To Sir With Love

From one of our favorite movies, this song always makes my think of my Dad.






Happy Father's day Dad, every adventure is an adventure I live for you.

Oração . a banda mais bonita da cidade

The other day I happened across this delightful music and felt I just had to share it. The song is called "Prayer" by The Most Beautiful Band of the City (from Curitiba, Paraná). This video is a youtube sensation, and the video was made in the lead singer's grandfather's house.

This song is everything that I love about Brazil. Simple joy. It is light and playful. I find myself singing the beautiful lyrics always. The first lines are my favorites:

Meu amor essa é a última oração
Pra salvar seu coração

Coração não é tão simples quanto pensa
Nele cabe o que não cabe na despensa

Which translates to:

My love is the last prayer

To save your heart

The heart is not so simple as you think

The space inside is not like this dimensional space

Now, please enjoy. And be happy today.

Rio!

A few weekends ago I went with a friend of mine and her daughter to see the movie Rio in 3D. Like all great animated movies, it was funny, heartwarming, and clever. I was delighted to see how attentive to detail the movie was: the scenery is identical to the views here in Rio! The Lapa arches, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, the trolley through Santa Teresa, the cable cars traveling up to the Pão de Açúcar, and of course, the incredible views from the Corcovado (the Christ). What is more, they truly captured the spirit of samba. This joyful music lifts you up and carries your feet to the rhythm. You are dancing and singing for hours before you realize you are exhausted- but you cannot stop: it is addictive and contagious all at the same time.


I was so happy to see that this movie was made, because so many people have a very limited view of Brazil and Rio. Unfortunately, there is also a very dark side. Poverty and a corrupt social structure are very integrated in the towering Favelas (slums), as well as in other areas of Brazil. There are daily fights and killings between different drug gangs, corrupt police, and the military. Drug culture here is very strong. Tourists traveling from developed countries can count on getting cheap and easily accessible drugs, but the cost is detrimental to the society. Families are torn apart, children are hurt, and people are murdered in order to supply pot or cocaine to a few wealthy gringos who want to get high on the beach. Prostitution is extremely common (though illegal). I myself traveled next to some prostitutes on the bus ride down to Rio for Carnival, knowing they were going to make a fortune during that week off of all the crazy foreigners coming in. It made me so sad and angry, thinking about what has driven these people to have to live this lifestyle. Of all the people with money and thirst for a good time cause such detrimental social damage…

The film Rio of course, shows none of these things. But it does address one other huge environmental and social issue: exotic animal black marketing. I was happy to see that this was a part of the movie, it is a real problem and is hugely popular, many people do not know how terrible it is. After I walked out of the movie I though “Yes, finally an opportunity for people (and children!) to learn, in a good way, why it is bad to buy exotic birds or animals as pets!”

Sadly, the message was lost. To my horror, I got home to find people (Americans) on Facebook saying “I loved the movie Rio- I want a parrot so badly!”
At first I was angry, did these people actually watch the movie?? How is taking an animal that is meant to roam in the wild from its environment to live in a cage in the north a good thing?? But then I realized, it isn’t their fault to think this way, people in Wisconsin, or the Midwest or wherever don’t know the social issues here, these things don’t exist on a farm. But I do- and now I have to tell you the truth. So thanks to the help of my AEA 2010 study abroad program and most of all, to my good friend and animal-lover Maria Boland (who’s term paper and field experience I am using to fuel this post) I am presenting to you the truth about the exotic animal trade.


Brazil is a melting pot of biodiversity and variety in native fauna (animals). But it is also one of the largest markets for animal trafficking. Illegal trade is currently the second greatest threat to Brazilian wild fauna, and it is the third largest illegal trade in the world after drugs and arms (Giovanini, 2001). There are about 38 MILLION animals poached every year in Brazil alone. Of these animals, nine out of ten will die while being captured or transported. The number of species threatened by extinction has nearly doubled: over 600 species (Maria Boland).
Currently, the main destination for trafficked animals is Europe, the United States, and Asia ( the rich and economically stable countries). The four lucrative markets include collectors and private zoos, biopiracy, pet animals and animal products. These markets often focus on the rare and endangered species (higher value), such as boas, turtles, macaws, marmosets and other creatures. Feathers and hides are used and sold for fashion products.


