Move on!

We've just had a major power failure of a few hours. I put supper (chicken wings and roast potatoes... keep it simple) in the oven (one of the few times I'm grateful for gas) and Jurgis and I sat around chatting. Note to Tat: We found the epsom salts by candle light!!! It was hidden under The Big Black Bag haha!

Our last few days... wow... like we need more 'action' around here. We were advised, on Friday, that we have 15 days to vacate the premises. We've been expecting this a while now, as our contract expired last year.


Did I mention it's still raining here?
First... Panic!! A while later, reason sets in and we start house hunting. There are a couple of options, but very little, as no one wants animals. Totally understandable, but not the way I work. Later, Jurgis went off to meet with his buddies at the pub and casually mentioned that we may lose the dogs because no one wants dogs and we have to move. His one buddy cried out in alarm! You can't get rid of the dogs! Move into my place! He owns a house close to a nearby river (read 'regular flooding', though apparently this house is built just above the flood line. It sounds perfect though. Very low rental, fairly small, close enough to a large supermarket and close to a bus route. I'd have to make a special trip to the post office, but I can deal with that. And..... the dogs can stay!! : )

Anyhow... Today I got my horoscope. I'm one who tends to take horoscopes with a truckload of salt, but I'm not shy to celebrate when it says what I want to hear ; )

Hi Corrianne! Here is your Daily Horoscope for Saturday, February 6   Slow down a little and take stock -- your intuitions should be more or less right on, so you can count on seeing the forest and the trees. Once you're settled, it's time to move out quickly!

Didya see that?? "Once you're settled, move out quickly!" *grins* Ok, I'll make no secret of the fact that I dearly want to move out. As I was explaining to a friend earlier...

As you know, our plan was for Jurgis to get his Lithuanian/EU citizenship and passport. I'd just tag along on his coat tails... seems South Africans aren't welcome anywhere really. There's a catch, though. For me to go to Lithuania, I need a Lithuanian entry visa. Recently, the Lithuanian consulate of Brazil shut down, so all Lithuanian consular issues are dealt with in Argentina. That, for me, means that, to get a Lithuanian entry visa, I need to get a visa to go to Argentina, then fly to Argentina, where I will apply for a Lithuanian visa. Ridiculous, não? Pft... Burrocracia!! (Dani might get that last one... )

So... here's what I decided. My end goal is to be in the UK with Tat. I'm going to get myself a job in the UK, then go there. Visa application takes place right here in São Paulo. Jurgis can amble along to Lithuania. Once we're both in Europe, either he can meander over to the UK or I can then apply, way easier, for a Lithuanian entry visa.

Can someone tell me why South Africans aren't welcome anywhere? Ok, don't answer that. I'm not sure I want to know. Now if I were Brazilian, I could fly over to Lithuania OR the UK without a visa. Let's not mention that 80% of Brazilians in the UK are there illegally *sigh* Yes, you've heard the same tale about the Brazilians in the USA... without the need for a visa too. Go figure.

Uh... anyone got some boxes to spare?

 

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Water water everywhere...

There have been more deaths too... and now I've heard they're evacuating the zoo : ( Apparently the animals are being moved to higher ground around the zoo. The botanical gardens alongside are taking damage. The Tieté river has flooded its banks, as usual. My other student for tonight cancelled as her part of town is without electricity.

Another tree, this time about 100 meters away from the student's door, fell... well, fell is a bit of an understatement. It was ripped down. Waiting for the bus to come home took forever. When it did come, it was loaded with steaming humanity. The inside of the bus with all the windows closed was a sauna. I stood with a neighbour's umbrella dripping on my foot and on the other side, a raincoated man... it took him a good kilometre or so before he decided that removing his dripping raincoat would be a good idea. The gaúcho ('cowboy' from the south of Braz) sitting in front of me slept blissfully though, his felt hat dipped over his eyes. Stubble on his weathered cheeks and toothpick making a statement out of his mouth, he looked out of place, but comfortable.


I found this excellent sketch of a gaúcho online, but can't find the original artist (other than the signature)

Speaking of gaúchos, while I was looking for a pic, I found this: link here. Can you imagine donning a pair of goggles and visiting a place in virtual reality?

 

del.icio.us Tags: floods,rain,gaucho,zoo

Insuportável!

On my way home, on the temperature board on Anhaia Melo, it read 37ºC (98°F). Enough already! Anhaia Melo is about a mile from where we live. The sky is heavy with clouds. On the bright side, small talk is simple. Everyone is talking about the weather. Extreme heat followed by extreme rain storms, daily. Last night's storm dropped a tree in our neighbourhood. The roads were all flooded, except folk like us on the hilltop. We're on daily emergency flood alerts. In January, 69 people died because of the floods. One woman was apparently sucked into a stormwater drain. No, the drains aren't that big. The woman was likely small. São Paulo is in it's 42nd day of daily rainstorms and feeling it.

Tat, if you see this, the tree fell in the little road that goes off to the right after crossing Anhaia Melo and before the new Metro construction:

I got myself a bright, psychedelic green umbrella. My old one was rendered useless in the accompanying winds on Monday.

Speaking of storms... it's about to break and I need to leave to the next student. Yay! : ) It'll be good though. The rain breaks the heat. The humidity build-up is no fun though.

