dimanche 10 juillet 2011

Time for another update on this crazy adventure!

The rest of my time in Campo Limpo Paulista with Daniela proved relatively relaxing... but brilliantly Brazilian nonetheless. Rather than whizzing around to see what the state had to offer, we decided to take a bit of time out for some pampering. When Daniela suggested I go to the Brazilian salon with her, I really had no idea what I was letting myself in for. It turned out to be an 8 hour all-inclusive day trip. I have honestly never seen one girl have so many chemicals put on her hair! Every step of the treatment was broken up by general Brazilian chit-chat. You know how in England, the dreaded fake chit chat with the hairdresser tends to revolve around the weather and any imminent holidays to the seychelles? Not so in Brazil! Within half an hour my manicurist probably knew more about me than my mother, and I felt like I had made a friend for life! For me, however, the real highlight came when we ordered in food (rice and beans OF COURSE) and sat and tucked in on the hairdressing bench, with towels in our hair and brushes and scissors all around us. One of those surreal moments that I'll never forget.

Having battled Sao Paulo's metro system and made it to central Sao Paulo to celebrate Audrey's birthday, I soon found myself tucking into a typically delicious churrasco and cupcakes. Later we went to a huuuuge baptist church and randomly bumped into a guy we met at the big EMEP conference in CEM back in March. The low points in my short visit to the big city were a) trying desperately not to wake up the 11 people staying in Audrey's tiny flat when going to get water, only to cause a massive glass shattering racket at 4am... and realising that I'd booked my next plane ticket from the wrong airport... oops!

Sao Paulo is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to Sao Paulo. Sorry Douglas, but if there ever was a time to plagiarise you, it would be now. Ini 2 days I did a LOT, mostly revolving around food. I had soup in a 24hour bakery, visited the famous Se cathedral, went to a MAHOOSIVE market and saw all kinds of rude looking fruits with f unny sounding names... ate a sanduiche de mortadela and a pastel de bacalhau... had a much-miissed starbucks... went to the biggest bookshop I have ever seen in my life...learnt all about Portuguese at the Museu da Lingua Portuguesa... went on an epic pilgrimage in search of an elusive Subway supper... and maybe did a little shopping. Ahem. In my defence, Vicosa's shopping life is non-existent, and a girl who is going to stay in Brazil for another year needs some clothes!!

Perhaps the funniest and cringiest moment was almost getting left behind on a platform on Sao Paulo's brand spanking new "yellow line" of the metro due to a little misunderstanding with some Portuguese...

Curitiba is far less manic but a thousand times colder. For the first time in my life I have gone to sleep in a room where I can see my breath. I literally have to put on every item of clothing I own and crawl under a thousand covers... and it's STILL so cold that my nose has a little icicle dripping from it. The Latin Link team conference has been wonderful so far, however I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't lost my purse with ALL my credit cards and money on the bus to the conference centre, and if I hadn't caught a horrid cold. Thank the Lord that my mentors Jan and Phil are here to look after me and have lent me some money to get me through the last couple of stops of my travelling tour! Still the idea of travelling alone with no money to my name apart from a wadge of borrowed cash is weighing on my mind... please pray for my safety! On the plus side, I managed to visit a few of the sights in this beautiful city such as the famous "Praca do homem nu" (naked man square) and the museu do olho (museum of the eye)... and the seminars on Discernment and Godly decisions have been fantastic. It's been great to meet the rest of the Latin Link Brazil team, meet some truly inspirational cross-cultural couples and spend some time cooing over some seriously cute babies! In all honesty it has also been a hugely testing time. Hearing the stories of others, my contribution here in Brazil is feeling slightly small and pathetic, but I need to remember that God still loves and values even the smallest sacrifices I make for Him, and that although I am weak ungreat, He is hugely strong and can do great things, even with me. Tomorrow I will give a presentation on my project... so your prayers would be appreciated once again.

That's all for now folks... next stop Foz do Iguacu! (If I manage to make it there in one piece without getting lost or robbed...)