DAY 28 TO 30
DAY 28
TODAY IS TUES, I SOMETIMES FORGET TO LOOK AT A CALENDAR TO KNOW THE DAY OF THE WEEK. NICE BREAKFAST WITH OUR PARENTS. WE DISCOVERED THAT THEY OWN MOST OF THE GAS STATIONS IN BRASILIA. HE IS SEMI RETIRED AND HIS SON RUNS THE BUSINESS. NOW HE HAS FUN WITH A FARM THEY OWN.
TODAY MICHELLE AND I WENT TO THE BEST HOSPITAL I HAVE SEEN AS OF YET IN BRASILIA. IT IS A PRIVATE HOSPTIAL CALLED SARA, THAT WORKS ONLY WITH NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS FROM SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND TUMORS. UNFORTUNATLEY THE MOST COMMON CAUSE IS ACCIDENTS. NOT JUST DRIVING, BUT ESPECIALLY DIVING. THERE ARE SO MANY WATERFALLS AROUND HERE, AND PEOPLE LIKE TO SHOW OFF. THEY SAID THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME ALCOHOL ALSO PLAYS A ROLE, AND IS USUALLY IN THE TEENS TO LATE 20’S AGE GROUP. SO SAD. THE HOSPITAL MAKES ALL OF IT’S OWN EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING WHEEL CHAIRS, BEDS, UNIFORMS, CASTS, ETC. THEY NOW HAVE A FEW OTHER BRANCHES AND I HOPE THEIR PHILOSOPHY SPREADS. THEY FUNCTION ON THE SAME IDEA AS US, TEAMWORK. IT REALLY SHOWS. VERY HAPPY EMPLOYEES. THE NURSE WHO TOOK US AROUND WAS NAMED LINDA, AND SHE IS FROM CANADA. HER HUSBAND IS A THORACIC SURGEON AND THEY MOVED HERE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO AND DECIDED THEY COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. LINDA CAME WITH US TO OUR LAST PRESENTATION, AT JOSE’S (OUR GSE COORDINATOR HERE) ROTARY CLUB. IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE THE CLUBS 28TH BIRTHDAY, SO IT WAS FUN CELEBRATING. WE DID A GREAT JOB ON OUR LAST PRESENTATION.
REMEMBER THAT ISSUE OF HAVING TO CHECK IN WITH THE FEDERAL POLICE, AND WE KEPT GETTING TOLD, DON’T WORRY? WELL WE LEAVE HERE IN 3 DAYS AND TODAY JOSE CALLED AND WAS TOLD WE ALL HAD TO SHOW UP AT THE FEDERAL POLICE AT THE AIRPORT, WE HAD TO HAVE MORE PICTURES TAKEN , AND WE WOULD NEED TO PAY ANOTHER 188 REALS (BRAZILIAN MONEY EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT$120 US. TALKED WITH JOSE AND EXPLAINED WE AHD ALREADY PAID $200 US DOLLARS FOR THE VISA, AND HE SAID THIS IS FOR THE POLICE. HE SPOKE WITH HIS GOVERNOR, AND THEY HAVE AGREED TO PAY THIS PER PERSON FEE. WE HAD TO PAY ANOTHER 14 REALS ($9 US) FOR MORE PICTURES. THEN WE HEADED TO THE POLICE. WE ALL GOT FINGER PRINTED AND HAD TO SIGN PAPERS. JOSE HAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE, SO IT ONLY TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR. IF HE HAD NOT, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE ALL AFTERNOON, THERE WAS QUITE A LINE. CHECK OUT THE PICTURES I’M GOING TO TRY TO UP LOAD THIS PM. THIS TOOK QUITE A BIT OF THE AFTERNOON.
DAY 29
TODAY IS OUR LAST VOCATIONAL DAY. SHERY AND MICHELLE AND I VISITED A RETIREMENT HOME, AND JANINE WAS OUR INTERPRETOR. (FROM THE BRASIL GSE TEAM). IT WAS NICE SEEING HER AND SO KIND OF HER TO GIVE US HER TIME. THEY SAME FOR DULCE, ANOTHER GSE TEAM MEMBER , WHO HAD MET US OFF AND ON.
