The Cha Bars

A few weeks ago, I went to two Chá Bars. I know must be wondering what is Chá Bar so let me explain. The direct translation for this phase is tea bar, but this has nothing to do with tea or a bar. Chá Bar is the name given to the equivalent of our engagement, bachelorette or bachelor party. I had the honor of attending two of these types of parties. One was suppose was a bachelorette party and the other was an engagement party. These parties were for one of my friends who will be getting married in January. She is a teacher at IABC.

The bachelorette party was organized by several of the female students of my friend and two other teachers. The students wanted to celebrate with their teacher and wanted give her gifts, because many of them will not be attending the wedding. Off course, I was very curious to see what type of party this was going to be, because the students’ ages ranged from 14-18 years.

This party was nothing I imagined. The party was not a time to celebrate the upcoming marriage but rather a time for the bride to make a fool of herself. Everyone is expected to bring a wrapped gift. I was surprised at the type of gifts the bride-to-be received. The gifts were household items nothing really personal. I thought household items were the things you would give as wedding presents. I was beginning to wonder what the couple would get as wedding gifts. Anyways, the bride-to-be had to guess what each of the gifts was and if she was wrong they would do different things to her to make her look ridiculous. For example they painted her face with various colors and gave her very horrible make up. They also dressed her up in men clothes to resemble her fiancé also making fun of him in the process.

When she has finished opening her presents and the students were finished dressing her up and painting her face as a clown, she had to do these dances which I assume were dances from songs kids usually sing. After she finished acting as a clown in her house, they escorted her to the school campus. It was dinner time and she went to cafeteria and she walked around the cafeteria looking as a clown. I must say this party was different and a little of a shock to me. I am not fan of the fact that people made fun of the bride-to-be and that she also enjoyed it! It should be a happy time not a time of ridicule but I’m in a different culture so I have to learn to appreciate the differences.

The engagement party I thought would be different but it was not at all. I was all about making fun of the couple as a whole. This was another culture shock. This party was very similar to the previous party. The couple was blindfolded and was given 5 seconds to feel each gift and then guess what it was and who had given it. If they did not guess the gift or the name of the giver correctly, the gift giver had an opportunity to either paint both the faces of the bride and groom to be or choose some ridiculous article of clothing for them each to wear. Some of the things done to bride and groom to be, I admit were funny but I just can’t get over the fact that the entire party was about to make fun of the couple.

The ironic thing about the guessing of the gift and giver was that, the bride-to-be was the one who had put all the gifts on the table when the guests arrived. Also, on the invitation for the party, you were asked to bring a specific gift. The other thing about gift aspect of the party was that you were sort of obligated to bring a gift because, couple during the game called almost everyone’s name in the process of finding the gift giver. If you had not brought a gift and they kept calling your name saying it was gift and it was never your gift, it would look bad. That was what sort of happened to me. For several gifts in a row, they kept saying the gift they kept saying that the gift they were opening was mine because I had not claimed to be the giver of any of the gifts that were already open. On top of that several of the other guests started to ask me which of the gifts was mine and whether the gift that was being opened was my gift. I was just glad when they finally opened my gift because I felt like I was on a hot seat.

In all honesty I was not planning to bring a gift because I was told about the party on Wednesday when it was suppose to be the following Sunday. I had been sick with a cold and had no ride to go to Anapolis to buy one. I was planning to give one at a later date but a friend of mine, remembering that I was sick and bought a gift for me. After having my name called so many times I was even more grateful for her thinking about me because I would have felt embarrassed.

I guess different cultures celebrate engagements in different ways. The party was a happy event but to me it did not seem to be a time to celebrate the upcoming event or the fact that the couple had made the decision to get married. I felt like it was like mocking the couple. One thing that was surprising was that the party was filled with married people and not one of them offered any word of advice to this couple. Probably that will happen at the wedding at the reception. I received an informal invitation to the wedding so I might be going and I will let you know.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

In Search of Jabuticaba (pronounced jabuchicava)

Hi all! I just want to first apologize about the absence of entries for the past few weeks. I have been battling a cold due to the change in weather. Prior to coming here, I was told that it was hot here and that it was never cold. I was told that, there were only two seasons. The dry season and the rainy season. It just so happens that the rainy season is also the cold season. To say the least, I was not adequately prepared for the cold. Anyways, you live and you learn. I am just grateful I did bring several long sleeve shirts. The rain has also led to daily power outages and problems with the schools internet server. Let's just say I am happy, I brought my flashlight, because it comes in handy at nights.

