Animada!!!

70,000 attendees
5,200 people per school
200 tons of garbage
100 persons per wing
36 minutes of adrenaline
1 contract fulfilled
This is what Peyton Manning and I have in common: we both know what it is like to be under the bright lights with thousands of people watching. Well, okay, so the fans were not exactly watching me. [...]

Anjos

When the Orthodontist signed his contract with me last year promising to go to Carnaval 2007, he did not anticipate having to fulfill it. He expected us to move. This was a miscalculation on his part. He really, really, really did not want to go to Rio. He said it was [...]

Nota 10

A perfect samba score, that was our trip to Rio. Food, beer, food, beer, beer, beer, samba, samba, samba, samba, samba, water, water, water, food, food, food, food, champagne, beer, caipiroskas, food, etc.
There is too much to write about to post it all in one go so I will start from the [...]

Fantasia - Depois Eu Digo

“I’ll tell you later” is the name of the wing of the Mangueira Samba School we will be parading in this evening. You’re not kidding! As I write this, Mr. Understanding still has not seen the fantasia he’ll be shuffling in on February 18th. The fantasias, or costumes, were delivered to the [...]

Despedida

Yesterday morning KT had her going away party (despedida) at her house. In Brazil, the person leaving gives their own going away party. In Mexico, friends would host the party for the departing. Starting at 10:00 a.m., KT opened her doors to her friends to serve an astounding array of cookies and [...]

Valentina

Every year I send out valentines instead of Christmas cards. It’s not that I do not like Christmas – I do, it is my favorite holiday – it is just that I cannot get my act together between the holidays and birthdays. If you are a reader recipient, yours will be late. [...]

Favela de Novo (Jerusalem)

Earlier in the day, I wrote about favelas in general. Then I received an email from the pastor of the church, Nova Jerusalem, requesting assistance. They are in dire need of funds and will have to close their doors in April if funds do not appear. SSNJ provides before and after school [...]

Favela

Just when you thought this blog was all fluff, I serve up substance. Above is a photo of the favela near our kids’ school and across the street from the church we help out, Nova Jerusalem.
Favela: such a pretty word for such an ugly thing, like something Hannibal Lector would serve up [...]

Sambodromo

Think of it as a long parade funnel.
Think of it as a giant pissoir.
Think of it as …..
I am deathly afraid of the facilities at the Sambodromo, or, more specifically, having to use them. Imagine having to squeeze into a stall in one of those costumes! Tragic. This [...]

Samba

Today I had a make up samba class. I started this project in September and then had to quit in December due to the holidays and my travel schedule. As I commented to my mother, via this blog’s post yesterday, I do not expect to blend into the crowd but I do not [...]

Mangueira

The word means hose. What this has to do with the name of a samba school, I have no idea. Maria and I picked this school because it’s parade slot was at a decent hour for us old folk at 11:10 p.m. and because we like the colors of the school (pink and [...]

FOUND

Items found in yesterday’s purgefest still worth keeping:
1) check for $30.00 from my mother, dated April of 2003 - I’ll deduct it from what I still owe her :)!
2) Civil War coloring book
3) pencil collection (circa 1973) saved from the move of a different missionary (my favorite: the Texas Longhorn pencil)
4) answers from family’s 1996 [...]

Bronzeamento a jato

Readers of my mother’s blog will no doubt have learned about the evils inherent in children watching TV and their consequential celebrity worship. Apparently children who are given too much attention have delusions of grandeur and would like to become celebrities themselves. At the risk of being labeled a Hollywood wanna-be myself, which [...]

Abacaxi com Hortelã

Abacaxi (ah-ba-cah-shi) = pineapple.
Hortelã (or-te-lah) = mint.
I had been here about three years before I tried this juice, pineapple with mint. I guess I was not paying attention to what everyone else was drinking besides beer and caipirinhas. Recipe: cut up a pineapple and put it in a blender; add some water; throw [...]

Photos

I have been leary of posting personal photos. This has less to do with the fact that I do not know how to upload them than the fact that Mr. Understanding is afraid we might be recognized and get booted out of whatever foreign country we are living in or the one to which [...]