A Few Last Pics From Fortaleza

Here are just a few last pictures from Fortaleza...and then I'll move on, I promise. I just had these posts on Brazil partially done and wanted to finish and post them. Here's a sweet picture of one of the city beaches of Fortaleza taken by me, of course. They actually have quite beautiful beaches right in the city. This place is four blocks away from my parents' house. It is where my mom and dad go walking most nights. My mom for exercise and my dad for socializing with his "friends" that sell stuff on the boardwalk and for buying the street vendor food.

Due to my parents' frequent visits of grocery stores (see post below for details), they have made quite a few friends at the grocery store that is closest to their house...Pao de Azucar. My dad makes friends easily at the store due to the fact that he talks to everyone everywhere he goes, and my mom makes friends easily at the grocery store due to her inability to fluently speak Portuguese...I mean who wouldn't love a cute little lady trying her hardest to ask you in broken Portuguese where the ricotta cheese is?

They actually have had two people who work at that grocery store come over to their house for lunch and to meet the missionaries and be introduced to the gospel. While I was there they had this nice girl named Fernanda over. She is such a great person...I hope she joins the church.

Here's me with my parents' maid Irene. She's great. She doesn't speak a bit of English so it is always fun seeing she and my mom try to communicate. Sometimes I was able to help out with my Spanish though. It is really weird that my parents have a maid because it seems so snobby and uppity. But it is super common in Brazil. In Brazil it is said that you either are a maid or have a maid because there isn't much of a middle class at all. Actually in Brazil I think they call them Empleo (Employee) or something like that because really they do anything the people want...not just cooking and cleaning. For example buying the groceries, walking dogs, picking up kids from school, etc.

Some people there really treat their empleos poorly. It makes my dad so mad when he sees people at the store with their empleos and they are bossing them around and talking down to them. But, luckily my parents really like Irene and treat her great!

A Plea for Packages for My Parents

We spent a lot of time in the grocery store when I was visiting my parents in Brazil a few weeks ago. This is probably because: A. Obviously my family likes food (a lot) B. My parents feed missionaries...all of the time. I have come to see that a lot of what they are there to do is just to feed missionaries...and missionaries eat ton! My dad likes to compare them to the seagulls eating the crickets for the pioneers...he says it is amazing (almost miraculous) how much (an how fast) those kids can eat. C. My parents are still trying to figure out which stores have the products they like and also where they can get the best deals. We probably went to 7 or 8 different grocery store chains while I was visiting. And we're always in search of things like: dill pickles, tortillas, peanut butter, taco seasoning, Ranch Dressing, American candy, normal sugar, normal powered sugar, normal brown sugar, normal cocoa, cottage cheese (found some but it was expensive and weird), buttermilk (not to be found), sour cream (not to be found), etc. And most of the things they are searching for either turn out to be weird, super expensive, or you just can't find them. As a side note here, due to Brazil not having American food in abundance(surprise, surprise) my dad has us all bringing him an extra suitcase full of food when we go at Christmas. So if any of you have old suitcases you'd be willing to loan us, please let me know. Thanks. Here's my dad looking at the ingredients on some pickles he found...somehow wishing that they'd be Dill. But of course they weren't...they only seem to have sweet pickles in Brazil. What is wrong with those people? Dill are the best! When my parents got to Brazil they told me how expensive everything is. And I was like, "yeah right mom and dad...it's South America." I just thought they hadn't figured out the exchange rate yet or something. But, I found out for myself that they were right. Stuff is expensive there. The only things that are cheap are pretty much fruit, bread, beans, rice and unskilled labor. Like you can hire a maid for a couple thousand bucks a year but Taco Seasoning costs you $3.20...what's up with that? So here are a few pictures as proof of the high prices. Now I know that these are mostly pictures of fancy American foods and products, but even the normal Brazilian people food is expensive. How about $6.39 for some little cotton face wipe thingys? I'm so sure. They're like a buck or two in America.

Yeah, don't even think of having a breakout in Brazil. Crappy Clean and Clear Astringent will cost you $8.14! And this was at a cheap place. I saw it for like 9 something somewhere else.

Mexican night anyone? Yeah, keep dreaming. Tortillas are $11.02 for EIGHT tortillas! A quesadilla would be a luxury food here, not a poor lazy college kid food.