Prior to getting sick, I had the opportunity to go hiking and this blog entry is about that experience. I hope you will enjoy. Here goes......

One Sabbath afternoon, a friend invited me to go with her to finds some jabuticaba. This is a fruit native to Brazil. When I first saw a jabuticaba tree, I was struck by with how the fruits grow on the tree. Jabuticabas are small round black fruits probably the size of grapes that grow practically right from the branch of the tree. They do not grow in bunches like the grapes, but are attached individually to the tree branch by a little stem. It’s a very fascinating sight. At first glance, it looked like the tree had a disease because the branch was just covered with these black things. I actually got goose bumps. When I was first offered one right from the tree, I was reluctant to try it just because of how they looked on the tree. But after close examination, I could see that they resembled very dark grapes and we not some disease on the tree.

I finally decided to try them and I was not at all disappointed. They have a sweet and tart flavor. You eat the fruit by piercing the skin with your teeth or nail to get what is inside the fruit. Inside there is an off-white jelly, surrounding a small black seed. People usually just eat the jelly and then discard the rest. I did not know that when I first tried it. I ate the whole thing, which was not too nice. When I got the hang of eating the fruit I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing is you have to eat several of them to have a real jabuticaba experience. Your appetite is just being teased with one because they are so small and there is not much juice in each one. They are also very addictive. Jabuticaba reminds me a lot of a fruit we have in Jamaica called Ginep (not sure of how it is spelt).

The previous week my friend had found this abandoned farm which had several jabuticaba trees and she wanted to go back there. To get to this abandoned farm we had to hike approximate 4 km to and 4km back. In my mind I was thinking that these fruits were not worth so much effort because on the school campus there are several trees. My friends assured me that the jabuticabas were much bigger and sweeter than any of the jabuticabas on campus and that I would be getting a real Brazilian experience. What really influenced my decision however was the fact that I would be able to get a close-up some of the amazing scenery I had been seeing in the distance.

We start our journey at around 4pm. For the first 45 minutes we were just walking through these plains. They did not have much vegetation because apparently the trees had been cut down to make way for the grazing of cows. As we were walking, we were getting closer to some mountains to the northwest of the school. In the distance the path we were taking appeared to abruptly end. The path actually had a very steep decline into a valley. As we descended, we had one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. For as far as we could see we saw green mountains and valleys. There were also several cows grazing on the mountain sides.

After the steep incline we went though this dark forested area. The trees were very tall in this area and they met at the top forming like a canopy as a result there was not much sunshine in the area. When we got to the other side of the forested areas we were more or less a valley. In the valley there were several cows who were eying us suspiciously. Many of these cows again were white, which caught my curiosity again. I was told that the white cow were not dairy cows. This breed apparently got mature very quickly so they were reared for their meat. We also passed by this little stream which was only above land for a few meters, because it just appeared from now where and then when underground abruptly.

When we finally got the abandoned farm with the jabuticabas tree, I was astonished to find so many jabuticaba trees. The jabuticabas were in indeed bigger and sweeter. The trees were laden with so much fruits so we had a lot to choose from. We spend a lot of time just going from one jabuticaba tree to the other. We also filled our bags with jabuticabas for the trip back home. While eating the jabuticabas, I realized that nothing could beat the taste of a jabuticaba right from the tree. The skin was smoother and could easily be broken and it just had a fresher taste.

We were all happy with our jabuticaba feast but our happiness was short lived because it rained most of the way back. With the rain was a lot of mud because we used dirt path. The dirt in that part of Brazil is a red so all out cloths and shoes were covered with red mud and we were wet. In retrospect we should have know it was going to rain because we are in the rainy seasons and it rains almost everyday here. In spite of the rain, it was a good day to explorer and I had a lot of fun that day.