The social structure of trafficking comes from lack of options for people in poverty. The suppliers are extremely poor, have no healthcare or education and live in the backlands. They often hunt for survival, but get their income from trading animals. Mortality rate is extremely high for poached animals, due to stress and the conditions during the trade. Animals that do escape often die from injuries. Baby monkeys (marmosets, tamarins, spider monkeys, etc.) are captured by first shooting the mother, who then falls from the tree still clinging to her offspring. If the baby survives the fall, it is then captured.

The middlemen who receive these captured animals are farmers, drivers and street dealers, which then move onto middlemen with international connection. The animals are shipped most often without food or water, crammed together in small compartments or cages (Fleshler, 2010). Birds and parrots have their beaks and feet taped, and are then stuffed into plastic tubes so they are easily hidden.

Some are plucked to look like they are parrot chicks and can be sold at a higher price. 80% of all birds die during this process. If you stuff 8 to 10 birds into one tube, chances are at least one will live to be sold… Traders are counting on this to make money; they don’t care about the other 9. It is also a common practice to bath marmosets in peroxide to sell them as the endangered Golden Lion Tamarins.



Now I will draw from Maria’s personal experience in a Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center in Jundiai, Brazil. There she worked directly with rescued trafficked or poached exotic animals often brought in by the Environmental Police. Some were trafficked, others were victims from other anthropogenic causes: such as this small howler monkey:


"The baby monkey that came in was a Howler monkey (macaco bugio) that had been attacked by a dog after falling it of a tree. When it was found, the monkey's mother, still in the tree, was frantic and screaming because she knew there was nothing more she could do for her baby. Because of infection, the baby Howler monkey's legs had to be amputated from the knees down. He was not very happy about the loss of his very useful limbs, but in the end, it saved his life. Upon the time I was leaving, his wounds were healing nicely, and he was learning how to use his tail in replacement of his legs.

I also had the pleasure of spending my time with a baby Crab-eating fox named Sophia. She had been saved from a forest fire in the savanna, but her mother had not been so lucky. Sophia managed to escape with only the tip of her nose burnt and a small part of her ears charred, which as you could imagine, healed quite fast. She had incredibly beautiful green eyes and a long bushy tail that she sometimes forget was hers and decided to chase. Being one of the friendliest and energetic animals at Mata Cilair, Sophia was able to be taken out and handled on a daily basis. One thing she did hate though was the smell of latex gloves, which had to be used when cleaning her cage, upon which she would attack your hands if you foolishly put them too close to her mouth. She may or may not be released back into the wild, seeing as she spent most of her infant life being raised and feed by humans.

There was three specific times when the Environmental Police brought trafficked birds to Mata Ciliar. Some of them were able to be released right away, but others were invasive to the south of Brazil since they belonged up north in the Amazon and had to be returned. Most of the birds I saw were small, some with bright coloration and other dull. There were three adolescent parrots brought in, that were so young their feathers were not fully grown in and they had to be fed through a syringe. They made the most noise out of all the birds. One of the groups of birds brought in contained 56 total trafficked birds, with about 7 dead before arrival. Two or three were crammed into a space barely fit for one to be comfortable in, without any access to food or water. The conditions were horrible, and it was easily recognizable that the "owner" did not care about the well-being of the birds, but only the profit the birds would bring."


