pictures from ibitinga...

We spent xmas in Ibitinga, a small town in the state of São Paulo, about 5 hours from the city. It's the "embroidery capital of Brazil", where Ana's mom is from. Ana lived here for a while too.

Some travel shots:







Some shots from outside of town. We ate dinner at a small bar by the river, roasted chicken and fresh fish. Then we had a few beers, you get a big 25oz beer for R$2.50, which is about US$1.25.








Some shots from around Ibitinga. The town was pleasant, and hot!! Ana thinks Ibitinga is "hicksville" but I was enjoying the peace and quiet.







We spent xmas eve at Ana's uncle's house, along with 5 cousins and their families. (Her mom is in the states right now.) It was a lot of people, but it didn't feel crowded because the house is big and open. We had a late, big dinner, had the official xmas celebration at midnight (kinda like new year's), the kids opened presents, and we left pretty soon afterwards (bellies full and eyes sleepy). We got together on xmas day for lunch and hanging out.



Everyone was really welcoming; those that could speak some English tried (and I tried to speak and follow along when I could). Between the cousins, wives/husbands, and kids, I was overwhelmed from meeting so many people. I was a little weirded out when I got there, but everyone was so nice it wasn't hard to feel comfortable.



This is Jose Guilherme Bersano, Ana's uncle, the head of the house. Everyone calls him "zay". I liked him a lot. He's a big guy as you can see, and he's pretty intimidating. He likes to grab firmly you by the arm and move you where he wants. On xmas eve, after I ate way too much for dinner (ham, pork ribs, turkey, chicken, potato salad, farofel, and rice), he ordered me to eat dessert...immediately. Pointing at the cake: "You...must...have some...now." Me: "Um, mais tarde, por favor?" Him: "No, now!"


He spoke English fairly well, though he started hesitantly - he told me he learned English 50 years ago in school and hadn't used it since. He was very welcoming and was grabbing people all night saying "you! talk to him in english!" haha.




We're back in São Paulo now. We leave for Rio on Thursday...everyone here has told me I'm going to have a blast, so my hopes are high!