Happy Independence Day, Amurca!

Happy birthday America! And a welcome back party for me. The weather FINALLY cooled off a bit. Yesterday was 102°F which was plenty hot for us. I spent the evening yesterday with my friend Tif in her small town, hopping around the bars and such. It was great catching up with her, but funny to realize the stark differences in American and Brazilian culture. I sure do miss those hugs-and-kisses greetings! They were a nice way to start introductions as I felt a little isolated not getting "properly" introduced to new people when we were out.

Still, I have plenty of friends and support here! This is a group of my parents' friends hanging around the bar and partying in the pool! A whole bunch of my friends showed up too- from the UP to Chicago- I got a pretty good group of awesome amigos. I don't know how many times I talked about Brazil! :) They were all pretty happy for me- and happy I've returned. We stayed out swimming, drinking, and laughing (and ninja-ing cream puffs) until the wee hours of the morning.