back home for the 2014 International Congresso :)

Bom dia, family!!! So I know it’s been over a month of Sundays since I’ve last written and for that, I must apologize. But between returning to the states, trying to get settled, helping my family thru a death and funeral, and collecting my own thoughts – it’s been a crazy reunion with the US of A. However, I didn’t want to just leave my fam hanging! You guys stuck with me through the ups and downs of living abroad, sent me comforting messages when I was down, laughed when I laughed, and kept me afloat. So, for that I send a ginormous OBRIGADA!! And  here are few updates since we last spoke 🙂

that darn seawater… (praia do fonte and the pelourinho)

I know exactly the moment it happened. I was floating on my back after swimming a few laps in the beautiful waters of Praia do Fonte when a big ol pterodactly dinosaur-sized wave comes splashing over me. Now I can swim and so I was fine – it was actually pretty funny. But the small pool of salty seawater that invaded my throat was all I needed to set off this chain reaction of runny nose, sore throat, and congestion I’m fighting with on my last day in Salvador, Bahia.

bem-vindo para a Bahia!

Beautiful beaches and gated high-rise apartments eclipsed by rundown shanties and hillside favelas. This is Salvador, Bahia, the last stop in my Brasilian excursion before I fly back to Rio and then to the states. First impressions? We definitely fit in better here. There is a strong African influence here, and Salvador boasts as the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. Although it’s a mixing pot of cultures and histories, in general, the skin is browner and the hips are wider. We may have stood out in Aracruz, but here I think we could certainly pass.

monsoons, bridges, and airports…

Leaving my apartment in aracruz

So it’s 6:30am on a cool, rainy Saturday morning and I am sitting here at the airport in Vitoria, waiting for my flight to Salvador, Bahia… which has been delayed at least 50 minutes. Because of a passport misshap, my roommate from Aracruz had to turn back at the airport and take a 2.5hr detour to correct the situation and will attempt to take a later flight to meet me. I haven’t even left the state of Espirito Santo yet and already the adventure has begun.

I will name my daughter Aliça… #AliçaFica

Preaching in aracruz, brasil

Yep, that’s what the bible student told me when she met me in the street yesterday.She said when she heard the person who was coming on her bible studey was called Allisa (my first name, written Aliça in Portuguese), she rubbed her growing belly and said “yes, I like this name. If I have a girl, I will name her Aliça.” I smiled and told her I hope she has a girl… Just another beautiful day serving in brasil!

bye fiona! hello care package…

to be loved! oh what a feeling...

OH MY YUMMY GOODNESS… my bestie just sent me THEE BEST care package US to Brasil!! I’ve got snickers, candy, lotions, a ped egg for my fiona feet (bye, fiona! ), my favorite kleenex in the whole wide world (it smells like Vicks vapor rub), and a card I haven’t opened yet cause I know it will put me over the top and I will cry… but before the lagrimas fall, I write this post. And then eat a twizzler…. OBRIGADA MENINA!!!!!

Ps – you wrapped thus joint like a beast! Even with two weeks of travel and a bout with customs…

photo catch-up, from friends to food!

Chilling in another pair of my bright Brazilian leggings!

Bom dia! The days are moving so fast now that my Brazilian experience is approaching its end! Even though like I mentioned in my last blog post, I expected to stay a bit longer, things change and I am ecstatic that I’ve had this amazing opportunity. I look thru my photos now and remember all the things I haven’t yet gotten the chance to write about, if I ever will. So this is kind of a catch up post, complete with photos! Photos from a wedding I was invited to attend, the many different almoços (lunches) I shared with friends, scenes from service, and anything else I could sneak into today’s photo gallery. They may not all make sense together, but they all give you a glimpse into the events I was too busy living to pen.

world cup vs tylenol extra strength

Me, after a hazy, sick couple of days in brazil

So there I was, somewhere in the middle of slightly scared and slightly amused, the sounds of what I believe were gunshots (but folks swear were firecrackers – some were, some weren’t) blasting outside my 5th floor window, and cheering huddles of green and yellow jersey-clad fans on rooftops and corner bodegas city-wide. Last night was the kick-off game of the World Cup hosted this year here in Brazil, and while the whole country was one big horn-blowing party, I lie in bed curled in a ball trying my hardest not to throw up. Life abroad continues…

live for the moments…

Even though I can’t write about all of my experiences here in brasil, I surely live them all! Live for those kind of moments fam as they can be spectacular…

Tchau for now,
La

brasilian mini-me

Jolie and I after her bible study tonight - oh and I cut my hair 🙂

So you guys have already met Jolie, my 9yr old adorable bible student, a few posts back. But here I am posting about her again cause she’s just that awesome. Since a very young age, I was always down with the “the stork is bringing my baby” storyline so it’s pretty safe to assume that since that stork is only in cartoon storyboards (and I have no plans of pushing any little la’s out…), Jolie is pretty much where it’s at right now. And tonight, after buzzing her in and her bursting up the five flights, she gave me the biggest smile and hug and called me tia, auntie. I bout melted…