 

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Off kilter

I was woken up an hour early today. Not a big deal really, though I do like to sleep as late as I can. I'm no early bird and I've been feeling very tired lately... constantly drained. I checked my mail and messenger... no word from Tat. That was strange. My heart sank just a little, but then I figured she was busy. I tried to call the number she gave me and it just rang.

I hauled myself out to get to my student. It was hot! At 10am, the temperature boards in the city were reading 34ºC (93ºF). I was close to my student, a 2 hour bus ride, when I realised I'd left my cell phone at home. Dang! I got off outside Iguatemi Shopping Centre and popped in there to call home. "Thank goodness you called!" Jurgis let me know that the student had cancelled today's class and Thursday's, as she would be travelling. I mean, I don't have a life to organise. Don't bother telling me until the last minute. There's nothing I like more than taking a hot bus ride across town for nothing. Grr!! I went to the stationery shop to get some envelopes. We need to send documents off to be licked and stamped. Then off home again.

On the way to the bus stop, I stepped skew on a broken tile. The pavements here are disgusting! I twisted my ankle and went down like a ton of bricks. My bag flew off in one direction and the package I was carrying in another. Suddenly I felt very sorry for myself. It was a day when everyone seemed to be rude and self-serving. I was missing Tat and the fall just capped it all. I got the bus to go home and huddled in a corner. I actually sat in one of the reserved seats for the elderly. The bus was empty enough. On the second bus, there was this youngster who insisted on singing along to his mp3 player. I was feeling rather churlish by then, so I told him to stop, as we definitely didn't have the same taste in music. Closer to home, a man got on the bus and gave a 'talk' about how it costs nothing to smile at people and be kind, wishing them a good day and a "God Bless you". I smiled. I needed to hear that. These hawkers get on with various stories to sell their sweets. This was the first who, I think, had something worthwhile to say. The effect was ruined by the irritating youth (who hadn't stopped singing and had caught a glare or three from myself and the woman sitting next to me). He felt the need to tap me on the shoulder and, in a sarcastic tone, said, "And God bless you too, Girl".

I was feeling sore in so many places and emotionally fragile. Jurgis told me Tat had texted me. It turned out that some phone lines had been stolen and the neighbourhood was without phones. For a second there, I thought she was calling from South Africa. Surely that sort of thing didn't happen in England?! I called her on her cell. We confirmed the phone number. Blame the state of my mind, but I tried calling again. Still no reply. Well, darn... what do you know? Jurgis pointed out the obvious. Before his words were quite out of his mouth, I realised what idiots we were. Tat was waiting for my call on the other end and I was frantically trying to call and getting no reply... no darn phone lines!! That was funny when I'd finished feeling like a total nincompoop.

It's been an otherwise fairly frustrating day. I'm trying to pin a few students down to their class times and I'm having too many cancellations. Yes, I know it's still before carnival, and Brazil only starts their year after carnival, but... Gah!

On the bright side, I'm busy with a project and am fairly happy with how it's going. I think it will look good when I'm done. Just wish my pen had a backspace *sigh*

 

del.icio.us Tags: grumpy,rant,tatiana,phone

The eagle has landed

Ok, just Tat and not really landed, but finally arrived at NAYC in Northampton.

The photo, by the way, is Jurgis tormenting Tat with glitter. She was responsible for putting glitter on all the Christmas cards. He decided she needed to be 'embellished' too. That was a "Nooooooooooooooo.........!!" : )

I got a text message from Tat saying she was all settled in. I called her to make sure. It's a mom thing. Apparently their rooms are pretty small and wardrobe space equally small. The place is nicely heated and comfortable. The rooms are attractive and everyone has been very friendly.

She had a Welcome to England package waiting for her too!! Word has it that this person loves purple. Thanks so much, Katey!! You had Tat laughing. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

One way or the other, Tat is now settled and unpacked and appears to be enjoying herself. All is well : )

 

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She's landed

I just spoke to Tat. Her flight appeared to be ok with a slight 'drawback' in her seating companions. She was next to two middle-aged, balding gays who held hands and smooched and sniffed loudly throughout the flight. Her one bag was torn on the flight, so we're hoping she can claim on that. It was her very tough Scout camping bag. The darn thing was shrink-wrapped a gazillion times too. She arrived at Anne's and managed to get a call in to me. She's cold... her ears are cold, poor thing.

 

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A letter to my daughter

A Daughter's Gift
She is ever-unfolding: growing, changing, becoming. Her gift - like the gift of life itself - is the renewal she brings to your own spirit, as she aspires to be all that she might be.



A Daughter's gift
by Robert Sexton

When I imagine
the life you will live
I think of the pleasure
Your presence will give.

I see the joy your smile will light
and the wonders you'll weave
when your dreams take flight.

I feel the hope
that will grow with your grace
and the difference you'll make
to each heart you embrace.

I imagine your life
as I know it will be;
for, my daughter, you've given
all this to me.


Dear Tatiana,

Considering we usually have difficulty keeping quiet, we've had remarkably little to say lately. I know, for me, it has been because my mind and my heart have been too full with too much to say. I suspect it's the same for you.

Tomorrow, we will take you to the airport. A whole new world awaits you... a whole new life. I know you'll do well. I still have that busy-body mom thing going on where I want to tell you to take an umbrella or make sure you have your own pack of tissues in your bag. Instead, I guess I really want to tell you to never stop smiling. It is your smile that people fall in love with, that smile that lights up your whole face and makes your eyes shine. It's not for nothing that within weeks of moving into a new place, people all along your route greet you and know your face. You are well loved. Remember that. Just do your best at whatever you do and do it with that smile we all love. Be happy. Be yourself.

