seekingmygreaterperhaps

Oi! Tudo bem?

This morning was my first free morning since I have started orientation at EAB. When people ask me how the transition is, all I can say is it’s a whirlwind. Right now, in the best possible way. However, this whirlwind is tired. Today, was a nice fill up of the cup.

Yesterday, EAB hosted an event welcoming new families to the school. Students got to meet each other, and the counselors met with our students to go over their schedules, talk about the block scheduling and how the school day works, and ask if they wanted to change their electives. *Gasp* – to be fair though, they didn’t pick any of them, we did, so this was their first time viewing them.

This morning I woke up, pet Kya, made scrambled eggs and was excited for a day of no scheduled responsibilities. A new friend/ coworker from EAB texted me asking if I wanted to bike on the Eixao… uh, YES!

(Pause) What is the Eixao? Brasilia is a planned city, and it’s streets and blocos are in the shape of an airplane. The Eixao is the axis that connects the wings together with the body of the plane. This is a 6 lane wide street that runs through all of the main city part of Brasilia. On Sundays (every. single. Sunday.) the city blocks off the Eixao and it opens up as a pedestrian playground. No cars, only people.

My friend Alex invited me because she knew I have a bike, so off we went. It is a straightforward bike ride, and there were hundreds of people utilizing this wide open space! From bikers to rollerbladers, to walkers, to kids on their tricycle, it was bustin. There is not a lot of shade on the Eixao because it is normally a big highway, so by the middle of the day (when the above picture was taken), most of the crowds had dwindled. Safety is sexy, and I didn’t try taking pictures on my phone when we started the ride because I would probably have fallen off my bike.

Our turn-around point was in Asa Norte, and there were a ton of booths and music and food vendors catering to those who were on the Eixao. I enjoyed an arepa for lunch- which is a Venezuelan specialty. It’s also gluten free, which doesn’t matter to me but does to others. Mine was filled with pulled pork and cheese. In the above photo, you can see my beautiful blue bike in the background.

We ended our ride at a delicious bakery and had celebratory snacks.

Brasilia is not hilly. Until you ride a bike. Add to that I haven’t done cardio outside of the barre studio in many months, I was a little rusty. I am excited to live in a place where I can bike in relative safety from getting run over. My legs are bound to be a bit shaky, but I’ll build up my strength in no time!

Até a próxima vez! Tchau!