More Holiday Greetings! We are finding ourselves competing for sweaters and scarfs, mittens and hats as we attempt to stay warm in the frozen northland. All is good though. We are enjoying a wonderful visit with Mom and Dad, and we were able to take in some sledding with Joe's brother and family yesterday. Thought I'd post a quick update of the past week. Here is the fruit basket we prepared for our porteiros before leaving for the airport Christmas day. They were thrilled with the gift and dug in immediately. It feels so good to give!
Sierra adjusted to the colder air by wearing a warm hat and sweatshirt to the dinner table.
Joe and I found a new way to take in our morning coffee. Yes, those are snowflakes falling around us.
We decided to warm up in the hottub.
And cool off in the snowbank!! We jumped right back into the hot tub after this photo op! BRR!

Happy Holidays!!

Here's my 9 year old on Santa's lap (with her friend Luisa at her side). This is the real thing folks. NO synthetic beard, NO fake twinkle in this fella's eyes. And look how tall my baby is next to sitting Santa! Unbelievable.

However, remember this holiday season--HE is the reason for the season--no, not this wonderful mood brightening icon Santa who is great in his own way. Give thanks and praises to Jesus. Remember that every day is a gift, each relationship you have a blessing, and every moment an opportunity to live in His way. May the new year bring good health, calm spirits, and plenty of laughter to your days.

Sunrises and Sunsets
The life of a teacher is filled with beginnings and endings. Twice a year there's an end. Twice a year there's a beginning. It's an interesting perspective to live with. The psychological impact it has is interesting too. You can sense the approaching "end" in the air. The upcoming start to something fills you with anticipation and glee. I don't think I would choose a different way of life though. It's stimulating. It keeps me on my toes. It helps me appreciate the moments one at a time. It makes the progression from one phase to another more apparent in my thinking. I like it. It's a good life.

Too many shoes?

Is it possible? What did Imelda Marcos do? I think I am outgrowing my shoe closet space. You would think with a stash of shoes this size I would not have a concern of what pair to wear--ever. Unfortunately, right now one of my biggest concerns is what I have for shoes in late Dec. and Jan. when I visit my parents in Minnesota where wearing flip flops or sandals isn't exactly comfortable this time of year. Hmmm, I guess that sounds like a great reason to HAVE to go shoe shopping! What do you think?

Sierra is taking after me quite nicely. She has begun building her own stash. This picture doesn't include all of her choices! In all honesty, ladies, shopping for earrings and shoes is one of the greatest things we can do, for shoes and earrings NEVER make your butt look big!

Stubborn Moth

This morning, while getting ready for school, I hear Sierra scream, "MOOOOOMMMM! Come here please." I entered her bathroom to find this lovely fellow inside her cabinet.Joe spent some time today trying to evict the visitor from our apartment, to no avail. He shooed it from the bathroom only for it to fly back into the house through Sierra's bedroom window. He chased it around a little more, managed to shoe it back outside only for it to fly back into the house through our bedroom window. He gave up. Obviously, this refugee moth requires respite and shelter. Who are we to kick it out? So, here it perches, on the ceiling in the hallway between Sierra's bathroom and bedroom. I think she's scoping Sierra's earrings and necklaces!

One of Sierra's favorite passtimes lately is to go to Youtube.com and find videos from High School Musical 2, Ashly Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, and countless other tween stars. One night, when she had earphones connected to the computer, she serenaded us with her wonderful singing! She even throws in a move or two now and again. I do love listening to her sing. Joe and I joked that we were graced with our very own Brazilian Idol in our apartment.

