Upon welcoming me in, I hear the bossa nova of Bob, my host, playing beautifully in the background. I fell in love with Bossa Nova in 1994, upon landing in Brazil as a foreign exchange student. Paulo, my Brazilian host father, also used to always play his bossa nova from tape reels– and this is the first time since living with Paulo that I’ve seen music played on reels– and I’m thrilled that it’s bossa nova! Already, Bob & I are hitting it off well and have plenty to talk about .