Or how about 8 Ziploc bags for $3.06? And there aren't any knock off brands so that is as cheap as it gets. Now I guess it is a good thing that my mom has been washing Ziploc bags and re-using them her whole life. I guess I shouldn't have made fun...that was great mission prep for her.

And here's that $3.20 taco seasoning packet I mentioned. I just had to show proof. I bought some the other day here for 50 cents and it wasn't even on sale!

The largest bag of M&M's they make in South America (including at Macro, which is like Costco). You get 200 grams for $4.15. I don't know for sure how many grams are in our M&M's here in the USA but I would guess that 200 grams is a little bit bigger than our King Size Bags...and remember, this is the biggest it gets for them. I saw a bag that was over 1200 grams at Target the other day! No wonder we Americans are all fat.

Campbell's Soup at $5.04 a pop. And this isn't even the low fat or reduced salt or anything. Just normal. I bought a can here the other day for 50 cents (not on sale). Too bad like 90% of American Mormon recipes call for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom. I guess my mom will be learning to cook some new things.

Well, that's it for this addition of "Things that are a rip-off in Brazil." Maybe when I'm there for Christmas I'll find some more great deals for you all. I'm thinking of doing a section on electronics as those are pretty dang pricey there. Until next time...

Who We Really Are

I have a few posts about my time in Brazil that I had partially done and just decided to finish and post them today, even though I've been back a couple of weeks. Here's a cute picture of my mom in front of an adorable and well-maintained house that was across the street from the LDS Branch building in Russas, Brazil. The house had such a great yard so we had to get a picture. My last Sunday in Brazil my parents and I and one of the APs went to Russas so my dad could do a Temple Recommend interview. Russas is a cute little town maybe about 2 and a half or three hours outside of Fortaleza. I guess I should find out the actual distance since the time it takes doesn't really mean anything as the roads are quite rough on the way to Russas and it could actually be pretty close to Fortaleza. At one point we were on a road (a highway actually) with potholes big enough to swallow a car. It was a pretty interesting drive...especially because my dad was driving...and there are a lot of sound effects that go along with my dad driving in Brazil.

The "parking lot" at the church building in Aracatchi (I'm pretty sure that I spelled that wrong, but that's how the name of the town sounds). Our car was the only car in the parking lot. I can't even imagine going to church via bike. I can't even make it on time to 1:00 church in a car...imagine if I had the excuse of riding a bike to church. I guess God places us all where we need to be and I need to be somewhere where I don't arrive to church with bike hair.

Back to Russas where my dad is chatting with the Branch President and one of his Counselors and the AP. The Branch President looks like he's 12 but I'm pretty sure he isn't as he has supposedly served a mission and is married. But some of the leaders are so young...so much responsibility.

Dad, if you are going to try to hide so you don't show up on my blog, you'd better find a bigger tree! Deep Thought Time:

I have this thought that I have sometimes at church when I am in areas of the world that are poorer or just where the church is newer...whether it is a branch in Ethiopia, Argentina, Paraguay, Guatemala, Ukraine, Thailand, Brazil...or anywhere else where I have attended church. This time it really hit me in Paraguay but was re-enforced to me out in some of these smaller branches of the church in my Parents' mission.

Here's the deep thought...What if we were all stripped down to just what we were...our basic characters? What would we really be? What if we didn't have a nice fat wad of cash in the bank, a retirement fund, or a beautiful, comfortable, large and spacious home? What if we didn't have cars, snowmobiles, or 4-wheelers? What if we didn't have nice clothes or even food to eat? And then after all of our physical things were taken away what if we didn't have our educations and experiences...our Bachelor's Degrees, Master's, PhDs, etc? Our travels, hobbies, or opportunities to progress? What if we didn't have the pride of doing well at our jobs or of starting our own successful businesses? Or even families...what if we didn't have families anymore? What if no one was married with kids...so you couldn't even base what kind of a person you are on how good of a parent or spouse you are? What if you were just you? Who would you be?

I don't know if that really makes sense to anyone but me. I have been told before that I don't see the world like a normal person does (I'll take that as a compliment thank you very much!) But if you do get what I'm talking about, think about it. It is sort of a scary thing to ask yourself. Take away everything that makes me feel successful in life and every opportunity I have had and who am I? And the really scary thing is that at some point in our existence that will happen. I know that I will fall short.

