It's Monday night just now and that means I have only 3 more days left at the creche (excluding my day off). I know I'm going to miss the kids a lot, though Tanya and I are both looking forward to hitting the road again...
Last week was a heat-wave here - over 41 degrees one day and high 30's for most of the week. I didn't see a lot of it cause unfortunately I'm still sick so I spent more than half the week in bed or around home trying to get better. I think I worked one full day and 2 half days last week, having to come home on the other days cause I was feeling pretty useless. And even though I probably caught it from the kids in the first place, I don't want to recycle some virus back to the babies.
So I've been trying really hard to be responsible, staying home watching Tanya and Lara head out most nights and come back in some time early morning :( and then hearing all their tales! But to tell the truth, I've been quite content to stay at home with some good books and cups of tea and have an excuse for being a bit of a grandma. I just wish it had paid off and made me better by now.
Anyway... it was chubba bubba Brian's first birthday last Thursday. Isn't that exciting folks?! Well we were quite excited, since when we sing to the kids sometimes we get so sick of singing the same songs that we end up singing happy birthday in English and watched their perplexed faces, so this time we were able to sing Happy Birthday for a legitimate reason!
Friday was a really painful morning - it was a teacher's meeting day as the new term has just started and the staff had to meet to discuss curriculum and educational department changes in the local government, etc. We were all expected to be there, despite not being able to understand what it was all about. So we had to sit in the room in a circle with all the staff and listen to these talks and at first it was okay, then it became boring, then got soooo frustrating that I was counting prime numbers in my head to try to stop myself getting really angry!!! It wasn't until after lunch that the head mistress spoke to us directly for about 20 minutes and then handed us some materials and said we could leave. At least we had the rest of the afternoon free but the morning was a waste of time. All part of the job I guess.
On the weekend Soheila, Tanya, Lara and I headed off to Torres which is a beach town abotu 3 and a half hours bus-ride north of Porto Alegre. We were looking forward to catching some rays and I was hanging out for a surf at the beach but the weather had other plans. The heat wave was replaced by a barrage of clouds and the most rain we've seen here hit on saturday night and sunday. It was quite strange, Torres - which we pictured to be a quaint town, touristic but not too built up, was actually like a slightly less commercialised surfers' paradise. I was amazed at this long row of high-rise unit blocks that ran along both sides of this road for about 6 or 8 blocks. Even so, the place felt like a ghost town with vey few people to be seen. After walking from the bus station through town to the beach we finally came across a pousada by the beach which was more like a hotel with a great room and great value between us.
We spent a few hours lying on the beach despite the clouds on saturday afternoon. Not the nicest of beaches by a long shot - the water looked a grey/muddy colour from the rain and the beach itself was pretty average. It was suprising to see sand dunes built up on the edge of the road with sand blown across parts of the road too. And as we stepped onto the beach there was a huge soccer field marked out with high poles, flood lights and nets - a huge eye-sore which detracted from the look of the beach - but I'm sure it's put to good use. There were volleyball nets along the beach too.
We had a nice relaxing dinner by the beach - a huge piece of fish with a massive plate of rice and salad cost R12/AUD5, where we found ourselves talking about the kids from the creche at one point - asking which ones we would take with us if we had the chance. (Though I'd love to take Kawau, he's almost too heavy to lift, yet along carry in cargo so I'd have to leave him!) and that made me realise that if I miss them on a weekend, I'm going to miss them even more when we leave. The little arms that reach up and legs that climb onto your lap to grab a cuddle. This morning I was greeted by Eduardo - one of the older boys, as soon as I walked through the door with a huge smile, a run and hug, then a few of the other kids joined in. A while after when I had Dienifer on my lap, I was concentrating on something else thinking it was just her squirming around, then realised another boy Tomas had worked his way up and jumped on my lap and he's so affectionate, puts his arms around your neck to pull you down for a cuddle and to kiss your cheek. And then little-man Brian in bercario, I'm really going to miss his little smiles and winks and cuddles. When we're sitting down on the floor watching a cartoon like this afternoon he loves to come and lie on your lap and snuggle up. I think it's also a result of the fact that he understands more of our English and is so much more comfortable around the volunteers. It's also been exciting to see the other Brian (baby Brian) and Amanda start to crawl, and Eriki starting to walk in the last week.