AFTER THE HOME, WE WERE ACTUALLY GIVEN AN HOUR TO GET CLEANED UP AND CHANGED, AS THE TRIP TO THE US EMBASSY AND THE BRAZILIAN SENATE IS A LITTLE MORE FORMAL THAN OUR VOCATIONAL DAYS. WE WORE OUR UNIFORM FOR THE LAST TIME AND MET FOR THE BEST BUFFET LUNCH I’VE HAD SINCE GETTING HERE. THEN ON TO THE EMBASSY. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DID NOT LET US BRING CAMERAS IN, SO NO PICTURES. I’M SURE YOU KNOW THAT EMBASSY’S CONSIDER THE SOIL THEY ARE SITTING ON AS US TERRITORY. SO IT FELT GOOD TO “RETURN HOME”. IT WAS AN “AHHHH” FEELING, WHICH RON KNOWS I OFTEN GET WHEN WE ARE OVERSEAS AND GO ONTO A MILITARY BASE-A LEFT OVER FROM MY MILITARY CHILDHOOD.
CATHY, (THE WONDERFUL AMERICAN TEACHER WHO MET NATALIE AND I ON OUR ARRIVAL IN BRASILIA AND ALLOWED US TO CRASH HER APARTMENT UNTIL OUR FAMILY CAME BACK FROM A WEDDING) ALSO ATTENDED, AND IT WAS HER FIRST TIME TO THE EMBASSY. SHE HAD ALSO MET US THE DAY WE WENT OUT ON THE BOAT. NICE TO SEE HER AGAIN. THE EMPLOYEE WHO MET US WAS MARRIED TO ONE OF THE EMBASSY WORKERS AND SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF KEEPING TRACK OF THE US CITIZENS COMING AND GOING. MOST EMBASSY WORKERS ARE THERE FOR 2-4 YEARS. THEY WELCOME THEM, HELP THEM GET ADJUSTED CULTURALLY, ARRANGE HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS (FOR EXAMPLE, HALLOWEEN IS NOT A BIG HOLIDAY HERE IN BRAZIL), AND HELP THEM SETTLE IN. IT WAS GREAT GETTING TO SEE HOW THINGS OPERATED.
FROM THERE, WE WENT TO THE BRASILIAN HOUSE AND SENATE. THE BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ONLY BEEN FOLLOWING THE CURRENT CONSTITUTION SINCE 1988, WHICH RATHER SURPRISED ME. THEY ALSO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE, JUDICIAL, AND LEGISLATIVE POWERS THAT RUN THE COUNTRY. ALSO SENATORS (3 FROM EACH STATE) AND REPRESENTATIVES, BASED ON POPULATION. WE WERE GIVEN A WONDERFUL TOUR AND DURING OUR TOUR GOT TO SEE THE NEW HEAD OF THE SUPREME COURT INTERVIEWED FOR THE NEWS. SOME OF THE TV GUYS WERE REALLY GREAT AND WHILE THEY WERE WAITING FOR HIM TO ARRIVE AND GET INTERVIEWED, THEY “INTERVIEWED” US. IT WAS GREAT FUN. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO TAKE PICTURES IN THE SENATE, AS IT WAS CURRENTLY IN SESSION. HOWEVER THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WAS NOT, SO GOT SOME PICTURES THERE.
THEN WE WENT HOME. NATALIE AND I HAVE NOT SEEN OUR PARENTS SINCE WED AM, AND DISCOVERED TONIGT THAT THEY ARE AWAY FOR A WEEKS VACATION. THIS IS OUR SECOND FAMILY THAT HAS DONE THIS, AND WE ARE BEGINNING TO WONDER IF IT IS SOMETHING WE SAID/DID. (JUST JOKING OF COURSE). THEIR HOUSE CLEANER/COOK HAS BEEN THERE TO LET US IN EACH TIME AND JOSE AND MARCOS ARE PICKING US UP AND DROPPING US OFF. THE HARDEST PART ABOUT GOING OUT AT NIGHT, IS THAT WE HAVE TO WAKE UP THE COOK, AS BIGGIE (THE DALMATION) IS STILL NOT SURE WHY WE ARE HERE.
