I have gotten quite behind in my writing, and have been meaning to sit down for weeks to record some of what has been going on this spring – just a couple more weeks and it will be summer here! The days have passed in a blur, and today marks ten months that we have been living in Brazil. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of weeks, we’ll be heading back to the States to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends – even though it means we’ll be trading our recently-arrived hot days for dreary winter weather, we can’t wait and are counting the days! Since my last entry, we have celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving, and have been watching as Brazil decks its halls in preparation for Christmas. There is definitely a lot of cognitive dissonance occurring, as we try to wrap our minds around these traditionally cold-weather holidays that are being celebrated in tropical heat!
I’ll rewind the clock a bit and start with birthday celebrations. On October 20th, my sweet “helper”, Tania, celebrated her 35th birthday. I had coordinated with Debora, Tania’s other employer, to take her out to lunch and make her birthday special. When I told Tania of our plan and told her she could pick her favorite restaurant, her reply surprised me and made me sad at the same time. She gave a nervous laugh, patted my leg and said, “Dona Silvana, I’ve never been to one!” She’d never been to a restaurant! Because of scheduling issues with Debora, I actually got to take her out to lunch two days in a row, so she was finally able to eat in a restaurant, not once, but two times in the same week – the only two times she’s ever sat down in a restaurant, with waiters, and ordered from a menu. As a matter of fact, the first day, when we sat at the table and the waitress handed her a menu, Tania turned to me and asked for help – she knows perfectly well how to read, she just never had the opportunity to read a menu. My kids have been ordering from menus in restaurants since before they could read – oh, the things we take for granted! At the end of her second birthday lunch, Tania told Debora and me that it had been the most special birthday she had ever celebrated, and had been better than any gift she could have received. Such a simple thing, that so many of us do on a far-too-frequent basis brought more joy to her (along with knowing that we cared enough to take the time to make her day special) helped make this birthday one she swears she will never forget.
The next birthday on the calendar was Ian’s, as he turned eleven years old. Again, where does the time go??? Because we are far from family, and we won’t dare try to pull off a Brazilian-style birthday party, we kept things simple. We went out to dinner as a family, with Ian choosing an American style diner called “Baby Burger” for a big meal of burgers and fries – Ian made himself sick as he followed his dinner with a very large chocolate milkshake. The next day we had a few of Ian’s friends and neighbors over for some delicious brigadeiro cake that Tania made for his big day. It was a small celebration, but a good one nonetheless.
The end of Ian’s birthday week brought the beginning of the Halloween festivities – I was surprised about how many times the boys were able to wear their costumes. Alex dressed up as a frightening scarecrow and Ian was an XBOX king – a very clever costume that had some people confused, wondering if he was a part of a bigger tic-tac-toe ensemble or perhaps a large wrapped gift box. Our first activity of the weekend was trick-or-treat through the forest at a nearby condominium. It was quite a different experience than going door-to-door in Highland Village! As opposed to walking dark streets on a cool autumn evening, the kids ran from station to station through the tropical forest – Matt and I were amused at the stark contrast of Halloween in Brazil – hot weather, the sun still shining, surrounded by palm trees and tropical plants. After filling their bags with candy, the boys borrowed swim trunks and spent the rest of the evening splashing around in the pool – definitely a far cry from a Pennsylvania Halloween! The next day we celebrated this very-American tradition by going to a party, complete with more trick-or-treating and a haunted house that was held at the U.S. Marine House. Those marines know how to throw a party; the kids had a great time, and from the pictures I saw, the adult-only after-party was quite a success, too! Last, but not least, was a huge celebration at the kids’ school – Alex still went as a scarecrow, but this time Ian dressed up as a big, bad biker to go along with his class theme. Overall, despite the fact that we were in a country that doesn’t really recognize Halloween, we had plenty of opportunities to celebrate, not to mention eat lots of candy.
The following weekend was one of the highlights of my time in Brazil. Every year, the American Society of Sao Paulo throws a Christmas party (in November) for about 230 of the city’s orphans. I was part of the planning committee and participated in the day’s events. It was such an incredible day with so many emotions – it was very overwhelming to see so many children (who only represent a small percentage of so many in the city) who have so little. They were treated to lunch from McDonalds (something they never get), entertainment, games, as well as a visit from Santa Claus where each child received a bag full of goodies. Their cheerful dispositions and smiles warmed and melted everyone’s hearts – I would have taken many of them home with me if it were possible. The Brazilian laws regarding adoption are ridiculous with so much bureaucracy and red-tape that the majority of these children will spend their childhoods living in group homes until they turn 18. It was a privilege to be able to help many of the kids open their gifts and watch their faces light up as they studied the new outfit, shoes, backpack, toy, and sweet treat they each received. One moment that was very eye-opening for me was the ten year old boy I helped who had no idea how to open a package – he had never opened a wrapped gift. Again, I was made aware of the many things we take for granted.
