Festa de Anniversario do Brasileiro para Sierra

Although Sierra's birthday was 3 weeks ago, we celebrated last night with a full blown Brazilian-style birthday party. You invite the entire grade! and the invited guests often show up with siblings, cousins, neighbors, parents, grandparents, etc. You get the picture. Good thing we go to a relatively small school. There are 63 kids in Sierra's grade, counting Sierra.
Here is a shot of Sierra first checking out the decorations in the party room. I had a bit of a scare Tuesday afternoon when I received an instant message from Joe telling me they were setting up the party for High School Musical. Although Sierra loves the film, she had surely said, "Mom, High School Musical is so last year." I picked up inflatable guitars and microphones in the states 2 weeks ago to accent a Rock and Roll theme. Somehow, lost in translation I supposed, the party coordinator heard High School Musical. By the time we realized the error, it was too late to correct. Luckily for all involved, Sierra was not to be alarmed or bothered by the mistake. She simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's fine. No problem." Resilience is a beautiful thing.

During the night, Animasom entertained kids with games and dances and mayhem/running wild through the complex. I can't even begin to explain how relaxing this makes the party for the parents. The last birthday party I had for Sierra involved me organizing pin the tail on the donkey, drop the clothespin in the bucket, pop the balloon with your butt and other various children's party games. By the end of that party, I was so tired from entertaining that I didn't have the energy to clean the house. Not here! Animasom are like rented "moms". They do it all while the parents mingle, eat, enjoy a beverage and watch the kids play.
Sierra LOVED being the birthday girl because she "got whatever I wanted." By definition, this means that they played whatever game Sierra wanted to play. And didn't play whatever game Sierra didn't want to play. She thought this was GREAT. They played hide and seek, had a scavenger hunt, mixed some flour and eggs to "bake a cake", and danced the night away.
The 70 plus inflatable guitars and microphones I purchased for the party decorations and party favors in the states surely paid off. Judging by the group of kids here dancing with blue guitars amid fog--they were a success. In this picture they're pretending to play the guitars; at other times, they made great "whackers" in mock boxing matches.




One thing I love about parties in Brazil is the element of inviting our friends too. With hired entertainers, the parents have the chance to mingle, so inviting adult friends too is a feasible option. Here is a shot of me with some friends from work: Vania, Suzanne, me, Luiz, Ana, and Rodrigo.







Near the end of the party, everyone gathered around the decorated cake table to sing happy birthday and wish the birthday girl good luck in the coming year. It is tradition for the family to surround the birthday girl behind the cake while friends and family sing from the other side of the table. Since we have a multi-national, multi lingual group of friends we sing happy birthday in both English and Portuguese before making a wish and blowing out the candle.




The party was an event. Sierra had a special "new" outfit for the occasion. Her friends from both school and home arrived with smiles and congratulations; she was princess for the night. The sparkle in her eyes throughout the party was bright enough to light all of Rio de Janeiro, and my heart ached with happiness watching her enjoy her day. To show the kind of child I am blessed with rearing, I will share the note I found upon returning home from work today:

ESL...English as a Second Language

I have taken on a new endeavor. Last April, I started inquiring about the possibility of offering an ESL course, free of charge, for the workers at Escola Americana. There are many departments at school. Aside from the teaching and administrative staff, who all speak fluent English, we have security, custodians, cafeteria, drivers, and maintenance staff. Most of the "staff" at EA do not speak fluent English. Most of these employees travel an hour to an hour and half one way each day to work at EA. Most of these employees would bend over backwards for any request made of him/her. All of these employees greet me and Sierra with a warm smile day in and day out.

After much planning and coordinating with the head of Human Resources and each dept. supervisor, we decided that Wednesday from 4:05-5:00 would be the best time to offer the course. Mid-August, I sent a reminder email about the course to the head of HR, and the names of participants started filtering into my email inbox from department supervisors. The end result=25 willing and able-bodied Adult English as a Second Language students.

The secondary ESL teacher, Luiza, and the middle school writing teacher, Suzanne, comitted to assisting me in this endeavor, so we met (over beers at a local boteco) last Wednesday to plan our course of action!

Today was our first class!! It was basic. For anyone who hasn't taken on the challenge of learning a second language, it may seem strange that you need to spend 30 minutes practicing: "My name is Sara. What is your name?" and another 25 minutes singing the ABC's. Or, that doing both of these activities contained the most fun had by many all day.

The students left, mouths in full grin, exlaiming, "Thank you!! Thank you!!" and Luiza, Suzanne and I couldn't contain our excitement. As we rested to plan what to do next Wednesday, another middle school teacher entered the room ecstatic saying, "They were so excited! They had so much fun!" All of the students passed her room on their way from my classroom following our first lesson, and she overheard their glee. Her closing comment was, "Please let me know if you want or need more help because I want to help!"

Generosity IS contagious! And I have yet to think of the proper word to describe witnessing the excitement within a person when they are learning for the sake of learning!

I could also add that doing something for the sake of doing it,minus monetary compensation, is so rewarding that it makes me wonder what the world would be like if we weren't all forced to be driven by the power of the dollar or our salary or our living expenses...

