No Place Like Home

We're back in Canada!

Thursday morning saw us packing up to leave for the last time. Our flight didn't leave till the afternoon, so Joseph led us on a walking tour of Ibirapuera Park, where there was a museum of African history and art and places to find lunch. Next we toured the Estaciao da Luz, Sao Paulo's old-fashioned train station, where we found a piano in an open area and did a sort of flashmob, singing a few songs and ending with 'O Canada'. Across from the station is the oldest park in Sao Paulo, where we took another walk. Joseph pointed out various trees, like strangle-figs, jackfruit, and what is called an Amazonian telephone tree, used to send signals across distances. We tried to find the sloths that apparently live in the park, but were unsuccessful. A man-made rock formation held caves in which we found aquariums with Amazonian fish.

Saying goodbye to Joseph, we disembarked at Sao Paulo airport. Our check-in wasn't for a while, so we held our last choir meeting and then went to find food. The flight we caught to Toronto was held up at the start, so we missed our connection to Edmonton, but were all thankfully put onto the next flight out. We arrived in Edmonton Friday morning, tired and happy to be home.

As a choir, we've seen a lot of growth over this trip to Brazil. We've experienced a bit of the world, especially for those who haven't had the opportunity to travel much before. We've seen some of the wonders of God's creation, especially in places like Rio at the Christ Redeem statue, where you see the work of man pointing to God and then can turn and see God's work all around in glorious panoramic views. And we've come down from that mountain and witnessed some of the poverty and problems in South America - homeless people sleeping on the street or digging through the garbage for recyclables, barbed wire, gates and fences to keep people out. We've struggled to reconcile the two. We've brought our music to the people in Brazil, and they welcomed us with warm hearts and hugs and smiles. Music is one of the ways we can reconcile those two clashing worlds - we were able to bring Jesus to our audiences, and that is one of our major goals as a choir. We try to be "servants for Jesus' sake."

Many thanks to our leaders, our families and friends, those who supported us throughout the year, all those who showed us such amazing hospitality and generosity over the past two weeks, and all of you who have been following our adventures, praying for and thinking about us. We could not have done this without you. Muito obrigada - thank you so much.

We Came, We Saw, We Concertoed

Today was a full day in São Paulo. We started the day off by taking a bus and walking tour of the city, led by our guide Joseph. He shared with us some stories and some of the history of Brazil and São Paulo. One interesting thing we learned is that São Paulo has both a large Italian and Japanese population. We also learned about some of the political history in Brazil. The tour included walking the streets of São Paulo to see Japanese town, a large Catholic cathedral with magnificent architecture and stained glass windows, the opera house, and various important buildings. It was all amazing and interesting, however, most of us determined that we prefer some of the quieter, less busy cities.

For lunch we had the opportunity to visit a market. We were immediately overwhelmed by the smell of meat and fish when we walked in. We discovered various stands with fresh fruit, tried some unique juices including acai berry, ate at some good restaurants, and looked at various handmade goods. After lunch we headed to the University od São Paulo for a tour of the campus. They have various faculties including music and the campus is huge, almost like a small city. USP actually has a mayor. Following the campus tour we were shown to a space above their library to hang out before rehearsing for the concert. It was nice to relax and prepare ourselves for the emotions of the final concert.

We sang the concert in an auditorium with a lot of wood panelling. The concert was quite long as we sang almost all of our pieces. The crowd was small again but still enthusiastic. The university was celebrating 500 years of German influence on the city. It was unique to be able to be apart of that celebration since Concordia also has German roots. Everyone sang their hearts out and several of the senior members who are leaving as well as others were crying by the end, though some may try to deny it. It was a great final concert and a wonderful way to close out the singing portion of our tour, or at least the concert. On the bus Fernando and Joseph sang and taught us various Brazilian pieces.

Supper was at a place in the heart of Little Italy. We enjoyed a change in cuisine eating various pastas and other Italian food. We used the time to debrief and talk about favourite songs, memories, comments, and how we had changed. The unanimous decision seems to be that Brazil and the people have provided a life changing experience.

Tchou Rio!

