and the countdown begins...

So after just under 3 months.....my departure date from the Ilha da Magia has been set for the monday following easter. I will catch an early morning bus for Curitiba, the capital of Parana state (which is the next one up to the north before São Paulo). I was in this state briefly when I visited Iguaçu. There I will stay for 4 nights before continuing to Sampa. My plan is to stay in this clusterf@!# of concrete for 9 more nights (you know to really soak in the vibe). Every night should offer some sort of option. I intend to have a fruffy drink at the top of a skyscraper, eat a mortadella sandwhich at the central market (made famous by Anthony Bordain) and not get mugged. On April 27th I will fly to the Northeast region and begin my journey in the city of Recife before heading south eventually to the colonial Salvador da Bahia, which was the original capitol during the Portuguese rule. In between I hope to make some more progress with my portuguese and some more friends too. Although this is going to be tough as I'll be on the road alone again..something that I am not exactly looking forward to but also something that is necessary as I have been in one place for the right amount of time (especially considering that my visa time limit was cut short unexpectedly) .

My time in Florianópolis has been amazing. I met a lot of great people, saw a lot of wonderful sights, and had many amazing experiences. I was able to improve my portuguese quite a bit but the reality of how deep the language goes (or any language for that matter) is setting in. I am at a point in my development where my progress doesn't exactly occur in leaps and bounds (like it did in the beginning). I also have some days where it is extremely difficult to communicate, but somehow I manage. I really love Brasil and something tells me this will not be my last time here, so the progress shall continue. I am glad that I decided to add 5 weeks to my itinerary here as the high season has ended and the weather has been consistantly sunny for the past 3 weeks! Autumn is fast approaching however, and its time to get a little closer to the equator. I'll keep you posted as things progress..

A gente se fala!