I'm going to miss you so very much. You have taught me to laugh. You taught me how to make the world around me a bright place. You did that for me... my ray of sunshine. Not a day goes by that doesn't have us laughing... belly-aching, tear-streaming, unconstrained laughter. You're my other half (my other head?). You think people will still stare up there? Nah... if they do it will just be because you're pretty and have a radiant smile. You're crazy, you know. I'll miss that craziness. There aren't many people who see the world as strangely as we do. I'm going to have to take notes, so we can laugh over them when we talk. Thank goodness for technology!!

Again... so much to say and the words won't come. I know you know those words though. You know me so well and yes, we've said them so many times before.

A posse ad esse.

I love you!
Mom

PS. Did we pack tissues??

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Ok, you guys hogging the cold, share!

"37°C / 98.6°F at 6PM is not good" A local friend posted this on FB. She lives fairly close. I so agree... that is not good. I hope it cools down tonight. That promised rain must come, but the clouds have gone : (

Rio has reported temps at 38.7°C (101.6°F) - thermal sensation of 45°C (113°F)!! We must be in the 40's too then. No wonder we roasted!

I found this guy through Google.

I was just thinking. I need to defrost my fridge. Should I try it? It would cool me down and soothe the sunburn and the heat my sunburn is giving off is bound to defrost the fridge in record time. Oh wait... I can't fit into the fridge =/

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Your monthly weather channel

Is anyone else freaking out over the weather? We're in our second day of flood warnings. This was our area yesterday:


Luckily we are high up and not affected unless we go into town, which is what we have to do this afternoon. I'm taking boots, umbrella and water wings... oh and a book to read in case we get stuck.

This is what Tat may be going into in a couple of weeks if the weather in the UK doesn't ease up:


(See the article in the Sun)

She's taking a chisel. She recons if she has to freeze her butt off, she may as well chip it off properly and slim down ; ) According to one report, the UK is facing it's coldest winter in the last century, right through to March. Fun! I really need to make a plan for a camera for Tat. This can't be missed!

 

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Howl-yelp

Here I was, merrily composing my phenomenal (yeah right) year end/year start blog when Tat let me know there was someone at the gate. It was the girl from across the road. She's a sweet girl.


A quick snap of Tchuca. Odd photo, I know, but she was yawning here. I had to take it in the dark. She had woken up and started yelping again *sigh* Did I mention that she's extremely hyper? In 6 photos, this is the only clear one of her face.

We've all been very worried about a dog across the road. This dog howl-yelps constantly. It was chained to the front door knob. It had access to a tiny porch - 2m x .5m (6ft x 3ft). The dog would periodically jump over the porch wall and the chain would get stuck, preventing all movement. We spoke to the woman living there. Apparently she was 'looking after the dog for a neighbour' and tied the dog up because the dog would otherwise escape through the bars on the road wall.

Our mild irritation at the noise turned to curiosity, and later alarm, when a huge truck loaded up the contents of the house yesterday. We said nothing and just watched to see what would happen. The dog was still there today with no sign of the people. The girl, their neighbour, came to tell us that apparently the guy had left or was travelling (I'm not sure of the story) and the woman had gone to stay with her mother. The inconsistencies don't stop there either. Apparently she told her other neighbours that someone was looking for a home for the dog and they adopted it.

In the meantime, the dog was still howl-yelping... it's a small dog and the sound is high pitched and enough to drive you insane.... aside from our concern for the welfare of the dog. The problem here is that I have two big dogs, one of whom isn't very friendly to little dogs. We can't keep this dog. Our dogs are now shut in the back. Dingo won't leave Romany and Romany can't be with the little dog. I don't think he'll hurt the little thing, but I can't take the chance. The little dog is in the front. We had to tie her to a post, as our bars are too wide to keep her in, but at least she can run. She's tied in a way that prevents her wrapping the chain around the post. She has loads of shelter, a cushion to sleep on, and has had treats. She has worms too. Fortunately, we had some worm tablets on hand.

What kind of people would take on someone else's dog then move off? They obviously had no time for the dog when the were around, then they just upped and offed. Brazil has little or no 'help' for cases like this. No RSPCA or any such organisation. We did find an organisation and reported the situation by email (they have no phone number to contact). We'll see what happens. At least the dog's incessant howl-yelping has stopped for now. Perhaps I'll even get to sleep tonight.

---------

On the subject of dogs. We were at the pet shop the other day. We saw Kong dog toys and I remember them being mentioned around here, so I went to take a look. This same toy:
http://www.lnt.com/product/plush-toys/168827/medium.html


... only it was a zebra, was over R$70!! That translates to around US$40. I see it is being sold in the US for between US$5 and $11. What the heck?!

