Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans, wherever in the world you may be! I don't know any other Americans here in Brazil, but I have arranged with Tiago to go buy some fireworks to set off tonight. So, despite the fact I will be without good 'ol charcoal grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, I'll still be able to share in some of the festivities.

These past couple of days have been relatively activity-filled. I went to Valinhos again with Rodrigo, where we played some poker again. This time, there were only 9 players to begin with, but most everyone there was well-seasoned in the art of Texas Hold 'Em. Once again, I finished in 4th place, despite holding the chip lead for much of the middle of the game. Rodrigo again finished in 3rd, one place out of the money. The winner and runner-up were Cahuel, Rodrigo's best friend, and his father, Carlinhos. I really had a great time as we laughed and joked throughout the night. Rodrigo's friends are all great guys, and I have really enjoyed spending time with them.

Poker, anyone?

The room where we play, snooker and foosball included

Me, Cahuel, Celso, and Marcelo

Crammed in the back of the car after poker

The view of Valinhos from Rodrigo's kitchen

I stayed the night at Rodrigo's again, and we went to Edumed together in the morning. After the usual day of work, I went back to the house where I chatted with Enrique for a while. He told me they were going to a party that night to celebrate Nahuel's (the Argentine) departure. I agreed to go along, and I was able to watch Watchmen before heading out to the festa. This time, the party was at a house just outside the campus of UNICAMP. Enrique explained that a bunch of French foreign students were staying in the house, and they were hosting the party to celebrate their own departures as well. The house was quite far away, and we had to ride bicycles to get there. I've now ridden a bike more times here in Brazil over the past 6 weeks than I had in the states over the past 6 months.

The party was fun, with plenty of international students, but no other Americans. So when I looked at the time and it was officially the 4th on the East Coast of the US, I cheered. Enrique and Yuri congratulated me as well. It was slightly awkward but pretty funny looking back on it. I'm sad to see another friend from the house leave, even though I didn't know Nahuel very well. I am the last remaining foreigner in the house.

Actually, I'm practically the only one in the house now, since all of the guys have left for their winter break. Most of them won't be back until the beginning of August, though some have to come back in two weeks to retake an exam or two. The rest of the weekend I'll spend at Tiago's, but it looks like plenty of movie-watching is heading my way next week. I'll post again soon, hopefully with some fireworks stories to tell.