A Saturday at the beach!
We had plans to spend the day on our friend Alvaro's boat near Angra and Ilha Grande--about 2 hours out of the city, but the rain has been coming and going, sometimes pretty forceful. It's just part of the season. So, at 6:30 a.m. Alvaro called the Marina only to receive a report involving fog and rain--not exactly conducive to boating. In turn, we slept in and brainstormed rainy day activities. Throughout the time of brainstorming the clouds broke up, and the sun was shining in the city. Plan B: Visit a beach in the city we haven't been to. The result: this adorable little beach between Sao Conrado and Barra, only 15 minutes drive from our house. It has a name, but I can't remember it.Here are Sierra and her friend Luisa as we arrived and scoped the beach below. There was a quaint little walk down the hill to get to the sand. Only a few people speckled the beach and several surfers bobbed in the water beyond the waves.
The girls posed for a second shot with the full ocean in the background, and a couple of motorcycles.
The decent to the beach was interrupted as Alvaro paused to notice 4 children in the water near some rocks. We all stopped, and Alvaro suddenly said, "I think those kids are in trouble." The current near the rocks creates a dangerous undertow, and the kids appeared to be stuck in the undertow. We watched for about 5 seconds before Alvaro started yelling to the surfers in the water and those ascending the rocks near us, "There are 4 children! They need help! They're in trouble." Soon, a surfer who had been heading up the hill handed me his car keys, asking for me to hold them for him. He proceeded to put on his fins and jump in the water with his board. There had been one of the 4 kids who had drifted from the other 3 and that poor little boy's body kept bobbing under the water more frequently! The lump in the pit of my stomach was huge as I watched the events unfold. In what seemed like hours, but was actually only a minute or two, the surfer who handed me his keys reached the bobbing boy and 3 other surfers from in the water reached the other 3 children and placed them on the surfboards to pull them to safety, away from the rocks, beyond the waves and back into shore. Praise God!
We all five watched the entire process of events with worry and fear and prayer. Once the kids were safe, we completed our descent to the beach, quietly. I returned the keys to the good semaritan surfer when he reached the beach, acting as though he had not done anything special. I wanted to hug him for his actions--but I refrained. Sierra and Luisa didn't really enter the water until we had been at the beach for at least an hour; I think they were a bit apprehensive--with reason.
The experience provided a great opportunity to discuss the dangers of the ocean. Alvaro grew up on the ocean, both surfing and boating. He has been the rescuer surfer more than once. He said he was ready to ask those surfers on the rock near us for their board if they hadn't moved when they did to rescue the kids. We concluded our conversation over lunch/dinner with the girls, explaining how important it is to always be cautious of the waves and the tides and where you are at all times. The ocean is majestic but its powers are greater than ours. We must respect its forces.

The holiday season...

You always know that Christmas is near in Rio when the Christmas Tree goes up in the Lagoa. The city assembles this enormous metal tree full of lights and holds an official tree lighting the first of December every year complete with fireworks. We can see the tree from our verandah for most of the holiday season.

You also know that Christmas is near in Rio when you hear Christmas carols blaring from the street. As soon as you peer out to find where it's coming from, you see the caravan of semi's lit with Christmas lights and advertising the holiday coke can.

For me, I always know that Christmas is near when an annual "Girl's Weekend in Buzios" is planned. This weekend was the third I have been on since moving to Rio. I guess that's more of a bi-annual thing then, huh?

Mara, Tati, and Suzanne posed for a nice shot at our favorite crepe restaurant, Chez Michou. (Suzanne's eyes are ALWAYS closed in pictures.)Tati taught us the proper way to drink a caipirinha. Plenty of water while drinking keeps the headaches away.And, we had a wonderful room with a fabulous veranda for our comfortable weekend of relaxation. Today was back to work, a nice tan, plenty of rest and ready to face the week.

This is what I saw when I entered my house last night after work! A shiny brand spankin new creater of heavenly, sweet HOT water. The irony that is sat in the middle of the cold tile kitchen floor while I screamed in the cold tile shower was a little hard to swallow, but the thoughts of what I knew today would bring helped me be strong. Those thoughts helped me to rub a little hard, creating warm friction, as I lathered my goose-bumps under the frigid spray of the shower. Because I knew today would involve--finally--a warm, or hot if I preferred, cleansing.
And this is Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude. (Poor Joe.) He arrived shortly after 11:30 this morning (definitely pushing that 9-noon scheduled window) and remained in the apartment until almost 1:45. The joy, the excitement, the anticipation Joe felt was bubbling over as he headed toward the bathroom for the first warm shower in the house in a week. On the way to endulge, he passed through the kitchen only to find--a puddle of water! The brand spankin new water heating machine was LEAKING!
Quick, think fast, who do I call? Where's the number? Oh, no! Sir-at-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude is going to be on the other side of Rio in 30 minutes if I don't act fast. If Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude makes it to the other side of the city before I call him back it could be FRIDAY before he returns and Friday before we have hot water. HELP!!!
Call #1: to the technician number provided on the business card from the store. Who answers: the answering service for all technicians. The response: Please hold. FIFTEEN minutes laters: Joe hangs up.
Call #2: SUZANNE, our trusty friend and helpful translator in times of crisis, a.k.a. NOW!
Thankfully, Suzanne was able to reach the technician operator, communicate our need, and get Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude back to our apartment to finish the job. (This really isn't that big of a feit for Suzanne since she is Brazilian and Portuguese happens to be her first language, but it is pretty impressive to us non-fluent Portuguese speaking wannabes.)
AND AT LAST.................I have just ended the most magnificent shower I have had in what feels like ages but in fact is only one week.

