Celebrating a Year

I will leave today. I finish packing in the morning and head out just before noon to Praca Sao Salvador to listen to the roda there and meet Romulo, Cecilia and Bia for lunch. I’m not playing– issues with amplification– but it’s fun just to be there to soak up the atmosphere and bask in the beautiful sunny day. It’s a long holiday week-end in Rio– Friday was the patron saint’s day for the city, Sao Sebastiao– so many people have gone away to seaside or mountain resorts, and those who are left are in a festive mood. The circle of musicians is surrounded by stalls for crafts, food, and drink, and a large crowd idylls in the square, chatting, listening to the music. We eat at the delicious BiBi– home of the best salads and apparently the original juice bar in Rio. I catch a bus back to Urca, a taxi to the airport, and wait the requisite number of hours until my plane takes off. I’m glad to be heading home, although the trip itself never gets any easier– around 20 hours door-to-door if there are no glitches. I’ve learned alot, accomplished alot, and had some delight R&R in warm sunny weather, a welcome break from New England’s winter cold. But a new semester awaits, there are new syllabi to write, new students to teach, new music to be made, new adventures to be had, and so despite the prospect of snow and bitter cold, my thoughts turn homeward happily.