I guess the reason this thought sometimes comes to me at church in areas where people don't have all of the worldly comforts and opportunities we have is because it is easier to see people for who they really are because who they really are isn't masked as much by success in a career, service in the church, or even success in family. Many of them are poor, are new converts to the church and some come from horrible family situations. But they are still amazing people pressing forward and trying to live the gospel as they best can.

I love going to church in other countries, I do. I love meeting the members and hearing their stories of conversion and feeling the Spirit with them. I love meeting people who are so proud to be the first member of the church in their family and who are AMAZED when you tell them you were baptized at the age of 8. I love seeing a darling little girl in front of me in Sacrament Meeting quietly pretending to paint her fingernails with her spit and then holding her hand out in front of her an sort of turning it side to side in admiration of her work. I love that the girls ALL proudly wear their Young Women medallions. I don't think I ever even wore mine once...what a brat (except for maybe when I was a nerdy Beehive).

And even when you are a visitor in some of these foreign wards people seem to look up to you as an example or at least look at you like you are a freak show because sometimes you are the first American they have ever met.

I mean, I have been a member all my life, I should be an example. And it almost makes me feel bad when people do seem to sort of look to me, as a long time member and as an American...when the little boy at a fireside in Brazil tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and he stuck out his hand with a big grin on his face...you'd think he'd met a celebrity. Or the kids and adults running up to you after church to meet you. Or the little girls sitting next to me saying "I Luv Voce (I love you)" minutes after meeting them.

And I think to myself, 'Don't be amazed and excited to meet me...when you strip us all down to just what we are I am less than you. I have done less with what I have.' That's what I think. Now I don't feel I am some horrible person (contrary to popular belief). I have just been thinking lately of what I really am and who the real me will prove to be when that day comes that we are just what we are...not covered up by Citizenship in the greatest nation on earth, being born in the church, having money, clothes, and an education.

Sorry for the deep post. I know though that those who can't handle deep thoughts saw the length of this post and skipped right over it...so I guess I don't have to worry about being too deep! THE END!

Are You A Believer?????????

This is in response to my sister-in-law's last two posts on her blog. Sasquatch my A_ _! Addendum to Bigfoot Are you a believer in Sasquatch? Because I am getting really made fun of for being one (see the posts above). I know that at least some of you from Mud Lake might be...most people I know from out there have at least one good story of someone they know who has seen and/or smelled Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Cain. So let me know...what do you think about this? It has been a hot topic with my siblings the last couple of days and I am just wondering if we are the only weird ones out there...okay, okay I know there are other believers (mostly in the Southern United States) but are we the only educated, non-white trash believers that you know? Let us know.

Today I'm glad I'm a Spinster because...

Today I'm glad I'm a Spinster because... My life is crazy right now and I am neglecting a lot of things in my life but at least I don't have the added guilt of neglecting a husband and children too. So I'm grateful for that. Here's a quick review of my week. Sunday night flew back into Idaho Falls from visiting my parents in Brasil. Ate a yummy Sunday dinner prepared by Lee and Kim. Took a shower and went to bed. (Oh yeah and of course while I'm in the shower my brothers have to slip a picture of a frog under the door. They also had a three-dimensional one waiting for me in my room. My family is so hilarious. Ha ha.) Got up Monday morning. Got an awesome cut and color from my favorite hair stylist Audrey. Went back to my parents' house. Filled my car with my closest belongings in sight and drove back to SLC. Arrived in SLC Monday night around 9 and moved in to a new house I had never seen with roommates I had never met. (LEAP OF FAITH, big time). Tuesday morning I was up bright and early and off to work...later that day I started back at school too (Biostatistics...YUCK!). Spent the rest of the week trying to maintain the very delicate balance of working full time, graduate school and not having a mental breakdown. No wonder I enjoyed my peaceful, work-free summer. I forgot how busy and crazy my "normal" life is. So anyway, I'm just glad that by living this crazy life I live I'm not neglecting anyone but myself really. Instead of neglecting a family I am neglecting things like: *School work *Work *Working out...only did one-half of a Pilates class this week. Missed the other half because I got locked out of my new house. Nice. *Cleaning my room and unpacking *Social life And...last but not least...MY EYEBROWS This isn't me but it is a close match. I could really go for a good pluck right now. The end.

