bickering (Joana)
11. Forró music
12. Hannah Montana (our host sister is obsessed and as our host mom put it “no one deserves this”)
13. Brazilian time (between an hour and a month late)
14. The stark contrasts between middle class (our family and friends who own cars and can afford restaurants) and the lower class (frequently seen rummaging thru the middle class garbage)
15. The garbage – everywhere!
16. Being the only blonde within a 28475 block radius (guess who)
17. Risking our life every time we cross the street (see #4)
18. Mosquito bites
19. Cold showers (although we are used to it now and its better for sunburns)
We had to hold onto the rope while in the water so as not to lose the boat. Naturally, Joana went all the way to the far end of the rope, while the rest of the swimmers stayed closer. 
Us next to our jangada. Galina’s life jacket was too big (well, ok, it was normal adult sized) and the fisherman had to basically wrap it around her instead of using the clasps. 
Joana with Insano in the background.
Evidently, pre-gaming is a universal concept. No alcohol is sold in the stadium, so everyone drinks before the game outside, on the sidewalks.
The stadium. In the background, the banner on the side of the stadium states "Ceara Sporting Club - My reason for living."
Ceara’s mascot is vovo (grandfather). UVa’s cavalier could stab his opponents with a saber; Ceara’s vovo could…bore them to death with his stories? But seriously, he is a very endearing mascot, who cheered his team to a 2:0 victory.
Joke FAIL.