Thanksgiving in Brazil 2007


We work on Thanksgiving here. To improvise, Joe and another friend of ours, Liana, decided to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for our group of friends Friday evening. The house filled with the smell of roasting turkey, the site of gathering friends and their children, and the sound of holiday cheer. The food was incredible. Joe and Liana really outdid themselves. I think they had a good time together too. I joked with Liana Friday evening about the fact that she and Joe had spent more time together this week in preparation than with their spouses, and I think I mentioned that Alvaro (her husband) and I might be spending some time at the beach together this weekend to even things out.

Here are Joe and Liana in the kitchen preparing.

Here they are again, Joe tending to the mashed potatoes on the stove.

In traditional Thanksgiving fashion, we all overendulged by filling our plates too full the first time and going back for seconds and I think most of us tried each variety of pie--pecan and sweet potato despite the fact that we had no more room in our tummies. Nonetheless, it was a fabulous way to spend the holiday, even a day late.

The Year of the Cold Shower, Part 2

How many days does it take to deliver a hot water heater? In Brazil, 3 to deliver + 1 to install. Yes, you read correctly. I ventured to Amoedo (Brazilian Home Depot) yesterday after work and before our Thanksgiving celebration with friends (we worked Thursday, wait this topic is for another post coming later today complete with pictures of the festivities, so I'll stay on topic) to buy a new hot water heater, a.k.a. boiler.
I picked out and bought and 80 liter hot water heater/boiler. The technician was scheduled to come by the apartment this morning to investigate the situation OR to determine the correct "kit" needed for installation. The water heater will be delivered on Monday morning, and the technician will return Tuesday morning to complete the process by installing. I don't know about you, but I find it interesting that the technician can't come the same day as the delivery. It's just not the way it works here though.
Until then, cold showers. Man, am I looking forward to Tuesday afternoon. I think I'll make plans to camp out in the shower for at least 45 minutes testing the new unit, enjoying the warm water on my back, shaving my legs twice or three times and thoroughly conditioning my hair...ahh the thoughts of it are heavenly. Nothing like wishing away the weekend.
The length of time required for the completion of this transaction is typical here. It seems that things take twice as long to complete as they typically do in the states. Part of this is because jobs are created for people by compartmentalizing responsibilities. It would make sense to me that the person responsible for delivering the water heater would also be responsible for installing, but that is not the case. They are two different entities. The store is able to employ one or two men responsible for delivery and several others who are exclusively technicians. In a city of 14 million, jobs are scarce. I tend to complain about these situations requiring patience (I felt the same way in August when it took 2 weeks to re-hook up my gas--the beginning of the cold shower saga). Don't let me fool you though. See the fact that nothing is fast and no one is in a hurry is actually a really nice way to live. If you're late, no problem. If it comes tomorrow, no worries. If it doesn't arrive, it will tomorrow, no sweat. It really does reduce stress.
And although I am trying to remind myself of this, all I can do is scream: I want a hot shower TODAYYY!!!
And when all is complete and the new water heater is up and running, I'll be sure to post a photo of the shiny new addition to our household. And don't worry, I won't include any shower pictures during our first night with hot water again. This is a family friendly blog site.

Year 2 in Brazil, The Year of the Cold Shower

Tuesday morning we woke in relaxed manner since it was a Brazilian holiday, and there was no school/work for the day. We sauntered into the kitchen to find a small puddle of water near the washing machine and the hot water heater. The question: Was it from the washing machine or the hot water heater. The answer: The hot water heater.

It seems this decrepit old device has some mild corrosion (mild used lightly here), which caused the leak that was progressively flooding our kitchen by the minute. Joe commenced to fixing the problem, which would involve removing the existing, crumbling pipe, saudering a new piece and reconnecting.

Now, if we had the typical American garage overflowing with tools, this would not have been as big a problem. But we don't. If it had been a regular Tuesday, the hardware stores would have been open, and we could have purchased the assumed needed materials, but it wasn't. Instead, we made due, attempted to fix the problem with what we had, and ended the day with cold showers. While running in and out of the building in search of various materials, Joe spoke to one of the doormen who said all the required materials/tools are right here in the building, and he could use them--the next day. We swallowed the fact that it would be a night of cold showers based on the element of expecting all to be fixed the very next day.

So, Joe awoke Wednesday to wait for the arrival of the doorman and his trusty toolbox, determined to fix this stubborn unit. Around 4 p.m., the man with the tools arrived only to tell Joe that he wouldn't lend him the tools. We could pay him to fix it, but he would not let Joe use his tools. Talk about a territorial issues with tools. In turn, Joe ventured to the nearest hardware store to buy what he needed. When he returned, he got right to work. The thought of a nice warm shower was clear in my head.

I heard banging and pounding and grunting. I peered around the corner to find the washing machine doubling as a step ladder. I was thinking there must be progress with all this racket. More pounding, a little cursing, and the clank of a tool hitting the tile floor beneath the water heater. Next thing I know, Joe appears from around the corner, sweat glistening on his brow line, perplexity written all over his face.