This leads to the most influential part of the system: the consumer. The consumers are the zoos and aquariums, the circus, private collectors, tanneries, fur industry, fashion producers, pharmaceutical industries, bird collectors (Giovanini, 2001)... The list goes on. We are the ones who caused this system to be set up in the first place. Wanting an adorable and exotic pet, wanting to show off social status or an image of “culture” has caused millions of animal deaths and economic social problems in not only Brazil, but Indonesia, Africa and many other countries.
There is hope however, and this problem can be fixed. We have to directly combat this by bringing awareness to our society. The same with guns and drugs, animal traffickers service a demand (Maria Boland). Until we hold our governments and ourselves accountable for this behavior, we will keep reinforcing this horrible system. We cannot be so selfish to think we deserve these animals for private pets. They are wild. They are not like dogs or cats, which have been domesticated for centuries. Yes they are beautiful creatures. But it is downright cruel to keep one in your home, in a cage, or even in your yard. Either way it is out of its native environment. Remember, for every exotic animal sold, dozens have died in transport or capture. What’s more, this animal can no longer provide offspring to furbish a population. By owning one of these pets, you are depleting from the future of this species, and any other species with which it has a relationship.
I have seen these beautiful wild animals in their natural environment. I have been woken up in the early morning from my hammock by flocks of parrots chatting and eating out of the mango trees. I have seen the beautiful giant blue Macaws flying around in couples and looking over their nests. I have seen fresh puma tracks, and herds of Caimens lurking in muddy waters. I have seen monkeys playing in the trees and swinging by their tails. They are wild. They are beautiful. They are free.

So this is my last plea- please, be a conscientious consumer with whatever you do. If it is something simple, like buying feather earrings, or in choosing a new pet: know where it came from. Go to breeders or farmers, who have animals that grow up locally and happily. We have the chance now to make a difference. And also- tell your friends and family. The best we can do is in educating the world. Let’s do it together.

Boland, Maria. "Wild Animal Trafficking in Brazil: A Threat to Life as We Know It." AEA Fall 2010. Brazilian Ecosystems and Natural Resources.

Fleshler, David, and Dana Williams. “Cute? Doubtful; Cuddly? Nope.” The Times Tribune [Scranton] 5 Dec. 2010, Sunday ed., Nation and World, Sec. B 1-2.

Giovanini, Dener. “1^st National Report on the Traffic of Wild Animals.” RENCTAS. 2001. Web. 11 January 2011.

Students say the darndest things....

I absolutely love being a teacher and interacting with people in the classroom. Yes, some days it is hard to get them to talk or to interact, but there are these moments that make every day priceless! Here are just a few that you will enjoy:

Me: What does freedom mean today in a capitalist society?

Student: A big boat!

Me:..."Put hair on your chest"- this is a slang expression. Sometimes men say it to boys, like "Here drink this, it'll put hair on your chest!"

Student: I put my head on your chest?

Me: What are ways we can use the verb "put?"

Student 1: to put on...

Student 2: Put out!

Me: When do people use the term to make love?

Male student: At the bar.

Female student: (offering gum to a friend) Hey you, guy, want my chicklets?

Student: I don't care about the act: if Man put his ass or his foot on the moon. I just care about the results.

Student 1: I can change the world with my two hands.

Student 2: What if I cut off your hand?

Student 1: Then I can change the world with my foot.

For my many Mothers

Happy Mothers day to all mothers, grandmothers, and soon-to-be-mothers! Today is a very special day to thank those that have given us life. I would like to take this opportunity then, to not only thank my Mom, but to thank the many mothers/women who have helped me out during this trip when I needed one.

To Juliana, my first Brazilian mother:Who took me into her home and made me a part of her family. It is not easy being a host parent, but Juliana and her husband made it seem like a

breeze. They shared their lovely house, animals, food and family and made me feel like I belonged. Juliana, you are a magnificent cook and a loving mother. You are beautiful and fashionable, but even more, you are a fighter- who refused to let a broken leg get in the way of you running your household. The love in your house was inspiring, and I hope to someday be a successful woman like you. Thank you.

To Regina, a fadinha da mata:Who has been my spiritual guide and comforter. She was the first one to come when my grandpa got sick, and who's limitless advice and insights guide me

daily. I have learned more about God from her than from any book or sermon. Regina is a living embodiment of God's love and kindness: when she sees even an insect fluttering or stumbling in her path, she gently picks it up and sets it aside.

Even more than this, she makes it a point to help me set up my path and works tirelessly to guide young people like me. Though she has no children of her own, she has adopted the world. Regina, you are a young soul who blesses everyone that you encounter, especially me. I will never forget the prayer you said with my brother and I- "Where two people are gathered, there is God. God is here with us right now, and so is Patrícia, your grandmother, and all of those who are gone before us..." Thank you for your empowerment and prayers.