Finding Joy in Spinsterhood

The picture below was taken by my sister-in-law Kim. She and my brother Lee just said that they thought of me when they saw the sign...on their HONEYMOON by the way. I wasn't offended at all that they thought of me when they saw it...it was probably because I'm always joking about the SRM (Singleton Rights Movement) and how just like the Civil Rights and Female Rights and Handicapped People Rights and all the other Rights Movements of the past, someday we will have the Singleton Rights Movement. And then people will look back on the time before the SRM and say, "Wow, I can't believe we used to treat single people that way. I feel sick inside." Now, married blog readers and leeches, don't go thinking I'm all weird and depressed. Sometimes I like to joke, complain, and/or talk about being single because guess what, that is what I am, SINGLE. I don't know why but sometimes I feel like I have to hold back in writing about single life on my blog. I mean, young mothers have MOM BLOGS (thank you Christa for explaining that one to us)...and on those MOM BLOGS they share the ups and downs of being a mother...the blow outs, the fits, the potty-training (that's a popular topic), and the daily struggles of being a mom along with the joys of motherhood and wifeyhood too. But as a Spinster for some reason I feel that if you say one thing about Spinsterhood...whether good or bad...that all of a sudden people think you are "bitter" or "don't want to get married" or "selfish" or "fill in the blank." But in life the grass is always greener where you water it. And if you are spending all your time looking over your fence at your neighbor's grass, then you'll forget to water, mow and fertilize your own...and then you're in trouble. So as an attempt to water my own grass I've decided to start a new installment on my blog called "Today I'm glad I'm a Spinster because...," where I'll occasionally give a reason why I'm glad that I'm still single. Some reasons may be serious, others funny, and others just simply reasons that are neither funny nor serious. (This installment was designed specifically with my good Spinsty friend Kate in mind.) Now, does this mean that I don't want to get married? NO, of course not. I would love to be married to someone normal...and by being married be considered normal myself. Does this mean that I want to be a Spinster forever? NO, of course not. However...I am going to enjoy and take advantage of every Spinster moment I have. Does this mean that you all should stop setting me up with all those normal, employed or seeking higher education, English speaking, non-HALO playing, LDS guys that you all know? NO, NO, NO! Bring it on! Does this mean that I think that everyone who isn't a Singleton has a boring and horrible life...NO, of course not. I do have a lot of married readers but I am watering my own grass, remember? And you can water your own and come up with things that are great about your lives...no matter what stage of life you are in. So I'm not trying to say what is bad about not being single...I am just trying to say what is good about being single. So that was a very long introduction to this new Becca's Blog installment. But here we go. Today I'm glad I'm a SpInSTer because... Tonight I was shopping at TARGET...looking at the Thank You cards (because I love buying Thank You cards) and there was this young pregnant couple in the aisle with me looking at cards too...Baby Shower Gift Thank You Cards. The wifey found some she liked and the husband for some reason didn't like them...maybe too expensive or something, I don't know. I was trying not to act like I was paying attention but I totally was as they went back and forth comparing cards, prices, and talking about which of their friends had already used which Baby Shower Gift Thank You Cards. And I thought to myself, 'Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I can buy any stinking cards I want (well, maybe not the Baby Shower Gift Thank You Cards as I would have no use for something like that) and there isn't anyone to tell me that they are too expensive or not practical...or just someone else to complicate the decision. I can buy the cards that are $2.99 a pack or the ones that are $12.99 a pack! And that's why today I am enjoying being single. The end for now.

Too Young To Lie

Super sad news everyone...

