Three Weeks In!

Today marks three weeks that we have been here.  There is so much to tell and yet so little to tell all at the same time.  People ask how we are doing and it is so hard to explain, or even to sum up.... all the little joys and sorrows that make up each day, yet would possibly be normal in any other country of the world as well.  Being away from familiarity seems to emphasize the “little” sorrows, however, that could be a whole wackload of pregnancy hormones attacking as well!

What do our days look like?   Almost as soon as we got here I started “school” with the kids.  Although they were prepared (pre-warned), it has been an interesting adjustment.  I am focussing mostly on reading, writing, and arithmetic, at least to get the ball rolling before we have a new baby in the house.  I have one kiddo who is highly resistant somewhat reluctant to follow any of my suggestions or instructions, and believes in independent learning outside of all parental or teacher constraints, in spite of the fact that there is very little formal schoolwork (maybe at most 2 hours).  Although this has been the primary struggle with the commencement of schooling, it has also been an interesting challenge.  I have objectives in mind for what I want to teach, and will spend time in the evening looking for interesting ways to teach it, thinking of different strategies to present information, possible rewards systems, etc.  I’m enjoying the planning more than the implementation of said techniques, but I feel like as we get in more of a groove it will actually be an experience that will be enriching for both of us.  I still have initial homeschooling anxiety (how will I teach everything!), but it seems the kids will spend a lot less time in the “classroom,” and I can focus on their weaknesses and encourage their strengths.   I also am still receiving newsletters from the kids’ school, so I am loosely using that as a way to see if I am “on track.”

Other than the schooling, things have actually probably been a bit more relaxed here than in Canada.  I am “done” work, someone is coming in to clean/do laundry 2 times a week, and the house we are staying in is roomy for us with all the furniture/kitchen stuff etc., already here.  It becomes more stressful when I think about having our baby in a few weeks and then moving a few weeks after that to some undisclosed (unknown) location.

Shaun and I met with the doctor here.... he seems genuinely interested in as “natural a birth as possible.”  This is extremely important if you are aware of the percentages of c-sections here.  In private hospitals they hover around 80%, and in public hospitals around 40%.  A friend of ours who had a baby here naturally 9 years ago in the hospital said some of the nurses there had never seen a natural birth!  Reading up on the stats and on general Brazilian attitudes regarding c-sections makes me think things have not drastically changed.  They also move you to an operating room when you are ready to have the baby... just in case.  It makes it very hard to feel trusting towards a doctor.   In our broken Portuguese I think we managed to explain what we were hoping for, and he looked unconcerned.  He let us know what hospitals he likes to deliver in, and hopefully sometime next week Shaun and I will tour one so we have a better idea of what is involved from the hospital’s perspective.  I’m due in approximately 5 weeks from now, so can give a better anecdotal update of my Brazilian birthing experience then.  To be honest, I prefer to not think about it because when I do I just want to head on back up to Canada and have my baby how I’ve had all my babies, with a doctor that I know would only give a c-section (or other interventions) if it was necessary.   

In other news, we went two hours south over the past weekend, to Maragogi.  This is where we stayed when we were here last time.  We had a great time, and stayed with very hospitable friends.  It emphasized our need to get back on track with Portuguese, and kick started the immersion.  Here in Recife we speak English all day and our friends here speak English, so we definitely needed a boot in the butt.  It also was frustrating, especially for one who has so much to say.... how to get our point across!  The kids did great, and tried Portuguese here and there.  Seth and Hazel have been doing a computer program called Rosetta Stone, and I think that gave them a little more confidence to try.  Seth spent the weekend playing with his lego that we had left with these friends last year, chasing praying mantises, crabs and toads once again.  We went on a bit of a hike and there were interesting things like termite nests on trees.  He is definitely in his element chasing all things crawling, hopping, scurrying....  His new dream is to catch animals, take them to his science lab, remove all poison from their body and sell them to people....  Hazel and Lyla had a happy weekend as well, swimming, playing dollies, re-meeting their little girlfriends from last year.... being smelled and petted and adored.  We had lots of comments regarding them looking like twins.  It was a fun time full of eating food and also smiling while a lot of conversation went on around us over our head.

We also tried to find a place to rent, because we are hoping to head down there in November, when our current location will be re-inhabited by its rightful occupants.  Maragogi does not appear to have any rentals available, so we checked out a little suburb called Barra Grande, which is actually where we were staying.  There are definitely some nice places there; however most of them are only for rental in summer (December/January) and then Carnival (first week in March).  We found one promising location that would be rented out annually but it was more than we were hoping for.  It was right on the beach and had a yard as well!  We may have to look at it again as nothing else seems to be available, and as it gets closer to summer here it gets harder to rent.

The weather has been cool and rainy (think B.C.!) which is very lovely for someone who is 8 months pregnant.  I think most days it has been in the mid twenties during the day and right now (10 at night) it is 20 according to the weather network.

So other than the ant’s nest we found in a book case in our house (HUGE ants!), the crazy amount of cockroaches in this house (more than we have had in any other house) and some other odds and ends of weirdness, things have been going really well.  I feel disjointed when I think of people I want to talk to but haven’t been able to, and I have days where I think we are crazy and I can’t believe we are here again.  But if I think about each day individually, we are healthy and happy, and time flies as we all know.  We have been warmly welcomed here and we thank God for these connections.  I want to live in the “now” and be thankful and happy for the time here instead of always waiting for what is coming next.  In the end, we can spend our days waiting for better days wherever we live, when we are meant to enjoy where we are right now.

It’s nice to know my pep talk is working tonight, on myself anyways!   Have a great night everyone,

Love Brenda