Back in São Paulo for the third time! This time we've actually left the airport. We said goodbye to Rio this morning with a number of us walking down to the beach at 6 am for a swim. It was magical to watch the sun rise over the city while waves rolled in. We left our mark in the form of a maple leaf sculpted in sand on the beach. Those of us who had opted for less sleep in favour of the beach got back to the hostel in time for breakfast, sticky, sandy, and happy. By nine we were all ready to leave. Though we managed to fit in shopping, sightseeing, and swimming, we could have easily spent more time there.

Another flight took us to São Paulo, where we were met by our guide Carlos. As we drove through the city in yet another bus, he entertained us with fascinating stories about Brazil's and São Paulo's history, as well as interesting facts about the city. São Paulo is home to 11 million people, and 11 million more come in to work during the week - as much as the entire population of Canada. The roads, because the city is also home to 7 million cars, are as bad as Edmonton's, which made us feel right at home. We drove down one street that specializes in chandelier shops - this kind of specializes street is apparently pretty common.

We settled into our last hostel, which is very nice - koi fish pond by the entrance, twisting hallways and staircases, rooms with balconies, and an open-air courtyard. Some of us rested while the rest went out in search of grocery stores and did some exploring. There are a lot of hills here! We're spending the evening relaxing around the hostel, anticipating our last day in Brazil tomorrow.

We Found Jesus...For Rio!

Today was a whirlwind day of experiencing Rio. Our tour guide kept saying we needed a week in Rio but he was going to try and share as much as possible in one day. We were all wide-eyed and perky when we got on the bus at 8 AM...mostly wide-eyed from the bright sunshine. We set off at what was supposed to be a break-neck pace but quickly turned to a crawl due to crazy Rio traffic. We didn't mind the slow pace as there were beautiful beaches and yachts to look at not to mention the mountainous scenery. We finally arrived at our first destination...the Christ the Reedemer statue. We took a train up to the top to see one of the seven wonders of the world. It was indeed wonderful and magnificent. Several people attempted to take a selfie with the statue but weren't too successful. We learned that the statue is 38 feet tall including an 8 foot chapel inside the bottom. While the statue itself was great it was the view from so high up that was truly amazing. It was a 360 panoramic view of the city. Buildings, mountains, water, and beautiful beaches could be seen from all around. We took many photos that will make our families jealous when we get home.

After the Christ statue we were off to the Sugar Loaf Gondola. It was another chance to take in the beautiful scenery of Rio as the gondola took us up and across the mountains. We snapped a few pictures of climbers on the rock face. We took pictures of the beautiful greenery, the ocean below, and the white sandy beaches outlining the ocean. We then descended the mountain and headed for lunch. Lunch was on a military base but more importantly...a beautiful beach. Several people declared that coming to the beach was one of the main things they'd been looking forward to and immediatley headed for the sand and the water. The beach did not disappoint. The water was a beautiful temperature, not too hot and not too cold. It was blue and green with white foam. It was also very salty as some people discovered when they divided head first into the waves. Many people went fully into the water and enjoyed a rare chance to be in the ocean. Others stayed on the beach, worked on finally getting a tan so people will believe them when they say they've been to Brazil, and searched for shells.

After a thoroughly enjoyable trip to the beach we headed back to the hostel to prepare for our evening concert. Our concert was hosted at PUCS Rio and was about a five minute drive from the hostel. Once again the short drive was dragged into a long one, 30 minutes, due to Rio traffic. We finally arrived and were shown to our venue which had great accoustics. It was a unique experience because the crowd was the smallest so far, around 50 people, and we followed the PUC choir. We were a bit concerned by the size of the crowd and following a very good and very different choir from our own. Once again we were blown away by the Brazilian crowd. After one song it was clear that a small audience did not mean a low energy level. The concert went wonderfully and we had a chance to meet some of the choir members afterwards.

Our evening concert was a little earlier, 6 PM, so we headed to a night market to do some shopping. It was a good chance to get some souvenirs, experience some local night life, and enjoy a relaxing evening. We then headed back to the hostel to grab dinner and begin the nightmarish task of repacking our suitcases.

