Aho!

I went to a sweat lodge ceremony called a Temazcal. It was hot, and very cramped. I was a little underwhelmed during the ceremony but felt absolutely reborn the next day. During the ceremony they used the word, "Aho" a lot. When a hot rock was passed into the tent, the sweaters would yell "Aho!" when someone would share or sing, "Aho!" when the shaman poured water to create more steam or sprinkled incense to make the rocks sparkle, "Aho! Aho! Aho!" I didn't Aho! myself because I didn't know the word or what it meant. After the ceremony, I asked around. One person said it was something like "amen" but without the connotation of prayer. Someone else said that it had a meaning in between "hello" and "thank you" - a grateful welcoming. I like it.  I will raise my "Aho!" and voice my welcome for what comes at the next one. Kind of a shamanic version of "Thank you sir, may I have another!" Also, Carol has returned to me, "Aho!"

Ode to Açores

The time has almost come to leave this amazing place, Açores and our little house next to the sea. As with Matedeiro, we didn't like it at first and couldn't wait for it to be over and now we hate to leave. We have loved this house. The big windows where we watched the sun and the moon rise and saw dolphins swimming and monkeys climbing. It will feel empty to leave the constant sound of the sea and lose this intimacy with the tide and the waves. We will miss walking to the little town across the bay, with the salty fishermen mending their nets and dogs napping in the shade of wet boats. We did not have enough time to uncover all of the secrets in the rocks here, the art, the coral, the sacred things. We didn't lie in the hammocks enough, or take enough walks by moonlight, or swim enough in the sea. There wasn't enough time to take it all in and there never could be. Maybe the thing I will cherish most about Açores will be the comfort that this house, and this beach, and this ocean brough me while Carol was away. I'm sad that she missed out on a month here. I'm glad she is coming back tomorrow and that she will get to spend one last night in this little blue and white house, on the corner, by the sea.

The second shortest day

 

Today marked the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year. It's a little bit of a rip off to have the shortest day again so soon, but I saw a glorious sunrise when I woke up at 7 this morning and the colors were great when I walked the dog at 4:30 this afternoon (pictured).  Also, I'm only a day in, but I'm digging the winter so far. Pineapples were a buck a piece at our local fruit mart; The waves are getting huge and the ocean sounds fantastic; I saw my first toucan in the wild; and I got invited to go on a hike. Apparently the hiking is good this time of year because the mosquitos and snakes are controlled and the temps are just right. My most recent winter in Salt Lake was really grand, with the record breaking snow and all, but I'm looking to whatever this second winter has to offer.

Altered minds

 

We've only been here a few months, but I've already been invited to a handful of consciousness expanding events. I don't know if it is part of the broader Brazilian culture, or more specific to this island, but I have witnessed the fruits of nature being used to feed more than just the body. The most tame of the substances is probably cacao, which will give you a lot of energy; the strongest is probably ayahuasca, which may give you a new life. I went to a gathering this weekend that was somewhere in the middle. We used a locally grown fungus and found comfortable places to go where the medicine took us. I went into the trees and watched each one move in it's own way and within each tree I saw each leaf move in its own way, and the movement was ordered and chaotic and timeless and fleeting. Then I went to the ocean and saw the water form into waves, each immutable, with its own shape and power and grace and when the waves broke they were gone and the water went back into the sea. I hope to remember the things I learned and I hope they planted a seed in me, that will grow into a person who is a little less judge-y and a little more free. 

Stormin' mormons

It is sad to have Carol 6000 miles away, but the deep sense of darkness that I have been experiencing was actually my first tropical storm. I didn't even know. Thing got real dark, the power was spotty and everything just kind of felt heavy. I missed Carol. I barely went outside and Keppy was cool with it. We cuddled in and missed Carol. The lady that owns the house checked in a couple of times. I assured her that Carol would be back soon and that I was fine. Then the sun came out and I went out to the beach and saw that things were significantly changed. I turned on the news and learned that Santa Catarina, the state that I am in, was digging out from flooding caused by a cyclone. Who knew? According to the internet, everybody knew. The news has been full of it and folks on twitter were concerned. It's a good lesson for me to connect during the work week. I should at least check the news every day. On the bright side, Carol's visa seems to be going through as planned and I won't need to spend many more cyclones oblivious and alone. 

Aint no sunshine

 

Like the old song says, ain't no sunshine when she's gone - it's not warm when she's away - ain't no sunshine when she is gone - only darkness everyday. It's so true. My sweet Carol has been in the US for 16 days and it's like the lights went out, winter is approaching and nights are dark and really long. Not metaphorically, but actually -- that's what is happening. Plus it's been raining hard for four days and even the dog doesn't want to go outside. I think it might be cozy, if I had my Little One but as it is, ain't no sunshine and ain't no fun. 

