Ode to Fox

Your black gooey eyes and frantic yap
Have, for some time, left me in a flap.
With all the remnants of bones you eat
Why, I ask, must you nibble my feet?
Chasing cars with your wonky gait,
Leaving drivers in a panicky state,
Your jumpy greetings and flea-ridden looks
Often make me drop my books.
But, dear Fox, this much is true,
During the holidays I fell for you.
When I returned, suitcase in tow,
My feelings for you started to grow;
There you were asleep at my door
Lazily swatting flies with your paw.
Ears pricked up, your eyes like dew
I suddenly realised... I had missed you!
Now I find you such a treat,
Your rainforest scavenging ever so sweet,
You faithfully follow wherever I roam,
Up mountains, to town, and all the way home
And when it's starting to get dark
You beckon me home with your piercing bark,
Fending off cows and snakes in my path
Hoping one day I'll give you a bath.
One thing at a time, my canine friend;
There are still fears with which to contend.
Waking me up at the crack of dawn
Leaves me feeling tired and drawn.
So please be patient and soon you shall see
... one of these days I might give you your tea!

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...)

From Troublesome Trees to Brilliant Brasilia

So my friends,

I find myself halfway through my winter holiday adventure, tucked away in my friend Daniela´s house in São Paulo with lots to fill you in on!

The end of term was particularly manic, not least because on top of all my usual activities, there were lots of farewell celebrations for some dear friends moving on from CEM... and I had to give an assessed sermon for the final module, Éxposição Bíblica. Thankfully I was allowed to preach in English, and I got put in a group with all my Advanced English students who also had the opportunity to preach in English if they wanted to. On the day I was absolutely terrified, convinced that my students would take this oppotunity for revenge against all the horrible grammar exercises I had set them throughout the semester, and I spent many hours preaching to the banana trees... I´m sure I converted many of them at least! When the moment finally came I can´t explain what a buzz I got... it was like I was completely taken over and it wasn´t me talking at all. I gave it everything I had, and I think I left everyone pretty dumbfounded... in a good way! I went from teacher to preacher in 27 minutes, and Jan said that it was a great opportunity for my friends and students to get a glimpse of ´the real Heather of Cambridge´, someone who doesn´t make much of an appearance thanks to all the linguistic and cultural barriers. Definitely an experience I won´t forget.

As I continue to battle my clown phobia, I find myself becoming more clown-like every day. Watching my clown friends practise their acrobatic stunts and tightrope walking in full clown gear, my catchprase has quickly become "Mas porqueeeeeeeeeee?" (but whyyyyyyyyyy?) and has been adopted by all as an expression to use when Brazilian´s are being particularly crazy and Brazilian and I am feeling particularly British and normal... or vice versa.

Teaching "left and right" and "left hand, right hand side" etc. in English made me realise how much difficulty I have in distinguishing between the two, to particularly humorous consequences when attempting to participate in Dudu´s (one of my favourite students and a seriously cool guy) yoga classes out beneath the palm trees...

On another particular escapade, I was out with some friends after having spent the afternoon working with children in a poor community where a Christian Fellowship has just been planted by CEM´s caretaker, when we decided to stop in a forest to take some silly pictures. Everyone thought it would be a great idea for me to climb a tree, which, being an obedient and humble servant, I kindly agreed to. Unfortunately what looked like a solid platform covered with leaves halfway up turned out to be the opening to one of Brazil´s largest ants´ nests, and, yes, my entire leg disappeared into it. At this point I would like to point out that Brazilian ants are not of the cute disney "A Bug´s life" kind, but more of the vicious "what the heck do you think you´re doing putting your foot in my home" kind. 15 minutes later in the car home, when I thought I´d finally shaken the last of them off, I felt a sharp jab in my ankle and screamed out, and Bruno nearly led us into a fatal "voltinha"...