Today`s blog title was created by Courtney and Randi

The Bus is Our Home

We're in Rio! Our billets brought us to the university in Ribirao Preto this morning and we said goodbye to each other with hugs and songs - and confetti! A bus rode took us to the RP airport, where we caught our plane to São Paulo and finally Rio, both short flights. We were able to see the famous Christ Redeem statue on our way in, as well as the beautiful waterfront. The humidity, much more than where we've been so far, hit us like a wave on the way in.

We were met by Fernando's family and a guide, who guided us safely through the crazy drivers and narrated the bus ride to the hostel. What we saw of Rio was beautiful - old buildings, parks, palm trees, glittering ocean, soccer games, the whole thing up against the mountains and cliffsides. There were streets lined with skyscrapers and trees, a glimps of the sea at the end like the end of a tunnel. The hostel's crammed between tall buildings, with narrow hallways and white stucco and shutters, and  actual key-shaped keys for the rooms.

After devotions in the common area, we split up,  some heading to a grocery store a few clocks away while others went out to experience Rio's nightlife. We were able to use the kitchen again to prepare food. We've enjoyed our few hours in Rio so far and are looking forward to a busy day tomorrow!

We Finally Get to Give an Ovation

Today was a late morning start which was much enjoyed by all. We met at the university at 11 AM and were off to a buffet lunch. We had a chance to eat lunch with some of our billets and it was fun to get to know some of them better. We also got to know our two guides a little better as they came along and shared more information with us. They were shared a mix of interesting facts and dry humour that kept us both informed and amused. The fun really began after lunch when we visited a samba school. The pounding music, fast feet and hip action where incredible and daunting to watch. Some people got in on the action. After watching the dancers perform we were encouraged to join them. Some brave souls tried it while others sat in chairs and filmed them for future blackmailing purposes. Those who joined in were enthusiastic but quickly discovered you can't learn to samba simply by watching someone do it. Overall it was a great culture experience.

After lunch we drove to Batatais to visit the Good Lord Jesus of Green Sugarcane Church (sugar cane is grown in the area). The church had beautiful artwork and stained glass windows of different scenes from the Bible. Outside of the church was a fare with women selling crocheted goods and food. We seem to cause a stir wherever we go and always know when people are aware of our presence even if they speak in Portuguese. Words like Canada and English could be heard from the announcer and soon we were asked to sing a few songs and of course take pictures.

Following the church tour we stopped at a mall for dinner. From there we walked to the theatre we had visited previously for one of the coolest experiences so far. We were invited to see the Symphony Orchestra of Ribeirao Preto and sing at the intermission. The concert featured a guest viola soloist from Canada. The music was amazing and I personally had various pictures of majestic animals, bright colours, calm breezes, and playful scenes running through my head. The orchestra was given four standing ovations and played three encores. The last encore we later discovered was dedicated to us. It was a samba piece and featured a fabulous trumpet solo. It was fun to be on the giving end of a standing ovation and to slowly transition claps into a steady beat to ask for an encore. We came out of the concert dancing, humming the music, and talking excitedly.

OIBO- Only in Brazil Once

Two posts in one day, since login issues prevented an update last night. Friday morning was spent touring the university campus and Riberiao Preto by bus, with two university students as our guides. Parts of the campus are wilderness fenced off with big, yellow signs warning to stay out because of giant, hairy spiders. After another buffet lunch, we had the chance to walk around a little, though it was really hot (+37!). Our billets came to pick us up and take us to their homes for a few hours before bringing us to St. Angela's, the Catholic Church where our concert was held. The space was beautiful- lots of light and an amazing reverberating space to sing in. The university choir opened the concert with a few songs and then we sang our portion. Again, Salve Regina got a standing ovation and the audience asked for two encores! The second one, a bossa nova piece in Portuguese nearly brought the house down. Dinner at a restaurant followed and then for most of us bed. Some people had a chance to experience a bit of the night life at a local pub as the next day was a late morning start. When in Brazil do as the Brazilians do! OIBO!

