THE THIRD WEEK

Once again, I’ve fallen behind in my writing & it appears that I have a lot of catching up to do! I would apologize, but I think everyone understands that when you are living somewhere as wonderful as Brasil, a computer isn’t really the most appealing way to spend free time.

In a few days, I will have been away from home for longer than I ever have before (which, of course, was last summer in Utah). I was right about the feeling. When I first arrived, I felt like I’d been here forever when it had only been 3 days. Now, I can’t believe it’s already been three weeks, & I’ve already seen people come & go, & an infusion of new volunteers (& consequently, new roommates) into the home. I like it though – I love meeting new people, especially the type of people who would choose to come on this trip, to make a journey that is more about helping others than having fun. With 19 new people, the house is really rocking with all the new energy & I love it. I never have been able to sit still for very long without a book or a journal anyways. CCS should seriously consider adopting the ASP slogan “it’s not about you.”

Right now, all of Salvador is preparing for the St. John’s festival tomorrow. Apparently, it’s bigger than Christmas here! This weekend, the streets of Pelourinho were insane, much bigger than the Tuesday night drumming, so I can’t even imagine what tomorrow night will hold. They’ve spent weeks setting up stages for live musica & dancing & everyone is off work because it’s a national holiday & all the school are closed for a least a week, if not two weeks. Of course, that unfortunately means that I can’t volunteer with my kids this week. I felt really sad leaving on Friday because I’m going to miss them so much & it’s only going to be a week. I can’t even begin to imagine what leaving will feel like. It was so cute on Friday because the kids had a party to celebrate St. John’s & they had food & got all dressed up & everything! We brought all the kids into the halls & had music & dancing. I swear, they looked like they were having so much fun. It was such a joy to see the older kids interacting with my youngsters, because I thought they might just ignore them completely, but instead, they took them under their wing so to speak. They were all holding hands & leading them & teaching them to dance & comforting them when they cried. Seeing that kind of compassion from 4 & 5 year olds was an eye-opening experience. The best part about the whole festa was just the happiness that filled the air between all the teachers & the children. After watching the party & feeling the sadness of being torn from these children who I have only known for 3 weeks, I know without a doubt that I am serving at the right placement. At first, I wondered if I would take the given option to switch schools after 3 weeks, but I will be doing no such thing. I can’t imagine being needed anywhere else as much as I am needed at Frutos. Plus, the continuity of seeing the same volunteer for a long period of time should be good for the children. I just hope it doesn’t kill me too much to leave.

I have today & tomorrow off from work for the St. John’s festival, but I kind of wish I was still there. It’s not a Monday morning at 8 AM without their smiling faces. Sometimes, I feel like I’m dragging to get there, but by the end of the workday, I’m always so happy. It’s kind of like running in that way. Even if it’s the hardest run ever & your body just isn’t working & you’re tired & all your muscles hurt, at the end of the run, you’re still glad you went. For Wednesday-Friday of this week, the 3 other Frutos volunteers & I are going to work on landscaping and building gardens at the school. Frutos has a lot of space, but they don’t make the best use of it, & we think that the gardens would add beauty & also teach the children a sense of responsibility & pride when they begin to plant & weed & watch the flowers grow.

In other news, I’m wasting lots of time at the beach & loving the sunscreen & Luna bars that my parents sent! (obrigado, mãe e pai) My Portuguese is still pretty terrible but I’m trying. I don’t know if my vocabulary is really improving, but my pronunciation is definitely getting better. One of the volunteers’ birthdays is this weekend, so I think we’re all going on a trip to this beautiful place with hiking & waterfalls, which is right up my alley. I can’t WAIT!

Last night, as I was writing in my journal, I was sitting outside & looking at the moon & thinking. There is one thing that I absolutely love about the moon. No matter where you are, it’s the same moon. The same faceless ball of light reigning supremely over all the people you love. All the people you need. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, at least there’s always that connection. It’s pure, it’s natural, & it’s unbreakable. One of Mother Nature’s greatest gifts. & here in Brasil, it’s nice to know that it’s the same moon I saw from my home in Greensboro, my home-away-from-home in Chapel Hill, in Utah last summer, & it’s even the same moon that’s over China. I like knowing that some things never change, even when I feel like I’m growing so much.