It turns out, with each crank, shimmy, tap tap tap, the pipe on the water heater did nothing but crumble more and more and deeper and deeper into the tank, which is also corroding and crumbling and on its last leg. In the end...day 2 in the cold shower.

The spirit of Mr. Fixit was not diminished. He woke again this morning with a new aim and a new hardware store in his sights. He had a revelation sometime in the night, and he was determined to fix this broken down, outlived, needs to be retired hot water heater. So he set out right after Sierra and I left for school.

Sometime between 7 and 11 this morning, he was forced to face the truth, accept the facts, and holster his hammer. The old water heater was going to the grave whether Joe liked it or not. With every turn, tap, and manuever the tank and pipes continued to disintigrate. He called our trusty HR lady at school a.k.a. Vania (she handles the housing things for all us expats here) and asked her to contact the landlady about replacing the unit.

The current status: unresolved, torn apart, non-functioning hot water heater littered with tools and stuff decorates the back corner of the kitchen approaching the laundry area of our apartment. The email has been sent to "Elaine" requesting replacement; we wait, psuedo-patiently, her reply. We have been given directive to buy a new hot water heater Saturday whether or not we hear back from "Elaine" (going rate, with installation, roughly $R950 or $500). Cash up front by us, hopefully reimbursement over the next 3 months through deduction in rent once approved by landlady. Until then...another cold shower night.

And likely another tomorrow and hopefully warm shower on Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday afternoon, last minute adventure

Look at this tree! It's beautiful. It's just a tree, but it is really beautiful. In theory, all pictures in this post can be enlarged by double clicking on them.
(I hope theory holds out.)





Ring, Ring...
Liana: "Hey Sara. What're you guys up to?"
Me: "Well, thinking about the beach."
Liana: "Yeah, well Alvaro and I are watching the clouds roll in and we were thinking about going to the zoo."
Me: "There's a zoo in Rio?"
The clouds in fact rolled in, the breeze picked up, and there is a zoo in Rio.
Although this is part of the main entrance to the zoo, it was actually the last picture I took today. We seem to do things in reverse order often, so it's actually fitting to take a picture of Joe and Sierra walking into the zoo while on the way to the car to leave.








Popcorn anyone? Caramel or Butter? Check out the popcorn machine attached to the bicycle. Now this is what I call a traveling salesman.






Sierra posed for several pictures--as usual. I think the monkey in the cage behind her could have cooperated better. He has to be used to having his picture taken. He should be well practiced. He should never take a bad picture. Maybe he was just tired of all the shutterfly today. Poor monkey.




Sierra and I posed for a photo-op with the elephant in the background. This elephant knows how to cooperate with passersby snapping countless pictures. Several times he actually appeared to strike a pose. To our right, the left side of the picture, you can see our friend Alvaro and his son Nicolas having their picture taken too. Liana's arm/hand are the very left edge of the picture. The six of us walked the entire grounds of the zoo today, enjoying all the caged animals. It was the perfect way to spend a cooler cloudy day in Rio.

Family Dinner and Gratitude

We reinstated a family practice tonight--dinner together around the TABLE. I know, seems trivial, but in all honesty we have been slacking. In recent weeks, we have taken to eating dinner in three different locations: Sierra in front of the television, me in front of the computer and Joe standing in the kitchen. I don't really know how we let this happen, but we did. Thankfully, last night we all put our foot down. Enough is enough. And tonight...

The table was set, dinner was placed on the table, grace was said, and conversation ensued. After dinner, we three remained around the table with one another for an additional 30 minutes--no background noise from the television or music playing from the computer--just each other.

My stomache is now sore, not from overeating but from laughing, and my heart is warm with the joy that my family brings me simply from being near them. For that simple and seemingly obvious reminder, I am grateful.

Life gets busy. We all get tired. We have so many responsibilities and distractions. It's important to remember what is important--the people we love.

I copied this from my friend Leah's blogsite (click on the link at the right; I'm not good at that automatic link in the text thing yet) and thought it would be fun. If you don't want to know this much about me, go ahead and close your browser. I totally understand.