Pizza Anyone?

A very funny story from today...
I was teaching my last class of the day, and Joe came in with a box of brigadeiros (a traditional Brazilian candy present at all parties) for me to share with the middle school faculty at our meeting after school. The box looked like a cardboard pizza box. Since I was teaching, Joe walked in without talking to me, set the box on my back cabinet, and left. As he walked out the classroom door, he said, "I'll see you later, I love you." I replied, "ok, I love you."
Once gone, my student looked at me and said, "Ms. Sara, that was kind of unethical." I said, "What?" The student replied, "You just told the pizza guy you love him!" Nearing hysterical laughter, I replied, "oh, Thomaz, that's not pizza it's brigadeiros and that's my husband!"

Fourth Month in a row in Minnesota....

Joe and I returned today from a weekend trip to Minneapolis for my ex-roomie's wedding. I have to say, it was a blast! Beginning Thursday with being reunited at Houston's Intercontinental Airport with Joe and then celebrating with my college cronies all weekend. (This is a group that I need a week to recover AFTER being around, they wear me out!) It was also a nice couple of days seeing the "rents". It was a great time. Tonight finds me exhausted and sore. Exhausted from the 13+ hours on a plane in the last 24 hours and sore from laughing nonstop for 3 days. My stomache muscles actually hurt. I think I could market laughter as the latest workout gimmick. I'd buy it after this past weekend. I'm happy to be home though. And even happier that Joe is back with us in Rio. Customs today was a breeze. And I didn't think I would ever say it, but I'm happy not to have any upcoming travel plans. It's time to stick around here for awhile.

I'm going to post pictures instead of filling a lot of discourse here because the pictures are worth more than the words I could create.
Enjoy...

The bride and groom arrived at the reception via horse drawn carriage.

Vicki looked amazing.

Joe and I after dinner at Vicki and Chad's reception.

Vicki and Chad's first dance! Gotta love the fog effect.

Here are the girls waiting for directions during rehearsal Thursday night.

Here are the boys all smiling at the girls waiting for directions at the rehearsal.

Here we all are again at the groom's dinner following rehearsal. Emab, KZ, Kaija, Nina, Vicks, Lecia, Me, Wendy.

Here are my parents at the reception.

We all danced all night.

And danced...and sang a little...

Me and my friend Monica.

Joe danced with the bride.

I danced, and kissed, with the groom.

And at the end of the night, my wine glass was still full and my hair and make-up were still in place! Not too bad for a long day/night of laughter, dancing, and mingling.

My baby turned 9!!

I'm a little delayed in posting the pictures from Sierra's 9th Birthday last week (August 15), but here are a few shots of my big girl, last year in the single digits baby.

This is a daily image. Sierra in the bathroom, before school, primping, ipod shuffle in hand.Here she is shortly after check her whole self out in the full length mirror.

Her choice of activity for the evening was to go for a pedicure and manicure at a local salon. Here she is resisting squirming from ticklish feet.

This year was the first birthday of her life that she had to go to school. Last year, August 15 was a staff development day and kids didn't have class. Every year before that we were in the states and school doesn't begin until after Labor Day, so she was on summer vacation. This year's experience was a good one I think. She received birthday hugs and kisses from all her friends, young and old, at school, she wore a "It's my Birthday" sticker on her shirt throughout the day, and in the afternoon when she came into the Middle School Staff meeting to ask me a question, the entire middle school staff sang Happy Birthday to her! I think she enjoyed being at school on her birthday.

Her birthday party was booked today. She will have a Brazilian-style birthday on September 4. We decided to wait until we knew for sure when Dad would be home, and he will be back Monday. Tonight we went and booked the details for cake, decorations, food, libations, and entertainment to take place here at our condominium on the 4th. Brazilians go overboard on birthdays. Sierra will invite the entire 4th grade and then some!! I'm looking forward to celebrating with her in a week and a half. Pretty big of a 9 year old to agree to wait for the big celebration if you ask me.

Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore...Or are we?

The following is so random. I warn you now.

Rio de Janeiro is a megatropolis. 11.5 MILLION people live in Rio. I often refer to this city as the "concrete jungle" (thank you Bob Marley for the phrase). However, since our return last month, I have been serenaded by the random rooster cock-a-doodle-doo at all hours of the day. Two nights ago, the cock crowed at 3 a.m.--And woke me up! I look out my windows and only see concrete buildings between us and the ocean...where in the heck is the farm? and who in their right mind would raise chickens in the city? Sure, the rainforest is off to the right, but it's the side of a mountain...can you raise chickens on a mountain?

So, my question is this: can you raise chickens in an apartment?

Vicki's Bachelorette!

July 21 we had a bachelorette party for my college roomie Vicki who is getting married the 25th of this month. We girls enjoyed dinner at Solera and then boarded a rennovated school bus (painted like a cheetah--classy) for bar hopping in Minneapolis. Most of the pictures from the night of this party cannot be made public here. Kids read this site afterall...I was the photographer for the night since I was one of two of us who remembered a camera and functioning batteries. In hindsite, this was to my benefit as I am not pictured in any of the incriminating photos!

However, there are a few that I can share.