Meanwhile, in other news, my samba skills and forró technique are coming along nicely thanks to an evening out at a music concert put on to celebrate 30 years of Rebusca. Also, far more importantly... some of you might remember my student Dantas who is a vet from the rice-murder-dream episode. Well, ever since I translated a particularly complicated and graphic text about varying levels of constipation in horses, and refused payment, he has been feeling forever in my debt. So he decided to take us out for an end of term treat... a milkshake followed by a VIP tour of the University Veterinary Hospital and ... (drum roll please)... I FINALLY, after 5 months, saw my FIRST EVER Brazilian Sheep! Fair enough it was on a drip and not looking much up to frolicking about in a field, but it was a historic moment nonetheless.

Anyway, after a very busy week full of frantic packing and knitting and sermoning and teaching and some more knitting... I finally said some tearful goodbyes and got on a night bus to Brasilia. 14 uncomfortable hours later I arrived bleary eyed to meet my friend Daniela, and went straight to Church with her MPC (Youth For Christ) friends and got swept up into a windstop tour of the city. Brasilia is very wide, white and... shiny! Everything is glimmering, and at 30 degrees centigrade most days, I found myself dehydrated for the very first time in the middle of winter!

Dudu is in Brasilia for the holidays and so I had the privilege of being given a personalised tour of everything... and as he used to be head of a branch of the military police, he even got is into restricted access areas of the National Congress, where I met "Tiririca"... Brazil´s most famous and most ridiculous politician, kind of like a Boris Johnson equivalent. I also got swept up in a massive televised riot, went to a traditional winter party (´festa junina´), bizarrely in a gym run by Dudu´s mother-in-law, where I dressed up, ate lots of strange peanutty things and danced the conga with a scary bride in drag, saw "Cars 2" at the cinema and hardly understood anything because it was dubbed... and polished it all off with açai overlooking the sunset on one of Brasilia´s beautiful lakes. Phew! Amidst all that, Daniela and I helped out at an MPC project called "School of Life", where various people give lectures in schools to teach youngsters about ethical issues such as the environment, behavioural issues and sexuality etc. Excellent stuff!

Anyway now I am in São Paulo to take a deep breath, do some shopping and washing, do a couple of evangelizing visits and see some more friends... more adventures to follow I am sure!

Wish you were here,
Heather

May-hem in Viçosa

Dear Friends,

Definitely time for an update! Amidst all the emotional turmoil, heartache, and violent mood swings, lots has been happening here in Viçosa this month!

In everything God’s hand has been so clearly at work. After one particularly difficult, teary morning last week, I came back to CEM feeling like a wrung-out dishcloth. My friends Brenda and Tercio said they wanted to talk to me, as we had had a minor falling out. We spent the afternoon under the tree chatting, crying, praying and putting the world to rights. I was meant to give an English lesson that afternoon, but amazingly, two of my three pupils didn’t show up, which meant I was free to carry on praying! Lots of hugs and a milkshake later, I was starting to feel perkier. That afternoon, I received a letter from my mum. She had written it three weeks earlier, but it was so meant for me to receive on that day. It told me that I was in good hands, that I was meant to be where I was, that I had been called to do something special, and that “all would be well with my soul”. I felt so much peace, it was like a massive weight being lifted off my shoulders. A weekend hidden away in Jan’s flat for some English food and “cat therapy” also did me the world of good!

Every evening before our lecture, we have a devotional, and it was my turn to lead it which was a bit scary, as I’m still nervous about speaking in Portuguese in big group. It went really well, and everyone said it had really blessed them... so that was all good! They all ended up crying actually... but I think they were good tears! My language skills were severely tested last week when we were studying our second module on New Testament Theology. Our usual teacher was bedridden with a nasty bout of dengue fever, and our cover teacher was an Argentinian called Ernesto. His “Portunhol” left my brain in shreds! Especially on the days where I gave an English lesson, then immediately gave a French lesson in Portuguese, then went straight to a lesson on Portuguese material given half in Spanish! Thankfully I am getting along a lot better with Systematic Theology this week. J

