Sunday Funday Tuesday

If you can't do it Sunday, do it whenever:). The videos from last week were leaving vlogs:

At the airport, once we got on our flight to Brazil, there were many children running around speaking Portuguese. My first thought was, "Oh! We aren't special anymore." I am not sure why I thought this, but it actually made me sad. Caid and I both value being bilingual. Caid values it more academically, and I value the fact that I can say, "Come here or I will spank you" to my daughter in a language that most people around me don't understand.
In leaving, there are many losses. Losses that you don't even realize until you are half-way through them. That is why grieving is always a close element to leaving. Luckily, this particular thing was remedied quickly as my next thought was, "Oh! I just have to switch to our other 'special'." Now I can threaten Ana in English all I want. In many places, speaking two languages is normal. We just happen to live and move around in two cultures where it isn't as common. It is a little 'special' that I appreciate and hold on to. I just have to remember when to switch.
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Last week was a whirl: arriving, unpacking, rearranging the apartment, buying beds and a car...Saturday was Sao Joao (St. John), a Catholic holiday celebrating St.John. It is typically celebrated by dressing up in plaid and straw hats (sort of like hillbilly style), eating all things corn, and having a bonfire (the smoke can be overwhelming). It was happily pretty smoke free as it was rainy all day. We three snuggled into our clean apartment, watched movies, and ate lots of mangoes: it was pretty epic.
The first group (running English camp this week) arrived safe and sound--all 23 of them, and even more incredible is that all their luggage arrived as well! Caid and I are enjoying being a part of some of the many programs they are providing. We are revving up for Shelbyville group coming in this Sunday!
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Reads from the Interwebs:
1. How I learned my belovedness
2. Come to the Margins Just beautiful!
3. We need to learn from Christians in other countries: oh tattoos
4. Why I can't care about every crisis: I am still working on this. Because sometimes I feel so torn in so many directions at once...but I don't want to just switch 'off.' What solutions/balance have you found?
5. Are you guilty of this cross-cultural blindspot? An important read...I feel like I am just starting to understand this...maybe?