The Second day was just as fun as the first. On the morning of the second day I went out with my roommate and best friend on the trip Hannah. She and I went down town to just walk around and do a little shopping. The weather was hot; by 9 am it was well into the 90’s and really humid. Imagine a mid- July day but at 9 in the morning; that is kind of what it felt like. I really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with her. I love how she and I can honestly say whatever comes to us and feel safe and comfortable enough to tell one another. God really put this wonderful person in my life at this point. She is my rock on the ship, well we are for each other and that is what makes us such great room mates. I couldn’t imagine having any other roommate on board.
We both had field trips that day so we came back after lunch and got ready to go out into various parts of Manaus with other students.
I went on two field trips to a local dance studio. The trip was about twenty miles away from the port so we did have a little ride, but I got see another part of the city. I got to see some of the Shanty Towns (towns that just pop up outside of cities that are full of people in poverty). It was a pretty drive and an eye opening one just simply because I got to see more than what the average tourist sees when they come to Manaus. Once I arrived at the dance studio I was instantly reminded at how much I love and miss dance. I met the instructor Miller (pronounced like Meellar) and we instantly got to dancing. The first class I had was a Brazilian dance class. Here we learned how to Lambda, Samba, and Salsa. We just learned a few steps from each dance but it was fun to dance to local music with some locals. That class lasted for about two hours. Then, right after that I took an Amazon Tribal Dance class! Oh my goodness, it was one of the best experiences of my life. In this class we learned 2 whole tribal dances. We got to dance to local music, with locals, and with local movement. These dances we learned were not only local to Brazil but local to Manaus which made them even more fun to learn. At the end of the lesson Miller and I were having a great time. It was so cool to see how we could communicate with one another just through our bodies. Dance can definitely be an international language. I had so much fun that I actually went back the next day to the same class just so I could experience it all again.
The second day I went to class (which was my third day in port) Miller told me through an interpreter that I already knew the dances and I said that I didn’t care that I just wanted to experience them again! So I stepped into the back of the classroom to give the new students a good perspective of the dance they were about to learn. Miller started class and then stopped. He turned around, walked to the back, grabbed my hand, and led me to the spot right next to him. He asked me to help him teach the class! It was easier to teach since I already knew the dances and could translate the movements into English. It was so fun! He would start dancing and ask me to join then just stop so that everyone would be watching me do it. At first it was kind of embarrassing, but then when the class clapped it was an awesome feeling! The class went very smoothly. It was just as enjoyable as the first time I went.
After class Miller pulled me and a few girls aside and invited us to a local club where he and the other dance instructors would be that night. So we went back to the ship, ate, got ready, and headed across town to this club. It was a great experience! Everyone was so welcoming at the club. Even though we could not speak Portuguese and they could not speak English we were still able to have a great time! Random gentlemen would come and just whisk us around the dance floor. In the middle of the night the singer would yell “Americanos!!!!” and motioned for us to come to the stage. Here Miller taught us some of their “line dances” which was so fun! I wish that clubs were like this in America. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. You could leave your purse on a table and no one would mess with it, it was okay to dance with anyone who was in the club, and everyone was just eager to teach us about their culture. It was just amazing! I feel like these words that I’m writing don’t really describe what I felt and experienced but it’s really the only way I know how to describe it.
I would say that I stayed out way too late for being as tired as I was, but that I had the greatest night to date on this journey. I definitely know that Brazil is somewhere I will come back to if for nothing else but to dance!
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