Good-Byes

Good-Byes are never easy.  Even when you are looking forward to what is on the other end, there are always things to leave behind.  We feel so mixed with emotions these days.  In the past week all but the smallest of the small ones has cried.  Publicly.  We've had 3 good-bye parties, lots of packing, late nights, excitement, stress, sleepless nights, and all around over-whelm.

The packers come tomorrow.  What little we've decided we actually need to bring home with us will be packed up and sent off to sit at the Brazilian dock for 1-3 weeks before ever leaving the country.  The rest has gone to friends, the orphanage, the church, our maid, or people in need in our community. 

We have proven to ourselves that it doesn't take a lot of stuff to make a house a home, and so we're bringing back even less than we brought.

Though our boxes and suitcases may be fewer, our hearts are larger and our memories are greater.  There are so many people we will miss.  There is a way of life, a calmness about Horizontina that will be hard to let go of.  There is a feeling of independence being here "on our own", and also a dependence on certain people who have largely impacted our lives.

We've had a lot of good-byes.  For me, the hardest was the good-bye between M and her teacher, one of the sweetest and most caring people I have met.  I am actually crying all over again right now as I write this.  It was the most heart breaking thing to pull M away on Friday afternoon, her last day of school.  I stayed there in her classroom for more than 20 minutes after class had ended because her teacher just wouldn't put her down.  They were hugging, cheek to cheek and both with such long faces it absolutely broke my heart.  I had another one of those " what have I done to my poor child" moments.  A lot like the ones when we first arrived and I left M crying at school because she didn't want to stay.  Ironic, isn't it?

It's not that I don't know going home is for the best.  I wouldn't consider anything else.  I know there is always good with bad and tears between the smiles.  I know we'll have some adjustments to make in the next several months.  While some moments will be exciting and joyful, others will be sad and difficult.  I'm glad it's summer vacation.  At least the little people can have some time readjusting before starting a whole different kind of school.

We have varying degrees of understanding here.  Of course the adults know what it means to go home forever, however we probably don't really know what kind of adjustment there will be even for grown adults.  D is ecstatic.  He remembers so much and he's so ready to get back to grandmas and grandpas, zoos and museums, familiar restaurants and peanut butter.  He's going to miss his friends though.  He came here at the age of just really developing close friends, and he had a small class in Horizontina, so a very tight knit group.  M is excited because D is excited, but I don't actually believe she remembers much.  We've been watching home movies, looking at pictures, and talking about "home" to make it real.  I see a tough adjustment for her, but that's just my perception.  H, dear sweet H, is pretty sure we're coming back here after our "trip" to the States.  I can't explain it well enough on a 2 year old level that we're never coming back....

...because probably, we never are.  Horizontina is not an easy place to get to, and aside from DaddyHealy (who already has return tickets for later this summer) the rest of us are unlikely to ever set foot in this town again, even if we do return to Brazil.  That's a sad thought for me.  Two years of our kids' lives we can't recreate for them....at least not by driving through town reminiscing and visiting with friends.

Permanence is hard to grasp at any age, let alone 2.  I know H will adjust and be fine.  She will eventually figure out how to survive on American food, and she will someday think of our house on the Big River as home.  They all will.  Until then, we plan to do a lot of extra cuddling and talking and listening and loving.  Maybe wiping some tears (theirs and our own) and enjoying all the wonderful things that being an American and living in the States can mean.

I'm sure I'll have more to say soon, once we are stateside. Tchau Brazil.

"Beautiful" Bonito

On our whirlwind vacation, we also included a precious few days in the Brazilian Pantanal in a town named Bonito, which means beautiful.  It was amazing.  We really only had 2 days there, and while we'd have loved to stay longer, our schedule just didn't allow it.  I am so so so glad our kids got the chance to see the really wild part of Brazil up close and personal.  This is as close to the Amazon as we were going to get, and we enjoyed pretty much every minute of it.  D, although he was sick for about half of our time there, told me Bonito was the absolute best thing we did in all of our time in Brazil.  I am so glad he feels that way, because I do too.

We stayed at a little farm/bed and breakfast called Hotel Cabanas.  We did indeed have a little cabana house nuzzled in the forest.  We left our window shades open at night because the first little ones to wake in the morning were entertained (and therefore quiet) by the wildlife still active in early dawn.  All around our room there were monkeys, cutias, macaws, bats, birds of all sorts, an emu, and more.  One morning I asked my kids if they think they'll ever meet another person who woke to such a show of wildlife as this.  Gratefully, they fully appreciated the rarity of this experience.

M watching a monkey cross the path at the hotel.

More monkey friends hanging out around the hotel.

I love this amazing tree...perfectly captured on film by DaddyHealy.

Everything in Bonito is privately owned.  The tours we took were all within private farms or at least the access to them was.  It was an interesting set up, and I love the signage guiding you along the way.  It was just very Brazilian to me.