Here is the whole group rooftop at a martini bar we stopped at while waiting for the "limo" to pick us up.

Me, Kaija, Karen, Liz, Mickalean, KZ, Vicks, Nina, Claudia, Monica, Leech, Maria, and Scrodes.

We stopped at Nyes, of course, for a couple of cocktails and Karoake (Going to the Chapel) and we discovered this church decorated for Vick's party, so we took advantage and got in a group shot! Her colors are even Pink--well, and black.

If you know this group, then it is obvious that The Yaht Club was the final bar of the evening. The final group shot was next to the bus (Notice our HOT driver hangin out the window!) outside the bar before heading back to the hotel.

We don't look so bad for 7 hours of drinking and bar hopping.

The hotel got a little crazy after Dave was blown up!! I found him between me and Monica the next morning! Monica's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. I wonder if he's going to make it to the wedding. Monica's husband might be jealous!

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.

More Tales from the North
We have been busy, yet we are truly enjoying ourselves and managing to relax at the same time. The first week back in MN has gone quickly. We have been occupied with last minute wedding preparations, making sure that everything for July 4th is in order. Joe and I are both excited and anxious as the date approaches.

We spent one day driving up to Staples, MN to pick up my car from the farm. I took this shot while driving back. Man, it feels good to drive my car again. I have to admit though, it feels like I'm going really slowly because the road and the space is so wide. I'll have to use cruise control to avoid getting a ticket. The green space and open fields are a joy to see again. Living in a megatropolis, the horizon is not within sight unless you look out at the ocean. I have been appreciating "God's country".

We have done so much shopping. You'd think none of us has ever been in Old Navy or Kohl's or Target before! Whew! We took a break for a light lunch one day though. Here is Sierra and me at the restaurant, resting from buying so many things.





On Saturday night, we went to Eric and Colette's and had a Catch Phrase rematch. Eric and I tromped all over Joe and Colette. We were laughing into the wee hours of the morning. At 2:15, I went in the house from the deck and saw the time on the digital clock. I thought it was broken and the 1 was simply missing...NOPE! It was truly, 2:15 a.m. Their poor neighbors didn't get much sleep that night! Sierra and Austin even played until that time.
Here's Sierra with her little friend she found near the house while playing. The girl screamed bloody murder earlier Sat. because of a frog, yet she was cuddling this salamander!! Go figure!

Today was pretty exciting for us as we were able to take my parents to a Brazilian style barbeque restaurant in Minneapolis. There is a Fogo de Chao downtown Mpls and I have to say it is authentic Brazilian Churrasco. We enjoyed ourselves for a couple of hours, feasting on the scewers of meat brought to you and carved table side for you. When I asked the waiter for Farofa, they were a little stunned to hear my Portuguese. Thankfully, they were able to prepare some especially for me! YUMMY...



They even had CapiVodkas. This strawberry one tasted so good, we stopped for an assortment of fresh fruit on the way home and a bottle of vodka to prepare our own.
I know, this isn't a very flattering picture. :-) Oh well.





Here we are around our table after our meal. Now Mom and Dad know what we are talking about when we go out for Picanha! It was a wonderful afternoon.

We MADE it!!!

After a long flight and many hours in the airport(s) and a little run-in with "homeland security" in Houston due to mistaken identity, we finally arrived in Mpls Sunday mid-afternoon. Sierra was so excited to see her grandparents. She was also very excited about indulging in many American foods she has missed over the past 11.5 months. As a result, she was not feeling well Sunday night, but I think she is now realizing the danger of eating 2 apple pies from MacDonalds, 1 s'more, 1 campfire cooked hotdog and part of a dish of strawberry shortcake all in the same evening.
She has leveled off and is being smarter now. We have been relaxing, catching up on sleep, and visiting missed friends and family since our arrival. Not to mention, enjoying the wildlife surrounding mom and dad's house.






Here is a picture of the box turtle that travelled around the backyard earlier this week. Sierra enjoyed taking a few pictures as it crawled from pond to woods, perhaps looking for somewhere to bury its eggs. This morning we watched a family of Canadian geese walk the back part of the yard toward the pond in what looked like one of the first swims for the gosslings. It is so quiet and peaceful out here. Feels good to have some respite from busy city life.

This morning, Sierra was looking for the step stool in the hall closet when she came across her bin of toys and books. It was so quiet in the house when I walked in to find her silently sitting in the hallway surrounded by things familiar.





My dad has several projects he is looking forward to working on with Joe while we are here. Here they are cutting wood and making a door for the smokehouse. There are plans for a "playhouse/observation deck" to go up on the treeline next to the field while we are here--all the material is all ready purchased. Grandpa is saying it will make a good playhouse for the grandkids, but we all know he's looking forward to hours sitting there watching deer.

Monday afternoon we went to visit with the Marins. Sierra is one of the family in this house of 7 and she fell right back into place while we were there. Becca made the comment, "When Sierra is here, everybody gets along." Sierra used to spend many days with the Marins, especially during the summers when I would teacher summer school. This was her "summer house" of sorts. Here are the girls having a tea party on the deck. It is such a blessing to see these kids playing together as if no time has passed.