Luz Station

Estação de Luz

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” - Helen Keller

I’m pretty thankful for one of the classes that I’m taking this semester on Brazilian Culture. My teacher has provided a list of different things that are a “must see” here in São Paulo. Last week Adriel and I had the opportunity to do something we probably never would have done if not for the list from our teacher. A place we had to visit was the famous Estação de Luz (Light Station). The Estação de Luz is the oldest and biggest train station within São Paulo. Dating back from the late 19^th century, the station was considered the entrance to the city. The station itself has a magically feel to it with trains coming in from all over the country with all kinds of different people. Never mind, the magically feeling comes because it reminds me of Harry Potter.

Luz Station

Just outside the station is a beautiful park. Adriel and I challenged each other to see who could take the most creative pictures. There were interesting things all over the park and we became bolder and bolder until the security guards in the park yelled at us . . . twice. I guess that grass is not something you walk on here. Good thing nobody saw me climbing the tree.

The Sunday Ambush

A "Relaxing" Sunday

“True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what's right” - Brigham Young

Sunday came around and I was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening. I was in my lounging clothes just about to make dinner when Adriel and I received an invite from Karina to go watch a movie at a friend’s house. I wasn't really in the mood for a movie night so I was trying to think about what to say back as Adriel left to quickly meet up with another friend.  As soon as he left, Karina called telling me that Adriel was coming back to get me to go to the movie. It seems that a Karina along with a group of friends were waiting outside our apartment, Adriel was ambushed by surprise therefore forcing us to surrender.  

The plan was to watch “17 Miracles” so we didn't think it would matter if we came in jeans and a t-shirt. What they failed to tell us was that we would be stopping by at a seminary graduation. I won’t lie, it was pretty awkward walking in to a gym full of well-dressed people in a pair of rugged jeans and a t-shirt. At least, Adriel and I were able to see our CTM teacher from three years ago and some other friends from the career workshop we taught and the YSA conference. After we left, we finally arrived at our destination and watched the movie. If you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend it. It shows really well the hardships of the Willie and Martin handcart companies.

Playing Volleyball

Other exciting news is that someone asked me to marry her. Although I was flattered, I couldn't accept and told her we would have to talk about it. 

A Game of Football at Morumbi

A Game of Football at Morumbi

“Brazil - they're so good [at soccer] it's like they are running round the [field] playing with themselves.” - John Motson

When you think of Brazil, one of the first things that come to mind (besides the Amazon, monkeys, and fruit) is Soccer. The country is passionate about the sport and should be considering it holds the most World Cup titles. I have many fond memories of going to sporting events as a kid and for as long as I can remember there has always been security. Coming up to the soccer game, you’d think there had been bank robbery. Police officers on horses, cars patrolling the streets and heavy security at the gates are all you need to keep everyone safe. I’m pretty sure they just wanted to watch the game.

The two teams that were playing were São Paulo and Ituano (a smaller team from a different area in the state). It was a smaller game so the stadium wasn’t packed, but you could still feel the Brazilian passion for the sport. The fans were constantly on their feet chanting, singing, and booing all while a bass drum was pounding different beats. Seeing the devoted fans, it was easy to recognize the need for the high fences to divide opposing fans for rivalry games. Although no fights broke out, the game was great and came out 3 to 2 São Paulo. 

Just a Walk in the Park

Parque Ibirapuera

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln 

Every great city needs a gigantic park within the city limits. These parks are a sanctuary from the everyday busy life of the city. New York has Central Park, Mexico City has Chapultepec Park, Chicago has Lincoln Park, Tokyo has Ueno Park, and São Paulo has Ibirapuera Park.

A group of us consisting of Flavio Freire (a friend from the mission), Bruno Perez (His friend from Espírito Santo), Adriel and I decided to venture out and visit the great Ibirapuera Park. It seemed like a good idea when we first boarded the bus, but soon one of those famous tropical storms came out of nowhere. We left the bus and ran toward cover to wait out the storm. Luckily after about twenty minutes of telling jokes, getting wet, and waiting, the rain stopped enough to explore.

Our first stop was a bike rental shop. After renting bikes, we were off to try and find the coolest places within the park. The park is full of monuments, statues, and museums so we had no problem filling our time. We still were rained after getting the bikes, but not enough to stop us!