 

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♫♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪♫

May the Joy of the Season
Fill your heart and home

May the Love of Friends and Family
Surround you where you go

May our Wishes for your Happiness
Follow you through the year

~ o O o ~



My day started out wonderfully with a phone call from Hamish. Coffee and gifts followed. I loved them all, the lavender candles, the gorgeous, super-soft socks that I'm so tempted to use as a pillow (these socks are really the softest thing I have ever felt!), a new keyboard (mine has been limping for a while now), a webcam. Yes, I finally caved in on the webcam. Students have asked for it and with Tat going to England, the webcam will be nice. Tat rather liked her beret. She's wanted one for ages. Jorge, I think, was most enamoured with his bottle of Chevas ; )


The webcam was fun to play with. I still think it will take courage to use with students, so we'll see how that goes.


I did manage to talk to a couple of friends today. It was great! Thanks : ) Our most profound apologies for the bad singing =Þ In short, it's been a lovely day. I hope your day was also good.

♫♪... and a Happy New Year! ♪♫

 

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Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday....

Remember that song from the 70's?

It's been an eventful few days, appropriate to the time of the year, I suppose. It's hot. Yeah, I know I sound like a stuck record. 94°F in the shade with equivalent humidity isn't my idea of paradise. The locals take the heat in their stride though.


Sunday , we needed to head into town to collect a teeny tiny item we'd ordered.



Tat was meeting an old friend in town, so only went in with us, then went off on her own, so I dragged my body guard around with me.



We first headed out to Vila Mariana to take the positivity photo. There was a lot of traffic, except for when this girl rode up. I decided to leave her there. Aside from her, this is the scene that greets me in the half-light of my early Tuesday mornings. This is the kind of graffiti I can live with, like the one we saw on the phone booth later, "More love please" or "Mais amor por favor", as it was written in perfectly rhyming Portuguese.

I didn't get a photo of the graffiti, but later, I did get a shot of one of São Paulo's oddities. Inside every phone booth, especially downtown where there is often not a spare inch of naked phone booth left, you'll find these stickers, each with a name and number, often with a service.


It took me a while before I discovered what they were advertising. Yes, I tend to be naive.

Our next stop was Praça da Republica, my regular Christmas (and any other special occasion) shopping haunt. We found the stall belonging to the little Japanese couple (odd that they're always tiny and wrinkled). They greeted us so sweetly. Yes, the order was ready and do we like it? Of course! With our business of the day concluded, we decided to do some stall 'window shopping'.

I was looking for some cotton pants. We approached one stall and a man with fly-away white hair popped out with a surprising request. Could I please take a photo of him in exchange for a pair of pants? I cut a deal with him. I'd take a few photos. If he liked them, I'd order something (he didn't have the style I wanted in my size). While I was snapping away, Jorge did some marketing for me, telling him about my photo restoration. He wants some photos restored as well.


Not too far from his stall was the shadow puppet man. This guy is either crazy, determined, or just plain talented. He dresses from head to toe in black. He does a duet with his puppets. It's really well done. I caught his 'lady' looking at me. I think I interrupted her mourning over his death in this act. Jorge tossed some coinage into his hat and we moved on.


From Republica and it's dozy citizens....


...we made our way to Avenida Paulista to see the Christmas decorations. They weren't the best we've seen, but they were fairly good.


After browsing Livraria Cultura, a huge book store, we ambled along to Parque Trianon. It's a lovely little park where they've gone out of their way to preserve the original trees. Where they cut trees to make a path, they used the trees to make park seating. You can see an example here. The photos aren't that great. They're from when we were visiting Brazil in '96.

At the entrance to the park, a man tapped Jurgis on the shoulder and asked him for his year of birth. Jurgis obliged and was given an exciting run-down on the Chinese astrology for 2010 for those born in the Year of the Tiger. He then turned to me and asked me for my year of birth. Once I told him, he proceeded to tell me how bad the past year was for me, possibly even including the death of a family member. I thought he was telling me what next year would be like and was getting progressively more depressed. When Jurgis explained, the man went on to tell me that next year would be a total contrast for me. 2010 is apparently going to be 'my' year. Now there's good news! The man then gave us each an A4 page with tons of text... in Spanish! Apparently all these wonderful things are on that page. I'll never know.


He then sorted through some seeds he had and gave us each three seeds, carefully selecting the best ones. We're to keep one seed, throw one in a river and give the third seed to someone to plant in some place that will benefit the ecology.


We finally left Avenida Paulista to go home. We went to Liberdade where we were told that the bus would take more than an hour to arrive, so we wandered among the Sunday stalls there. We finally got the bus, only to be stuck in a traffic jam caused by an overturned truck. Footsore and very sunburnt, I was glad to get home.

Oh wait... I haven't mentioned Monday to Wednesday yet. Sunday took an entire blog!

Monday, Tat and I went in to try to see Avatar. We ended up shopping for clothes (tickets were sold out) for her trip. On the way out, we bumped into a taxi driver we hadn't seen for over 6 years. He recognised us! Our cabbie from Rio.

Tuesday, I was out teaching. My student is the owner of a company and wants her employees to take up class with me next year. If I can pull this off, it will mean the end of my creative marking for the school!

Wednesday... oh... that's today. Tat gave me a pre-Christmas gift. She booked me in to the salon for a reflexology session, a hair cut and a manicure. I now sport bright cherry-red nails. I got strange looks when I suggested that all I need now is a black forest cake to put my fingers onto.

Ah yes... the in German above? Avenida Paulista had Festive greetings in many languages all along, even Arabic.

