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!