190 Somebody Called the Police on Us

On the road again and off to another city. Today was a long, tiring travel day. We left Santa Cruz at 7:30 AM and were off to the airport in São Paulo. That was a two hour bus ride. At the airport we said goodbye to our amazing bus driver Michael and tour guide Rosane or as some people called her Tante Rosane. We were sad to say goodbye as they have been so amazing to us making our trip smooth and enjoyable. At the airport we met some friends of Fernando while we waited for our flight. Going through the check in was nerve wracking for some...they weren't sure if their suitcase would be too heavy. Despite the busy schedule we've found time to shop. Everything went smoothly and we were on our way back to São Paulo. The 1 1/2 hour flight was very rough and several people were feeling sick. Thankfully we made it safely and were glad to be on solid ground again.

At the airport we were picked up by our new bus driver and were off on the 5 hour bus trip from São Paulo to Ribeiro Preto. We made a quick stop for dinner but the rest was straight driving. Needless to say we were all pretty exhausted from the long travel day and whirlwind week. We were greeted at the university by a police escort and our billet families! We are looking forward to sharing billet stories with one another as that is always a highlight of our mini tour.

Two Many Encores

This morning we drove to Santa Cruz do Sul and were greeted at the university, UNISC, by some of the faculty and the rector, who's like our dean. After the usual presentation and coffee, we were given a walking tour of the city, starting with lunch at a restaurant in a park. The park was home to a lake full of turtles, green paths, red rocks and hiking trails, and the highlight: a small zoo with parrots, alligators, and monkeys. In the afternoon, we did more touring, including the beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral. We only had time fora quick visit, but we were asked to sing. The sound of our Kyrie echoing off that soaring ceiling was incredible.

We returned to UNISC for our concert. All of us are tired, but the audience was amazing and we fed off that energy, which gave us the spark to keep going. Two songs in particular, a Portuguese song and the emotional one, Salve Regina, received standing ovations, and they gave us two encores. At the end, we were treated to a demonstration of traditional gaucho dancing by a group of young adults from a cultural centre in Santa Cruz. Some of us also had the chance to see one of the exchange students from UNISC who was at Concordia last semester, Raneili. It was a wonderful day and evening, despite all the tiredness. Back at the hotel, some of us took advantage of the rooftop pool for an hour or two, the first chance we've had to use our bathing suits in Brazil!

On the Radio

Today we said good-bye to the city of Porto Alegre and our hostel. We were off to Lageado and a new hotel. While we loved the hostel and the owners we were thrilled when we saw the spacious hotel rooms and individual bathrooms. We are also looking forward to a quite nights sleep with no traffic... only crickets.

The bus ride to Lageado involved talking about some of the highlights from Porto Alegre. The gecko story, food, and Brazilian hospitality were a few of people's highlights. Jennifer or choir mom shared with us how she had been touched by the music. Despite hearing our concert numerous times she's not sick of us. She also shared how one song in particular, Salve Regina or To the Mothers of Brazil has affected her. It is a piece about the sorrow of mothers who lost their sons during a period of war and takeover by the army in Brazil in the 1980's. She shared how the haunting music and stories from Fernado about that time period had touched her deeply especially being a mother. Her story inspired us and helped us to remember how blessed we are in Canada.

Today's city tour was led by some students from Univates. They showed us around the city and the university campus. Some of the highlights of the campus tour included seeing there TV station set where they film talk shows, sports shows, and music shows. They broadcast on cable television and have logged more hours then all the TV networks in the state. We then visited their radio station where they play all types of music. We had the unique opportunity to be broadcasted on their show. Joy answered some questions about the choir and the concert and then we sang one of our pieces live on the radio as a teaser. Apparently it worked because later that evening the concert was packed.

Not only did we get a chance to sing on the radio but we were able to sing on the brand new stage at the cultural center in Lageado. The culture center was built to fill a demand for a theatre in the area and it is due to open on Saturday. An important dignitary is going to sing and there will be a celebration. Somehow, however, we managed to steal the honor of being the FIRST to sing on the stage. Our audience was a few construction workers and students but normally the audience can be several thousand.

After checking into our hotels we headed back to the university to prepare for our concert. We sang in their auditorium which had no piano. All our pieces were acapella. We had only one hiccup which involved starting a song a whole not higher than normal. We all pulled through with only a few funny looks at each other and a few screechy high notes from the sopranos. The crowd was full to capacity and afterwards we met many of the people including some students wanting to practice English. We of course wanted to practice our Portuguese which is improving thanks to a word of the day session with Fernando.