 

del.icio.us Tags: photos,photography,paulista,são-paulo,pca-da-republica,sao paulo,astrology

The little blue guitar

I was waiting in the desultory heat for the bus that just wouldn't come. I think the mind starts creating entertainment when left in the limbo of a crowded sidewalk. Let's call it 'drama' for the purposes of this tale.

The current fashion in São Paulo is these giant handbags that I fondly call 'coffins'. This woman had a coffin she could easily fit herself in. Another lady rushed past, clutching her carrier bag of treasures. The coffin tore at the carrier bag and a small plastic dollar store guitar fell out. The woman motored on, not realising what had happened, quickly losing herself in the crowd.

Two policemen pulled up on their motorbikes and, brandishing guns, stopped a man from boarding a bus and questioned him. Coffin-woman came to her own conclusions. Her theory was that someone had robbed a bus, then thrown the little plastic guitar on the ground. "The guitar is evidence!" she'd proclaim, staring at it lying there as if it were a snake. I must tell you at this point that the little guitar was one of those really cheap, all plastic guitars, about 10" long.

The cops were still around. They were questioning every guy in a white surf shirt, beige baggies, carrying a backpack and talking into a mobile speaker earphone thingie (I've hit a blank on what they're called). Coincidentally, there were four of them.

I was worried that someone would step on the luckless guitar and break it. Explaining what I had seen, I picked it up and put it on one of the empty bus shelter seats. Either I explained badly or coffin-woman's story was way more believable, but the guy sitting next to the little guitar picked it up, sniffed it, shook it, listened for lurking evil, then gingerly put it down again.

Coffin-woman went up to the man and the guitar and expounded on her theory at length. We waited quite a long time, so the theory got more elaborate as time went on. Eventually, the strange backpack-surfer guys moved off in one direction and the cops in another, though the cops hung around a little way off, just watching. Coffin-woman's bus arrived. I was grateful.

Just then, out of the crowd came the original guitar lady... hot, bothered and looking quite desperate. The bus stops on this stretch run in a sort of alternating system. Some buses stopping at the one, the other buses stop then way further down. She had obviously been rushing to the next bus stop. She was back at our stop, as the bus she wanted stopped there. The first thing she did was scour the surroundings. She must have realised that she'd lost the guitar. I went to the seats to get it for her. It was gone! I looked everywhere. Now I'm wondering if the cops took it as evidence. It was nowhere to be seen. In her torn carrier bag was a little matching pink guitar. My heart broke for her. She eventually got on the same bus as me, looking very despondent. People who buy that kind of Christmas gift don't usually have the means to buy replacements. I wanted to give her a little something to get something for her kids, but the bus was jam packed. I was separated from her and didn't see her again. A pity really. I hope she found another way to get a little blue guitar for her child.

 

del.icio.us Tags: bus,buses,toy,guitar

Hug

“A Hug Is Two Hearts Wrapped In Arms”



em·brace (em br!sÆ), v., -braced, -brac·ing, n.
–v.t.
1.    to take or clasp in the arms; press to the bosom; hug.
2.    to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly: to embrace an idea.
3.    to avail oneself of: to embrace an opportunity.
4.    to adopt (a profession, a religion, etc.): to embrace Buddhism.
5.    to take in with the eye or the mind.
6.    to encircle; surround; enclose.
7.    to include or contain: An encyclopedia embraces a great number of subjects.
–v.i.
8.    to join in an embrace.
–n.
9.    an act or instance of embracing.


Hugging is something I've had to learn to accept and even more to give. That is still a work in progress. I come from a home environment where physical displays of affection were unheard of. As a young girl, though, I was rather exuberant in my hugging if and when I could find a willing victim. As a teen, hugging in my little social world was the norm and I was an eager, if somewhat idealistic, participant. Then along came reality. I learnt the hard way, not once, but a few times (yes, I'm a slow learner), that the world of friendly hugging I had built up around me was an illusion. The forest was crawling with wolves and my little basket of affection had been ransacked. I had been naivete personified, but no more. My fear of hugging or being hugged eventually became almost an aversion.

Life was not content to leave me in that state though. First, there was Jurgis, giver of bone-crushing bear hugs. Then love found new depths in the births of my daughters. Ah, the hugs of plump baby arms... ! Of course, there was the "Don't touch me!" phase Tat went through. That was rather disconcerting and amusing all at once. Once she'd grown out of that, she was more than happy to hug almost everyone she came into contact with. Combine Jurgis' bear hugs with the enthusiasm of an excitable puppy and you have Tatiana hugs : ) Brazil gave another blow to my 'armour' being a country where not kissing in greeting or hugging is considered bad form... cold and stand-offish. That was a tough one to come to terms with. This is not the best place for someone who isn't inclined to 'touchy'. Physical contact is constant here. Then came my immersion into the lives of others online... and friends... good friends. All this built up until I reached a point where I feel towards some that I would love to hug them, whether it's to comfort or out of sheer overwhelming gratefulness for their friendship.

A hug is a gathering together of something that is dear to you and holding it close. We all do it at some point. Think of the last eagerly-awaited gift you got, how you held it close before exploring it in detail, much like the child at Christmas who gets that toy he'd been dreaming of all year. And who of you haven't hugged a furry companion?