I turned 29 last week. I know what you are thinking...how can someone so vibrant and full of energy (and immature) be so old? I have no answer to that other than...time flies when you are having fun and the more fun you have the younger you seem. But what does my birthday have to do with that horrible picture of my sunburned leg posted above? Well, last Friday, the day after my 29th birthday, I went to the beach with a whole bunch of the Young Single Adults here in Brazil. Friday was a big holiday here in Fortaleza...I think it is in honor of a Saint or something...and so the YSAs invited me to come with them. I decided that I still qualified as a YSA and so I was legit to go. We had a super fun day at Futuro Beach. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. We ate crabs and drank coconut milk on the beach. (I would love to share some pictures with you all but I didn't take my camera that day...I know, bad blogger.) During the course of the day however as I got to know the other YSAs I found out that they were mostly between 20 and 23 and the oldest one in the group besides me was probably 24...maybe 25, and there were probably some in the group that were only 18 or 19.

This is where I get off on a tangent: I don't know why but for some reason I had forgotten that usually where there are fewer members of The Church people get married younger and faster. (So the Young Adults that are still Single are usually younger.) I won't go into this in too much detail because I could write a whole book about this phenomenon, but in areas where there are many choices for a Mormon spouse (such as in Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, big East Coast cities, etc) there are more people who take their sweet time in getting married (not everyone...some get married super fast but there are plenty who wait). Because why hurry and settle down when there are a million choices of people to marry and there just might be someone prettier, smarter, richer, more talented, more like your mom(or dad I guess), etc. who might show up later on? But when you live somewhere where there aren't what feels like an unlimited choice of active LDS spouses...people just seem to find someone active, good, nice and fun and they fall in love and get married and make lots of little Mormon babies. Kind of how our grandparents did it before the days of Internet dating, Singles Wards, and commercial airplanes...just find someone near you with similar beliefs that you enjoy being with, fall in love and get married. Easy. End of tangent So there I am feeling like a GRANDMA as I'm basically hanging out with kids my youngest brother's age when one of them asks me how old I am. Here's the little conversation that transpired with myself as I processed the question... 'You're 28 Becca' 'Wait, wait, wait, no, you're 29...remember your birthday yesterday?' 'Oh, yeah, I am 29...but I can't tell them that I'm 29...I'm already so much older than these kids.' 'Well your birthday was just yesterday and you don't need to seem any older to them.' So, I totally lied and answered "I'm 28," in my Sportuguese (Spanish+Portuguese) that I speak here. It just sounded so much less worse than 29. Why am I lying already? Aren't people supposed to lie and say that they ARE 29? So, not a great start to my new year. But I did have a great birthday here in Brazil with my parents. It wasn't hard to beat last year's bawling on my long drive back to SLC from Idaho...not wanting to go back and not wanting to be 28. But this year was better. Even though I am one year older and am still going back to SLC in a few days I am happy as ever. A few months ago I chose an apathetic approach to life and it is really helping me be more happy. You should try it sometime. Just stop caring. Anyway, here are a few pics from my B-day. Oh yeah, and the sunburn picture is my attempt to get a little tan on my legs so that they wouldn't remain the bluish purplish white hue I've been sporting all summer. But I can never seem to tan my legs and not burn some places and not still be totally white in others. I should just give up, but NO, I just keep trying every summer. So instead of getting tan legs I got burned ankles and knees and nothing else in between. And the burn was pretty bad. I didn't peel or anything but on my right ankle I had some weird reaction to the sunburn and now I look like I have a skin disease...you know the one where all your pigment clumps up? Yeah, I look like I have that. I hope it isn't permanent. A cute picture of my mom at the mission offices. She totally looks like she's faking that smile but it was real.

On the morning of my birthday my parents had four missionaries that finished their missions that were going home so they had a brunch for them at the mission office. Normally they have dinner the night before at the mission home but these missionaries were leaving on an odd transfer (because they needed to get back before school started) and flying out at a different time of day so they did a brunch for them instead. I made banana bread because that was always such a hit with the Argentines and my mom made some cinnamon rolls. Then we had stuff for little sandwiches and fruit with fruit dip (my mom even found marshmallow cream here to make her dip although it is expensive and weird like most the other food here), and fruit juices. It turned out pretty nice I think.

Just enjoying brunch.

Me and my mom and dad on my B-day. Oh, and Elder Coelho hopped in the picture to give my dad bunny ears. Coelho is the Portuguese word for rabbit so I guess it is fitting that he hopped in the picture to give my dad bunny ears.