Happy Holidãos

Today was Monday. At the beginning of class, the teacher asked how my weekend was and then he corrected himself and asked how my "holiday" was. Interestingly, when he said the word for holiday he added an "ão" sound to the end of the word. He said feriadão instead of feriado.  Adding ão was an indication of a bigger, better holiday. I asked what was up and he explained that when a holiday falls on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday it is just a regular holiday, a feriado, you get your day off and you are grateful. But, when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, then it can provide a bridge to the weekend. Brazilians often get the intervening day off, making it a four-day weekend - a feriadão. This happened last week with the Corpus Christi holiday on Thursday. I missed it completely because I'm not Brazilian and I didn't even know. I'm making up for it though. Our 4th of July holiday is coming up on a Tuesday. I'm going to make like a Brazilian, take the Monday off, and have myself a happy holidão. 

We eat with our hands

Someone mentioned to us that Brazilians largely don't eat with their hands. Since hearing this, Carol and I have observed watermelon and pizza eaten with forks and knives and french-fries eaten with toothpicks. Sometimes our cultural observations are wrong so we checked with our friends Herbert and Martha. They confirmed that while there is variation, Brazilians generally don't like to touch their food. I had the opportunity to observe the full spectrum of finger-food-eating today. Four friends had finished a hike and were grabbing a snack at a nearby bar. They ordered two pastries and cut them into four pieces. One lady cut her piece into smaller pieces which she ate with a fork - civilized. Two ladies used the not-quite-paper napkins from the table to hold theirs - and now I know what the not-quite-paper napkins are for. The forth lady was a little loud, chatting with me, drinking beer, and feeding pastries to the dogs. That lady tore pieces of the pastry off and ate them with her greasy fingers - American style. It does seem a little primitive, seeing it from the outside, and a good reminder to be a little more cultured with our finger foods moving forward.

Be like Bernie

We went out to dinner the other night with a mixed group of Brazilians and American ex-pats. An ex-pat named Nathaniel told a story about his buddy, Bernie. Nathaniel and Bernie met in Brazil learning Portuguese a few years back. Nathaniel was a serious student, building his vocabulary and focused on grammar. Bernie wasn't as focused but really liked to party. The two went out one night and while Nathaniel struggled to understand and be understood, Bernie was meeting people and having a gay old time. The difference, Nathaniel thinks, was that Bernie capitalized on the tone and cadence of the language. He elongated his vowels, exaggerated his syllables, and sang out the few words that he knew with gusto. The Brazilians appreciated his effort and matched his tone and enthusiasm. They communicated fine. I'm pretty sure Nathaniel shared this story because he watched me struggle with the language that night. It was a good reminder to relax a little and have fun some fun, get out of my linguistic shell and communicate in a different way. Be like Bernie.

The bank

 

When it comes to speaking in Portuguese, Carol does a lot of our talking, so I was pretty nervous about going to the bank by myself. I needed to go to a particular bank, pay a fee and get a receipt. Once I got to the bank I saw an open area with a bunch of ATMS on the left and a separate room with tellers on the right. I entered a revolving door to go into the room but a quarter turn in, the revolving door locked and lights started flashing. An armed guard opened the door and walked me back through to the other side, saying something about my purse. A nice guy on the other side asked what I was there for. I told him I needed to pay a fee and get a receipt. He understood, gave me a slip of paper and explained that I couldn't take anything metal through the door. So, I passed my purse through a hole and the man held onto my little knife because it is illegal to bring a knife into a bank in Brazil.  I made it through to a teller and learned that my paperwork had expired. I would need to go back to the airport, get my paperwork updated  and return to the bank, which I did, but it wasn't without challenge. Maybe I will share those challenges another day. It's always a process.

Rules of the road

The driving here has taken a little getting used to. Our Brazilian friends recommend thinking of the rules of the road as "suggestions." Seems right. The exception is the "monitored electronically" signs, if you speed past one of those, lights will flash  and a ticket will come via email (true story). Everything else though -- stop signs, speed limits, center lines, flashing lights -- merely suggestions. It works out. In fact, the only real rule of the road is that you have to work it out. If you need to do 30 in a 50, no one honks, they slow down or go around (no need to wait for a passing lane). If you need to accommodate a cow or a bicycle with multiple passengers, two lanes can become three. To make a left in traffic, you just push in. They expect it and will give you a thumbs up and then you will give them a thumbs up. It's super civil. But if you hesitate, then you are a menace and they start to honk. Carol is a great Brazilian driver, I still get honked at. But, Carol was the one to "discover" the electronic monitoring signs and she is currently in the US, being a menace and getting honked at.