I called M our lead elephant, because she really was the trail blazer.  We were told, in so many words, that Bonito is not really a family destination.  The travel company we used tried to talk us out of it, actually.  I am so glad we didn't listen.  We forged ahead, with difficulties at times, but we had a most amazing experience as a result.



My little explorer



60 Years of Cristo Rei

Although I haven't always been perfectly pleased with the children's school here, I am still grateful for the opportunity to have sent them here.  Cristo Rei (Christ the King) has been a large part of D & M's Brazil experience.  For the most part I have found it to be a very caring and loving place.  Even H (who does not attend the school) is called by name by the teachers, secretary, even the director.  Our children have found a home here and I am glad they will have this to remember as their first "real" school experience.

 

Recently, Cristo Rei celebrated 60 years of educating youth in Horizontina.  The children put on a program where M & class sang, D's class displayed a diorama of the school, the parish priest offered prayers of blessing and thanksgiving, and older students reenacted the history of the school.  I learned that day that Cristo Rei was originally founded by Catholic missionaries and was originally only for upper level (high school) education.  It has expanded now, accepting students from 3-4 months old (more of a day care) through high school.  I also realized anew how glad I am that my children are blessed with a school that can be overseen by a priest, anointed with holy water, and pray a novena all the while reflecting the same values at school that we try to present as foremost in our home.  To me, there is little as important as that.

 

 

M with her class and beloved Profe Marga.

 

D posing with his diorama of the school.

Bubbling Over

A while back we had one of those days when we just needed something new to do.  I dug out this pack of 25 bubble toys I had picked up once upon a time on summer clearance at Walmart. (I miss that store!)  We had a blast trying out all the different options, comparing results and mostly just enjoying time together, outside, in Brazil....something we know won't last for much longer.

 

 

Master Mind?

He's been suddenly interested in the game of chess.  I don't know for sure how it started, but it quickly turned into an obsession.  He's been constantly trying to beg a game from mom or dad for a couple months now.  Both DaddyHealy and I are new to the game, so there has been a lot of internet searching for rules of the game.  It's so tempting at times to answer a request for a game with "not right now," or "maybe later."  But I try to remind myself that (in addition to so many other reasons) this is how budding master minds start.

Tijuca

Tijuca is the largest urban forest in the world, located right in the middle of the city.  In fact, The Christ statue is technically within the Tijuca forest. 

Tijuca is considered an Atlantic Rainforest because of the location and type of plants and animals.  Interestingly, it was a hand planted forest.  Part of a reforestation program, the goal was to preserve water supply for the city.   But it has turned out to be a major tourist attraction, a meeting place, and a wonderful location for active endeavors such as hiking and biking.  It is flush with tropical plants and wildlife. 

You can take hikes and jeep rides through the forest. We just walked about 1 km to see the falls (which we thought were pretty amazing) and walked back out.

 

They are hard to see, but we found some monkeys in trees (right about the center of the photo).

This gives you a new standard for a city's green space.

It's hard to see, but hanging from these very tall trees are a unique fruit called jackfruit.  They are the size of a watermelon but grow on a tree!  They are edible for humans, but as I understand it, not all that good.

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This delicate flower really captured our attention.

Even walls of rock were just lush with green.

Our tour guide taking D & M to feel the icy cold water that just runs out of the rocks.

 

60 hours in Rio

I think I mentioned before that we only had about 60 hours in Rio, but we did it all.  We hired a tour guide off of trip advisor who took us around privately to all the sights.  I gave our priorities and preferences, and she and her driver worked magic.  I cannot believe all that we saw.  Everyone else we talked to also cannot believe all we saw in our 2 days there.  After the "main attractions" she managed to squeeze in this and that and detour past another thing.  It was a whirlwind, but it was amazing.  After we got home we rented the movie Rio again, and had a lot of fun pointing out all the things that we saw.

The Escadaria Selaron was laid tile by tile in the neighborhood by an immigrant who wanted to give something back to the city.  He started with just the stairs, and it turned into a major attraction.  Although he passed away this January and his work is therefore finished, it was a work in progress and anyone could help him in choosing the next tile to lay or bring a tile to go into the staircase.  We weren't there long, but we had a good time spotting tiles from different countries and even from States all over the US.

 

This is an aqueduct that was built in the city when the Portuguese settled Rio.  Later it was converted to carry an elevated train.  It's not currently in use, but a beautiful reminder of Rio's history.  This was also fun because in our homeschool history this past year we studied about the Roman's use of aqueducts.

Of course we didn't actually let him hang glide, but our tour guide took us to the location where hang gliding "lessons" are offered and tours given.  She "knows the owner" so our kids got to "try out" the equipment and then watch some take offs from the mountain over the beach and landings right next to the ocean.