The trouble is that life hasn't been all that kind to many people and there are many out there for whom hugs are something to be tolerated instead of enjoyed. Hugging is a sharing of affection. One way we show our affection for our family and friends is by being considerate of their idiosyncrasies. Not trusting hugs is, after all, a wounded spirit. Ointment is applied gently and over time, healing can take place. Wounded parts need to be exercised too and that can hurt at first, but as it's worked, it becomes a little easier each time. And who knows.... perhaps the pleasure of hugging can eventually be felt again, as it was always meant to be.

"A silent hug means a thousands words to the unhappy heart."

"A hug is a smile with arms, a laugh with a stronger grip."

It’s that time again

The tree is up.

The lights are keeping time to the carols.

Cards are being written and gifts wrapped.

It's Christmas and it's good : )

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Glad it isn’t me

This is Rua Vinte e Cinco de Março (Brazilians love naming streets after dates... it's a local weirdism) downtown... everyone is out shopping for Christmas. 25th is where one can buy just about anything pirated (want that Gucci handbag or Rolex?), plus beads, some fabric and random clothing. Oh there's also the holiday-themed mega-stores.


Vinte e Cinco de Março or 25th of March, as we refer to it, is a place where, if you find the jeans you want being sold by the streetside hawkers, you try them on right there... yep... in the street. Freaky! I often get asked what a visitor to São Paulo should see. Without hesitation, I insist that they visit 25th. Naturally, you go there sans anything of any remote value. The atmosphere is to be experienced to be believed.

If you want to see more of 25th, stop by at my other blog on the subject here. You'll notice the place was markedly calmer then.

 

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A day in the life

Note: I have, only now, found time to type this in. The 'blog' was written as my day unfolded on Tuesday. I'm struggling to read it, as most was written on the bus. Some was written while waiting on 'land', so you'll see me varying from past to present.

Getting up at 4:30am isn't usually my idea of fun, but now I'm grateful. I stepped out into the half-light created by the street lamp, grateful for the balmy, but still relatively cool air on my skin. It's going to be 31°C again today with humidity still up there in the 90's.

I'm loving the bus ride through the city, catching occasional glimpses of curtains of Christmas lights. Christmas is almost here and I'm grateful for so much! Hope seems to be the theme. Close to my destination is a wide, grassy island in the road. I spotted a kitten. No, not just one, but two kittens. The kittens were well-kept and playful - and on leashes! The couple were busy packing up their 'home' for the night, making sure to clean and apply deodorant, their neatly ordered, but homeless world fitting into their two backpacks. I saw them later, walking, a kitten riding atop each backpack. The impression I got was one of  hope. I doubt they'd been sleeping on the streets for long. Their pace is slow, steady and firm as they chat among themselves. Animals aren't allowed on public transport. I wonder how far they have to go with their two kittens.

11am and I'm back on the bus. My Tuesday routine involves leaving home at 5:30am. I get into town, teach, then get the bus home again. At home, I collect materials, grab some tea and a packed lunch, then head back into town. This bus ride takes me 2 hours. I go into town, then out in the opposite direction. I know it sounds long and, when I think about it, not worth it at all (it's one of those awkward times when there is too much time between classes to stay in town, but too little to really make the trip home worth it), but that's the way this particular cookie crumbles. It does make for great nap time, zone-out-to-my-mp3-player time, study or reading time, reflexology time, writing, or just sitting people-watching.

Ah... I got sidetracked! When I arrive in town for the early teaching session, I walk a few blocks to the school. It's quiet, pleasant and it's where someone had graffitied "Positividade" across a wall. That always makes me smile. One day, when I pluck up the courage, I'll take the camera to share the scene with you.

Near the school, there are two major roads that intersect. On the one island, I saw a blonde woman sitting rubbing her ankle and looking carefully at her elbows. I've been in that situation so often. She had obviously fallen. I went over to her, somewhat puzzled that no one else was helping her. Her face had a look of bleak desperation. Here was a woman who had lost hope. The neighbourhood is not a poor one. I wondered how long she'd been out on the street. She was well dressed, not your usual homeless type. Her perfume was alcohol. What drove her to the bottle? What drove her out onto the street? What robbed her of her hope and dignity? She refused my help and hobble-ran, clutching her purpling elbow, into the residential part of the area with its tall apartment blocks. I hoped, as she disappeared, that there was someone to love her once she got home.

Home. A refuge. A shelter from the winds of life. I have so much. Hmm... the bus just went past an eating place and a delicious smell wafted in reminding me of sausage rolls. (This photo is from Ina Parman's site, where she gives a scrummy-looking recipe on how to make them) I think I'll make some soon, which brings me back to my subject. There was a time not long ago when I couldn't plan treats like that, a time when meals were stretched and stretched again. As a family, we have weathered some pretty major storms. It has had the effect of bringing us closer together, I think. We now take pleasure in the simple things in life (though a few of the more luxurious things go down just as well). We're also a lot more focused on our plans while still getting the best out of our 'here and now' or at least... we try.

I'm grateful for my work, which gives me new challenges every day. I work with some wonderful people. I love that I've had the opportunity to work with my daughter, something few mothers get to experience.

And speaking of family, I'm so, so grateful, more than words can express, for my family - Jurgis, Tat, my brothers, cousins, in-laws (yes them too *laugh*). Oh, let me not forget very dear friends who are like family to me.

See? I have much to be grateful for. We even found a turkey in the supermarket freezer! *grins*

 

del.icio.us Tags: hope,life

Mowing the lawn

You didn't know we had one, did you?


