A warm fuzzy, pat your back, feel good blog entry...

The following are some of my favorite comments from students at EARJ last semester.

The things I like best about this class are...

"I like best how she talks to the class as if there wasn't that barrier many teachers, I have had before, have. It feels so nice when you walk in to the class and there is a mother figure waiting to teach you and not talk to you as if they were superior."

"The fact that she helps us when we need feedback about our work."

"I like the books we do and the projects like movies and literature trials. I also enjoy writing about various topics. I always look forward to going to this class. I love Ms. Sara. She is a great teacher!"

"I like best the activities we do and all the books we read! I never thought I'd be able to read as much as I read in English in such a short time! This class helped me a lot and I enjoyed every second!"

"I love Ms. Sara. She is a really cool teacher and is the only English class I look forward to in my 8 years of school. She makes it fun and she is very enthusiastic."

"I like the journal writing in the beginning of the class because it helps organize our ideas and thoughts."

"The books we have read throughout the semester. They were some of the best books I have ever read and their themes were very different from the books I used to read."

"Ms. Sara is always there to help. When I want to read another book, she always has loads of books and great recommendations! She is very helpful."

"Ms. Sara is so dedicated to what she does. I can see that she enjoys doing what she does because she always has a smile on her face. When a teacher is happy and peaceful I feel like paying more attention and enjoying more the class."

and the one that made me giggle the hardest...

"She is the greatest woman in Brazil. She is always considerate and she makes class very nice."

Life in the big city

Well, I think I have hit a streak of bad luck, and I'm really hoping that it expires soon as my patience are definitely being tested. It started with Joe being sent back to the U.S. from Rio Thursday and continued on Friday when trying to relight the pilot on my hot water heater. After several failed attempts, I decided to try to light the stove since I know for sure how to do that...nope, no gas at all in the apartment.
I called my Portiero (doorman) to find out why I didn't have any gas only to find out that it had been disconnected! Seems a bill wasn't paid. I had left my bills in good hands when we left for the U.S. in June and I am confident they were taken care of diligently, so I couldn't determine why the gas service would have been aborted.
As I dialed the number to Jennifer and Valdir for help, I felt the quiver. The chin, the bottom lip, the twitch in my eyes and as soon as Jennifer said hello, I lost it. Pushed right over the edge. Grown woman reduced to blubbering, crying, little girl. See between learning it was disconnected and phoning Jen, I had attempted to go online to investigate...it was futile. I couldn't even navigate my way to my account let alone determine the issue or moreso resolve it.
Thankfully, about an hour later, Jen's husband Valdir knocked on the door to "help me with my gas". (We had a chuckle at his wording) We discovered that the bill from May was never paid. I searched through all of the statements and was able to find every bill since our initial arrival in Brazil beginning August 2007 EXCEPT May. It is possible we never received the bill. However, each gas bill here is separate from the last and the amount is not automatically added to the next month's bill should one be missed. So, regardless of the fact that June and July and every month other than May had been paid in full, the gas company cut service. What does that mean for me and Sierra?
No hot water, no oven, no stove...when can we fix this problem??? Well, this is Brazil, remember. So it will be a few days. Friday night, I paid the missing May bill online. Monday morning, I must fax the receipt and statement to the gas company, then I must phone the gas company to request service be re-enstated and hopefully, it will be done by Tuesday!! In the meantime, we have been showering at Jen and Valdir's around the corner and eating take out with them for dinner. I never thought I'd say it, but I will be happy when I can cook a meal! And I will be happy to be able to take a hot shower and crawl directly into bed.
Just as I was thinking nothing else could go wrong...we woke this morning to discover our landline is now dead! It had been very fuzzy and full of static since Thursday when we returned, but this morning it is clearly NOTHING on the line when you pick up the phone. I thankfully have a cellular so I can still communicate with others here and we really don't use the phone that much, but I could do nothing other than laugh when I picked up the phone and heard the deadly silence and asked, "What next?"
Oh, I know what next. We ran out of water this morning. This is something that we have in the house in the big 20 liter "culligan-like" bottles since the tap water is not drinkable. So, I call the drogaria where the water comes from, and in broken portuguese think that I have successfully ordered a 20 liter replacement bottle to be delivered. (this is something Joe used as physical activity. He personally walked to pick up these bottles for us once or twice a week depending on need and carried them home for a workout, so we had never ordered them for delivery before today) About 30 minutes after the phone call the delivery boy appeared at my door with 1.5 liters of water! OOPS! I guess the broken portuguese wasn't exactly accurate on that one. Valdir to the rescue again...I called him for the phone number to the drogaria he orders his water from, called that drogaria and voila! 20 minutes later, water delivery boy appears with the 20 liter bottle, opens it AND tips it upside down into the dispenser! YEAH! Success in small bits right now is huge.
At this rate, I should be afraid to leave the house. I don't remember breaking any mirrors, or black cats crossing my path, I'm certain I didn't walk underneath a ladder...I can't figure out where all of this bad luck is coming from. It has to change, right?
Although, I haven't been up to school yet. The way things are going, my classroom is probably in shambles too. I'll wait until tomorrow morning to find out. I'm not sure I could handle the disappointment today.

