Would You Like Brazil?

When my husband came home and said, "How would you like to move to Brazil?" my mind immediately flashed to visions of Rio, the jungle, the Amazon River and monkeys in trees.
That's all I knew of Brazil.

"I would LOVE to!" I responded.

As it turned out, I knew NOTHING about Brazil.

I didn't know Brazil was larger than the contiguous United States.

I didn't know of Brasilia and the vast empty dry scrubby land that went on for thousands of miles without a house or even a road.
I didn't know the amazing beauty of canyons and plateaus or
walking steams picking up semi-precious stones.

I didn't know women without birth control would have 20 or more children before she is forty~ and broken down to the point

then just squat in a corner on dirt floor of the shack until she dies.
I didn't know many of these children leave home when they are about 6 years old, looking for food and ended up living in little groups under bridges near grocery stories where handouts are possible.

I didn't know people live in shacks without a roof and put up cardboard to shield them during the rainy season.

I didn't know that surrounding all the poverty, were quaint and beautiful cities all along the coast that would live in my mind forever.
I never dreamed of all that was before us.
I never dreamed of living an over the top existence as we were to have.

To top it off~ didn't know that before going, we had to learn to speak Portuguese!!

Totally amazing all I didn't know...or ask.

I wonder if I had known...would I have said "yes"??

If I knew of all languages written in our alphabet,
Portuguese was the most difficult to learn, would I have said "yes"?

But once committed,
I actually learned the language. And living there, I learned a world that I didn't know exists.
Along with the most fabulous times one can imagine,

sadly,
I learned that I didn't know the real meaning of poverty.
I learned that to help one person better their life forever is far more rewarding than helping the masses a tiny bit.

Stories and photos to come.

iJune

Trends in Life

Do you remember the TV game show which has a game where a contestant has the opportunity to get into a money cage? A blower is turned on, spewing hundreds and hundreds of dollar bills all around the contestant in the cage. Each and every bill the contestant catches and crams into a pouch tied around them, is theirs to keep. Of course, the person scrambles to catch bills and get them into his pouch before the timer sounds. Only bills that get into the pouch are his to keep. BUZZZZ. Any bills in air or hands drop to the floor.

Cage opens and Game Host counts the money to let us all know how well the contestant did in his mad scramble. Do you remember? I always thought people fumbled around too much. I always imagined that I could do real well. Didn't you?

Years later, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a real money cage in action at a shopping center. A bank was celebrating their Grand Opening by having a money cage on the sidewalk. What a great idea!

A line had formed and guess who hopped right on with them?

This cage had blank paper, $1, $5, $10 and $20, but mostly blank paper. I watched knowing this my chance to get into a money cage. My husband pointed out that I was a good bit older than most of them in line...but I really wanted to do it...just once in my life. In line, my turn soon came up.

Strapping the pouch around me, I stepped into the cage... "Ready."

The papers and money came flying passed me at a hundred miles an hour it seemed...I could hear the timer ticking. I grabbed and grabbed gathering a huge amount of paper. Instinct told me it was time to pouch my wins... To my dismay, the opening of the pouch was small. My wad of money was large. I pushed and pushed...then...BUZZZZZZZ.

I couldn't push even one piece of paper into that pouch. All the kids around me said...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Walking away, I realized that this is me, I "bite off more than I can chew" at times. Could this be a trend? A pattern?

I recalled the Christmas when I was a child. Santa brought a Cowgirl outfit complete with boots, hat and cap pistols. I woke at 2 AM Christmas morning...got dressed as a Cowgirl, went outside and preceded to shoot my cap pistols. All my friends got the same theme as gifts, but by the time they came out to play, I had no caps. I had shot up all my caps before the sun came up.

Seemed to be a pattern here. A distinct trend.

Grabbing more than I can get into the pouch equates to shooting up my caps before the sun came up.

Seems there are trends in my life.

Can you define yours?

iJune

Let Not Our Travels Be in Vain

What is the best part of travel? It is preparing and looking forward to the trip? Could it be the actual trip itself? Or could it simply be returning home with our cameras and heads full of new visions.

We always hope our family and friends will want see our photos and hear narrations. Why? This gives opportunities to relive the trips over and over. Bless them ~ if not for them our travels would seem in vain.

Was last year's Super Bowl Party when I see a group surrounding an older gentleman who is telling of his recent trip to China. Someone whispers he and his wife have just returned.

We, at the time, were just back from a most impresive 3 weeks in Africa and China is next on our travel agenda. I want to hear what he is saying about the trip.

He is articulate in relating interesting stories and experiences throughout the country. They apparently had learned so much and had a wonderful time. Now, to nail down the important part ~ What month is the best time to travel China?
When did they go?

When I ask him, he looks puzzled. Thinking about it, he scratchs his chin...looks around as he works on remembering. At this point, I consider his age... probably about 70, I decide. Finally he comes up with an answer of sorts.....wasn't summer, he says, as it gets very hot there in summertime...he gives it more thought and finally said he thinks it was this past fall. I am happy with that, however, he goes on explaining he is still unsure, he recommends asking his wife Linda, she would know...she is the lady across the room, behind Ben wearing the green sweater, he tells me.

I wade through the group and find Linda standing watching, of all things, the Super Bowl game.

Introducing myself...and briefly tell her that her husband had given us such wonderful information about their trip, etc......ending with..."Was wondering what month you went to China?"

As she is trying to remember, I assess her to be in her 60's...I wait as she thinks and thinks and thinks ...finally, "maybe in the Spring...no...could have been August....no, that would have been hot there......hummmmmmmmm....maybe in August and Sept...no...maybe later in the fall....hummmm ...she finally tells me "I really just can't remember."
I thank her, adding "nice talking with you..."

I walk away wondering about travel. Is travel something we always dreamed of doing but now that we are doing it, we can't remember even when we go? Is it only a way to get out of babysitting? Or a way to spend our time and resourses? Is it all in vain? I walked away saying to myself..."We went to Africa in January, we went to Africa in January, we went to Africa in January 07."

Let not your travels be in vain. Blog 'em.

iJune