How We are Doing

Well it has been a week and a half since we got to Brazil. In many ways it seems like so long ago that we left Canada, and in others it seems like this time has gone so quickly. When I think of how long it has been since I've seen my family, it actually feels like so long, and I think so much must have happened back at home. But on the other hand, it seems like we quickly are getting into a routine of sorts, with bedtimes and naps falling into place, what time we have meals, etc. It has been a bit of a struggle figuring out what to eat for meals. Since Brazilians typically have their hot meal at lunch, when Isabel is here that is what we have done, and then bread and fruit for supper. But when she isn`t here, it feels so weird to look in my fridge in the morning to decide what to make for the lunch meal. And I don`t have all my regular spices and meats. When you go into the market here there is a butcher section and you just ask them to saw off a hunk of meat. Although you can find meat in the refridgerated section as well. Today I went to an outdoor market with Thacianne and we bought some fruit. There is a little boy with a wheelbarrow that would bring all the food you bought back to your house for R$1, but when we went back to the stand to collect our pile of fruit he wasn't available, so we brought it back ourselves. Kind of a good thing as I had only R$20 in my pocket. I really feel like the language part is going well, although of course there is so much more to learn. At the end of the day my mind starts wondering and I can't focus on the conversations anymore. Seth is starting to say basic Portuguese words, which is fun to see. In general we can get the gist of what they are saying, and we are getting really good at charades! And at laughing at ourselves. For example, here they have carbonated water, which is really popular, and literally the Portuguese translates water with gas. But we needed water and Thacianne was trying to explain that the company that sold the water also sold gas. So we're talking on top of each other trying to say that we want water without gas. When she understood what we were trying to say we had a good laugh. Sounds little but those little misunderstandings happen a lot. When we got the water delivered we didn`t have the actual cash on us, we were short R$2. Isabel thought we were saying we didn`t have money. So then Moizes came and offered to help us out and if we need anything, just let him know. He was so worried about us. It was a very nice gesture, especially as he had been over 20 minutes before that and must have come straight back to make sure we were okay. We also had asked Isabel to make us buns...but apparently the word for buns in our dictionary means cake...so on Saturday she made us a beautiful chocolate cake. Another example was yesterday, which was the Brazilian equivalent of Valentine's Day. We were invited to go out for dinner with a number of couples from church, and Thacianne asked if we would like her to find a babysitter. Then Sandro was over and we thought he was saying his kids would babysit, either at his house or theirs. We thought ours might be better, as the kids have had so much to adjust to, also we have screened their bedroom windows so they are getting only a couple bites a day now :) and it seems very uncommon here to have screens. Seems like a silly reason, but you should see the welts on my kids. Anyways, then Sandro and his wife, D`Jane, showed up at 7:30 to pick us up, and there was no babysitter with them. We ended up packing up our kids and bringing them to his house. It is nice how they try to include us as well. I have to tell you at the moment I am enjoying the chaotic yet relaxed lifestyle of the Brazilians. For example, to drive anywhere people drive a million miles an hour, weaving in and out on the highway, then slamming on their breaks because sporadically there are these MONSTER speedbumps (and when we're all in our car, a little Chevrolet Prisma, we bottom out on some of them). Cars pass other cars and cars coming the other way sort of move over, or you move over for people to pass you. In town the roads are cobblestone and often half the road is being repaired and it is very narrow, so you are weaving around the piles of rubble on the road and trying to avoid other cars, bikes, motorcycles, horses with wagons, pedestrians, dogs everywhere, chickens....you name it.

A couple side notes...when Shaun screened the bedroom windows he had to climb out on the roof outside the windows, and their roofing is ceramic half cylinders that just rest into eachother. Kind of u-shaped, so they go like this: ununun, but resting inside eachother, so the rain goes off the n and into the u and drains down the roof (I have no idea if that will make sense to anyone). He had to move them all to make a path to the window, because if you put any weight on them they crack. But now he thinks he would make a good roofer here...ha ha.

Also our good friend Sandro was really sick this week, and they were thinking it might be Dengue Fever, but he has mostly recovered. And an interesting note about that is that the 2 types of mosquito that carries Dengue Fever only bites during the day. Also Moizes was in a car accident this week. We are thankful that the Lord kept them in his care and allowed recovery and safety for both of them.

Anyways I'm passing over the keyboard to Shaun to put in a little entry 0f what we actually are doing here. Hopefully he'll write about some of the interesting things he has noticed since we got here, and I'm sorry this is such a long entry...I've been kind of working on it over the last couple days!