Then there's Fabrizio who is a little brat a lot of the time and other times adorbale; we've been told he is often abused at home so in a large way his temperament is understandble - when he doesn't get his own way and even when someone goes to touch him quite innocently at times, he'll start fighting and crying. Today he was passing me all the toys out of one of the prams while I had baby Brian on my lap and because I couldn't hold them all I said no, to put them back and then I started tossing them into the basket when he turned around - from half a metre away- and pegged one straight back at me that hit me square in the forehead! Then he tried again so I had to shield poor little Brian who wasn't sure what was going on! I was so shocked I was half laughing at the fact it was only a soft ball luckily and bounced straight off my head, but was still pretty annoyed at him pegging the thing straight at me! There's so much we don't see though once these kids leave. We have seen a number of the parents who pick them up - a few are doting, loving parents who look so excited to see their little angel at the end of the day; sometimes only slightly older siblings collect them; some parents are obviously really poor and look really sick; and many we don't even see. And despite our frustrations at feeling like we're not making that much of a difference, some friends we met last week, one of whom lives here and works as a volunteer teacher with kids in the same neighbourhood, said no way - that the neighbourhood is like a favella, with a lot of drug and crime activity and extremely poor families living there, and that it really does make a difference, so I think there is more than meets the eye. And at the very least, the more of us who are here means the more hugs, helicopters and one-on-one attention these kids can receive and thrive on.
It's quite amusing seeing the kids starting early in the namorado/namorada (boyfriend/girlfriend) department! One little boy Gusto has only just moved up from bercario to the maternal class but even when he was in Bercario - look out mate! The poor thing was mobbed every time the older girls were in the yard, no joke - 3 of them were fighting over him at one stage, hitting and pulling arms away from his so that the other one could hold his hand and walk around the yard - so he had 3 hanging off, then when one looked away, another girl jumped in - and when someone else butted in, the other went running to the teacher in tears. Oh the heartbreak! I felt like rescuing him from the vultures! He looked pretty relaxed about the whole thing, let them lead him around but at one point he quietly exited the huddle and sat in the very corner on a bench to catch his breath! Another little girl Ruth (prounounced "Hootchie") had her arms wrapped around and lips locked to Eduardo in the maternal class this morning - all of 4 years of age. He was just trying to sit down on his chair the poor thing! Quite innocent but funny to watch.
All over Brazil though, I continue to be amazed at the public show of affection which is so common to couples of all ages. Just yesterday on the bus I spotted a couple by the station who looked over 30 or so, making out like 15 year old school kids! I remember seeing an elderly couple kissing on a bus in Rio too like they were teenagers, oblivious to whoever else is around. No-one else seems to bat an eyelid though. It's nice in a way, but I'm still trying to understand where it all comes from. Like the "you are very beautiful" comments - we told some guys here the other day that they say that to everyone and they protested no, they only say it to the girls who are unique! And when Sara told our Portuguese teacher she doesn't believe that Brazilians fall in love like they say they do (when they hardly know you) because they're always saying it, he got quite offended and was adamant that they are absolutely sincere!
Anyway, we ended up having a bit of an early night on Saturday night... despite plans to go out. After dinner we had hung out at this little place that looks just like a corner shop - but with plastic chairs and tables, sort of a cross between an indoor bar/fast food place or where you'd expect to see some pinball machines, with a small tv and stereo playing, where a Brazilian and Argentinian guy welcomed themselves to our table. The Argentinian guy said he was a lawyer (despite Tanya's objections that a lawyer would be wearing a shirt) and when I saw her face I quickly shouted "wipe that prejudice off your face!" which became a bit of a had-to-be-there moment and joke of the evening. In interesting, yet typical scenario in that pretty soon we were dancing across the floor of the shop. I don't know where they get all the steps come from! Once you think you know a few different ones, next they're dancing something completely different and when you ask to watch first they insist no, keep dancing and just listen and feel the music. So we were dancing (or attempting!) some spanish steps to Jack Johnson with tracks videos playing on the little shop tv. You can dance anywhere here - honestly this place just looked like the old corner shop near my Grandma's house in Croydon - with a bit more floor space.
We ended up having an early night cause we went back to our pousada, got ready and then lay down for a cat-nap at about 11 and I woke up at 3:30 and realised all the lights were still on and we were all crashed out so I figured at that point we were going to stay in bed!
Sunday morning we awake to rain pouring outside which I really like - reminds me of rainy days when I was home from school for some reason or another. Had the best breakfast at the pousada - a huge buffet with juices, hot drinks, fresh fruit, loads of breads and pastries and the yummiest cream spounge and chocolate cakes! Yes for breakfast - my favourite! Cause of the rain we came back early and Tanya and Lara went out to watch another football game last night while I stayed home and enjoyed some more RnR at home.
Oh - and it's now four weeks in and I am really loving the rice and salty beans that we have for lunch every day at the creche - seriously! I thought I'd be really sick of it by now but somehow we all crave it by mid-morning. Must be needing the energy boost.
Soheila has just moved from her apartment into our house today so now it's 4 girls in our house for the rest of the week which is nice. Nathalie and her boyfriend Fabrice still live in the apartment which is only 5 minutes away. And guess what? ... Soheila brought the toaster with her - SCORE!!! We are so excited - having toast for tea!!! How awesome is that?! (It will be my first piece of toast since Australia) - except for what I've fried in the fry pan which never tastes quite right. Yay!!! I'm going to make some now - yum yum yum!
oxoxox
(Just have to add - the toast was fantastic!)
Posted by Haley at March 14, 2005 11:09 PM