A Visit to the Federal Police and a trip on the bus.

The past week has been a slow week but nevertheless, one filled with many new experiences. Over the past week, I have been to Anapolis, what seem like everyday. There are only two of these trips which warrant a blog entry. The first trip involves my trip to the Federal Police. Brazil is very concerned about keeping track of people entering its borders. This was first very evident to me during my trip to Brazilian Embassy in Los Angeles.

I had gone to Los Angeles to get my visa thinking that I could apply for the visa one day and then pick it up the next day. I actually had to spend several days in Los Angeles prior to actually applying for the visa because the consulate had to legalize the documents I was submitting with my visa application. It was a good thing I had brought several days worth of cloths with me. After spending several those days in LA, I still had to return to the embassy at a much later date to pick up my visa. The wait time is usually 3 months; however thanks to God I got my visa in a week and half. Anyways when I got my visa, I was sternly advised that I had to show myself to Federal Police within 30 day of arriving to be registered. I also had to submit to the Federal Police, a police clearance to ensure I am not a criminal and several other documents to verify who I was.

Being a stickler for rules, I make sure to tell my supervisor that I had to go to the police as soon as possible. Two weeks went by and I was not taken to the police or even told how to get there. By the third week I reminded my supervisor again and he said he would take that week but he still did not give me a day. Several days later, as I was getting ready to go to lunch my supervisor called me on the phone and told me to come to his office right away because we were going to Federal Police. In my head I was thinking finally, but I wish I had gotten some warning.

By the time we got to Federal Police, it is around lunch time and the place is empty except for one other person. According to my supervisor is a rarity, because the Federal Police is always full of people. We went inside, sat and waited to be attended. Several person who worked at the station, walked by us and totally ignored us. After sitting for probably 20 minutes the other person who was being served left and we went to the person who was had been attending her. She told us she will call us when she is ready for us. We waited for another 30 minutes while she talked to her co-worker and talked on her cell phone. When her co-worker went to lunch she called us in the room to be attended.

She looked at my documents and basically told me that I needed other documents. I needed only one of the documents the Brazilian embassy had insisted that I have and had paid them to legalize/notarized. In order to be registered, I had to photocopy and notarize other documents and then take pictures because pictures for legal documents in Brazil are smaller than the ones I had with me. Three hours later we returned to Federal Police with all documents in hand. This time we attended right away.

After submitting my documents to the person attending us, she took me to another side of the police station to have my have my fingerprints taken. The place where the fingerprints were taken was much nicer looking that the place where we previously. The place was cleaner, had nicer furniture and very obviously was that it was purely a masculine space. As I walked thorough the office to fingerprints room there were no females in any of the offices and after I had my fingerprints taken I was told I wash my hands in the male bathroom, which was the only bathroom. I don’t want to read too much into that place but it just seemed a little strange. The rest of the process went smoothly. I am now legal and I received a temporary Brazilian ID. The official one will come in three months.

Several days later I made another trip to Anapolis using a different mode of transportation. One of my friends asks me if I want me to go with her to Anapolis. She wanted the company. I told her yeah, because I wanted to get some stuff too. The catch was however that we need to take the bus, because she didn’t have a car and none of the other staff with a car was going to Anapolis that day. I am always up for an adventure so that was fine by me.

The school is located between two cities- Anapolis and Pirenapolis; the bus runs back and forth between to these two cities several times per day. In order to get the bus, we need to by the gate of the school and look for the bus. There is no exact time for when the bus will pass in either direction but there is estimated time when the bus will pass by going in either direction.

That day, my friend wanted to catch the bus that runs towards Anapolis at around 1pm. We make sure got there 10 minutes to 1 and looked out for the bus. We waited for around 20 minutes before we finally saw the big yellow bus coming over the hill. At that point we ran out to the main road to ensure that bus driver had seen us. Another teacher had said she wanted to come with us to Anapolis but we could not find her when were leaving for the school. Only when we were walking towards the main road did we see her running to catch the bus. We had to tell the bus driver that she was coming and waited until got on the bus. That teacher got to the bus out of breath but very happy. Had she had missed that bus, she would have had to wait until the bus made its next trip to Anapolis at who knows what time.

