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!
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