To Suely, my other Brazilian Mother:

Who welcomed my brother and I into her house and shared her beautiful memories of our Dad, Aunt, and grandparents. Her children were equally as welcoming and we had the most amazing time hiking, swimming and sightseeing in Rio with them. Her house is like a humming hive, between the 5 dogs, the chatty parrot, cat and a surprisingly speedy turtle, things are never dull. This family really proves how wonderful and kind Brazilians are. Suely, in your home, I know I will always find a delicious meal, a place to sleep, and loving arms to invite me in. Thank you.

Elaine, my Brazilian Sister:We have heard it enough times that we have just started to say yes, we are sisters. Though she is actually my boss, I do think that if I ever had an older sister, it would be her. She is beautiful funny and clever, but always ready to loosen up an have some fun (she also has my same love for red lipstick).
Elaine, I love hanging out with you and am delighted to finally have a "sister." My only hope to repay your kindness is when your daughter grows up and I get to take her out and corrupt (I mean, nurture) her!

Mother's day would not be complete with out me paying homage to my two wonderful grandmothers: Grandma Ruth and Grandmama Maria.

Grandma Ruth, who helped me sew both of my prom dresses until they were perfect, who made my baptismal gown and graduation cake, and who's fish fry beats out any restaurant in Wisconsin, I owe so much to.

And my Grandmama Maria, I did not get to know, but through her immense courage she saved several lives during the second world war, then traveled across the world to an unknown land where she brought up her family. Her life is truly inspiring.

And finally, to the most important one of all, my own Mom. She was the one who taught me that I could choose to have a bad day, or choose to have a good attitude and make it better. She took time out of her own life to homeschool my brother and I, but knew her own limits to choose when to send us to school. She nurtured my love of reading, encouraged imagination and creation through art, and supported my individuality with my style ideas. My Mom taught me how to respect others, but even more importantly, she taught me how to respect myself. I have always admired my Mom for her patience, but lately I have also admired her growth and courage to stand up for what is right (even when

it is not what her friends or family think).
Mom, you have been there through every step of my life, even now when we are miles apart. I am reminded of you daily, especially when everyone asks me "And don't you miss your mother?" I miss our talks together, and our horseback-rides; I miss painting our nails and watching "The Importance of Being Earnest;" what's more, I still cannot go shopping without your help! But through it all, thank you for your support through this last year, as difficult as it has been.

I love you Mom. Happy Mothers day.

A Royal Wedding

Today I woke up early to watch the Royal Wedding of Kate and William with my ever-loyal British grandfather. It was an incredibly touching experience seeing him tear up seeing his old homeland lit up with joy and festivities. His reaction to the Duke and Duchess's double kiss on the balcony was "practically necking"- and I just died of laughter.

What was in both of our hearts however, was a very different time and people. In July of 1981 was probably the most famous of all weddings and princes, that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles: with enormous dresses, fanfare, parades and cheering throngs. However, in the same month was a very different fairy tale wedding.

In a small, outdoor wedding, with a guest list of only 50 people, in a light lace wedding gown and flowers in her hair, a young 18-year old Brazilian girl became a princess. There were no crowds or flags, nor long processions or great ceremony (save for the Catholic priest and communion), but in spite of it all, it was every bit as romantic and joyful as the wedding across the seas. Friends and family gathered around in the late afternoon sunshine, enjoying the warm scented wind and the flowered trees. My grandfather kissing her goodbye at the alter. Children restlessly playing on my dad's lap. Dom Pedro Gastão and Dona Esperanza looking onto their son and daughter-in-law in regal happiness. The priest blessing them. My grandmother holding back tears. Looking past her young face, these old photos portray a graceful dignity. My uncle looking at her with deep love and even protection as he held her hand in their vows.

Now I am living in her old room, the same place where she grew up. I think about how naive and excited she must have felt before her wedding, laying and staring up at the ceiling I see now. Suddenly in one day she went from girl to woman and mother, adopting her new husband's first son.