The same week of the party, I started driving one of those orphans to his weekly therapy appointments. The seven year old boy is usually accompanied by an educator from the orphanage and they normally travel by bus. Riding in a car is something these kids rarely get the chance to do. I was amused by his wonder at the things that were so new to him – the talking GPS, the air coming from the vents under the seat in front of him, the little button on the door that lowers and raises the window. I look forward to my weekly visit with him – when I pick him up in the morning, I am always greeted by smiling children who are eager for a bit of extra attention, showering me with hugs and kisses. Unfortunately, the majority of these kids don’t even learn to read or write very well – the overcrowded public schools do not have the means to give the children the attention they need, and there is no parental involvement to aid in their education. The orphanages have educators who offer some support, but there are just too many kids and not enough adults to fill the need. So, during my time with the orphan in my care for a few hours a week, I try to teach him just a little bit about letters, sounds, and words. He loves for me to read to him while we sit in the waiting room of the therapist’s office, and I love to have him snuggle up next to me and listen to the stories. Finally, I feel like I have found some purpose to my time here.
Along with variable weather, November brought with it a few holidays, granting us the beautiful gift of a four-day weekend. We decided to take advantage of the extra days without school and work to travel to the city of Curitiba, in the state of Parana. Our friends, Fabio and Fabiane, moved there a few months ago and we saw it as a perfect opportunity to visit them (and their adorable baby, Victor) and see a new city. As is the theme with traveling by car in Brazil, there is always traffic with which to contend. What should have been a five-hour drive took almost 8 hours – on one curvy, mountainous stretch of road, it took us 2 hours to go 20 KM. By the time we arrived, we were exhausted from the long trip and went straight to our friends’ apartment and spent a couple of hours visiting and playing with Victor. Even though it was dark as we drove to our hotel later that evening, it was obvious to us that there was a very different feel to this city. What a difference from being in Sao Paulo!
There is a strong European influence in Curitiba, and it is modern, cleaner, safer, and better organized than Sao Paulo. Despite the fact that there are about 3 million people within the metropolitan area of Curitiba, compared to where we live, it felt like a nice small town. Though not a coastal town and with no beach nearby, the many museums and beautiful parks draw tourists to this city. Fabio and Fabiane spent a day showing us around the city – with them we visited a museum, a park, the historic part of town, and the beautiful botanical gardens. We ended our long day with a dinner of all-you-can-eat pizza – the boys were so tired that they fell asleep at the table – Alex even started to sleep-walk as we were leaving the restaurant and wandered over to a table where 6 people were enjoying their dinner. We cracked up laughing as we watched him approach this group of strangers and propped his elbows on their table, settling his head in his hands as he gazed at them sleepily. It gave them quite a good laugh, too! The next day it rained, but that didn’t keep us from enjoying the double-decker tour bus that we took to visit different attractions in the city. It was a great trip, visiting good friends, and seeing a beautiful city - it was so refreshing to be away from the hectic and crowded city of Sao Paulo, that a few times on our trip I even forgot for a few minutes that we were still in Brazil!
A bittersweet time for us was that of Thanksgiving. It was tough to know that our families were all drifting toward one another to celebrate the holiday together and that we could not be there to join them. Being a strictly American holiday, there is no mention of Thanksgiving in Brazil – it’s just another Thursday on the calendar. Several of our friends had traveled for a long weekend away, since their kids’ American school actually gave them a day and a half off from classes. That same school hosted a Thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before the actual holiday, and we participated, enjoying a turkey dinner with many of the trimmings. Thanksgiving Thursday arrived, the kids went to school and Matt had to work a full day – I even had a dentist appointment that morning – life, as usual. However, I was determined to make this a special day despite the circumstances. Our friends, Ann and John, didn’t have plans so they joined us for dinner that evening. With Ann’s help, I prepared a huge traditional dinner, from the turkey to the pumpkin pie and we all ate like pigs. It may not have been the way we traditionally celebrate, but as we remembered our many blessings, it was a beautiful evening spent with friends.
As summer quickly approaches in the southern hemisphere, so does the Christmas holiday. Christmas decorations have been sprouting up all over the city since the last week in October. The condominium complex is lit up in a bright display of lights that rivals any decorations we would see in the States. I don’t know why I am so surprised by this – I guess that it’s hard for it to feel like Christmas without the cold, blustery weather we are accustomed to having this time of year. Almost all of my shopping has been done on-line, taking advantage of the many companies that offer free shipping – my mom has been kind enough to sort through and store all of my purchases. In just over a week, the kids will be out of school for six weeks – it is hard to believe that they have already completed 2 semesters here in Brazil. They have started taking Kung Fu classes a couple of times a week, which has been a nice addition to their schedules and has been keeping us even busier than before. We are all looking forward to a break in the routine and a chance to slow down – we can’t wait to get back to the States. I am so excited to meet my new niece, Amelia, and all of the other babies who have been born in the last few months; I can’t wait to eat our moms’ cooking and to enjoy time spent with family and friends. As “Phase Two” of our time in Brazil comes to an end, I feel like I’m in a completely different place than I was at the beginning – I count my blessings every day. Life is good.
