Hey ya’ll!
I know you have been waiting a long time for this blog to be updated. We have not received internet at our place, so I thought I would simply write it up in Microsoft, save it, then upload it on a computer with internet access, then post it. So here we go…
The continuation of the flight is as goes:
The flight took us from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro then onto Belem. About 4-5 hours long because of the stop in Rio, a slight delay from a rainstorm (which had lightning, but I pretended they were flashing light from the plane because I didn’t need any more fear added onto what I was already feeling with flying). After the excitement we had a smooth ride and had chips and Japanese peanuts, and some cookies that were banana and a hint of cinnamon flavor. We arrived in Belem and had to wait a little longer because of the accordion walk way was broken (the machine that you walk through from plane to the airport). We ended up leaving the back of the plane down some stairs. We then walked from ground level, into the airport. As we walked in, we saw three people holding up an American flag. The three people were friends from Brazil: Raphael (business partner), his cousins Laura and Carol. They were all so excited and happy to see us through the glass. Trent began to cry and I grabbed the video camera from him to record him. He gave Raphael a big hug, then we had to return to get our luggage. When we returned Trent began to cry more and we looked back and the girls were crying too. We grabbed our luggage and went outside with our friends. We awaited for our ride, then because we had too much luggage we grabbed a taxi. The cars here are mostly all small like VWs or Hondas. The three of them had been having a conversation in Portuguese and I stood there in wonder with everything around me. It was something to fear, but be intrigued by. Trent translated everything for me. Raphael and Carol would speak a little English with me, but not much. We arrived to our place and the reason it is about $300 USD is because of the standards it is…I drew a picture to help show the layout of the place, and took a video…
The place we are staying at:
There was a lot of hard work put into finding the place that we are staying, which was the closest to American standard of living, but I walked in and it was hard to get used to, I must say. However, it is something to appreciate compared to everything else around us. I would rather be living here than any other place. The place is about ____ sq ft. So I would say it is about the size of a big front room. Our front room is the size of a two sink bathroom, our kitchen and dining room are about the size of a decent apt. kitchen, and the bathroom is a small bathroom. The sinks are not much. There is a knob, and a spout with only cold or lukewarm water. There is a toilet, but it is like what you see on the movies with a pulling string. The windows do not have glass. The one in the bathroom is stone with designed holes, so connected to the outside and its living creatures (which consist of frogs, mosquitoes, spiders, centipedes, and more, which I have not come to enjoy and gladly spray the Raid we have on the window almost every day as a routine). We don’t even open our bedroom window because I don’t do bugs or other creatures. If it was open there would be no glass, but bars. There is a bar door on the outside of our front door. The bedroom is very decent in size for a bedroom and it has a lovely air conditioner that saves me every day. The fridge is probably the size of two small office refrigerators (for drinks, etc.) stacked on top of each other. Luckily the fridge has a small freezer …opening the fridge is bliss because it feels so nice and COLD. That brings me to my next topic, the weather. It is hot, stuffy, humid, and sticky. The bedroom is my sanctuary to be perfectly honest. Once we leave our room there is a night and day difference with the temperature. I walk out into our kitchen there is a wall of humid, heat that I hit as I walk out and I remember where I am. LOL. I love the night weather when it is slightly cool outside and it is not raining. That is my favorite Brazilian weather.
Continuation of our first night:
We had some food at the Lonchenette which is a café type place that you can go sit and eat. It was outside and you just sit at a table and chairs that resemble what you find in a backyard for barbecue, the plastic set. We ordered food to stay. I had a bacon cheeseburger which was done a bit differently than what I have had. It had the basic tomato, lettuce, and patty, etc., but here they cook the bacon in a fried egg and so I had a fried egg along with my hamburger. I was expecting fries, but found on my hamburger these small slices about an inch long and thin that resembled fries. They were sprinkled inside on top of everything. It was pretty good, surprisingly. Around me it was hot, humid, stray dogs and cats walking around.