TONIGHT WE WENT OUT TO LEARN SOME BRAZILIAN DANCING-FOHO. THE VAN PICKED US UP FROM OUR HOUSES (SAME DRIVER AND VAN THAT TOOK US TO ALTA PARAISO) AND IT TURNED OUT THAT ONLY TRACY AND I HAD THE ENERGY TO GO. WE MET JOSE , MARCOS, AND DULCE AND HAD A GREAT TIME. HAD TO LEAVE “EARLY” AND GOT BACK AT MIDNIGHT. DULCE STAYED UNTIL 5 AM!!!!!!!!!!
DAY 30
GOT TO SLEEP UNTIL 9 AM THIS AM. PACKED THIS AM AS WE ARE GOING TO A FAREWELL DINNER TONIGHT. THEN WE WERE ALL PICKED UP AND MET AT AMBER’S HOUSE (HER MOTHER IS ALSO GONE FOR A TRIP) AND DID OUR TRIP EVALUATION. WAS ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE LAST 3 DAYS JOURNAL AND AM NOT SURE WHEN I WILL GET THIS DOWNLOADED. THEN EVERYONE WENT HOME FOR LUNCH WITH THEIR FAMILIES . JOSE TOOK NATALIE AND I OUT TO LUNCH AND WE FINALLY GOT TO TRY ACAI, WITHOUT IT BEING MIXED WITH ANOTHER FRUIT. JUDITH WHEAT HAD TOLD ME ABOUT THIS FRUIT BEFORE I CAME OVER. IT ONLY GROWS IN THE AMAZON AND IS LOADED WITH VITAMINS AND ANTI OXIDANTS. IT IS JUST BEING REALIZED BY THE REST OF THE WORLD. WELL, WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A REASON IT IS USUALLY BLENDED-IT’S A RATHER BLAND TASTE. BUT WE ATE SOME AND DRANK SOME JUICE TO BOOST OUR HEALTH FOR THE DAY. THEN ENDED WITH ICE CREAM. IT IS QUITE ENTERTAINING WATCHING US DECIDE WHAT ICE CREAM TO HAVE. THERE ARE AT LEAST 15 THAT WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE (TROPICAL FRUITS). SO THEY WERE KIND AND LET US TASTE THE ONES WE WANTED. MY FAVORITE IS ALWAYS COCONUT.
WE ACTUALLY GOT A FEW HOURS FREE AND THEN HEADED OUT AROUND 8:30 FOR THE FAREWELL PARTY-DULCE PICKED US UP AND CATHY WAS WITH HER. WE WENT TO ONE OF THE ROTARIAN’S HOUSE AND THE DISTRICT’S NEXT GOVERNORS AND PAST GOVERNOR WERE BOTH THERE. MARCOS HAD ARRANGE FOR 2 CHEFS TO COME IN AND MAKE ANY KIND OF PIZZA WE WANTED. SO MANY COMBINATIONS. OF COURSE, MY FAVORITE WAS THE DESSERT PIZZA-BANANAS AND CHOCOLATE.
JOSE SET UP HIS NEW PROJECTOR (WE HAD PURCHACED IT FOR HIM IN THE STATES AND HE ALLOWED US TO USE IT FOR OUR PRESENTATIONS DURING OUR VISIT HERE. HE HAD MADE A CD OF SOME OF HIS PICTURES. TRACY’S FIRST FATHER HAD DONE THE SAME AND HE WAS THERE ALSO. WE DID NOT REALIZE THAT SOME OF OUR TAGUATINGA FAMILIES WOULD BE THERE. SO IT WAS GREAT SEEING EVERYONE AGAIN.
GOT HOME AROUND MIDNIGHT. TOMORROW WE FLY TO RIO.