My days at Rebusca are still my favourite, despite the fact that trying to teach the children English is like trying to teach an ostrich to fly. They are demanding, loud, fidgety, craving attention, and yet slow to listen and easily frustrated when they don’t understand something. Not only that, many of them can’t read or write even the most basic things in Portuguese, which makes throwing another language at them pretty tricky! My patience is sometimes severely tested, particularly by Ana Paula, who can be quite a little madam when she wants to be, but I keep remembering that there is probably a good reason why she is like that, and that she needs my love and understanding all the same. I am learning the art of keeping a balance between talking at them, and giving them pretty colouring-in things to do. My maths skills are also being nicely honed, as I am giving them times tables tests every week, which has led me to mutter in my sleep (according to Brenda) “dois vezes dois são quatro” (two times two is four).

One thing I find quite hard is noticing the poor quality of the children’s clothes and hygiene. Silvio wears the same T-shirt every time I see him and it has a massive hole in the back. There is no way a parent in England would let a child go to school dressed like that. It makes me want to dress him and look after him, but I know it’s not as easy as that and that I have to love and accept him just as he is, not thinking of myself as coming from a better place.

Recently most of our time has been taken up with rehearsals for a presentation they did at the “Festa da Familia” (a kind of school fete to celebrate “National Family Day”). Watching them dance and sing their hearts out in perfect time to the music was a very proud moment for me, as well as their parents, especially knowing how much blood, sweat and tears had gone into it.

During play time at Rebusca, the playground game currently in vogue is “Beauty Salon”, of which I am the main regular customer. They delight in pretending to do my nails and makeup, putting my hair into all kinds of inexplicable styles...watch out next year’s catwalk! Last week they decided to dress me up as a bride, and made me a cake out of some chair padding they found and then “pretend married” me to Glauco, one of the liveliest of my boys. My new best friend is my shadow Yasmina, a little girl with learning difficulties. I have never understood a single word she says, and she clearly doesn’t understand me, but it doesn’t matter one tiny bit. We are inseparable, even to the extent that she will happily get hit by footballs to stand next to me when I am in goal playing with the boys! She likes to wear my sunglasses all the time and pretend to be me!

In animal news, I am feeling cat withdrawal symptoms since the kittens got taken away. L Fox, our dog and my least favourite person at CEM, has been inseparable from a number of mangy lovers these days, and is now looking suspiciously swollen... so it won’t be too long before the pitter patter of tiny scoundrels will be terrorising me! Unfortunately, instead of having to contend with kittens when doing my washing, I now have to contend with Fox having a bath and taking great delight in giving me my second muddy shower of the day.

My clown phobia, if anything, has got worse. They are everywhere! When we went to do some evangelism work with children last weekend, facepainting and the like, I couldn’t move for clowns! My dear friend Daniela, has initiated into the CEM clown club, which leaves me massively conflicted when she’s dressed up as a clown! When she was getting dressed up on Saturday, she said “Heather, give me a hug now, because I know you won’t be able to manage it once I get the make-up and false nose on!!”

Things are as crazy as ever in my English lessons at CEM. At the moment I am teaching them “I’m coming into the classroom”, “I’m going out of the classroom”, “I’m putting butter on my bread” etc. (to teach the present progressive), which involves me running in and out of the classroom at top speed with butter and bread flung everywhere. My pupils find it hysterical! A few of them have been struggling to keep up the pace and nearly dropped out which really left me worried. They are currently having extra lessons with Jan to keep on track, but I am concerned that they will become too dependent on her. Please pray for perseverance and stamina for all concerned!

All in all it has been a very good month, despite having to say goodbye to two of my good friends, Ariane and Paula here who graduated last year and have moved on to new things. I have managed to conquer my motorcycle fear and am becoming quite a seasoned traveller! The food situation has much improved since my friend Renata took over cooking lunch here, and I even find I’m liking rice and beans! That said, I did eat potatoes twice today just to compensate!