1. I was born in MN
2. I am a mom
3. I am addicted coffee
4. I don't drink dark colored liquor. It makes me ill.
5. My high school graduating class had a total of 165 students
6. I earned my BA and MAEd from the same university 11 years apart.
7. I've been married for 4 months
8. I've walked 60 miles in 3 days to raise awareness to breast cancer
9. I love the sun
10. I try to hide the gray hair on my head by parting on the left side
11. I am allergic to penicillan
12. I love not having a car right now
13. I may eat more cheese than the average person
14. I love the smell of lilacs
15. I prefer red wine over white
16. I prefer to eat raw vegetables to cooked vegetables
17. I only cut my hair once in the past 16 months
18. My first concert was to see Lynard Skynard
19. I love teaching middle school
20. I take a taxi to work every day
21. Both of my parents are cancer survivors
22. I don't care for politics
23. I would wear flip flops to work if they were considered professional attire
24. I am addicted to Chuzzle on MSN games
25. I avoid confrontations
26. I go to mass almost every Sunday
27. I have one brother and one sister
28. I have been told that I'm trustworthy
29. I'm sensitive
30. I know how to drive a stick shift
31. I want to go hang gliding
32. I take classes just to know more
33. I prefer white Christmas lights over any other color
34. At my house, Santa still exists
35. 2007 will be the second year in my life working on Thanksgiving day
36. My life is a vacation
37. I am right handed
38. I love to watch the sun set
39. I love my MN Beezatches
40. I do not really like domesticated animals
41. I have never gotten a flu shot
42. I don't take a daily vitamin
43. I like to be barefoot in clean, thick grass
44. I don't do my hair--really, I leave the house most days with it still wet from the shower
45. I don't like to go to the movie theater
46. I love to go out to eat
47. I really miss Mexican food
48. I've toilet-papered houses before
49. I worked campus security in college
50. My first car was an '83 Ford Escort
51. My master's thesis won an award
52. I like to study for the sake of learning something new
53. I don't like riding with tax drivers who don't know how to shift
54. I don't like feet, not even my own
55. I love the smell of fresh cut grass
56. One of my all time favorite colleagues has the same name as me
57. I played volleyball and softball in high school and I was a boy's basketball cheerleader
58. I can still remember some of the cheers
59. I like my job
60. I haven't received a speeding ticket since I was 16
61. I would like to live on a boat one day
62. I get annoyed with people who don't turn off their cell phone in professinal meetings
63. I like to dance in the living room with Sierra
64. I think sleeping babies are one of life's most precious sights
65. I wish all people would be nice
66. I never received a minor consumption ticket
67. I check my bank accounts online almost daily
68. I love post it notes
69. I don't like to plan anything
70. I got married on the fourth of July
71. I miss having a flower garden
72. I love having my teeth cleaned
73. I would like to move into a penthouse apartment with a pool
74. I go to the beach almost every weekend
75. I want to visit Greece
76. I have never been a patient in an ambulance
77. I was a nanny in college and I am still friends with the family
78. I think television is a waste of time
79. I read all the time
80. I love the sound of rain on the windows
81. I will turn 35 in 2 months and I'm a little freaked out about it
82. I love love love email
83. I'm very territorial about my computer
84. I walk almost every where I go
85. I like hip hop music
86. I wish I could have a conversation over coffee with Maya Angelou
87. I want to publish a book one day
88. My daughter is almost a decade old
89. I love to sing karaoke
90. I don't know how to bite my nails
91. I wish I had better posture
92. I am addicted to the blog world--especially Pioneer Woman
93. I have a husband who handles all of the household duties
94. I am an American living in Brazil
95. I love sleeping naked
96. I wish my Portuguese was fluent
97. I don't like conflict
98. I love taking pictures of Sierra
99. I consider myself well organized
100. I love chopps at the local boteca (beers at the local joint)
101. I miss my sister

Little Girls and Dentists...

About a month ago, Sierra developed a bump on her top gums, above the canine tooth and under the lip. The bump looked like a kanker sore. It went away. A week later, the bump came back--bigger and this time with a little white bump on the big red bump. I told her to "floss extra. Maybe there is a piece of food stuck in your gums." She did that and rinsed with warm salt water. The bump when away. A week later, the bump came back--bigger than the second time and this time with two white puss bumps instead of one. I told her to floss and brush and rinse more! The bump went away. (are you seeing the pattern here?) Well, weekend before last, the bump came back AGAIN and this time, we called the dentist. It turns out that the tooth, which thankfully was a baby tooth, had decay above the existing filling. The infection had become so significant that it was visible from the exterior of the gumline. The dentist x-rayed the tooth, prescribed antibiotic for the infection, and last night Sierra had her tooth pulled. As you can probably see from the photo, she did not enjoy this visit to the dentist. Because of the nature of the extraction she needed novacain both in the gumline and the roof of her mouth. Have you ever had novacain in the roof of your mouth? It is painful. At 9 years old, this is only the second time Sierra has had novacain, and despite numorous warnings from the dentist and her dad, she chewed a little on that top lip. Hence the fat lip in the picture. Well, we slept together last night--me, Sierra and a bag of ice for the lip.

