Some Good Times to be Remembered!

Brazil at Last!

There are a few things that I've noticed these last couple of days that I want to share.

São Paulo Temple

The Perks of being in Brazil!

•    With the way the rain falls here. You only have to take a shower if you really want to (Mom, I’m only joking).
•    There is no need for roller coasters or thrill rides. Bus trips and car rides give you enough of an adrenaline rush (and yes, you still have to keep all hands and feet inside the cart at all times).
•  Being an American, everyone still thinks you’re a missionary. Hopefully some of those special blessings rub off with the confusion.

I’m starting to rethink my opinion on traveling. Visiting new and foreign places is great, but traveling there is not. The plane rides are long and you always have confused next couple of days about seeing the time on a clock and having your body tell you that there is no way in heaven that could be right . . . but it is.

 

São Paulo Airport after landing

The first day we arrived, Adriel and I (tired, confused, yet excited) made it through customs and met with our ERS manager (Osvaldo Bassi) by baggage claim. It was different to be surrounded, once again, by the language I spoke on my mission. At first, the Portuguese wasn't coming easily. Our manager was probably questioning if we were even speaking Portuguese, as we tried to remember the vocabulary on only nine hours of sleep in the last three days. We found out that our apartment is in the temple housing, in the senior missionary section. The place is fully furnished and even with Cable TV, the only thing missing was food.

We met some new people

As soon as Mr. Bassi wished us luck and left, Adriel and I were already falling over on to our beds. About 5 hours later there was a knock on the door. Some of the young single adults had heard we arrived and were inviting us to go see a movie with them. Even though I was half out of it,the movie was good, but I didn't understand half of the jokes they said, but the group of people we were with were awesome. They made us feel as if we were part of the gang. Sunday, we got together with them (and met some new people) and played games, sang songs, laughed, and made waffles. Seems like an awesome group of people.

For now, the weather has been quite wet, but pretty soon I should be able to work on my tan. My body is adjusting to the time difference and the language is coming back to me. I have rekindled my love for mangoes  I can’t express enough the love I have for mangoes (especially with sweet and condensed milk poured over it).

All in all, these are some good times to be remembered!

Pictures of São Paulo