Chovendo gatos e cachorros!

Today I experienced my first thunderstorm in Brazil.  I love thunderstorms. The thunder was loud in my classroom and the rain cooled down the temperature tremendously, making it much easier to be awake in class.  When I got home from school today I had an amazing lunch with my family consisting of my favorite and the usual: beans, rice, and eggplant.  They really know how to make their eggplant and the importance of beans and rice is completely understood here.  Then I snugged down under a blanket and took a little nap to the sound of rain on the roof.  When I woke up, my cousin, Taís, was here so we watched a movie and waited for my sister to return from school (we had plans to make brigadeiro- the chocolate truffle I fell in love with my first day here).  The rain stopped at about four so I decided it was an opportune moment for a run.  I asked my host dad if I could go and he stepped outside, looked at the sky, looked back at me and said, "It's going to rain again."  I assured him that I didn't mind, it was only a little rain and I was going to take a shower after anyway.  He said I could go if I wanted, but when it rains in Brazil, it rains.  Feeling pretty confident, I skipped out the door and walked the short walk to the park where many people in the city exercise.  The smell of the rain on the pavement was beautiful and the sky was grey, threatening rain.  There was an amazing amount of water running down the gutter on the side of the street and there were puddles around the track where I run, but this wasn't gonna stop me!  I started my run and after the first lap it started to sprinkle again, but it didn't bother me.  "Rain's no big deal," I thought smugly.  The there was a clap of thunder and boom, I was soaked.  The rain was so sudden that it took me by surprise.  It was difficult to see because it was dripping in my eyes and beating down on my head.  It was beautiful, but there was no way I could run in this.  I sprinted back to my house and only paused a moment outside, weighing the choice to admit to  my stubborn failure or stay outside and wait the appropriate amount of time for a run.  The rain made my decision for me and I returned inside to a friendly, "I told you that it rains in Brazil, Ksa-Maria!"  When I had dried off, my sister and my cousin taught me how to make brigadeiro (the key is leite condensado) and we enjoyed the storm safely inside.