Before falling to sleep, in classic mom fashion, I kindly asked, "Honey, are you going to argue with me about brushing and flossing your teeth any more?" She replied, through tears, "no." "Are you going to sing happy birthday to yourself twice each time you brush to make sure you brush well enough?" She replied, pathetically, "Uh huh." I am happy to report she is feeling better today. She stayed home from school, as her mouth was quite sore this morning, and she didn't sleep well last night. And she has dined on ice cream and yogurt all day.

I will cherish this picture and share it frequently if necessary as a reminder of the importance of brushing and flossing thoroughly every day from now on. Please feel free to use it to motivate your own children if you feel necessary.

Praia Grumari!

We spent yesterday afternoon at a little beach outside of the city called Grumari beach. The scenary was breathtaking. There are mountains lining the seaside, small islands off the beach, and fewer people lining the sands. The water is calmer too, which meant more time in the water for me and Sierra.Here's a shot of Sierra with the mountains behind her. Apparently there is talk of building an apartment or hotel on this mountain side. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it remains undeveloped. The entire area was calm and peaceful and noise free.
Here I am enjoying a cold refreshment while playing fresco ball with Sierra, ocean and islands in the background.
This was what I could see when I laid down to relax in the sun for a few minutes. Sierra spent some time styling Joe's hair into a very punky do!Check out the view behind Joe and I in this picture!!

After the beach, we went to this great seafood restaurant for Shrimp Moqueca. Here's a picture. It is served with white rice and farofa. And SUPER yummy!!!Sierra and I took a series of pictures at the table before and during dinner. This is the endearing Mommy-Daughter one. The others are pretty goofy. Here's one of the shots from the car between the beach and the restaurant. Sometimes the sights here give me chills and bring tears to my eyes. The majesty.

Halloween...in Brazil???

The doorbell just rang. It's 9:15. I open the door to find 7 kids from the condominium with plastic bags in hand, yelling (with a Brazilian accent in English) "Trick OR Treat!" Kids don't trick or treat here. Luckily, I have a bag of Jolly Ranchers in the cupboard for emergencies (not this kind). The emergency is usually my own desire for something sweet and American! There is a half eaten bag of Reese's peanut butter cups in the fridge--but there's no way I was giving those away tonight--Brazilians don't even like peanut butter and we DO! After telling them they were all crazy! Cala boca! Fala seria meninos! (Shuuttt Up! Be serious boys and girls.) I calmly added, "Espera." (Wait) Walked to the kitchen cabinet, retrieved the bag of Jolly Ranchers and kindly passed ONE (Jolly Ranchers are hard to come by here, not they are nonexistent here) to each child. Too bad Sierra was all ready fast asleep.

Comment People.
I know there aren't millions of people reading my blog, but I do know there are some. I know this because some tell me they do. However, I imagine there are more of you reading this blog site, regardless of how boring it is at times, and I have no idea who you are or whether or not you are enjoying the time relaxing over the computer and my blogsite and perhaps a cup of hot coffee.
My advise: COMMENT!
It's not very hard. Just click on the comment link at the end of each post and type what's on your mind. The settings are set to allow anyone to comment. You can comment anonymously even, just please refrain from being rude. We are a zen family. Peace and love and all that good stuff, but let me know you're reading this and keeping up with us. Stop being a blog stalker. Become an active participant. Really, it's fun!

Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

This past week was the annual 8th grade trip to Curitiba in the state of Parana. Seven teachers, one nurse, two security guards and 67 eighth graders assembled at Tom Jobim airport at 6 a.m. Sunday morning for our flight and the start of a very busy week. Every day was filled with activities beginning at 7 a.m. and usually ending at 7 p.m. We went to parks to play catch and rest in the grass, the wire opera house to test acoustics, a soccer game to cheer one Brazilian national team, on a train ride through the mountains, to a forest preserve to plant a tree, high ropes climbing to test our courage and limits, the recycling plant where they sort garbage that is not garbage, the university for urbanization and research development to better understand how much planning goes into a planned city, and a youth community center in a local favella to interact with other teenagers. The days were busy, the busses were full of napping students (and teachers) in between stops. The kids were great. They ate up all the activities. They were fully engaged and taking notes. And we had a lot of fun! Here are a few pics from the adventures.First of many self-portraits. Me at the Kyocera Arena.
Self-portrait #2 with some of my advisees.
One of the beautiful sunsets we were blessed with.
Self-portrait #3 at the entry to the botanical gardens in Curitiba.
This is a shot of the botanical gardens looking toward one section of the city. The climate is very different in Curitiba. It is much like Minnesota actually where one minute it is sunny and warm and a few minutes later you can have rain and a ten degree drop in temperature. It was actually pretty fun to be in the cooler weather for a few days and wear a couple of the sweaters that I have tucked away in my closets.