Later that night my parents took me out to a Churrascaria for dinner. It is just a place like Rodizio Grill but had way more choices for food and was really nice. They even had a sushi bar so I had a little. I'm not a huge lover of sushi but it does just seem so much less disgusting when you are actually really close to the ocean so you know the fish is fresh...so I figured I'd rather eat some there than in Utah or something.

Me and the padres at dinner. The wine wasn't ours (of course). It was just on the table I swear. After dinner we walked down on the boardwalk area by the beach and had ice cream. I had tapioca ice cream with acai berry ice cream. It wasn't my favorite but both acai and tapioca are huge in Northeastern Brazil so I had to try the traditional flavors.

Anyway, I had a great birthday thanks to my mom and dad. And I've decided that from now on (at least the rest of the year) I'll tell the truth about my age. Then I'll start lying after this year like everybody else does so that I can stay 29 forever. Yay for 29!

A Proud Daughter

Shortly after my parents got their mission call I was in bed trying to go to sleep but thinking about all of the changes this mission call would mean for my family. All of a sudden though a thought came to me that made me laugh out loud even though I was all alone. It was late but I had to share the thought with someone so I went downstairs and sent an email to my mom. The subject line said "The four funniest words I can think of right now," and the text of the email said "DAD DRIVING IN BRAZIL!" Those of you who know my dad well will know that he doesn't like to drive in big cities. And prior to this mission my dad's view of a big city to drive in was Salt Lake City. I guess it is understandable. My dad was born and raised in a community of probably less than 500 people. It is the kind of place where you can park your car in the middle of the road and talk to your neighbor. And going to the big city of Idaho Falls meant venturing into a city of about 50,000. So no wonder my dad got stressed driving in SLC...the huge city of a million people. But my mom was raised in a tiny town where everybody knows your name (and is probably related to you too) and she has always done just fine driving in SLC and other somewhat large and unfamiliar cities. She even drove us around Sydney, Australia...and they drive on the wrong side of the road there! So because of this we all (me and my brothers and sometimes my mom too) have always made fun of my dad for being such a wimp when it comes to driving. But now, after spending a couple of weeks here in Fortaleza with my parents, I have to eat my words...because my dad is doing a GREAT job driving around this crazy country. And so is my mom. And I am such the proud daughter. The picture above is just one of the views out my dad's office window...so the city is even bigger than that picture makes it look. It is actually one of the biggest cities in Brazil...and has a population of 2.5 to 3.5 million depending on which Internet site you look on. I don't know how those estimates differ by a million people, but Wikipedia says it is 3.4 million and so I'm just going to go with that since Wikipedia is never wrong. And although my dad grunts and groans and sucks air through his teeth a lot when he drives here...as well as saying "stupid" and "donut brain" and "por favor" and other minor (and missionary approved) expletives, he is doing quite well really...all things considered. First of all, Fortaleza is a big city. Secondly, nearly every street in the city is a one way road. And not only are they mostly one way roads but they aren't labeled very well so you kind of have to just look at how the cars are parked on the street to know which way it goes. And then there are two way streets that turn into one way streets too. So, already a crazy, big, one-way street city...and then you add to that, pedestrians walking everywhere, motorbikes swerving in and out of the traffic, cars without functioning headlights, huge potholes large enough to send you flying, horse-drawn carts, taxi drivers making left turns from the far right lane (happened to us today), wide loads on bicycles (they even deliver 5 gallon water bottles 3 or 4 at a time on bike...amazing), whole families on a bike going against the flow of traffic, beggars walking in between cars to beg off people waiting at stoplights, people selling things to you while you wait at a stoplight, cars parked in the road (due to the lack of parking places in the city), missing stop signs, etc, etc. I think you get the idea. When you get even a little way out of the city there are animals everywhere on the roads. Mostly donkeys, goats, and cows. They just graze them right on the sides of the highways.

They have these little "trains" that drive around the city on weekends and holidays...and they play super cheesy music and have people dressed up like Popeye, Hello Kitty, Donald Duck, etc. that jump on and off the "train" and do tricks and stuff to amuse the kids I guess. It is actually pretty hilarious to watch although I would never insult a child's intelligence by taking them on something like that.

Men walk with these little carts in the middle of the road picking up bottles and stuff to recycle. It is really great when all of a sudden you are speeding along and then you get behind one of these.