We then went to Raphael’s place to use the internet to let everyone know we are safe, but my Facebook wouldn’t work because I am now in Brazil and so it seems like someone else is trying to hack into my account. My security question was something I don’t think I ever chose, it was weird, so we were stuck trying to figure out what to do. Raphael was so kind to let us use his account and I labeled it with “this is Emily”. Then we made two calls. The time difference is 5 hrs so even though it was like 1 am it was still early in the states. We were given a tour of their home and it was nice and decent size. We then were driven home by Adenilson.
That night we slept real good that I had a dream within a dream. If you know the Inception movie you would understand why I put it that way. It was so bizarre. I dreamt that we were in the new place and I had awoken from a dream. I awoke in our place and found a piano and as I tried to play a tune, I noticed it was actually a stove. I was so excited because our actual place only had a microwave. I then found a maid and so many other things that didn’t exist in our actual reality. I really awoke to find that those things didn’t exist. What a bizarre thing to ever happen to me, but hilarious all at the same time. I think deep down I was desiring those things. I don’t remember if it was this night or a different night, but I turned out the lights and pretended I was back in the US because everything around me was so dramatically different, like the movie The Eye with Jessica Alba. Just try to erase everything. Eventually it was morning and bright to prove I wasn’t dreaming this time, I was back to reality.
So all of you must be asking, Emily how are you enjoying everything?
Well, to be perfectly honest it is not what I had expected. I expected a few things to be so completely different, but I pictured different standard of living even though I knew it was not like life in the USA. There are few things that I like a lot and a few things that I really, really don’t like. The things that I like are pretty much because it is familiar or because they are nice in my opinion.
What I like:
I like the food. I like the people who I know. I like how welcoming, and nice people are. I haven’t really seen anyone get angry. I wonder if they are so laid back and nice that they just don’t necessarily get mad. I feel like I stand out like a sore thumb because anger comes so quickly. I could learn a lot from them with their ability to control anger. (Now don’t get me wrong I am sure they do get mad, but like I said it is from what I have observed). They truly want to understand and help you feel better. They are nice and good hosts, hostesses. I think it is part of their culture because they are collectivistic. It is about family and friends, relationships. That is something that is appealing.
I like that we have a place that I have learned its tricks to help it work for me which I’ll get to later in more detail. I like the food. I think I already said that. LOL. I like the floral clothing. I think it looks so feminine (need a little extra covering to be modest, but the fabric itself is real cute).
I like that mostly everyone wants to work in order to obtain a living. They work each day, whether it is through their shops, their selling newspapers, drinks, peanuts, etc. while walking through stopped traffic on the highway. That is impressive. I like the ability to sleep through the night because it is somewhat hot in the room and I am exhausted. (I finally understand why they sleep during the middle of the day and they close shop. The air is so heavy, the temperature is so hot and humid that the energy expended is just gone and you need something to revive yourself.)
I like our friends. They have been so sweet and nice. I am such a bad example of a estrangeiro (stranger from here, foreigner) or I am like every other average foreigner, or worse-maybe mostly because of the developed country I come from. Well I will get to how my attitude of what I don’t like, but remember this is my “what I like about Brazil” section.
Okay, so I like…our friends because they have tried so hard to help me in more ways than one. They want to help me feel welcome, safe, taken care of, help me feel like I am at home in USA by the little things that they do, they want to help me with the language, they are so nice and reinforcing when I try to practice, they want to help teach me how to cook, they want me around, they are just really nice. One thing I noticed is that in the US I think we can sometimes be so caught up in technology that we allow relationships with others be put on a back burner. We use technology as entertainment and a part of social gatherings and so much more. Here, they don’t have very much, but they are not like me all put out of place and grumpy about it. They love what they have, but mostly they love each other. They take care of each other and their concern is more about others and the needs of others than themselves. That is something that has impressed me the most. They also are the most gracious hosts, and hostesses that I have ever met. I feel like their family because of how they treat me. I think that is what I like the most. I like church A LOT! Being at church is so great, when things are translated or I can guess and figure it out. It makes me feel like I am at home. I guess familiarity is so important because if it is different from home. I think all of the uncertainty frightens me.