We visited the Sambodromo, the street that was created solely for the purpose of the Carnival parade (although it is also used for concerts and other events).  We (adults) watched a fair bit of Carnival on TV this year, so it was interesting to see.  It also just so happens that they were filming a movie there at the time, which was a lucky surprise.  As luck would have it, they thought H was adorable and one woman in costume came closer so she and M could touch her dress.  Our tour guide said she's never been able to offer that to her customers before!  It was great having her show us this part of town, because with it came an extensive explanation of the whole celebration of Carnival and the parade that goes with it, including who participates, how long they practice, and so on.



 

 

The Sambodromo, where Rio's famous Carnival is celebrated.

The kids getting close & personal with a samba dancer.

We were also able to swing by the National Cathedral, which was unique but amazing.  This is where Papa Francisco (Pope Francis I) will visit during the Catholic Church's World Youth Day. 

 

 

We went to one of the many stadiums being built and remodeled for World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.  This one was just getting ready to open and there were a host or unique characters out front.

D in front of Maracana Stadium

 

This lady, whom we call "chicken lady" had a rooster leashed to her high heeled shoe.  Apparently she is representing a  soccer team whose mascot is the rooster.  Strange, nonetheless.

I think they said this guy is a retired soccer player.  Professional athletes must not make as much here as in the States, because he was performing some really neat tricks with his ball for tips in front of the stadium.

Peace man....he's holding the World Cup trophy, dressed as an angel with a gown that says Peace.  Not really sure what that is all about, but people were posing with him left and right to take pictures.

 

 

We spent our afternoons at Copacabana Beach jumping waves and building sand castles.  There was also a long stretch of beach which displayed professionally designed and built sand displays.  The kids were amazed, and inspired.

The intricacy of the sand castles was amazing.  Most were roped off, and had a tip jar.

This was my favorite.  It had all the top sites of Rio, and carved in the sand is a message welcoming the Pope to Rio.  These sand displays must last a long time, as the Pope isn't due to visit for a few more months.

 

We had lunch at the Treetop Restaurant, which turned out to be cooler for the adults than the overtired kids.  Either way, it was an experience.

The Treetop restaurant was a variety of tree houses and structures built with a great view of the city, but making you feel like you were dining with the Swiss Family Robinson.

 

 

The ocean was so blue.

The view out of the window on the apartment we rented in Rio.

A view of sugarloaf

Strolling Copacabana Beach on our last morning before our flight.

I still cannot believe we did all this and more in just 60 hours (fitting sleep in there too).  It was hectic but it was wonderful.  I doubt we'll ever be back, but we've practically seen it all already.

Sugar Loaf

Sugar Loaf Mountain was one of the other main attractions we hit while in Rio.  It's really just a mountain right on the coast of an unusual shape, but it's a tourist attraction we had to hit.  Although I had my doubts about the cable car, all 3 of our kiddos loved the ride, and it never even occurred to anyone to be afraid.  Riding the cable car was definitely the highlight of the visit for the little people.  We even looked out and saw some people scaling the side of sugarloaf mountain as we rode by!

The cable car we rode to the top of Sugarloaf was a highlight.

This is the view out of the cable car back to where we started.  This was only 1/2 way up.

A view of Copacabana Beach from the top of the mountain.

One of our favorite things about this day was seeing what we call the "naughty monkeys" that were featured in the animated film Rio.  They were pretty mischievous in real life too.

This guy is snacking on some banana our tour guide handed out....dispite the "do not feed the animals" signs posted everywhere.

If you have young children, you probably know about Flat Stanley.  Some friends from the US sent Stanley to visit us and we took him on our vacation, snapping pictures of him in unique places...like the top of Sugarloaf.

Cristo Redentor

 

Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) has got to be most famous sight of Rio.   I imagine when the Olympics hit Rio in 2016, there will be a lot of panning shots of Cristo before and after commercial breaks.  It is one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world,  almost 100 feet tall, not including the base it stands on.  And on top of that, it is placed at the top of Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest.

 

Our tour guide told us the statue was put up in Rio in the 1920s, facing to the bay where ships with new immigrants used to arrive. The reason it was put there was to let all of the people who enter the land know that Brazil is a Christian country.  (At the time a lot of immigrants/slaves/refugees were coming in from various locations practicing other religions.)  The most amazing thing is that this statue was paid for almost entirely by private donations.  Even poor children stopped begging for food and money, and started begging for donations to build the Christ statue!  Visiting Cristo was the first "official" thing we did in Rio, and of course one of the most memorable.  We had mostly clear weather for our view, but apparently that is not all that common.  Someone we talked to said his first 2 visits to Rio he never did get a clear view of Cristo.  How lucky we were.

We hired a Brazilian tour guide for the mornings to take us to the hot spots.  She had all kinds of ideas, including having D & M "hold" the Christ statue.

It was also nice to have someone to take family pictures of all of us.

Apparently this is what the Christ statue usually looks like.

This is what we had for most of our visit.

I adore this picture of H.  She was so taken by Christ the Redeemer.  She still poses like this when people ask her about our trip to Rio.