City elections are coming up here in October and there are also cars driving slowly in the streets playing super loud songs to advertize for the candidates. Their elections seem like a pretty big deal here...I hear the songs so much I can sing them in my sleep.

There are also guys on bikes carrying HUGE, LOUD speakers advertizing various things.

And every time there is a wreck in this crazy city (and I have seen a lot just in two weeks) they draw lines on the pavement to outline the wreck...and they aren't in chalk or something washable but are in white spray paint. So the roads themselves are a testament to their own danger. I guess it is a warning to all to be careful. So pray for Al and Mil as they maneuver this crazy town!

Meus Pais (That means "My Parents" for those of you who don't "FALAR PORTUGUESE"...at least I think it does!)

As my loyal blog readers and leeches already know, I am in Brazil right now visiting my parents who are in the Brazil Fortaleza Mission. Over half of my visit with them is already over and I haven't even blogged yet about Brazil. Time flies when you are having fun and staying busy I guess. But I finally decided today that I'd better get with it and blog because when I get back to the "real world" I'm pretty sure I won't have as much time as I do now. But ahhhhhhhhhhh I do not want to go back to the "real world." I'm going to try not to think about going back right now as it is making me sad. So here are some pics for you...

My parents are pretty much the same...they still think they are SO hilarious. They had this frog greeting me in my room at their place. They also had a little ceramic frog in my bathroom to welcome me as well. As if I hadn't had enough frogs in Paraguay! Anyway, it is fine with me that all they have to tease me with is fake frogs. It is SO nice to be staying in a nice bug and frog and animal free place. Wow...I feel like I am in heaven now that I don't have to share my bathroom time with 20 frogs!

This is my dad giving me his "I'd better not see this picture on your blog" speech while making a Vitamina (that's what they call smoothies here...I think). He gives me such mixed signals about this whole blog think though because then he is always telling me stuff like "hey you should blog about that" or "that would be a great picture for your blog." So maybe he secretly wants to be a blogstar on my blog but just can't admit it...I don't know.

Anyway...things are still pretty much the same in that he makes smoothies almost every day...just like he did back in Idaho. The only thing that's changed are his smoothie fruits...now instead of strawberry, blueberry, banana, and orange...he has guava, mango, passion fruit, super delicious South American bananas, pineapple, mandarins, and green oranges. And he doesn't put weird stuff in his smoothies like he used to at home in Idaho...stuff like tofu, oatmeal, and various wheat products. He's all fruit now...all the time.

But...my dad has changed a lot too. For example he is wearing short sleeved shirts now...something I never witnessed in Idaho (except for that one time we caught him in his Superman shirt). He and my mom go walking along the beach almost every night and we even somehow amazingly got him to wear real workout clothes (like the ones in this picture)...I guess working out in Wranglers just doesn't feel as great in a tropical climate as it always did in Idaho. And in his defense...in the picture above was taken after he got back from the beach so he might be a little sweaty...but I think he looks pretty buff in his new work out clothes. Truly, getting him to wear something like that, at home or in public, is a miracle that maybe only my immediate family will really understand, but let me tell you, it is a HUGE change for my dad.

Another day, a little better dressed, but still making smoothies.

My mom in front of their front door where they have this lovely piece of furniture and flowers. It is kind of weird because they live in an apartment so this furniture is just out in the hall.

However...it is much more normal than their next door neighbor's fabulous collection of dolls, bunnies, and even a Keebler Elf looking thing...with a great big mirror behind to set off the collection. Not the greatest pic, but you get the idea. My mom has been willing to make some changes too in her life as a missionary. I even got her to take a bite of a banana...and she hates bananas. I told her that she should give South American bananas a chance because they are so much more delicious, sweet, and less slimy than the bananas we get in the US...which probably come from Ecuador anyway but just aren't that good probably due to a long journey to America as a young green banana.

So she tried it...but she still didn't really like it. She did admit though that it was better than any other banana she had ever had.

Anyway, I'll be sure to post more soon (if my dad doesn't kill me or ground me from the computer).

