Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Brazil: Part II
When we landed in Recife, we were met by our host, Phil Warkentien and Company ... The mayor of Caruaru provided transportation (a full-size bus!) to pick us up at the airport ... so he brought along a welcome committee. Many of the people knew Carol from her previous trips to Brazil, and they also knew Phil's parents, Lou and Fay. When we got off the plane, the cheering was so loud, that I told Lou it was like traveling with Elvis. :)
We still had a two-hour drive ahead of us, so we quickly boarded our bus. At the half-way point, we stopped at a restaurant for a snack -- our first taste of real Brazilian food! We had chicken coxinhas (pronounced "ka-cheen-as").
It was a piece of chicken that was stuffed with cheese and then breaded and fried (?). It was crispy, but not greasy. They were really good. And we drank three different kinds of fresh juices unlike anything I've ever tasted.
When we finally arrived at the Warkentien's home in Caruaru, I was eager to get my suitcases unpacked and get my things organized. They gave us a quick tour, along with instructions about where to get drinking water, etc. (We were advised not to drink the tap water.) ... Yvonne and I shared a room upstairs; and Joy and Carol shared a room on the main floor.
Outside our bedroom was a recreational room with a ping-pong table. We organized all our vacation bible school craft materials on the table for the various age groups we would be working with.
We still had a two-hour drive ahead of us, so we quickly boarded our bus. At the half-way point, we stopped at a restaurant for a snack -- our first taste of real Brazilian food! We had chicken coxinhas (pronounced "ka-cheen-as").
It was a piece of chicken that was stuffed with cheese and then breaded and fried (?). It was crispy, but not greasy. They were really good. And we drank three different kinds of fresh juices unlike anything I've ever tasted.
When we finally arrived at the Warkentien's home in Caruaru, I was eager to get my suitcases unpacked and get my things organized. They gave us a quick tour, along with instructions about where to get drinking water, etc. (We were advised not to drink the tap water.) ... Yvonne and I shared a room upstairs; and Joy and Carol shared a room on the main floor.
Outside our bedroom was a recreational room with a ping-pong table. We organized all our vacation bible school craft materials on the table for the various age groups we would be working with.
About Brazil ... Part I
Okay -- I'm down to the final days of my sabbatical, so I guess I better post some of my Brazil material before I run out of time!
First, let me say that international travel is not the easiest of games ... Even though we bought our tickets in January and had confirmed seat assignments ... when we arrived in Chicago to board our international flight, we learned they had overbooked the flight. All previous seat assignments were thrown out ... and until five minutes before boarding, we still weren't sure we were going to get seats. If Lou and Fay (who spoke Portuguese and could communicate with the airline personnel) had not been traveling with us, we probably would have been bumped.
Here we are preparing to leave Kansas City on July 31. From left: Joy, Yvonne, Carol and me.
We departed Chicago around 10 p.m., and I believed they served us dinner about midnight. I was too wound up to go to sleep right away, so I channel hopped through the various movies they were showing. And finally, I inflated my pillow, donned my eye mask and got a few hours' sleep.
We arrived in Sao Paulo the next morning, and we were pleased to find that all our luggage made it to our destination the same time we did. Praise God for that! We then boarded another three-hour flight to Recife, arriving early evening on Aug. 1.
The airline limited us to two carry-on bags and two suitcases weighing no more than 70 pounds each. We all carried the maximum allowed, as we were hauling lots of supplies that we planned to leave in Brazil.
Happy travelers reunited in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with 12 suitcases (not shown) and ready for the next leg of our journey. From left: Fay, Lou, Carol, Joy and Yvonne.
First, let me say that international travel is not the easiest of games ... Even though we bought our tickets in January and had confirmed seat assignments ... when we arrived in Chicago to board our international flight, we learned they had overbooked the flight. All previous seat assignments were thrown out ... and until five minutes before boarding, we still weren't sure we were going to get seats. If Lou and Fay (who spoke Portuguese and could communicate with the airline personnel) had not been traveling with us, we probably would have been bumped.
Here we are preparing to leave Kansas City on July 31. From left: Joy, Yvonne, Carol and me.We departed Chicago around 10 p.m., and I believed they served us dinner about midnight. I was too wound up to go to sleep right away, so I channel hopped through the various movies they were showing. And finally, I inflated my pillow, donned my eye mask and got a few hours' sleep.
We arrived in Sao Paulo the next morning, and we were pleased to find that all our luggage made it to our destination the same time we did. Praise God for that! We then boarded another three-hour flight to Recife, arriving early evening on Aug. 1.
The airline limited us to two carry-on bags and two suitcases weighing no more than 70 pounds each. We all carried the maximum allowed, as we were hauling lots of supplies that we planned to leave in Brazil.
Happy travelers reunited in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with 12 suitcases (not shown) and ready for the next leg of our journey. From left: Fay, Lou, Carol, Joy and Yvonne.
Monday, August 18, 2008
First day
It's the first day of school, and everyone's all smiles. :) Nicholas is thrilled to have a teacher for 5th grade that he had previously. And Michaela has the same teacher Nicholas had in third grade. It's hard to believe we have a fifth grader and a third grader! This will be Nicholas' last year in elementary school ... and then he'll be off into a new world. Eeek!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Hello from Brazil!!
Here I am in Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brazil -- just eight miles south of the equator! I'm having a great time seeing this beautiful country and meeting lots of interesting and friendly people. One of my favorite things about Brazil is the number of hugs one gets in a single day. It's great!
In six days I've taken about 200 photos. I'll be posting many of them here after I return.
Until then --
Tchau!
In six days I've taken about 200 photos. I'll be posting many of them here after I return.
Until then --
Tchau!
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