Years later, she would battle disease with the same beautiful and quiet dignity. Her courage and faith drive me every day. I am reminded that I live but a breath of time in the history of the world. And every day is but a wink in time. What can I do to prove this day?

I do not mean to hurt people, but I often do. Sometimes I feel so weighted by this I can't seem to move. As a human, this is my fate. But as a daughter of God, I am always promised grace. Even in the darkest and final hour, my aunt gave her thanks to God. I can only wish to be as brave as she.

D. Pedro Carlos de Orléans e Bragança e Patrícia Ana Maria Alexandra Paula Elisabeth Branscombe

One, Two, Step.

Double-time, half time, real time.

Finally, my life has a rhythm again. It is so strange, but relaxing too; I love it.

After all the boys left, I suddenly found myself with a load of empty time and space that I needed to fill. So I found some projects. First, I started off joining a gym. This experience was something completely different than any gym or YMCA in the U.S. Still working over a language barrier, my first week was me being dragged around or followed through the facility by body trainers. I had no idea what was going on. Finally, sensing my distress, someone finally informed me how these things work here. Whereas in the U.S. you join a gym and go about minding your own business and you have to pay through your nose to get a body trainer, here you are set up right away with a training plan based on your goals and your physical and medical limitations. So I had a medical exam, a nutrition orientation, and a physical dexterity test. WHEW. Not only that, but trainers stop you about ever half hour to take your pulse and make sure you aren't straining yourself. Yes this all sounds very professional and awesome- but as a born American, I had a very difficult time with so much invasion of my personal space. It took me several weeks to get used to so many people talking to me about so many of these personal things, and just coming up to me and helping me stretch or lift without even asking first. One amazing experience for me though, was taking Capoeira classes. Capoeira is the Brazilian martial art that combines music, dance fighting and a sort of gymnastics. As a beginner, I am terrible, but the other students were incredible to watch. The control and gracefulness in their movements was unlike any other.

Beginning in February, I also started interviewing for jobs teaching at some English courses. Interviewing in another country was a completely new and exciting experience. I started off just going to any schools I could find and dropping off my resume. To my excitement, I received several call backs, despite my lack of teaching experience. From these interviews, I was invited to do training in two different schools (first they do training, then they tell you if you are hired- odd). In the end, I actually had to choose which I wanted to work for, since they both made offers! Well, I accepted a position teaching advanced conversational English at a school called Lexical, and has been fantastic. I only have adult students (awesome), and every one is cheerful and excited to learn. I had my doubts at first that I even had the ability to be an effective teacher. But now as I see my students making connections and practicing their accents and pronunciations, I feel that I actually do have something important to offer them.

Finally, my latest activity and newest passion: ballroom dance. Answering a promotional advertisement for free dance lessons at a studio, I got to try out Samba, Saltinho, Fórro, and Tango. Latin dance has always been something I have wanted to learn, so I decided to sign up. Now I am taking classes 4 times a week. The Tango is by far the hardest. In class we spend so much time just practicing shifting weight and controlling our posture and movement. There is so much control in every movement, and everything has to be deliberate, yet you also have to be able to react and transition quickly. Often, I am concentrating so hard that I forget to breath.

And so my life has fallen into these series of rhythms. Whether it is dance, teaching, or whatever else here, I am constantly learning how to move and respond to the people and experiences around me. I realized that the biggest obstacle I have had to confront (and am still working on) has not been the language itself, but in my perception of personal space and comfort zones. Opening myself up to people has not been the easiest and I still struggle with physically letting people in. I realized that so many people in the Northern Hemisphere work so hard to keep other people distant and "minding their own business." But maybe we are missing opportunities doing this. Even something so simple as making eye contact with complete strangers on the street: that brief moment of honesty that neither of you are expecting.

January is for family

Ah my, but time does fly! Yes, I realize it has been ages since my last post. But as they say, it is better late than never right? And now you get to hear about our amazing adventures.

