Friday, July 3
I arrived to the archive around lunch time and worked my tail off until 4:00 p.m. with only one 10 minute break. I am quite pleased with the work I have been able to two these past two days. I will probably be able to develop this research into an article, which is exciting. Likewise, it will be part of a chapter of my dissertation. I can probably name the U.S. Brazililanists that have spent significant time with this colleciton of correspondence, so I kind of feel like I am part of a select group of Über-Nerds.
I arrived to the archive around lunch time and worked my tail off until 4:00 p.m. with only one 10 minute break. I am quite pleased with the work I have been able to two these past two days. I will probably be able to develop this research into an article, which is exciting. Likewise, it will be part of a chapter of my dissertation. I can probably name the U.S. Brazililanists that have spent significant time with this colleciton of correspondence, so I kind of feel like I am part of a select group of Über-Nerds.
Ivan picked me up around 4:30 and we made our way to the São Paulo temple. We took some pictures, ate a delicious meal in the cafeteria, and hit up the 6:00 p.m. session. It has been awhile since I have been to the temple and it was a wonderful experience. The fact that it was in Portuguese helped me pay closer attention. Several years ago the temple undertook a major renovation. It was originally dedicated in 1976, as the first temple in South America, as well as one of the busiest in the church. In fact, the temple was open all Friday night going into Saturday. Aimee and I attended the temple once in 2002 and while the interior was clean, it seemed a bit run-down and dingy. Now, however, the temple has been completely remodeled. The walls of the endowment room, for example, are a dark mahogany with gold trim. The waiting area at the entrance has a meticulous stained glass window of a Book of Mormon scene. In São Paulo, as I am sure is the case in any large city, you get used to the background hum of traffic. The temple, however, blocks out the sounds of the busy street just beyond its walls. The aesthetics of the refurbished interior enhanced the quiet peace I felt.
After the temple, I asked Ivan if we could go across the street to As Vertentes do Morumbi an apartment complex that is known affectionally as Mormonlândia. Church headquarters is next to the temple and many of the employees live in As Vertentes. This is also where Aimee and I lived for four months in 2002. We met a wonderful young couple, Flâvio and Ingrid, with whom we made fast friends. We lost touch over the years, but we had fond memories of our outings with them. I decided to see if they were home. After a few minutes convincing the doorman I really did know them, he rang their apartment and I was let in. Flâvio could not believe I was standing in his doorway after seven years. Ingrid was at a neighbor's and she had forgot to take her cell phone. I did not want to make Ivan wait too long for me, so I told Flâvio I would call him Sunday afternoon and work out a time when we could get together.
Saturday, July 4
Today we went to Campos do Jordão. The original plan was for Luciene to take Daniele to her ballet class at 7:00 a.m. and then leave at 9:00. Unfortunately, Ivan--as well as Davi and I--did not wake up until 8:30. As is the case with most young families with small children, getting out of the house was not an easy task. We finally left around 11:00, a.m. which had us getting into Campos do Jordão around 1:00 or 1:30. Much to my chagrine, I realized that in the flurry to get out of the house, I had left my camera next to the computer. No worries; Luciene had their camcorder, which could also take pictures. But for some reason it was not working. We then noticed that it was without a memory card. D'oh! We had taken out the card to transfer photos onto their computer. It was left right next to my camera. When we got into town, I decided to buy them another card, so as not to lose these special Kodak moments. The cheapest one we could find was 1 gig for around US$20.00. Looking at Best Buy, you can get a 2 gig card for less than $15. In spite of the mark-up, it was the right thing to do.
Campos do Jordão reminded me a lot of Park City--a bunch of cabins and condos for rich paulistanos to come and play. Driving through some of the neighborhoods, we even saw a compound with two helicopter pads (with helicopters). The rich drive luxury sedans and SUVs. The super-rich fly helicopters. We found a nice restaurant that served comida mineira (food from Minas Gerais), which was quite tasty and not too expensive for the area. After lunch, we made our way to several peaks that overlooked the town and the Valle Paraíba. I suppose I am jaded, having grown up near the Rocky Mountains, so I was not nearly as impressed with the vistas as Ivan and Luciene were. Granted, the area was beautiful, but it was like driving through Heber and then eating lunch in Park City. I am glad we went, though. It was a good day.
Sunday, July 5
Church was good. Lunch was good. I took a brief nap and then watched Davi and Dani while their parents went to ward counsel (Luciene is the president of the Young Women and Ivan is the Elder's Quorum president. Needless to say, church activities keep them busy.) I was really tired and went to bed at 10:00 p.m. The weird thing is that I woke up, wide awake, at around midnight and then could not get to bed for several hours. I think I was getting worried and stressed out about everything that is waiting for me at home. Again, I have only been home for three days in the last six weeks. It is almost like a need a vacation from vacation!
Monday, July 6
I was able to nap a bit in the afternoon. That evening, Ivan and company drove me over to As Vertentes and I spent the evening with Flâvio, Ingrid, their four-year-old daughter, Elena, and their five-month-old son, Theo. We ate pasta with a delicious blue cheese sauce and waffles and icecream for dessert. I am really glad it worked out to see them. We reminiced and caught up on each other's lives. It even worked out to do a video call with Aimee and the kids through Gmail. It is great to reconnect with old friends and we certainly will maintain better contact now.
