Life in the tropics

At school we have this gorgeous pool. I can't express how hard it is to resist the temptation to dive right in after a long, hot day at school. Yes, I have gone swimming in it and no, I have not dunked any of my students in it - not yet any way.

While I am living in a city of over a million, the jungle is never far off. This other picture is taken of the forest that is across the street from my school. Our gardener uses a lawn mower but he also has a machete for the big stuff. This patch of forest is also where I saw a two and a half foor lizard scurry off one afternoon. Right.

Tree Time

Here are some pictures of the fruit trees we have at our school. We have acerola (Amazon cherry), mango, star fruit, papaya, and a couple others that I'm not sure about.

Christmas Program

The school year fiinished on Decemeber 7th. To celebrate we had a small Christmas program complete with decorations, American Christmas carols, and home-made Christmas tree costumes. The whole thing was really adorable. My favorite part was the 3-5 year olds singing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."

Hanging out with my students

Here's some pictures of me and some of favorite students Genianne and Carol.

Children's Day

October 12th was Dia das Crianças here in Brazil. For children it's like a mini Christmas where they get toys and other gifts from parents and other family members. I think it's all a ploy by the Brazilian toy industry myself.

On the 11th we had a day of fun and games for the kids because we had the 12th off from school. Here are some pictures of the little darlings I teach here in the middle of the Amazon.

Teatro Amazonas

This is the Teatro Amazonas. It is an opera house that was completed in 1896 at the height of the rubber boom in Manaus at the end of the 19th century. There are a few buildings left from that period around Manaus, but this by far is the most incredible. No expense was spared to build this place. Materials from all over the word were used to build this opera house which is still in use today. There are concerts and other events, as well as an opera festival every April/May. Much of the artwork and paintings were done in France and then shipped over piece by piece to Brazil. Kiran is sporting the sweet slippers we had to wear in the ballroom so as not to damage the rare woods used on the floor. The last photo is of the opera house at sunset, and shortly afterwards Karin and I took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the opera house.

Downtown Manaus

Here are some photos from downtown Manaus. The first one is taken from my friend Kiran's apartment. She's another teacher at the school where I work. In the distance you can see the Rio Negro and the Amazonian jungle. The next photo shows more of downtown, this time with the Teatro Amazonas, the famous opera house.

Where in the world is Becky Brown?

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I've decided to set one of these up so that all my friends and family can keep track of me as I go South American way. I'll be teaching Enlgish for the next year or so in Manaus, Brazil.

Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonas. If it looks like it is in the middle of nowhere, that's because it is. It's about 900 miles from the Atlantic, and there are very few roads to and from Manaus. Most things get there by boat or by plane. It's a city of around a million and a half people located on the Rio Negro, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon. A few miles down stream it meets with the Rio Solimões. The two rivers are so different in density and speed that they two run along side each other and don't mix for miles.