La Escuela Agricola San Fransisco de Asis

For the past five weeks I have been living in Paraguay and have been volunteering at La Escuela Agricola San Fransisco de Asis. All I've really shared so far is my struggle against nature (frogs, dogs, snakes, centipedes, etc) at the school. So I thought I'd better tell a little more about where I've been and what I've been doing this summer. So here are a ton of pictures with some explanations of the school in between. Let me tell a little about the school first though. It is an agricultural school about an hour outside of Asuncion, Paraguay. I think that they claim to be the first self-sustaining school in the world...or at least one of the first. I think they are the first to actually make the idea work. So basically a self-sustaining school is just like what it sounds. A school that doesn't rely on outside money to be able to run. The students at the school work in a trade in this case agriculture and running a hotel and store and their work for the school pays for their school to survive as well as helping them train in useful skills. They have one week of traditional high school classes and one week working on the farm, in the hotel, or in the store. They switch back and forth every week. The school was purchased by La Fundacion Paraguaya (an NGO) five years ago from some Catholic Monks. They purchased it, got it up and running and now it requires no financial help from outside sources. The kids do have to pay tuition of about 20 dollars a month which also includes housing and food but those who can't afford that either can get scholarships or can work off that 20 dollars by volunteering to work on weekends. So anyway I have been volunteering at the school teaching health classes as part of my practicum experience for my Public Health graduate program. Despite all the run ins with wild animals and other trials it has, in the end, been a wonderful experience. The students at the school (there are about 150 of them) for the most part are fantastic, hard working kids. The school is meant to serve kids from lower income agricultural families and help them learn to make their family farms more productive. But not all the kids are from agricultural backgrounds or are planning on working in agriculture. Some are just there to get a better education. They say that the education there is more like what the kids would receive at a typical private school which tend to be much better then the public schools here...but these kids wouldn't normally be able to afford a private school education. It is a pretty great idea actually because you get students who really want to learn and better their lives because they have to work for it. It is such a great way to help people help themselves. The beautiful gardens. They grow produce to use in the food that the students eat as well as to sell in Asuncion.

I love the evenings at the school. It is such a beautiful time of night.

Because they bought the school from some Catholic Monks there is all this funky Catholic artwork on and in the buildings. The school was built I think in the 1960's which should help explain the style. I actually think that the murals and statues and stuff are cool.

This is what I like to call Tim Burton's Jesus statue. I think it is weird and yet cool.

One of my favorite students milking the cows. They don't do it by hand but it isn't as automated as I'm sure it is in the US...actually I don't know for sure as I don't frequent dairies in the US, but it didn't seem fast and efficient enough for the American way. Watching cows get milked makes me like milk even less...there are just too many different substances coming from the cow in too close of a proximity for me.

Some of the boys getting the food ready for the cows. They don't grow hay here instead they have Cameroon grass which they have to chop up so that the cows can eat it as it is really big and tough. We do feed cows hay in the States, right?...hay and grain and corn and stuff, yes?...I don't know, I'm a sheep girl. Whatever.

Some of the students just relaxing before lunch.

Okay, okay, I couldn't have a post about the school and not have a frog picture. I didn't do this to this poor frog...it was just a freak accident. I just happened to see it a few days later and thought it was gruesomely funny. Wrong place, wrong time I guess.

The kids prepare all the food too. They only have one lady that helps them. They actually do a good job considering that they are high school kids, have a limited kitchen (like they don't have an oven), and that they have a very limited food budget.

Some of the second year students and I after class. I'm the blond one. A couple of my favorite kids...they are fun kids.

Just a pretty lane at the school.

Me with some of the first year students. Obviously the person taking the picture did not have a lot of picture taking experience as they cut off half of the class.

Doing an activity in my class.

Tomas, the boy at the right in the front is a first year student although he is 20 years old. Even though the school can be basically free to attend some of the families, like his family, can't afford to have the students away because these kids are supporting (at least in part) their families...so it isn't just the cost of going to school...it is also sometimes the cost of not having the student bringing in money for the family. That's why Tomas had to wait until he was older until something changed in his family situation so he could go to school.

Making cocido at like 6 in the morning. It is a smoky and complicated process but it tastes delicious so I'm glad they do it. I think it is made with milk, yerba mate, sugar, and a little charcol. Sounds gross but it is pretty dang good. Try it sometime if you can...but it is only good if it is pretty hot.

The courtyard on campus.

One last pretty picture of sunset at the school.