This bus had a driver and bus conductor. As you enter the bus you pay the bus conductor the fare and he lets you through one of those circular things that which allows one person at a time to pass by. There are two sets of seats on either sides of the bus just like in a regular bus. There is another door at the back of the bus for exiting. The bus ride was not what I was not what I expecting it was calm and peaceful; there were not chickens or wild animals to content with. At least I now know how to get to Anapolis on my own.

It was good to explore the city on foot. Many of the other times I went in car and you get to see as many things as you go when you walk. I am feeling more confident about finding places in the city. I was even able to direct one of the teachers to one of the post offices in the city. I feel like I am becoming Brazilian. Lol! The downside of taking the bus is the fact that we at the mercy of the schedule of bus. The last bus leaves Anapolis at around 6pm so we needed to get all needed to get done around that time to get to the bus stop. Another thing is the fact that if you buy groceries you have a log around all you bags and the space between the seats is very small so it is cramped if you have many bags.

That day we took the last bus back to the school. There are also a lot of other people who also took this bus. As a result there was a lot of pushing and shoving to get into the bus. Everyone wanted to get a seat because it was a good distance to the final stop, where most people got off. The drive back to the school was good except for the fact that we were not sure of when to ring in the buzzer. The school is on a hill, surrounded by trees so it’s hard to see it in the distance. You only see the sign as you get to school which may be too late because by then you will be passing the school. Fortunately for us we rang the bell at the right time. We made it back to school in one piece.

My Trip to the Big City!

As I already mentioned I am living in a small town, so for groceries and other things I need to go to the nearest city. Some of the teachers took me with them to the city of Anapolis which is about 30-40 minutes away from the school. There are a few buses that go from the school to the city so most people drive themselves or carpool.

During the drive, I had another spectacular view of the landscape. Again on both sides of the road, there were miles of pristine forestry spread over valleys and hills. One thing that really caught my attention as we drove to Anapolis was the fact that most of the cows I saw were white. I am used to seeing brown or black cows but I don’t think in all my life I have seen so many white cows. In each herd, that we passed I saw several white, full white not spotted, cows. I know this observation may seem strange but I was just surprised me and I had to share.

The drive to Anapolis was so serene and peaceful, which was a contrast of the city of Anapolis. From a distance I could see the city as we drove towards it, we could see the city spread out for miles and as we approached the city the air got different. The air unfortunately in the city is polluted with car emissions. There are many older model vehicles which still use diesel gas which gives off a lot of car exhaust.

Anapolis although a very small city in comparison to the larger cities of Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro, is a rather busy city. There were a lot of those small cars going at very high speeds. There also very large commuter buses which seen to be competing with the smaller cars for speed. The roads were also filled with tonnes of people. There are many street vendors selling a wide variety of items, from food, to clothes, to bootleg dvd's, to car accessories almost anything you could ever want. My favorite food vendors are those who sell coconut water. I was able to get ice cold coconut water. The vendors, pack a freezer full of coconuts. When you buy one they cut the top give you a straw and you drink to your heart's content. Unfortunately the vendors don't open the coconut for you to eat the jelly. The water was just fine though. The coconut water vendors also sell sugar cane juice. They have this machine where they insert the cane and it extract the juice. I didn't try it because to me that seems like liquid sugar. Some of the teachers like the juice though. Maybe next time I'll try it.

In all aspects this city was a busy. The parking situation in the city was also another shock. There is a serious parking situation; it is difficult to find parking spots. There are also a lot of private parking garages or areas which are a little costly. It reminded me of New York City and LA. I guess having a small is another incentive for such a problem.

Since I mentioned, the whole situation about cars, I must mention another thing about cars that I have noticed. Okay, I am not a car fanatic but I am observant and I have had a lot of experience buying cars. Okay, so I noticed that most of the cars in Anapolis and in the town where I live are American brands, there are a lot of Fords and Chevrolets. I was expecting to see a lot probably more Japanese or European cars. As a result of this observation, I wanted to know why? My superior told me that even though these cars are American brands they are actually made here in Brazil. That was just another piece of information that I thought would share.

