Saturday, June 27
This morning, we went to Daniele’s pre-school for a festa junina. Let’s just say I had extremely low expectations, and even those were not met. The kids “danced” but it seemed like they rehearsed maybe once or twice. It was lame, even for a pre-school event, or maybe because it was a pre-school event. After, I invited the family to a churrascaria. Those of you that have not been to Brazil have probably been to or heard of Rodizio’s or Tucano’s in Utah. For lunch, you pay $13.00 and dinner $20.00. In Brazil, for the same kind of restaurant where the meat is higher quality, you pay about half that price. For three adults, and two kids with drinks and tip, I paid about $40.00. It was awesome.
After lunch, we set off for Pico do Jaraguá, which is a peak that overlooks the entire city of São Paulo. Unfortunately, it was overcast so I was unable to take in the full vista, but it was beautiful nonetheless. São Paulo is freakin’ huge. Only Ivan and I made the trek up the steep staircase to the overlook because it was raining a bit and the kids had fallen asleep in the car. This is one of those places you only see when a friend takes you there. In fact, Ivan mentioned that very few paulistanos have visited Pico do Jaraguá.
That evening, we headed to the church to attend a proper festa junina. They had the traditional food from the Northeast, like quindins, which I'm going to learn how to make Thursday night. They even danced the quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing. If Aimee were with me we would have danced as well, since I learned it in Rio three years ago. As fun as the party was, I was feeling a bit like an outsider and missed my family. Luckily, Aimee and I were able to talk with only a few interruptions by our kids. That night I watched several episodes of Arrested Development in order to “matar as saudades” [deal with homesickness]. The downside was I did not get to sleep until well past midnight.
Sunday, June 28
We went to church, came home, ate lunch, took naps, and hung out. Ivan and Luciene had some training meetings at church that evening so I stayed with the kids. One of the nice things about being a member of this international church is the fact that the organization, structure, and messages are pretty much the same wherever you go in the world. Of course people adapt the principles of the gospel to their own situations, but in the end, the human condition tends to level the playing field. Although local cultural aspects always influence religious culture, there is not as much syncretism as may be seen in Catholicism, for example.
Monday, June 29
I have to admit that I was pretty bummed out most of the day yesterday. I thought about going out, but I was concerned that I would just go spend a bunch of money on books that I cannot afford…at least not now. I really, really, really want to get the complete works of Machado de Assis ($250) and João Guimarães Rosa ($150), but I think I will have to wait until the fall when I have an income again. I still need to pay rent for the month of August. I was home by myself for most of the day, which was nice because I could read and write without too many interruptions. Solitude for me is a dual-edged sword. On one hand, I can be extremely productive when I am alone and focus on a project. On the other hand, I can waste a lot of time. Luckily, yesterday was just a nice relaxing day, but I did miss being around people.
Tuesday, June 30
It is almost time for lunch. I think I am going to head out and go to some sebos [used bookstores] with the caveat that I will only have a certain amount of money to spend. Once that's gone, it's gone.
The rest of the week looks promising:
- Wednesday - Parque do Ibirapuera / Parque da Independência
- Thursday - Mercado Muncipal / learn how to make quindins
- Friday - attend a session at the São Paulo temple
- Saturday - Campos do Jordão
* Everything will work out.
This morning, we went to Daniele’s pre-school for a festa junina. Let’s just say I had extremely low expectations, and even those were not met. The kids “danced” but it seemed like they rehearsed maybe once or twice. It was lame, even for a pre-school event, or maybe because it was a pre-school event. After, I invited the family to a churrascaria. Those of you that have not been to Brazil have probably been to or heard of Rodizio’s or Tucano’s in Utah. For lunch, you pay $13.00 and dinner $20.00. In Brazil, for the same kind of restaurant where the meat is higher quality, you pay about half that price. For three adults, and two kids with drinks and tip, I paid about $40.00. It was awesome.
After lunch, we set off for Pico do Jaraguá, which is a peak that overlooks the entire city of São Paulo. Unfortunately, it was overcast so I was unable to take in the full vista, but it was beautiful nonetheless. São Paulo is freakin’ huge. Only Ivan and I made the trek up the steep staircase to the overlook because it was raining a bit and the kids had fallen asleep in the car. This is one of those places you only see when a friend takes you there. In fact, Ivan mentioned that very few paulistanos have visited Pico do Jaraguá.
That evening, we headed to the church to attend a proper festa junina. They had the traditional food from the Northeast, like quindins, which I'm going to learn how to make Thursday night. They even danced the quadrilha, which is similar to square dancing. If Aimee were with me we would have danced as well, since I learned it in Rio three years ago. As fun as the party was, I was feeling a bit like an outsider and missed my family. Luckily, Aimee and I were able to talk with only a few interruptions by our kids. That night I watched several episodes of Arrested Development in order to “matar as saudades” [deal with homesickness]. The downside was I did not get to sleep until well past midnight.
Sunday, June 28
We went to church, came home, ate lunch, took naps, and hung out. Ivan and Luciene had some training meetings at church that evening so I stayed with the kids. One of the nice things about being a member of this international church is the fact that the organization, structure, and messages are pretty much the same wherever you go in the world. Of course people adapt the principles of the gospel to their own situations, but in the end, the human condition tends to level the playing field. Although local cultural aspects always influence religious culture, there is not as much syncretism as may be seen in Catholicism, for example.
Monday, June 29
I have to admit that I was pretty bummed out most of the day yesterday. I thought about going out, but I was concerned that I would just go spend a bunch of money on books that I cannot afford…at least not now. I really, really, really want to get the complete works of Machado de Assis ($250) and João Guimarães Rosa ($150), but I think I will have to wait until the fall when I have an income again. I still need to pay rent for the month of August. I was home by myself for most of the day, which was nice because I could read and write without too many interruptions. Solitude for me is a dual-edged sword. On one hand, I can be extremely productive when I am alone and focus on a project. On the other hand, I can waste a lot of time. Luckily, yesterday was just a nice relaxing day, but I did miss being around people.
Tuesday, June 30
It is almost time for lunch. I think I am going to head out and go to some sebos [used bookstores] with the caveat that I will only have a certain amount of money to spend. Once that's gone, it's gone.
The rest of the week looks promising:
- Wednesday - Parque do Ibirapuera / Parque da Independência
- Thursday - Mercado Muncipal / learn how to make quindins
- Friday - attend a session at the São Paulo temple
- Saturday - Campos do Jordão
* Everything will work out.
1 comment:
I too am either very productive or very wasteful when I'm alone. Lets hope for production!
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