The new school year will be starting in less than a month, after carnival has brought the Bahian summer to an end. Already Pietro and Marlene have begun to send out publicity for course registration and, as always, there will be improvements and additions. To satisfy the huge demand, Pietro has decided to purchase a few more computers, including one high performance model, to quell Julio’s crescendo of complaints, and a couple more for a new dedicated room in the hostel. But adding computers automatically means adding computer desks, so Pietro has hired our stalwart friend Biro Biro to make them for us. Biro Biro is one of the many extraordinary characters that live in our neighborhood. He is a famous cachaça drinker, a vice that he cultivates with the most beatific passion imaginable, but he is also a talented carpenter, and he does all our woodwork. And it’s so much more fun to help him, rather than spending more at a furniture store!