Dreamworks went too far with this one. This weekend we had a four day holiday weekend with Children's Day Friday and Teacher's Day Monday. We were busy Thursday night through Sunday morning with outings and friends. Sunday I fell ill and we became home bound. In efforts to keep me company, Joe went to the video store and picked up several DVDs to fill the day. One of them is Shrek 3. We watched it last night. I have to say I was really disappointed. I feel like they went a little far with the sexual innuendos and attempted humor. Any moms and dads reading? I would love other opinions on this. Am I getting conservative in my old age? I am approaching 35, or is it as ridiculous as Joe and I thought while exchanging glances every 30 seconds due to the nature of the comments made on screen. For example, Snow White's tattoo of the heart with Dopey's name on her shoulder. Please comment and give me your opinion. I personally feel they should have stopped at Shrek 2 when the reputation was still reputable.

How do I really feel about video? You be the judge.

This past week, I finally talked to my sister again. It had been almost a month and a half since the last time we spoke. (I need to be better about initiating contact) Hence, a bottle of wine and four hours on the phone later!!! In the end, it is possible she will be able to come to Rio for Carnaval this year!! Last year a couple of colleagues' sisters visited, and I sulked because my sister wasn't here and she is way prettier and way smarter than those other sisters.. So, in preparation for Dana's possible upcoming visit....here's a video of one of the blocos from last Feb.

Juxtaposition of Class
Rio de Janeiro is popular for many things beautiful; Carnaval, New Year's Eve, beaches, music, tropical vegetation, people, food, but what is often overlooked amidst the high society of the rich and famous is the extreme poverty that much of this city's population live in. The extreme poverty that lines the surrounding mountain sides where thousands of people live with inadequate supplies, services, or sanitary conditions.
Rocinha, Rio's largest favela (slum) neighbors Escola Americana, the most expensive school in all of Rio. The favelas are said to be full of crime and drugs and danger. Most Cariocas (people who live in Rio) are scared of the favela, especially Rocinha, because any and all news coverage involves drug gangs, police, and guns. Movies like Cidade de Deus (City of God) depict a life of violence and drug use as the destiny for children who are born into the favela.
Some believe that as many as 400,000 people live in Rocinha alone. It truly is a city in itself, set up with what most would coin a Modern Day Robin Hood method of maintaining order. There are established organizations responsible for providing much needed resources such as support for day care, medicine for the sick, and money for the poor. They also have been known to build asphalt roads, host huge community parties, and even sponsor other recreational spaces and activities, such as soccer pitches. These groups normally maintain a very high level of control over social behavior, strictly prohibiting street crimes such as rape, muggings, and break-ins within the favela. Even so, besides drug trafficking, such organizations in Rio have historically been involved in arms smuggling, bank robberies, kidnapping, and murder.
It's no wonder the locals are apprehensive about passing through. So apprehensive that non-residents avoid travel through the favelas. However, as a result of the high international profile of the drug trafficking that occurs in the favelas, there are almost daily jeep tours into the favela for visiting foreigners. Each time I watch one of these jeeps pass Escola Americana and venture up the hill, filled with camera toting tourists, I feel a pang of sorrow. There is something oxymoronish about humans seeking out other humans to "see" as if venturing on a visit to a local zoo. It seems to darken the line between the "US" and "THEM" mentality that plagues so much of our society worldwide.

Last Friday, I ventured into Rocinha. Not in a jeep on tour instead with four of my students and a security guard from school to visit a Creche (daycare/community center) in the community. The experience is one that changed not only my perspective of the favela but the perspective of four adolescents as well.