I will go more over our experience at church a little later.
I like a lot of things and as I discover, adapt or get used to others I am sure I will like them too, but that will probably be at a later time.
I know many of you may be waiting for the things I don’t like, well here we go (please do be patient with me and don’t think too bad of me for my complaints):
Okay, so the things I don’t like… the MOST adverse thing is the environment. The streets and sidewalks are broken up, smelly, wet, dirty, messy, not eye appealing, many many many bugs on them, and more. The stench is really horrific though. I just can’t understand where the smell comes from. Along with that… is the garbage situation. The garbage is deposited into a grocery bag then placed outside in front of the house in a basket on a poll or thrown on the ground outside in a bag, or just littered. Garbage is not picked up for days and days and days and days. I may be exaggerating the extra day, but honestly from what I can see they just pick up the garbage when they feel like it. The driving on the streets is horrendous. People cutting people off, absolute disregard to traffic laws (stop signs, stop lights, street lanes, and so much more, the speed limits are the worse). The main feeling I get is that it is mostly about survival on the road. The bus rides can be good or terrifying depending upon the bus driver. Since we have to switch and get on different buses all of the time, there is not much consistency of what to expect for the bus ride. They are swerving all over the place, going really fast, almost hitting a motorcyclist in front of them, but they slam on the brakes just in time. They honk to make people get over and move out of their way. If you are walking on the street they will honk at you to get out of the way. They seriously won’t slow down for you. No law for pedestrian safety and if there was it wouldn’t be reinforced or enforced I should say. The main thing I truly dislike is not enough regulations or laws or rules. It is like chaos to a certain extent. Keep in mind that this is the majority around me, but a good minority want to follow laws or rules. They try to live it because of their conscience. They want to be good. I won’t forget them. I acknowledge it and I am so excited when I see it. I always tell Trent that many of them probably would prefer the USA because of the order. I also tell him when I see things they are doing and “I” don’t approve because if they were in the USA they wouldn’t be able to do that.
( there is a guy who drives a motorcycle with his wife or girlfriend on the back with her holding their child, baby etc. No helmets and I am going bonkers with child endangerment. The open bowl of soup on the bus with no place for this person to sit. ) I don’t want to act as though my country is better than theirs, but I just feel if they had a few more laws or enforcement there wouldn’t be as much craziness as there is. There could be order and organization, effectiveness and efficiency when it comes to completing tasks, etc. When you go places it takes hours. For example, when we go somewhere either bus, walking, or car sometimes, the wait or actual ride takes awhile. Then when we finally get to where we are going they say we can’t do something, or because they are not used to Americans and running certain policies. They don’t know how so it takes forever, or they mostly say we can’t help you. The other day the lady took Trent’s ID saying it was out of date and he couldn’t keep it as a keep sake even if he didn’t use it. Then she wouldn’t give him a new one. I honestly don’t want to leave our place because of these things that take place. They are really behind the times. Third world country is really a third world country when it comes to certain things. The things they are interested in are things from the 80s or 90s. There are some new things though. They have nice TVs, cell phones, and things along that line. I really just want things to be more efficient so time and energy is not wasted. Even when we call to check on things or make an appointment, when we get there they just can’t seem to do anything for us. It really is ridiculous. I told Trent that people get annoyed at DMV in USA, but if they were here they wouldn’t be able to stand it because it is that way for everything. There is no certainty for most things. You can’t check a bus schedule, you don’t have guarantee for whether or not the bus you think will take you where you need to go because it did the day before, but it doesn’t today. It is like a guessing game. It is so DIFFERENT. Sometimes, I just can’t stand it. I want to SCREAM. I micromanage at home. I try to control every little thing at home. I am sure I drive Trent crazy. I try to clean everyday because everyday our place needs it. I feel like I am camping, to a certain extent. I never really enjoyed camping but maybe it will be a piece of cake after this. LOL. However, I don’t know if I would ever get used to the bugs though. I am telling you how things are, and it sounds just terrible to you, I am sure. Just keep in mind that this is Ananadeua in the North of Brazil which is considered the poor part of Brazil. The rich are South or in Rio or major cities that have a lot of tourists. I am sure my experience at those places will be better. When I go then I will tell you how it is.