Ode to my sister...

I LOVE MY SISTER!!!

I think this is a great picture of my sister and wanted to share it with all my blog friends...

Sara's advice for travelers...
#1 Check your child's pencil bag to make sure the scissors were removed
#2 If you buy perfume in duty free, put it in your checked bag once you clear customs and before boarding your connecting flight.
#3 Know the ounces in the perfume bottle to make sure it's over 4 oz. and not 3.5oz. before surrendering it to TSA
#4 Never try to reason with airport personnel, they all failed Interpersonal Communications.
#5 Most importantly, when travelling abroad, check all possible VISA requirement and possible scenarios that might alter your travel plans. Especially because you will realize too late that you were actually supposed to gain clearance.

As we live we learn, as we learn we grow, as we grow we become smarter! (maybe)

City Cousin meets Country Cousin

We journeyed to Duluth, MN last weekend to spend a couple of days with Joe's brother and his family. Duluth is in northern MN and is located on the shores of Lake Superior, the largest lake in North America. Although Duluth is a major MN city, it is still a little like the country for as quiet as it really is.
Sierra prepared for her visit to the country by "test driving" this old steam engine at a gas station enroute to Duluth.







We arrived at Joe's brother's house late Sat. evening and spent the night visiting, but on Sunday we ventured to the pier to watch a ship come through the canal after the lift bridge was raised.






Here are Sierra and Erin with the Duluth lighthouse in the background. At one point, Joe's brother Jason came to me and said, "I really wish those two would get along." In actuality you couldn't get the two of them separated. They are only 3 months apart in age and have become great friends.




On Sunday afternoon, I found Sierra and Erin shooting clay pigeons with wrist rockets! My Sierra....hmmmm...she didn't even know what a wrist rocket was before last weekend with her country cousin Erin. The greatest moment was when Trish and I heard the girls screaming and laughing. We paused for a minute to determine if it was happy screams or painful screams, only to be bombarded by two 8 year olds exclaiming, "We broke the plates!!"

The Park at the Mall of America

Before my sister and my neice left for the east coast, we all went to visit the Park at the MOA! here are a few shots of the girls enjoying the rides...

Here are Sierra and Emily on the rollar coaster.

... on the bumper cars.

...A little face painting at the park is always a hit.

...at the bottom of the log shoot.

The frog hopper has always been Sierra's favorite ride at the mall.

We have been busy!

Well, our time in MN is going EXTREMELY fast! We have about half the time remaining before heading back to Rio. I think the time going fast is to be expected when spending it with family and loved ones.
My brother and his family took off last week, almost right after the wedding, and my sister and her daughter headed to the airport this morning. Many days spent laughing, playing games, having bonfires, one trip to the MOA (Mall of America), and lots of love among all.

It has been wonderful.
The weeks before the wedding Joe and my dad built this playhouse/deer stand/nature observation "house" behind the treeline next to the field. It is fully enclosed with windows and screens (to keep out bugs) on 3 of the sides. They worked almost 6 hours a day for about 8 days cutting and pounding and bonding. I am grateful for the hours Joe and Dad were able to put in with one another. For some reason men seem to need physical labor for bonding...women tend to prefer pampering, like spas and pedicures and shopping. Anyway, the treehouse was a huge hit with the kids all week. Sierra and her visiting cousins spent many hours playing in the treehouse and even came up with "rules" in case that is ever necessary.





Here are all of my parents' Granddaughters and one great nephew: from top to bottom; Taylor, Sierra, Bailey, Emily, and Kyler. This picture was taken the day we put our handprints and initials in the concrete around the 4 posts of the house.
Although all of these children live in different states, or in Sierra's case, countries, they play together as if they see one another every weekend. It was so much fun to watch them run through the yard, giggling.