Jurgis mowed the lawn today... with a pair of scissors. We went out and took turns to shove our faces into the newly cut grass... delicious!! Mowed grass is near the top of my list of all-time favourite smells. It is a smell we all dearly miss.



Jurgis has a chili plant tucked into the corner there. Behind it is a stray citrus plant. I forget which pip we shoved into the ground. Probably a naartjie pip (tangerine seed).

Thing is, we don't have lawn. We have a 2 foot square container that used to hold my nasturtiums before they all died out for some reason. I would then sprinkle bird seed in there. Heidi, the cockatiel, dearly loves fresh seed. Trouble is, the grass never grew to seed level, as the dogs would munch it. One day, I saw someone had tossed out a scrappy-looking piece of sod. I reaarranged my groceries I was carrying home and picked the grass up. Now we have our own piece of lawn and what a pleasure it is!! The dogs love it. The cat loves it. The bird would love it too if it got tall enough for seed, but she has nibbled on the actual grass. Above all, we love it. I often walk past and just run my hands over the cool blades. The container is at waist height, so isn't practical for walking on, though not for lack of trying. Today found Jurgis attempting to put his feet into the grass. Ever see a family gathered around a 2 foot patch of grass? We'd happily go back to mowing acreage again *sigh*


This was our lawn (see Jurgis mowing?) when Tat was little. The dog is Rocky, a friend's dog we were babysitting. At that time, we only had Gypsy, the shepherd. It was before Noble (the Great Dane) came on the scene. Kippy, I think that expanse would have been perfect for a river and pond, don't you?


Somewhat later, we lived in a house just a little further down the road. It was the last house we lived in in South Africa. Duchess, Tat's Dane, is more to the front with Noble closer to the camera... uh... grooming himself. That's me on the left, an old family friend in the middle and Tat on the right. Katey, yes, we were in West Riding on Marion Road with Embo behind us. That was Camelot in front of us. We watched that place 'grow'. Apparently it's now fairly built up with many houses.

Ah... one of the simple joys of life... cutting the grass, walking on it, rolling on it, running on it. Yep : )

I couldn't resist this last photo of Tat and her Great Dane pup, Duchess, playing on the lawn.....

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Friday Happy Hour

I even supplied the drink. I can't tell you what it is, but Tat saw it on the menu, liked the appearance and promptly ordered it. No doubt, it was exotic, boozy, and very sweet, as Brazilian drinks usually are. She loved it.

This week was hellishly hot. Ok, so it wasn't hot by Aussie standards or anything like that, but, for me, travelling on oven-like buses in the noon sun, it was way too hot. I consider 35°C to be close to furnace temperature. Add the 80-90% humidity and I'm a puddle of molten me.

But... it's Happy Hour! I have to find Happy and find it fast. Exotic drinks help with that ; ) Hm... I need to find me some batida ingredients.

Happinesses for the week......

I got to stay home today! It's a public holiday. I was meant to go out, but because other people didn't confirm, the event was cancelled. I was grateful, as I didn't fancy the train ride or the schlep of lugging eats out in the heat... or even making the eats in question.

I'm thrilled because I had the chance to chat to a friend I don't get nearly enough time to chat to lately because of that really freaky time difference and my odd working hours : )

We had pão de queijo and cake today! Yay! Note, this isn't cake with frosting and layers... Brazilian cake tends to be more like sponge cake, but nice anyway. Due to the public holiday, we never went shopping, so junk food was in order. Oh and we had salad for supper. We haven't had a decent green salad in ages.

This week, I started a new student. I'm happy about this. It's a first for me, dipping my toes gingerly into the fine art of teaching a very basic student, but she's sweet and communication flows easily, each of us acknowledging the strengths and limitations of the language of the other. She laughs at my Portuguese, but learns (I hope). She's a private student, which makes me happy too. She's all mine! *chuckles*

I'm happy because my schedule is pretty full. There's room for a few more, but, for now, I'm happy.

Erm... I'm not finding too much with this heat to be happy about, but, on the bright side, I'm getting a Boere-tan (clothes tan).  Walking out in this weather has its advantages.

Heppie, Happy Hour, everyone!!

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Odd One Out

a mass of humanity

a fragrant heap of spice

each with its own

heady perfume

You are unique

vibrant, rich

adding flavour to the potpourri of life

 

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What do you do?

What do you do for you?

The photo was taken by Felicity, otherwise known as Joy. We don't have tulips here.
I was talking to a girl tonight who felt as though her world was falling apart. I asked her, "What do you love to do for yourself, when the world seems against you?" She didn't have to think long. "Dance", she said. I could almost see her smile, "but I don't have the time." The smile vanished. She's at a crossroads in her life. I encouraged her to do something that gave her the time until she found a career path that brought her joy.

I know I need to find something. Lately, I found that my little inner candle had sputtered and was just a tiny glow. I needed to relight it. I'm having difficulty thinking of one thing that really brings me joy. I'm going to think about this some more. My student this morning was talking about the little courtesies we give each other. Just a friendly good morning and "how are you?" How much do we reach out to each other. I had stopped doing that this past week or so. I let life and busy-ness get in the way. So what do I do for me that brings me joy? Music does it, as does dancing (with total lack of rhythm or co-ordination), reaching down to stroke the cat, 'laughing' with the dogs, getting lost in a good book (or blog), touching nature...