The evening was topped off with a visit to the universities social club for dinner. There we had delicious food and great conversations with the students who had led our tour. We also introduced them to our crazier side by calling harems on. Our bus driver Michael even got in on the action and was caught sitting by himself with a table of women. It was an evening of fun and laughter.

Each day we have been challenging the choir members to come up with a blog title for the day. It has brought out some competitive and creative sides. We've been meaning to credit people so today's blog title is courtesy of Catie.

Day of Rest?

No concerts today! Instead, we got up even earlier than usual, leaving the hostel at 8 AM to take the bus to the famous German area of Brazil in the mountains, about a two-hour drive - it was a very quiet trip with most people catching up on the rest of their sleep. We stopped in Novo Petropolis, a small town where the German influence is obvious in the architecture and overall cleanliness and safety of the town. There was a labirinto verde, a hedge maze, which we tried - the foliage smelled amazing. There were painted flowers on the benches in the park nearby and even on the trash cans. The people in this area immigrated from Bavaria and Saxony in Germany.

After the short break, we drove on to Gremado, the Christmas capital of Brazil - our tour guide, Jose, told us about the Christmas festivities that happen there every year, which are apparently spectacular. The road we took is called the Hydrangea Road because in November, their summer, hydrangea bushes line the road the whole way - it must be amazing. Even though it's fall now, not many of their trees turn colours since most are evergreens, but we saw a variety of maple in red and yellow, and many dried-up brown stalks in the cornfields. Jose pointed out a pine tree called an araucaria which has male and female varieties with different branches, as well as nuts, some of which we cooked and ate this evening - they're shaped like almonds, and you have to bite the shell to get the nut out. They taste a little like potatoes.

We were met in Gremado by a small choral group from the city, mostly older people, who asked us to sing a few pieces for them on the street. In return, they sang us a Portuguese song from a film and then a blessing before we headed our separate ways. They gave us samples of chocolate - Gremado is also the chocolate capital of Brazil. We had a chance to do a little shopping and then drove to a colonial cafe, a restaurant typical to the area. There were plates and plates of food, as usual, sweet and savoury both - cakes, meats, pastries, bread, jam, and dessert, with sweet wines and grape juice in pitchers on the tables. They brought coffee with dessert, and then the best hot chocolate ever - thick, rich, a little bitter and a little creamy. Those of us who had it are probably spoiled for any other hot chocolate now. It's a good thing that airlines weigh the luggage and not the passengers!

After lunch, we piled onto the bus again to drive to see the waterfalls at Canela. We had less than an hour to spend, but that was enough time to take a gondola up and down the mountain, walk a little bit, see the carved animal menagerie they had, try to call monkeys unsuccessfully, and see the falls a little closer. On the way back through Gremado, we stopped to take photos at the Black Lake, so called because the plants around it came from seeds from the Black Forest in Germany.

Halfway back to Porto Alegre, we stopped at a group of leather outlets for those who wanted to shop and spent an hour or so there. Those who weren't wandering the shops sat on the low wall or the steps outside, enjoying the twilight and the view of the green mountains opposite against the darkening sky until the mosquitoes came out.

Jose, our tour guide today, took excellent care of us - he was obviously excited to point out and tell us about some of the beautiful things in his country, and he even sang us a few songs! When he said goodbye, he told us that he prayed for God to bless us "over all your lives".

By this time it was nearly nine, so we stopped at a grocery store to buy supper and spent half an hour exploring the different foods, many of which we recognise now, and trying to communicate in our terrible broken Portuguese, which was an adventure. Thankfully Fernando and Roxane were keeping an eye out for confused people and stayed on hand to translate when needed. Back at the hostel, we ate our dinners, some people taking advantage of the kitchen to prepare cooked food, relaxed and visited for a while, had our nightly devotion, and are now heading slowly up to bed.