Moving on to my trip….

The first issue of business for me in the city was to change dollars to $R (reales), the Brazilian currency. The teachers I went with told me that $US had been steadily gaining value against the $R so I would be getting a good exchange rate. That seem like good news to me, but in my mind I couldn’t understand why $US was increasing in value, given that the American economy is going through a recession. But what do I know? I am not an economist. Outside of the bank the best place to change $US is at a tourist office. Our first stop was therefore a tourist office. The first one we went said they were not buying $US that day. We went to probably five other offices and received the same response.

We then decided to try the bank. Surely the bank would be able to change my dollars. I was thinking I didn’t have a lot of dollars to change and it a bank, so they would do. I was dead wrong! The bank did not want to accept dollars either. This was obviously a problem. I had to get $R because didn’t have any and I need to buy some stuff and no one wanted to accept US$. I know there had to be another way to get $R. Fortunately, I had my bank card from the US. I went to the ATM and withdrew money from my bank account in $R. The bank back in the US will work out the exchange rate for the amount I withdrew and also charge a fee for using a another bank's ATM. That to me was a small price to pay get some $R.

I guess you must be wondering why, the bank and the tourist offices were refusing to accept dollars. The reason, as I understand it, go back to the fact that the American economy is very uncertain now. Even though the American economy is experiencing a recession, in Brazil the dollar is gaining value. It cost more to buy $US and there is no certainty whether these bills will retain their value in a few days, weeks, or months. On the side of caution, people are deciding not to buy dollars. That is obviously a problem for people like me who only have $US. But, thanks to God, He never leaves His children stranded. My advice to anyone going to travel, get foreign exchange before you leave the US for wherever you are going or have an ATM which you be able to use in a foreign country.

The rest of my time in Anapolis was trouble free. I went to the post office, the supermarket. The differences between these place here in Brazil and in the US are probably ease and variety. For example, the USPS is easy and very user friendly. You can get all you need without even talking to anyone, but there are signs or machines telling all you need to know. For services at the post office here, you need to talk to someone because it is not laid out for the consumer. This was a little daunting for me because the words in Spanish for many things are different and no where close to the words in Portuguese. Also the time it takes for letter to get to its destination is up in the air. I guess it get there when it gets there. FUN!

The supermarket was fun! I went around exploring the different aisles and off course comparing the prices of food in my head. There are a lot of different and let's say interesting foods. Overall though, food is by far cheaper in Brazil, but there is not much variety when it comes to certain things. For example there is only one type of soy milk which has a sort of different/weird taste and there is no vanilla soy milk. I am a person who loves cereal and it seriously it took me a good while to decide what to get. There was basically, only varieties of corn flakes, fruit loops, oat meal and granola. I'm missing some of my favorite cereals now but I will adjust because it is all a part of the experience.

One thing I love about the supermarket here is the variety of breads. It not just the regular sandwich bread white or wheat, it like mini french bread with several different types of fillings. Also, depending on the time you go to the supermarket you can get it straight from the oven. Yummy! Anyways, I am staying away from the bread. But just had to let you know they are yummy.

During my exploring of Anapolis, I also saw some familiar fast food restaurants like Subway and MacDonald’s. I even had the opportunity to eat at Subways. When I went in and was looking at the menu board, I felt like I was in Subways back in the US. Everything was the same. They had all the same types of bread, sandwiches, salads, condiments, even napkins but in Portuguese. If someone told me they lifted a store from the US and transplanted here I could believe. I must say though there were three differences I noticed: the trays, the prices and the drinks.

Folks I hope you enjoyed reading. Please feel free to leave comments. I would love to hear from you and feel free to email me at gaelin18@yahoo.com or graceannlindsay@gmail.com.

First Impressions

My supervisor and a co-worker picked me up from the airport and I got a very brief driving tour of the Brasilia on our way to have lunch. The first thing that struck me was the diversity of the people I saw walking on the streets. Brazilians are of all complexions and tones, the country is so diverse. I felt like I am getting a glimpse into how heaven will look.