I have rambled on for far too long... I am off to make a cup of tea and watch a film with the girls. I might even do a bit of knitting... I’m making a scarf to beat the winter chills!

Lots of love and hugs,

Granny Heather

X x x

Comets and Stars

I thought you might enjoy this poem we read with the children at Rebusca today...

Some people are stars. Some people are comets.

Comets pass by. They are remembered only by the dates on which they come and go. Stars stick around. The sun sticks around. Years pass, millions of years, and still stars remain. Comets disappear.

There are many comets in the world today. They pass through, illuminating people’s lives for a few moments, igniting no-one, being ignited by no-one. They have no true friends. They pass by, leaving no trace.

There are many comets in the world today. Many are artists, for instance. They shine brilliantly for a time on life’s stage. And just as quickly as they appear, soon they are gone. Kings and Queens of all kinds. Kings of nations, Queens of societies, Beauty Queens. Girls and Boys who fall in and out of love without a second thought. Members of families who pass each other by without really belonging.

It’s important to be a star. To keep on shining. To be present. To leave a trace. To be together. To be a light. Friends are stars. Years may pass, and they may be distant, but the mark they leave on the heart never fades.

To be a comet is to not be a friend. To be a companion for a while; to be trusted and mistrusted all at once.(...)Friends are stars in our lives. You can count on them. They are always there. They are a gentle breeze in moments of tension. Light in the darkest of places. Bread in moments of weakness. Assurance in moments of distress.

When we look at comets, it feels good to know we’re not like them, to not get caught in their blazing tails. Looking at comets, it feels good to know we are more like stars, ever-present. To have lived and have a personal story. To have been light and heat for many.

To be a star in this fleeting world, in this world littered with comets, is a challenge, but always worthwhile. To be a star is to be born and to have lived, not merely to have existed.

Wilson João (Translation Mine)

A Reflection on Trust

Some trust in chariots, in winning their wars,

Some trust in ladders, in opening doors.

Some trust in horses, cars, fancy flights,

Some trust in fighting, reaching new heights.

Some trust in kind words, embraces and praise,

Comforts and pleasures to fill in their days.

I once trusted in degrees, prestige, fame,

Now I will trust in one steadfast name.

I will trust in one love alone,

That thought me precious, worth being His own.

I will trust and respond to my call,

That I may well stumble, but never will fall,

That I may be flooded, but never will drown,

That I may feel fire but never burn down.

Though my heart may be heavy, the burden is light;

Former things gone, new hope in sight.

When? Where? How? Show me the way,

That I may trust in your promise today.

Based on Psalm 20 and Isaiah 43

Kittens, Clowns and Car Capers

Oiiiiiiiiii!

Once again I epically fail at providing regular updates on my brilliant blog! My feet have barely touched the ground this week... quite literally! I am making the most of our Easter holiday break this week to go on an exciting adventure with my room mate Brenda, which involved visiting not one, not two, but three capitals of Brazil in 24 hours!

On Tuesday we did our usual trick of squeezing as many people (plus suitcases this time) into Felix, and whizzed down into town after our evening lectures for a night-time escapade, pushing the limits of our curfew! I should add that a new game has been added to our driving repertoire aside from "voltinhas". It's called "Heather e legal aqui" (Heather is awesome here" and goes something like this. We drive along, squeezed in like coffee beans in a coffee pod (I struggled to find a suitable Brazilian idiom here!) and Bruno swings the steering wheel violently to the right singing "Heather e legal aqui", and then to the left "e Heather e legal aqui", at top speed ad libidum, until I turn green and the car is ringing with ultrasonic screaming.

