I'm struck time and again by the simplicity of life here. On Saturday night, I went to watch a capoeira exhibition presented in the town square with some other assistants. After it was over, we went and said hi to the the people we knew, and met several more we didn't. We hung around chatting for hours. People ate and drank and when it started to rain, took shelter under one of the covered structures usually used for playing dominoes. It was interesting to see what people actually do on weekends here. There's not a whole lot of nightlife, but I'd say it was just as fun as going to a movie or a club or a bar.
And then, yesterday morning at 7AM, I went to aqua-gym (water aerobics) at the beach next to my house. It was given by one of my friend's tutors, and it was full of older women. After the class, we dried off and stood on the beach eating breakfast -- sugar cane, bananas, oranges, bread, prune de cythère juice. Nothing elaborate, nothing fancy, just fresh food and good company. We then went for a walk down to the market, stopping occasionally to chat with the street vendors. Everyone is so friendly here.
One of the assistants from last year told me that she went through a bout of homesickness in March because, being from New York, she missed having access to a big city and the subsequent cultural life. Maybe I'll start feeling like that in a few months...but pour l'instant, ça va bien!
One of the assistants in my town looked up the classes offered at the local gym and one of them was called "Aqua fitness/abdos/fessiers/sculpt/forme/tonic"
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