Another thing that fascinated me here was the size of the cars. Most of the cars are hatchbacks. After living in the US for so long I got used to the people driving large cars like SUV, Hummers or sedans. In the US, the policy seem to be the larger the better. In Brazil and many of the other Latin American countries I visited, the opposite is true. It seems like the smaller the car the better the car. It makes sense with the current gas and economic situation affect our world, but it is definitely something to get used to.


It also seems like the speed limits here are more lax or non-existent. The drivers here drive their car really fast. The road signs are another thing, my supervisor was telling me that the stop sign mean slow down and nobody actually stops at them. That just gets me a little worried.


We had lunch at Brazil style Italian Restaurant/Hamburger Restaurant. This restaurant catered to vegetarians which was good. I was fearful that I would have difficulty finding something to eat given that Brazilians eat a lot of meat. This is one less thing to worry about here. So far food has not been a problem here. The school cafeteria only serves vegetarian food and I much say they have a wide variety of foods, with ample fruits and vegetables. I have not yet had a typical Brazilian meal.



The drive from Brasilia to IABC- The Central Brazil Adventist Institute is approximately 1 1/2 hours. Even though I was tired and was fighting to keep my eyes open, I was able to appreciate some the awesome scenery. The highway is a winding with many sharp curves. The view on either sides of the highway was magnificent. First of all these areas were lush. For miles on either side all I saw were hills, mountains and valley all covered with trees and shrubbery. Many of them are fruit trees, that area of Brazil has a lot of fruit trees. Along the highway, were many fruit vendors, selling a wide variety of fruits, including pineapples, oranges, mangos, melons, strawberries and grapes. Many of these fruits are in season and can be bought for very little money. I was told that I can get 10 pineapples for 2 reales, which is approximately $1US. That just blew me away because in the supermarket one pineapple cost $3.

When we got to IABC, we entered what looked like a university campus. There was a big gate we had to go through which had a security who would let people in. The institute sits on a large property and there are several buildings spread all over the campus. There are is a large male dorm and large female dorm on either side of the campus. There is a gymnasium, a restaurant/cafeteria, indoor swimming pool, church, school building housing all the classrooms, an administrative building and a church.



On campus, there is also faculty housing. There are several houses, approximately a 5min walk away from the academic buildings. From what I have seen so far, married couple have their own house, while single staff members live in houses separated by gender. I on the other hand live in one of the studio apartment designated for language teachers closer to the academic buildings.


The campus is very impressive. There are also many trees of different varieties and many grass areas. I was amazed at the different types of mango trees; it reminded me a lot of being home in Jamaica. I could recognize many of the different varieties. The school is very big on keeping students and staff active there several basketball courts and football fields. Most evening after dinner, the staff and students play friendly matches with each other.

Well that’s all from me for now.

The Trip to Brazil

A few days before I left Phoenix, I was sent an email giving me the location and some more information on the place where I would be staying. I thought I was going to Brasilia; however, I was just flying into Brasilia. I would be living in a small town called Adadiana, approximately, 150 km from Brasilia. The Church has a large piece of property there which currently houses a boarding school and elementary school. The new institute I am helping them open will be located on that same property because it has enough space.

Ok, so my trip from Phoenix was very interesting. First of all, you know about the weight restrictions for flying these days. Well during packing, I tried to ensure that my bags were within the weigh requirements by weighing during my packing process. Went I got to the airport, each of my two pieces I was going to check was overweight by around 15 pounds. Apparently, my scale at home was defective or I was not weighing my bags properly. Basically at the airport I had to repack my bags and pay for an extra piece of luggage. Thank God the person helping me check-in understanding and that I was somewhat early for my flight.

I had planned to spend a day in Miami before flying to Brazil, to visit friends and family but I did not get to Miami until 2am of the day I was suppose to leave for the Brazil. Nothing went as planned for that day. In the morning I decided to repack my bags because the weight restriction of the airline I was flying with to Brazil were lax. During the process of repacking my bags my zip broke. I had to go and buy another bag a couple of hours before leaving for the airport. Thank God I found one in the first store I went to and I was able to buy the bag quickly. Even though the weigh restrictions were lax I was still worrying about the weigh of my bags because my friend did not have a scale and she felt that they bags were already overweight. That was something I really did not want to think about because I was tired and battling a cold.