So starting off the year of 2011, my parents finally sent me my Christmas present: my brother (bearing gifts of peanut butter and bagels)! And not far behind him in arriving came another wonderful surprise, my cousin Jeffery. With these two mulekes in my house, you can imagine the craziness. Well it wasn't enough, so we added a few more.

Next in arrival was, from Grandpapa's side, yet another cousin, Frank Branscombe (yes, it is a family name). In our first reunion, the chemistry sparked. It seemed to us that

Frank had always been there in our lives. With his playful sense of humor, love for adventure, and quirky Spanish/French accent- we could not help but feel a blood connection.

Not to be left out, Felipe (our Brazilian cousin) came up to add his part to the frenzy. So there we were: Americans, Brazilians and a little Peruvian. This completed our family reunion, representing the various parts of the world into which our family has spread (and yes, we cooked some amazing food).

Frank, myself and Jeff at Ipanema Beach!

Our coming together marked a new era for our family- but sadly, as new things come, we had to say goodbye to some things passed. Specifically, our charming little Island home.
Many, many years ago, my grandparents set about building a small house on a little fishing community's island- Ilha Jaguanum (or Black Panther). According to my dearest Grandpa's stories, our house was the first to use materials other than just bamboo and thatch (somehow I doubt this). Despite the happy and wonderful memories, the time had come to pass on the joy to another family.

So it was up to us to make the move and enjoy our island one last time.Our adventure started immediately on the car drive down to the coast- being the only girl in the group with 5 boys, you can imagine the kind of car games we played... When we finally arrived at the coast, we were just ahead of a huge rain cloud. We rushed to hire a boat taxi, but it was too late. We sputtered along in an uncovered boat taxi for 40 minutes while bullets of tropical rain pelted down on us and the ocean waves. Our clothes and bags were completely soaked... So we did all that we could do- raised our beer cans and made a toast to life and unexpected surprises. Just as we landed on our beach, the rains stopped and we quickly unpacked and hung out our sopping things. Walking through the old house brought my lazy memory ten years and more. I remembered walking on the sandy tiles, the

romantic kerosene lamps and watching my Dad pump water in the court yard. Other things like avoiding coconut trees (and falling coconuts) in the front yard were unchanged as well. Island living came extremely easy to our group and we quickly split up according to our priorities: Frank and I jumped into the water, Mitch and Jeff went exploring, and Felipe and Steve (our German/Bahian friend- also nick-named Bacon) went to the bar next door to set up a beer tab. It took no time at all before we had set up our first barbecue and were eating fresh fish and shrimp off the grill.

Our first island sunset was nothing short of spectacular...

In the horizon, a familiar and long forgotten image appeared: a distant mountain range in the shape of a sleeping man, one my father had pointed out to me years ago as "The Giant." When I was young, I used to imagine that one day he would wake up and rise and walk away into the sea.


The "Sleeping Giant" in the distance.

The next few days seemed to be lost in time and space. We floated in and out of sleeping, swimming, sailing, hiking and cooking. Nights were spent around kerosene lamps drinking wine and sharing stories, catching up on all the lost time in our lives. Frank and I found a common passion for the wind and the waves- sailing! We also found a common knack for getting stuck in wind shadows... We got tons of exercise swimming our sailboat out of the dead zones. The boys surprised me by making me take them speedo shopping before we got to the island. I humored them and helped them pick out a pair- but I never thought they would actually wear them! How wrong I was. It was like watching a liberation: every day, all day was speedo time. Jeff had his own little adventure when he decided to spend some time under the stars on the dock. Instead he fell asleep under the full moon and woke up in the early morning to find himself- stranded. Yes, the dock is only accessable by climbing up a rope and some rocks, but in high tide, the only way back is to swim... Luckily the fishermen get up before sunrise, so they came to his rescue. None of us even noticed that Jeff had spent the whole night outside until after breakfast later that morning when he nonchalantly said "So I got stuck on the dock last night." Siigghhh- that child!