It's been nice to have an evening off. People are singing in the kitchen while doing dishes, talking out on the street, Skyping and internet chatting with family. Fernando is giving "fruit lessons" in the front room - they've covered passionfruit and papaya. There's a lot of traffic at night, cars driving by the hostel all the time, noise drifting up from the street. It's hot so most of the shutters and doors are open - these are normal nighttime sounds. We're usually tired enough to sleep through them. It's been a very busy day off, but we've thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see new things and rest our voices for the next concert.

Hugs and Pastel...Never Ending

This morning we had the chance to participate in a church service at Cristo Lutheran Church. We were a little unsure how well we would be able to follow along, however, the church had kindly provided us with an English translation of the bulletin and sermon. We also quickly discovered that Lutheran culture seems to be a universal. We sang many familiar hymns, spoke the same liturgy, and ate lots of food at a potluck. At lunch we were treated to, of course, a huge, delicious meal consisting of hotdogs and pastel, a thin pie crust with various sweet or savory fillings. We were also treated to a few local songs from some of the members after church.We had an opportunity to meet and visit with many young people at the church.

After church we were off to another city and university, Feevale in Novo Hamburgo. We took a short bus tour of the city including a shoe factory, a view of the city, and the two Feevale campuses. We also toured the newer Feevale campus before heading to the theater to prepare for our evening concert. The theater in which we sang was about the size of the Winspear and our audience was the largest we have ever performed for, 1400. Needless to say we were all a little nervous heading into the rehearsal. We had a photographer from the univeristy following us around and I'm sure he captured plenty of pictures of our stunned faces. Our nervousness quickly turned to excitement when we were greeted by the Feevale choir with a welcoming song. Fernando then told them to come and give us all big hugs. We received many big, heartfelt hugs and once again Brazilian hospitalty helped calm our nerves. 

This concert was a large, important affair involving a partnership signing between Concordia and Feevale. We had a chance to share the Canadian national anthem, some Canadian music, as well as sing the Brazilian national anthem and songs in Portugeuse. Rehearsing our Porguese songs with people who actually spoke Portugeuse was...interesting. Actually we thought we did pretty well preparing ahead of time and only made a few small adjustments. Singing the Brazilian national anthem was a whole different story. It was sung at what we considered a breakneck pace and we stumbled out about half the words and mumbled "watermelon" in Portuguese the rest of the time. Thankfully we had the Feevale choir and audience leading the way. The rest of the concert was a big success and a very exciting experience. We once again received a standing ovation which only added to the excitement of the whole evening.

Following every choir concert we have a tradition of joining hands, yelling 1, 2, 3 PRAY, and then our chaplain will lead us in prayer. This evening we had the Feevale choir join our circle. We had to continously widen the circle as more members arrived. We ended up with a circle of about 60 people. After the prayer we had another hug session complete with more people crying. We have dubbed this open outpouring of emotion "the Brazilian feels". We are definitely feeling like celebrities as people ask to take pictures with us and offer us food and gifts.

After the concert we headed back to Porto Alegre for...you guessed it... more food. We went to a pastel restaurant where we tried various types of pastels. Some types included chicken curry; chocolate, mozzarella, and coconut; apple and cinnamon; and vegetarian. Our long, eventful day ended around 12:30 when we arrived back at the hostel. The excitement wasn't quite over as one group of girls discovered a gecko in their room. There were a few screams as the gecko was corralled into a Ziploc bag and taken downstairs. Apparently the gecko was more afraid of the girls then they were of it because it's tail fell off when it was taken outside to be released into the wilds of downtown Porto Alegre.    

"This Trip Is Making Me Feel Things"

This morning we took a ferry down the Guaiba River out of Porto Alegre. Sunshiny and windy - everyone broke out the sunglasses. The water is polluted almost everywhere in this area because sewage and chemical waste gets dumped into it, so it's murky, lakeweed floating on the surface like heads of lettuce. (The sewage treatment is part of why we're not supposed to flush toilet paper here - it's thrown into the trash instead, which is thankfully changed often.) Further out, though, the water looked blue enough, rimmed by green shoreline with lots of trees. The river trip took us past prosperous island homes - huge houses with beautiful architecture, landscaped lawns sloping down to private decks with sunrooms and barbeque setups. Some of us met a young boy and his mother, both of whom spoke excellent English, and they chatted with us for a while, pointing out and explaining things. We passed a rusty ship half-sunk on one of the banks and were told it had been left there as a symbolic protest of how polluted the river water is. Some of us, on Fernando's recommendation, tried a fruit pop/energy drink on the ferry, something like a cross between Dr. Pepper and cream soda.