We enjoyed a "lanche" and clowned around in the bus station (quite literally, and loudly, much to our fellow passengers´ annoyance), we crawled onto a bus at midnight to Belo Horizonte, the capital of our state, Minas Gerais. After another bus ride and a flight, we arrived in Brasilia at around 11 am on Wednesday. After yet another two buses, and a lift from Brenda's friend Vitor, we arrived at Goiania, to spend a few days on an Easter camp for young Christians. Brenda manages an AMAZING worship band, and they were the main act at the camp... I am still humming their songs now as I write this! I cannot put into words quite how much Brazilians exceeded my craziness expectations during those few days! I found myself dancing like a clown, shouting and generally being very stupid, all in the name of Jesus! One evening they had a pretend "peasant" wedding, and on another they had a Mexican fiesta, at which I showed my pure Englishess by failing tragically at dancing the limbo!

I must digress for a moment to tell of the subtle irony of this latest humiliation. As you all now, the boys here at CEM dearly enjoy winding me up like a clockwork mouse to see just how beserk I will go. Tercio particularly enjoys asking me very deep and meaningful questions that he knows I don't have the vocabulary to answer, as late at night as possible. Everyone laughs at me because at 10pm sharp every day I go into "screensaver" mode and am incapable of communication in any language. Last week he was passing me questions on post-it notes during the Systematic Theology lecture to keep me awake, in which we were discussing why Catholics believe in limbo and Protestants don't. Having asked me what I thought about limbo, I told him it was a special dance found at only the best parties. 24 hours later I found myself dancing the limbo (*correction*, I found myself face down in front of a bunch of very boisterous amd "brincalhao" Brazilians!) At least I think Bruno and Igor, the clowns, would be proud. They have devised a 10 point "Curing Heather of clown-phobia" plan. They estimate that by the end of my Stride project they will have me fully made up in clown gear walking a tight rope. Not quite so sure about that!

Despite being severely bullied, my friendships here at CEM are going from strength to strength, and I have an amazing sense of God's grace and presence... this is where he always intended me to be! My Portuguese has come on leaps and bounds too, and I even manage to throw the odd bits of slang in here and there. My favourite expressions so far are "get your foot off my dinner please" (roughly meaning, "get a flippin move on") and "stop filling sausages" ("stop rabbiting on!"

Other important highlights have included an all-night vigil the students did to pray for the situation in Rio (where a man opened fire in a primary school), making cards to send to the victims, singing round the bonfire, a three-day visit from Lesley, the lovely lady from Latin Link who set my project up, severely bruising my arm playing volley ball with the CEM crew, and being taught how to cook a proper "feijoada" (think beans, with beans, and unmentionable bits of left over pig... and beans). Guess what it's served with. Go on, guess!.................RICE!

In food news, I have eaten many a yummy thing to compensate for my ... not so favourite experiences. Some of you will remember Dantas from my poisoned rice nightmare. He's a vet and I have taken to helping him with translating some academic texts on the effects of various laxatives on horses (!!!!!!), in return for which, he keeps bringing in yummy sweet things that his wife makes. Perhaps it will be "death by chocolate" rather than "death by poisoned rice".

What else have I been up to? Ohhhh so many things, I don't know where to start! Picnics, prayer meetings, training days, eating copious amounts of pizza, playing crazy games. In wildlife news, it has been kitten central in CEM, and I have been mastering the art of doing my washing with one kitten on each foot, one on my shoulder, one clinging to my neck, and another two in my wash basket trying to get into the machine! The day they got taken to market was a very sad day, but thankfully one got left behind, which is a great distraction/therapy on stressful days, and a great antidote to all the dogs/cows/creepy crawlies that follow me around!

Now I am at Brenda's house enjoying a few days of rest I am hoping to brave getting my hair cut too (let's see how my hairdressing vocab turns out!), although the boys at CEM have started a campaign to stop me doing so! Brazilian men don't like short hair! Things have been so busy in Vicosa, that it's great to take some time out to spend with God and think about why I'm really here, where I'm going... and just being thankful for all the wonderful things that my Father is doing in my life. Look out for my April prayer letter soon!

Brazilian beijos,

Heather

x x x