One of the amazing thing about the island was its people. I realized quickly that island people have a long long memory. On my first day people were coming up to my brother and I and exclaiming "Tidi's children!" (Tidi is my Dad's nickname in Brazil) Mitchell was often called Tidi Boy and I was told I looked like my aunt Patsy many times. Other people told me stories of their memories of me when I was little. Then I finally met one very old (and semi-toothless) fisherman. Together we sat under the shade of the old Eucalyptus tree in our yard and he told me the story of how he helped my Grandpa build this old house. Apparently Grandpa was a very odd thinker, as the fisherman pointed out, and he wanted to build the courtyard out of "natural stones" instead of pre-cut ones. Grandpa also used things like whale bones for decorations, and old wooden machinery parts for window frames. These people were so proud of the house, like it was their own- a history they shared with our family.

Breakfast for the birds- fish cleaning time!

Frank and I were in charge of dinners- here we are cooking by kerosene light.

The little sailboat that we managed to make a 2 person boat.

Bacon, Mitch and Felipe making a churrasco on the beach! Never let men grocery shop for a trip- all we had was meat and bread.

Sailing and climbing on rocks

One memory that my family cherishes was from Mitch and My's first trip to the island (I was six and he was five). One night we were playing in the sand, when suddenly- the sand began to sparkle with little green lights. We dug and played and finally went screaming to Mom and Dad. Well, unfortunately- we found it it wasn't magic. But, as the biologist inside me was growing, I was excited to find out that it was biolum inescent plankton, a natural phenomenon that causes plankton to glow when agitated- or "excited". Mitch and I have been holding on to this magical memory for years, and were incredibly excited and hopeful to experience it again revisiting our beach. So of course we were slightly disappointing when Felipe realistically told us that we probably wouldn't see it since it was very rare. But then finally, on the last night, we were sitting around the fire when Felipe decided to go for a late night swim. Suddenly he came running back yelling- tonight there WAS bioluminescence! Without a word we all got up and ran to the water- diving in and watching as our wake sparkled green. Our hands and feet became flaming torches in the water. And yes of course, I did the only thing I could do in such a moment- I yelled out "Lumos!!" several times before diving in and watching the lights glow around my fingertips. It was truly indescribable and miraculous. We were all giddy children again with wild and boundless imagination- screaming and laughing at the starry sky. The next day we would have to say goodbye to this magical place forever, to our second home and own small paradise; but for now, we were all part of the light- the lightening over the coastal mountains, the distant stars and glittering sea.

Twenty Eleven

I am writing this blog now during a blackout on our mountain. All the electricity is out and we are in total darkness. Here and there I can see the slight flickering of a candle in a window, or the sweep of a flashlight light. Cracking fireworks are randomly being set off, some people taking the opportunity to for attention. Someone is playing a trumpet up and down the street…

It has been a very long long time since my last post, and so much has happened, I am not sure where to start! But it has to start somewhere.

The Holiday season away from home was a very new experience. I was away from my usual family and far far away from any snow or ice. I was also missing a significant amount of Christmas songs and Holiday carols... which I really do enjoy. But just the same as with Thanksgiving, I got to participate in making my own Holiday with my loved ones around me. Christmas was small; just my Grandpa, my cousin Felipe, his girlfriend and I. We had a small gift exchange, followed by a huge meal, and then attending an even huger party at a friend’s house that lasted all night. New years was even stranger- since Brazilian parties don’t usually get started till well after midnight, we almost forgot to watch the clocks for the New Year! Luckily someone remembered and we were able to open the champagne in time. Everyone was dressed in white or light colors, representing the wish for peace in the coming year. At midnight hundreds of fireworks filled up the sky, the booms ringing through the mountains so loudly I thought that at first, it was a war! The Brazilian tradition I found the most beautiful though was the first thing everyone did was to turn to the people next to you, give them a hug and two kisses, and wish them “Tudo de bom para Você,” or “I wish all is well for you” (more or less the translation…). I knew very few people at the party (1 person) but not a single person missed me in wishing me well and giving me kisses. And that is how I welcomed in the New Year- with hugs, kisses, and making new friends. God has blessed me with so many wonderful experiences in the last year- I can only imagine what 2011 will bring.

Because EVERYONE loves cute doggy pictures:

Rasta swimming in the pool with his favorite food: a coconut!!

This dog is my new love.