Once we returned to the river port, Juanita led us on a walking tour past some historic buildings, like the oldst church in Porto Alegre. It was closed because it was lunchtime, so we took the hint and headed to a buffet restaurant where we again stuffed ourselves with Brazilian foods: lots of fruit, salad, black bean stew on rice, risotto, stuffed eggplant, baked pineapple with cinanmon, and sushi (often made with fruit or vegetables instead of fish). The restaurants we've been to so far have all been buffets, which have one price for everyone, and each person is given a slip with the drink menu which the waiter marks up when you order; you pay at the door and show the stamped slip to get out the door. Very efficient!

After lunch, we boarded our bus for a 20-minute drive to Canoas, where we spend the afternoon and evening.  At the university, Unilasalle, we met a group of English-speaking students who gave us a tour of their very lovely campus. It's a Catholic university not much older than Concordia. One of the things they showed us was a meditational walk past carved depictions of Christ's journey to the cross, all smooth red brick pathway under luxuriant trees and out through a castle-like gate to a prayer shrine at the end. Their breathtaking chapel, where we had the privelege of singing, is dedicated to St. Joseph, with lots of gilding, bright paintings, a grand piano, a pipe organ, and a fantastic acoustical space. After our tour, we had refreshments - the orange juice here is so much better than at home! - and had some time to visit with the students.

The concert this evening went very well; for some, it was the high point of our tour so far. With the luggage, we had all of our instruments back. Our audience was very receptive, probably helped by the fact that many of our songs are sacred Latin texts and one is in Portuguese - apparently our accents are 'cute', but people seem to enjoy the attempts! Last night we got a standing ovation, and after our concert we were told that in Brazil, that means people really enjoyed the concert and are asking for an encore. When people stood up tonight, we were ready this time with an encore. We made Fernando cry, and he wasn't the only one.

Still coming down off the concert high, we went to a pizza restaurant, where we were again served a ridiculous amount of food. Pizza flavours we'd never encountered before: corn, broccoli, chicken heart, stroganoff, and of course cheese, which Brazilians seem to put on everything conceivable. Just when we thought they were done, they brought dessert pizzas - chocolate, M&M, cinnamon and banana, and coconut. According to Jacob, our schedule has been bus, sing, stuff yourself, bus, hostel, sleep, coffee, bus, stuff yourself, bus, sing, ad nauseam. (Well, hopefully not.)

Apparently Porto Alegre serves smaller portions of food than other cities in Brazil. We're doomed.

Nice to Meat You!

Today was a long, amazing adventure beginning and ending with way too much food!

Waking up to the sound of traffic, birds, and chattering voices reminded us that we weren't in Kansas, uh Edmonton, anymore. Breakfast was a precursor to what was to be a day full of amazing food. Breakfast included both familiar and not so familiar food including homemade bread, cheese, papaya, and the one thing most of us can't function without...coffee.

The morning continued with a bus tour of Porto Alegre with our tour guide Juanita. She introduced us to the beauty and history of the city. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful architecture of the city, all the beautiful greenery, as many trees as there are people in Porto Alegre, and the soccer stadium where some of the World Cup games will be hosted. As part of the tour we experienced a dance/martial arts and music performance called Capeoira. They played music on instruments, sang, and danced. We later learned that the dance was inspired by the slaves in Brazil who wanted to escape their lords. They would disguise the fact that they were practicing fight skills by weaving in dance like movements. Some of us got to play instruments and a few learned the dance. I'm not sure how good we were but it was a unique experience. The tour also included a visit to the public market to give us a taste of everyday Brazilian life.

From there we were off to PUCRS, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande Sul. This was our first of two buffets for the day. The food is quickly becoming a tourist attraction for us. We also had a chance to learn more about the university and their exchange program, the food alone may convince a few people to come back for a semester. We then took a short tour of the science museum before returning to the hostel.