I got to the airport , checked in and to my surprise, the person checking me in did not even weigh the bags. He just put on the tags and put them through to the plane. I was relieved and just thankful to God, because I did not want anymore bag drama. While I waited for my flight I wanted to make calls to people to say goodbye and finish my cellphone minutes. That proved to be problematic. My lack of sufficient sleep over the past few nights and my cold led to the loss my voice. I tried to call as many people as possible but it literally hurt to talk. I didn’t know that was possible.

By the time I got on my flight I could not talk. The 8hr flight gave me time to recuperate and make up for all the sleep I had missed over the past week. Overall my flights to my final destination were good. During the flight I got a first hand view into how my not knowing Portuguese would serve as a problem. The flight from Miami had bi-lingual air hostesses, however on the flight to Brasilia I was not so fortunate. I must say however that my knowledge of Spanish helped a little.

I got to Brasilia, around 11 am Friday morning, and as I was waiting for my bag, I saw so much evidence in the airport that Brazil as a country loves football (for the Americans soccer). To show that conveyor belt for the baggage was on, there was a large football advertising an upcoming football competition going around the conveyor belt. The love of football in Brazil is also evident among the people. I think it would be weird to walk on the street and not see something pointing towards football, either through advertisement or by people wearing t-shirts of their favorite team. I have not been here more than a couple of days I have had several persons have asked me if I like football or what team in Brazil I support. In fact, at the school there is an internal soccer competition between students and faculty. Let’s just say I might leave Brazil a football lover.

Anyway folks that all for now check back soon.

A Tribute to Phoenix

Leaving Phoenix is bittersweet. The hardest part of leaving Phoenix is leaving my sister and all the friends I have made here. It is difficult to recount the all the great and awesome things I experienced over the past 9 months. I have grown so much over these few months. Looking back, I know for sure that it was God's plan for me to move to Phoenix at the beginning of this year.

It amazing how from the very beginning, Phoenix felt like home. I met some really awesome people who have now become my family. I am so grateful for having room-mates like Tamar and Valrie. They welcomed me and have become like sisters to me. Thanks for the many laughs and stories guys. I am definitely going to miss you guys.


The person I will miss the most is the my sister, Donna-Marie aka "Kim". When we were growing up together we did not get along, but that all changed over the past months. We are not just sisters, we have become really good friends. My sister gave me a place to stay when I moved to Phoenix and provided me which all-round support for all of my many adventures. I could never repay her for all she did for me while I was in Phoenix. I could not ask God for a better sister. Kim, I love you and I'm going to miss you!

I was most amazed with the landscape of Phoenix. I came to Phoenix expecting to find a boring desert but it is so much more that a desert. In the Arizonian desert there is beauty. Arizona gave me a new appreciation for nature. I have fallen in love with the outdoors and I have seen and felt God's presence there. After visiting places like the Grand Canyon and Sedona, hiking up Camelback Mountain and camping in Strawberry there is no way I can doubt that God is in control and that He created this world.

I am most grateful for the growth in my spiritual life. I had a re-encounter with God in Phoenix. The Paradise Valley Church has provided with guidance and training for doing God's work. These prompted my next move into the mission field.



Unfortunately, my time for now, in Phoenix has come to an end. But, as I leave Phoenix, I carry with me the memories, experiences, awesome friends and the assurance that I will get to see many of the people I leave behind, if not on the earth on resurrection morning.

Bye Phoenix!

The Beginning

Blogging has become a part of today's society to I decided to get on the bandwagon. Ok, where do I begin?

First, let me thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my blog. I want this blog to be a means of keeping in contact with my friends and the people I meet throughout my life. If you want to know where I am and what I have been up to just check my blog and you will know.

I hope to entertain you by sharing the many silly things I say and do, so people check often and also feel free to laugh with me or at me. Please leave your comments and questions.

Love y'all
GAL