Single Adult Conference - Tuesday

YSA of São Paulo Stake

Acampamento do MAS - Terça-feira  / An Unexpected Ending

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin 

I didn’t want to leave on Tuesday. I had made many friends and was thoroughly enjoying the time to relax. There was a baptism held at the end of the conference for one of the participants and afterward I was already saying my goodbyes and leaving. It had been a great weekend and an awesome further look into the Brazilian culture.

When I arrived home, I was tired. It felt like I had slept a total of 5 hours over the entire weekend. After unpacking, Adriel and I heard about a reunion dance that would be held at a nearby stake. Many of our friends were going and although we were tired we couldn’t resist. A friend of ours picked us up and we were on our way.

Pushing the Car

 Now normally a GPS is supposed to lead you toward your destination, but I found out that’s not always true. To make a long story short, after crossing the entire city and coming back, we were finally a few minutes away when the car broke down. Luckily, someone came to the rescue. We never made it to the dance, but it was quite the adventure that night.

Single Adult Conference - Monday

Acampamento do MAS - Segunda-feira 

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin 

Monday was the last full day of the Single Adult Conference and it wasn’t lacking in activities. The sun finally came out in its full glory before noon and allowed for some great volleyball and swimming. In the afternoon a talent show was held. There were singers, guitar players, dancing groups, dancing couples, and comedians. There was so much energy and excitement in the air. That is one thing I love about the Brazilian culture, everyone is always excited about even the littlest things. For example, in the afternoon, they held a water-aerobics class. I expected a few people to participate, but was surprised to see when the aerobics started, it was full with people laughing and screaming; they were having the time of the lives!

            

That night there was the last dance of the conference. A group of us decided to wait outside on the road leading to the dance to escort all the lovely ladies to the dance. It left a good impression. I was getting more confident with the Brazilian dances and had a blast that night. 

Single Adult Conference – Sunday

 Acampamento do MAS - Domingo

"To do is to be."  -Descartes 

"To be is to do."  - Voltaire 

"Do be do be do."  - Frank Sinatra

Playing Volley

                Sunday was a relaxing day. We had early morning church and the meetings were excellent. Everyone knows there is nothing better than a good nap after lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Here in Brazil it is no different. Later that day we had a fireside given by a member of one of the Stakes who talked on having hope while touching on marriage as well, which is to be expected. Later, I had the opportunity to get to know some new people from around different stakes which was great. Here in Brazil the party never stops, except for Sunday, but as soon as the clock struck midnight, I could hear the sound of an acoustic guitar start up from the patio. Pretty soon, the place was packed with singing girls and dancing couples. I danced a few times and laughed at the energy everyone brought that late at night. Well, like they said, you don’t go to a single adult conference to sleep!

Lunch Line

Single Adult Conference – Saturday

 Acampamento do MAS - Sábado

Championship Volleyball Team

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar


                In Brazil, it doesn’t matter how old you are, when you get a whole bunch of people together in one room late at night, nobody’s going to get much sleep. I think I managed to get a few hours of sleep between the jokes, Michael Jackson impressions, the game of Frisbee, and the harmonica playing. Even with the few hours of sleep, Saturday was still a blast.

Adriel and I with Tiago, a new friend of ours.

                We started off the day well by winning a mini volleyball tournament in the morning. Our team name was Jujubinha (not a real word, just a nickname for little kids here . . . I didn’t choose it). The food was also great. I don’t think I’ve eaten so well since coming to Brazil, and that’s probably because I’m doing a lot of my own cooking. It was all you can eat as long as standing in the long line was worth the second plate. Other activities that were included were tennis, a zip-line, billiards, table tennis, soccer, and basketball. Saturday night there was another dance. I could already feel myself getting a little more confident with the dance although it wasn’t quite all there.

Friends from our stake

Single Adult Conference – Friday

O Acampamento do MAS: Sexta-feira

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Vidal Sassoon

The scene was perfect for a relaxing weekend when Adriel and I left Friday afternoon. Rain was coming down so hard it sounded like a herd of rhinos was trying to knock down our front door. We were drenched as we scrambled in the car but smiles were still plastering our faces. After all the stories I’d heard about the conference, I expected the conference was going to be a blast, but it was only confirmed once we got lost on the way there. We eventually found the place but there is nothing like a little random adventure to get things started.