One of the highlights of the day was returning to the hostel to discover that the luggage would be arriving at 5.30 PM. It did not arrive in time for our concert; however, the story and our strange, pieced together attire provided a few laughs for our audience. Our tic tac shakers in particular were a hit and a few people wanted a picture with them.  Despite a lack of cohesion in our uniforms the concert went well. We received a standing ovation which Fernado later explained meant we had touched the hearts of the people. It was an inspiring feeling knowing that music truly is a universal language.

Beef, chicken, and pork oh my! Our late night dinner was at a BBQ place with entertainment. Not only was there a buffet of salads, rice, and fruit but waiters we constantly coming up to us with various cuts of meat. Some of the men looked like they had died and gone to heaven. By the end we had all discovered that shaking our head no our waving our hands vigorously in a slashing motion didn't always translate into "No, I can't eat another piece of your delicious meat, I'm about to bust".

While the BBQ'd meats were a huge hit the entertainment was the highlight. It involved traditional dancing, music, and what can only be described as a man furiously and frighteningly whipping two ropes with heavy, metal balls around his body and hitting the hardwood floor with them, making a loud pop. The performers seemed to enjoy having us Canadians in the audience and called two choir members up to participate. Peter and Siobhan were chosen and at first they looked a little chicken but in the end it was an experience they will never forget.

The day ended with half of the choir joyously uniting with their luggage. Several girls declared that it was better than Christmas morning. We now have our proper uniforms, drum, and shakers...we are thinking about keeping the tic-tac shakers since they were such a hit.

Dude, Where's My Luggage?

We're in Brazil! All our flights went well and some of us even managed to get a good sleep on the long flight from Toronto to Sao Paulo. You could feel the difference in the air as soon as we disembarked in Brazil - muggy weather and cool breezes and, once we got outside, even sunshine! Upon arrival, we found out that 16 suitcases had been delayed in transport, but between the rest of us, we're going to be able to get together changes of clothes and so on until the rest arrives, hopefully tomorrow. Luckily nothing more was delayed on our third and last flight.

If Albertan fields, seen from the air, look like a green-and-yellow patchwork quilt, most of the Brazilian ones we saw are like a crazy jigsaw puzzle. Crooked, curving lines along muddy rivers, geometric patterns in green and brown. The dirt is red, startling slashes in all the green.

When we got in to Porto Alegre from our last flight, Roxane, our guide, met us with a smile, lots of hugs, air kisses, and a traditional Brazilian drink something like green tea. We met Michael, our driver, who'll be with us for a while, and then collapsed on the incredibly comfortable seats of the tour bus we get to drive around in. Fernando, one of the professors from Concordia, is our translator, and Roxane promised to try to speak English if we try to learn a bit of Portuguese. We drove through Porto Alegre to our hostel. The city looks like a mix of modern and really old, broken down buildings: graffiti and bright colours, sparkling lake water and lush green everywhere, skyscrapers and red slate roofs. Most of us were on our second wind by this time and could actually enjoy it.

Our hostel is small, the building a bit old-fashioned, brightly painted inside and with a lovely shady patio and back garden where we enjoyed traditional Brazilian snacks for a late lunch before unpacking in our rooms. We met up again for a walk before supper, which Brazilians apparently eat pretty late, after seven-thirty. On the walk to our restaurant, we detoured to see what is apparently the Guinness World Record winner for prettiest city street. It was dusky, so it was hard to see a lot.

After this, we walked through a mall, picked up essentials for some of the people who are waiting for luggage at a grocery store, and then walked to our restaurant, La Carretas. They fed us well! Barbequed sausage, cheese, and garlic bread for starters, and when we were already feeling full, they brought us salads and steaks. As the first sit-down meal we'd had since the trip started, it was pretty fantastic. By the time we finished, though, it was past 9.30 pm and most of us were falling asleep on our feet, so we walked back to the hostel and, after devotions as is usual on choir trips, are getting ready for bed.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts with us as we travelled! 

Our exciting journey has begun! So far it has been uneventful which is a good thing since we've been flying.

The Concordia Concert Choir is busy preparing for their trip to Brazil. Family and friends can stay updated on the trip and the choir's adventures through this blog.