Tuesday, July 7
Flâvio drove me home around midnight. Ivan was still up watching some TV and fixing a snack when I arrived. Much like Sunday night, I had a really hard time getting to sleep. I kept flipping through channels trying to find something interesting to watch. I did watch a documentary called Ganja Queen, about Schapelle Corby, a Brisbane girl who is imprisoned for twenty years in Bali for trafficking cannabis. All I can say is that her defense team made some major blunders, which precluded any possibility of negotiating early release or leniency. I tossed an dturned for several hours, but did not really get to sleep until 5:30 a.m. or so. I was able to sleep until 9:30, eat breakfast with Luciene and the kids, and I have been updating my blog, checking email, etc. since that time.
My flight leaves at 9:50 p.m. and we will be leaving here around 7:00 p.m. This has been a great trip but I am ready to go home.
After the temple, I asked Ivan if we could go across the street to As Vertentes do Morumbi an apartment complex that is known affectionally as Mormonlândia. Church headquarters is next to the temple and many of the employees live in As Vertentes. This is also where Aimee and I lived for four months in 2002. We met a wonderful young couple, Flâvio and Ingrid, with whom we made fast friends. We lost touch over the years, but we had fond memories of our outings with them. I decided to see if they were home. After a few minutes convincing the doorman I really did know them, he rang their apartment and I was let in. Flâvio could not believe I was standing in his doorway after seven years. Ingrid was at a neighbor's and she had forgot to take her cell phone. I did not want to make Ivan wait too long for me, so I told Flâvio I would call him Sunday afternoon and work out a time when we could get together.
Saturday, July 4
Today we went to Campos do Jordão. The original plan was for Luciene to take Daniele to her ballet class at 7:00 a.m. and then leave at 9:00. Unfortunately, Ivan--as well as Davi and I--did not wake up until 8:30. As is the case with most young families with small children, getting out of the house was not an easy task. We finally left around 11:00, a.m. which had us getting into Campos do Jordão around 1:00 or 1:30. Much to my chagrine, I realized that in the flurry to get out of the house, I had left my camera next to the computer. No worries; Luciene had their camcorder, which could also take pictures. But for some reason it was not working. We then noticed that it was without a memory card. D'oh! We had taken out the card to transfer photos onto their computer. It was left right next to my camera. When we got into town, I decided to buy them another card, so as not to lose these special Kodak moments. The cheapest one we could find was 1 gig for around US$20.00. Looking at Best Buy, you can get a 2 gig card for less than $15. In spite of the mark-up, it was the right thing to do.
Campos do Jordão reminded me a lot of Park City--a bunch of cabins and condos for rich paulistanos to come and play. Driving through some of the neighborhoods, we even saw a compound with two helicopter pads (with helicopters). The rich drive luxury sedans and SUVs. The super-rich fly helicopters. We found a nice restaurant that served comida mineira (food from Minas Gerais), which was quite tasty and not too expensive for the area. After lunch, we made our way to several peaks that overlooked the town and the Valle Paraíba. I suppose I am jaded, having grown up near the Rocky Mountains, so I was not nearly as impressed with the vistas as Ivan and Luciene were. Granted, the area was beautiful, but it was like driving through Heber and then eating lunch in Park City. I am glad we went, though. It was a good day.
Sunday, July 5
Church was good. Lunch was good. I took a brief nap and then watched Davi and Dani while their parents went to ward counsel (Luciene is the president of the Young Women and Ivan is the Elder's Quorum president. Needless to say, church activities keep them busy.) I was really tired and went to bed at 10:00 p.m. The weird thing is that I woke up, wide awake, at around midnight and then could not get to bed for several hours. I think I was getting worried and stressed out about everything that is waiting for me at home. Again, I have only been home for three days in the last six weeks. It is almost like a need a vacation from vacation!
Monday, July 6
I was able to nap a bit in the afternoon. That evening, Ivan and company drove me over to As Vertentes and I spent the evening with Flâvio, Ingrid, their four-year-old daughter, Elena, and their five-month-old son, Theo. We ate pasta with a delicious blue cheese sauce and waffles and icecream for dessert. I am really glad it worked out to see them. We reminiced and caught up on each other's lives. It even worked out to do a video call with Aimee and the kids through Gmail. It is great to reconnect with old friends and we certainly will maintain better contact now.
Tuesday, July 7
Flâvio drove me home around midnight. Ivan was still up watching some TV and fixing a snack when I arrived. Much like Sunday night, I had a really hard time getting to sleep. I kept flipping through channels trying to find something interesting to watch. I did watch a documentary called Ganja Queen, about Schapelle Corby, a Brisbane girl who is imprisoned for twenty years in Bali for trafficking cannabis. All I can say is that her defense team made some major blunders, which precluded any possibility of negotiating early release or leniency. I tossed an dturned for several hours, but did not really get to sleep until 5:30 a.m. or so. I was able to sleep until 9:30, eat breakfast with Luciene and the kids, and I have been updating my blog, checking email, etc. since that time.
My flight leaves at 9:50 p.m. and we will be leaving here around 7:00 p.m. This has been a great trip but I am ready to go home.
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