I mostly feel bad for everyone else because if they knew how life could be I wonder if they would try to improve their lives. I think a lot of them have an idea of how much better life could be and strive for that. Trent has explained that the reason things are so bad is mostly because of their past. Their government now is a democracy and they are truly trying to improve things here. The construction taking place is improving the real estate here. I think a good amount of the people want better environment. I think they deserve a chance to have better. They all are so grateful for what they do have and are so humble. They are amazing people with unfortunate living circumstances.
January 19-21
We walked around, shopped for a few things: food, cleaning products, etc. We also tried to figure out paperwork and our Brazilian identification.
We hung out with the Oliveira family (the mom and daughter). We sat and chatted, well more like Trent and Raphael chatted with them and I sat. Trent would try to translate as much as he could back and forth. We headed home and didn’t get home until 10 pm. I was scared as we walked because people at night are more likely to rob you. They would be in pairs on a bike or motorcycle.
We shopped for a few items then interviewed Prisicilla and Keila for the secretary positions. They both did very well and see great potential in each of them, so we hired both with each working part time.
I went to church for the first time in Brazil. The ward is called Providencia ward. I was introduced to Rita, Mario and their son Clebson (They are adopting him. They were kind of like foster parents since he was born. He was born with cancer and his biological mom left him at the hospital. He had enlarged growth on his neck/face –which we saw in a picture- and as we see him now he is perfectly cured after a Priesthood blessing and looks normal. He was so sweet to us). We also met these three boys who are neighbors to the ward who came to hang out at the church building. Their names are Kevin, Gabriel, and Lucas. Lucas was such a comedian. As Trent was translating the Portuguese conversation into English for me, Lucas was imitating us by moving his lips really fast making a repetitive blah, blah, blah sound. It was absolutely hilarious. I asked Trent to ask what their names were and he proceeded to ask each one of them in Portuguese. Each boy answered until we got to Lucas. He told Trent that he wanted me to ask him. I asked Trent how to ask for someone’s name in Portuguese, “Qual e seu nome?”, so I asked the young boy and he responded by turning to Trent and telling him something in Portuguese. I was like oh, great I did it wrong. Hahaha. Well, turns out that the boy wanted me to ask for his name in English. So I said, “What’s your name?” He responded in English, “My name is Lucas”. I said, “Wow, good job!” then gave him a high five. We had to get to class. They do their classes backwards from USA. They have Relief Society first, then Sunday school or gospel doctrine, then Sacrament. I thought that was interesting. Neide was the one who sat with me in Relief Society and helped me find the correct hymnal and was super nice. Then Priscilla Oliveira came in and sat next to me. I asked her after the lesson was over for what the lesson was about. She had been showing me the scripture references that the class was referring to, so I was able to kind of guess. They were studying about the temple ordinances and covenants. I thought that was cool. They usually teach their lessons from the Liahona, the church magazine, paired with scriptures. Then Gospel Doctrine was studying the Book of Mormon. That was awesome because what they went over was exactly what Trent and I went over the few days before and we had our own discussion, so I understood what they were discussing. Yeah! I also made new connections not made before….
We read in 1 Nephi for personal study in chapters 11-14ish and were learning about the tree of life, how Nephi learned about the meaning along with the application to his family. As we read, I began understanding the Nephites and Lamanites. I feel that as I read that I start making a connection to how these people here, are connected to the Nephites/Lamanites or at least some of them. The stories are of their heritage. Reading it and seeing these people is so enlightening. I used to read the scriptures and have the spiritual uplifting feeling and edification, but I understand them better now with my experience here than I did before.
I am glad that Church is a comfort. I knew that that feeling would be a constant and no matter where you were you'd have that. I am imagining you there Em, I think I would feel very similar but you are strong and can find peace and balance in diversity/adversity. :)
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