... and then there's always chocolate ; ) So what do you do for you... something that brings you happiness in a crazy world?

 

del.icio.us Tags: stress,feel-good,inspiration,happiness

Declaration

I no longer know where I found this, but it is so good and worth sharing. The model in this photo, naturally, is Tatiana.



I am me.

I am unique.

There's not another human
being in the whole world like me.

I have my very own fingerprints
and I have my very own thoughts.

I was not stamped out of a mold like a
Coca-Cola top to be the duplicate of another.

I own all of me......my body, and I can
do with it what I choose; my mind,
and all of its thoughts and ideas;
my feelings, whether joyful or painful.

I own my ideals, my dreams,
my hopes, my fantasies, my fears.

I reserve the right to think and feel differently
from others and will grant to others their right to
thoughts and feelings not identical with my own.

I own all my triumphs and successes.

I own also all my failures and mistakes.

I am the cause of what I do and am
responsible for my own behaviour.

I will permit myself to be imperfect.

When I make mistakes or fail, I will know that I am not
the failure......I am still O.K.......and I will discard some
parts of me that were unfitting and will try new ways.

I will laugh freely and loudly at myself......
a healthy self-affirmation.

I will have fun living inside my skin.

I will remember that the door to
everybody's life needs this sign:

Honour Thyself
I have value and worth.
I am me, and I am O.K.


(Adapted from Self Esteem by Virginia Satir)

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In the dark

A quick blog. I need to get to work...


The photos from today come from the user-submitted photos in Terra News. Last night, our lights dimmed dramatically. The UPSs were screaming at us, so we powered down. Looking outside, the whole world (more to the point, our little corner of the world) had been plunged into dark. Oddly, in last night's class, I was talking to my student about the frequent electrical problems we've been having. This time, the problem was national though. Both Brazil and Paraguay were affected. Something went wrong at the main power plant. One news report says there was a short in the transmission lines from the power plant. A local news site mentioned atmospheric conditions. Naturally, the chance of it being human error is virtually nil ; ) The atmosphere is big... it can take the blame.

Life, as much of Brazil knows it, continued as normal, as can be seen in this quaint pub photo with it's beer bottle candle holders.

If you'd like to read more in English, you can pop over to Yahoo news:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_blackouts

 

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Cow entities and pole dancing

Hm... I wonder if this title will draw attention? Tat and I went in to town this morning. Her South African passport finally arrived!! Thus, our picture of the month... This isn't the current passport. Our new passports are very snazzy! The pages are thick, embossed and beautifully watermarked with the Big Five and other indigenous treasures. A photograph just does not do it justice at all. It's a passport I'm proud to show. Herewith, a photo of our old passports:




Back to going to town and pole dancing...

Tat has been watching an anime film. I tend to glance over her shoulder and shake my head. The one part had these little demon-imp-like creatures that were getting in everywhere. Today, they were in our bus service! First, the buses were going strange routes (probably being diverted because of some obstruction in the road), then they were crowded. On our crowded bus, we had tuneless whistlers, deaf ipod users, and a manic driver. The second bus was only slightly better. The driver was grumpy too. We were glad to reach our destination.

We had another mission to accomplish in town, so we headed to the metro and scored a ride on one of the brand spanking new metros on the green line (they're all colour coded). The green line is the one that will finally reach our neighbourhood next year, which will make a huge difference to getting into town for teaching. From there we took a walk through a less-than-salubrious area all for nothing, as many of our town exploits tend to work out. It was hot... and extremely humid. We got the bus to come home. If the earlier buses were bad, this one was lethal! The bus driver must have been on psychadelic drugs or something. The bus was, as all the others were, crowded. He took corners like a Formula 1 wannabe. As we clung to the poles, we were joking about doing pole pushups, then onto doing pole dancing. Tat did the whole "Ride 'em cowboy!" scene we usually reserve for crazy drivers. When seated, she often puts her arms in the air and pretends she's on a roller coaster. Yep! Has to be seen to be believed! We were laughing about the crazy driving - not much else we could do - when we suddenly found ourselves a foot or so in the air! He'd gone over a speed hump and gravity lost the battle. Everyone flew up! I didn't fare too badly. I was standing in a pole-free space at a door, but Tat was directly under a pole. She went up and slammed her head on the pole. When we dropped to the ground, I, like a fool, was laughing hysterically, totally confused. Poor Tat was in pain. We got off shortly after. The woman next to Tat who came up to Tat's shoulder, if that, was teasing Tat and calling her 'Shorty'. She's lucky Tat was too dazed to slap her. Now we were hot, thirsty, miserable and in search of another bus. We managed to get one about 45 minutes later. Strange creatures abounded there too. There was one girl who (apologies to those who are easily nauseated) was picking her nose and wiping it on her armpit as she was holding the overhead pole... weird!! It made for a looooong day.

Jurgis has been sniffing and sneezing all week. He is now congested and coughing too. Tonight, Tat and I are congested, headachy and with sore throats. It could be the heat and pollution. It often is. If it is a cold. I will not be happy.

But... Tat has her passport!! Finally!! *grins* All is good! Oh and the 'cow entities'? That's pc gone crazy, much like São Paulo was today. We decided on the one bus that we were cowboys... no... cowgirls... no... un-pc... uh... cowpeople? But that is discriminatory against actual cows, so 'cow entities'. Everyone is happy : )

 

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