When I woke up on Wednesday morning, I thought I was in my own room back in Washington waking up to my brothers scrambling around getting ready for football workouts when really I was hearing Clara getting ready for school.
That morning, Clara’s mom made us a wonderful breakfast that included a whole variety of fruits, breads, Nutella, and Brazilian Cream Cheese. It was so nice for Miah and I to have something different for a change. We’re usually used to the regular cereal and toast every morning, so change was good. After breakfast, Sophia (Clara’s sister) took us to the Minas Tênis Club which was only a two minute walk so it was very close.
Marcelo happily greeted us at the entrance and took us on the grand tour through Minas, introducing us to a lot of people along the way. Walking and touring through the club was BREATHTAKING! It was like a huge Resort that everyone comes to every day. There were indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, restaurants, snack bars, weight room, medical/training rooms and everything else you could possibly think of.
The best part of the tour was walking into the arena, an enormous gym with stands on both sides of the court creating the perfect image of a championship court. It was such a beautiful facility!
Later on that day, we had practice for about 2 hours and then walked back home for lunch. Lunch was so extravagant. We had a delicious pot roast, beans, and rice, and to finish it off we had mouth-watering Brazilian chocolate called Bom Bom which means “Good Good”. Miah and I were very appreciative of the time and effort that went into this wonderful meal by Angelina (Clara’s mom) and the housekeeper. Afterwards, we all walked back to Minas and hung around the pool with the Brazilians. What seemed like a chilly winter to them seemed like an island paradise to us therefore we enjoyed the beautiful weather quite thoroughly.
At this point most of us were ready to go back inside and watch Clara’s practice for about an hour or two. Their practice was very intense but fun to watch. Her team scrimmaged an older team which was exciting to see. When her practice was finished, her team as well as mine all walked together to eat out at a restaurant called Pastels. It was so AMAZING! It was meat and cheese inside little pockets of dough and deep fried. It doesn’t sound too appetizing but it was so good! Later that night all us girls all hung out, danced, played games, and just talked. It was a night to remember!
I noticed so many differences between Brazil and Washington and I’m excited to see more! The way people talk, their language, how people mingle with another, their foods, EVERYTHING. I also learned to appreciate the things I have at home and accept the way our lives are living in the U.S. Brazil may be different, but I’m anxious to see and explore the rest of Belo Horizante and play in the Minas tournament.
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