Our van stopped at an opening to the favela on the other side of the tunnel from school where we met Dell, an employee from the Creche. Dell escorted the six of us up the hill through narrow, damp passageways that were not more than four feet in width. At times, our footing was a bit precarious as there was often water running down the path that we followed up or the steps were more than one leg stride apart and uneven. Myself and my students were very chatty prior to our assent. Once we started our trek, we each fell silent and soaked in the sounds of our surroundings. The air was filled with music--hip hop, funk, samba, American 80's, chatter of people buying their morning bread and coffee, children making their way down the hill for school or peddling or soccer or whatever the first item on their daily agenda might be, television programs blared from the open doors of the houses we passed within an arms reach, and laughter the sound of laughter filled the air.
We made it to the top of the hill and were greeted by Marcia, the Creche manager. She kindly gave us all a few minutes to catch our breath from the hike we had just endured before she went into her explanation of the operations of the Creche. The center houses programs and care for children ranging in age from four months to 18 years. The first house we visited held the infants up to age four. While there we were able to spend some time with the three and four-years-old children coloring and chatting. At one point, I became a human jungle gym for approximately six boys. They were climbing on each other to climb on me...and laughing their laughter filled the room.
We visited the nursery where the infants are cared for during the day. For every one adult there are five babies between the ages of four months and one year. Many of the infants spend hours a day in their crib with nothing more than a mobile to occupy their developing mind.
After visiting the first house, Marcia escorted us to what would be considered the "teen center". In Brazilian public schools, children attend class either in the morning or the afternoon, not all day. When these children are finished with their public school class, they come to the teen center for additional classes and enrichment. Recently, a U.S. based NGO sponsored the purchase of five new computers for the teen center, so for the first time these young adults are able to access the world to see what is possibly beyond the borders of the favela. The teen center offers classes in computer, English, math, capoeira, and crafts. As well, the teen center serves as a safe haven for these adolescents to spend their afternoons.
Following our visit, we descended the same path we had previously climbed, noticed new things that were there the first time but went unnoticed, and continued to be bombarded with the sounds of busy life in the favela.
On the ride back to school, one of my students made a very insightful observation. She was commenting on the peculiarity of the doors to the houses being wide open. One house we passed revealed a woman dancing in her living room to the radio. My student went on to talk about the beauty of feeling safe enough to leave your door open. Specifically, she recalled the locks at her own house which are bolted tight whenever she and her family are inside. The irony was clear in the reflective tone of her voice.
Once back at school, I and my students were surprised by the size and the cleanliness and the quiet of our campus. A place we each spend five days a week at was suddenly unfamiliar. It appeared different. For a moment, it felt as though the campus was abandoned. The sounds that had flooded our ears moments before were no longer audible and suddenly the lack of sound in our familiar space was foreign.
It is easy to imagine what it must be like living in a place contrary to our own surroundings. It is easy to listen to the media coverage that continuously labels groups of people or areas of the world as dangerous or unsafe. It is easy to take for granted the luxuries we live with although we haven't necessarily done anything personally to obtain them other than being born into it. It is not so easy to eliminate the blame we might feel for those who live in extreme poverty every day because that is where they were born. "Get a job. Move out. Go to school." It is easy to give the direction the advice when we are not the one who has to take action.
Brazil has an issue with class as astronomical as the U.S.'s issue with institutionalized racism. To illustrate that, observe the two pictures below:


Favela Rocinha--only a small portion of it is shown in this photo. Narrow passageways instead of streets weave through the maze of houses built on top of houses.







Aerial shot of Gavea, my neighborhood--multi-million dollar condos and green space. Jockey club and Lagoa shown.




This is not to claim that there are not people in the world who have worked hard for or earned the quality of life they have. It is only to remind us that children are our greatest resource and at times we may need to open our eyes to something other than what we know as the way it is to be reminded that this resource needs to be handled with care. If I only had the answers...
Was it merely coincidence that at Sunday's mass the gospel reading was that of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus? Luke 16:19-16:31

Sito Santa Monica
One of the benefits of my job at EA is traveling. Although at times it doesn't feel like a benefit leaving Joe and Sierra for nearly a week at a time, it actually is. I have been able to visit some places in Brazil that I wouldn't otherwise have gone. This past week, 12 middle school teachers took 43 middle school students to a sito (ranch) outside of Rio for the Middle School Leadership Conference. The teachers arrived Tuesday evening, settled into our cabins, and held a philisophical round table discussion over wine and cheese and Greek salad. I continue to be impressed by my colleagues. The thinking that goes into what they do in the classroom and with kids is beyond impressive. It is so refreshing to be able to acquire new perspective and insight.

Wednesday we teachers participated in several experiential education activities. Team building, communication building, and active learning was the key to our success, and we spent many hours talking about the importance of experience in learning. The day was followed by a second night of wine and cheese and discussion. Jason, shown here "thinking" on the rock, is our resident philosopher. This man is in continual inquiry. The kids feel his challenge and embrace it as do the faculty. He accepts nearly nothing without question and never approaches it in a threatening manner. He has an inviting method to questioning theory of knowledge. The students arrived on Thursday morning, excited and ready for their adventures. The days involved more experiential education activities led by teachers and always followed with thoughtful processing with the kids and lots of fun and games. We took a hike through the woods, walked a river, tossed baloons representing our leadership goals, helping each other keep their goals in the air, relied on one another while blindfolded, danced, and laughed.

The weather was perfect. Warm and sunny during the day (thankfully no rain since all of the activities were outdoors) and cool at night for comfortable sleeping. This bamboo was next to the river outside the faculty cabin. The morning light was so pretty hitting a section of the bamboo. When the wind blew, the stalks knocked against eachother in such a musical way. It is refreshing to exit the city at times and enjoy the peaceful quiet of nature. And the foliage in this country is unbelievable. I have never in my life enjoyed plants as much as I do here. Every time I turn around there is another bush, flower, tree that impresses me.