Solar dos Girassois - The Resort we stayed at.

After arriving at the resort and registering at the front desk, we were taken to our rooms. My first thought on entering was that it looked like a hospital out of old war films. There were about 100 beds spread across the big room, and all you had to do was pick a mattress that could support your weight and claim a bed. Later that night there was a dance, I once again was reminded of the fact that I still cannot dance “forro”. This time, instead of wallowing in self-pity, I asked a friend of mine to start teaching me. The moves are similar to that of Swing just with a modified basic step; with that connection, I started picking it up pretty quick.-

Art Knows No Language Barriers

Art thou enjoying the painting?

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."
- Thomas Merton 

           We checked another activity off our to-do list last week. We visited the famous MASP, which is the Art Museum of São Paulo. We scored because the Tuesdays are free to the public. There is nothing like receiving some great inspiration from great art for free. The collection was amazing and very diverse. One entire floor was devoted to a single painting called the “Women in Blue Reading a Letter.” Johannes Vermeer, who is the artist of this particular piece, focused his paintings on ordinary daily activities. It was definitely well done, just not my personal cup of tea. The other paintings on display ranged from early 15^th century to modern art. 

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter by Johannes Vermeer

Mortadella

 That means Bologna

"The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself." - Benjamin Franklin 

After an inspirational weekend, Adriel and I had the chance to once again venture out to the center of the city with two of our friends, this time with the intention to visit the Mercado Municipal.  The Mercado Municipal is the main market in the city. You’ll find all kinds of fruit, all cuts of meat, very expensive cheeses, and some of the hottest peppers in the world. In fact, we bought hot sauce made from the Bhut Jolokia, the hottest pepper in the world. It feels like a nuke going off in your mouth, but tastes perfect with feijão, hot dogs, and other Brazilian delicacies. Next on our list of things to do was eat a famous bologna sandwich. This thing was massive and had more meat on it than Miss Piggy! Delicious was the perfect word to describe that sandwich and healthy is exactly the opposite. Let me just say that I didn’t exactly have a whole lot of energy while that thing is digesting.

Fireside

MAS - Membros Adultos Solteiros - Single Adult Members

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."  -Benjamin Franklin 

A Special Sunday it was, last week. The Young Single Adults held a fireside about a week ago on Sunday that was great. The speaker taught about making goals and of course managed to squeeze in marriage and dating in there for good measure. It wasn’t exactly your normal fireside outcome. First off, with the abundance of mission buddies around, there was no helping the passing of the chimarrão that occurred later, although we kept the ending slurp to a minimum. The power also went out in the church for a good five minutes during the middle of the talk. Then, for the refreshments, huge sandwiches were served. These things were about a yard long and topped the tasty scale. It was a great fireside and we were able to find ourselves a ride to the young single adult campout for later that week.

Love Is In the Air

"Caaaaaaaannnn you feeeeeell the looooooove toniiiiight!"

- As quoted by Elton John

            Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there certainly was love in the air last Saturday. After teaching our first career workshop, Adriel and I were invited to the wedding of one of our students. He and his wife were getting married to be baptized later that evening. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a stone cold, emotionless, as-manly-as-men-come kind-of-guy, but you couldn’t help but get a sweet lump in your throat as these two love birds tied the knot. Not a single frown permeated the face of crowd as counsels of love were given from the bishop.

After congrats were given, the bride and groom rushed to change into white jumpsuits for the baptism. Both ceremonies were beautiful and reflected the commitment that the couple had for each other, their children, and their God. The spirit was strong and it was a wonderful experience for all who were in attendance. During the festivities afterward, I approached the groom and asked how he felt. “It’s incredible” he said, “I feel like a weight has been lifted, I feel light!” The funny thing is that although people describe it in all different ways you still know exactly how they feel, and I echo the words of my friend José when I say “It’s incredible.”

It was a great way to end the week and an awesome workshop. Two other students should be taking their vows in March and Adriel and I already have the invite. Does it feel great? Yes. . . yes, it does!