This past weekend Joel, Erika, and I headed out with Andrea to visit the town of Brejo da Madre de Deus, which is about 3 hours into the interior from Recife. Joel and I did the driving, which was a bit of an experience. We had made a trip to the department of transportation on Friday to get our drivers license translations all verified and authenticated so we could legally drive on the weekend, and that was an experience all its own. Let’s just say our dealings with Brazilian government agencies have taught us patience, patience, and more patience…

But anyway, we got to Brejo without incident around lunch time on Saturday and met up with Betty, the MCC worker who lives there. I’ve mentioned Betty before; she’s worked with MCC in Brazil for 25 years, the last 8 of which she has lived in Brejo. You name it, she’s done it. She’s worked with so many different programs, including cisterns, organic farming, various forms of advocacy, and organizing and assisting with so many different MCC projects. After lunch we headed out to visit a community where they have been building cisterns for a while, so we got to see some completed and talk with the owners, as well as some that are in various stages of construction. It made me kind of sad again that I won’t be working with the cistern project in Pesqueira, but I will probably still have at least a little involvement with cisterns wherever I end up.

A completed cistern; we saw them in all different stages of construction.

We also stopped at a dairy farm for a bit, Betty of course knew the farmer and his wife. We saw a bit of the equipment that he had there; he’s the only farmer in the area with a milking machine and refrigerated storage tank, which a number of farmers in the area actually share. We got to stick around for some of the milking, and Joel even decided to give it a try hooking up the milking machine. The results were, well… interesting… Not that he had any trouble hooking it up, it’s what the cow next to him did just as he was bending down to hook up the machine. Take a look at the picture below and you should be able to figure it out… He escaped just in time, I think!

Hmm, what's that cow doing, Joel? Watch out!!

That night there were political rallies going on like crazy, making it somewhat difficult for us to watch our novelas! The elections are in one week, so it’s crunch time, and they’re making their presence felt, that’s for sure! The next day we saw some more campaign parades/rallies, and I finally got a picture of one of those cars loaded down with speakers blaring propaganda, so here that is.

These people can make an unbelievable amount of noise...

Also on Sunday we decided to head out from Brejo up into the surrounding hills for a bit of a hike. All around Brejo and that part of the interior there are incredible rock formations, so I was very excited at the opportunity to explore a bit. It was by no means an easy hike, especially when the “trail” became essentially non-existent and we forced our way through the brush and thorns and other undergrowth to our final destination. Along the way I managed to brush my leg up against an Ortiga plant, which is basically a stinging nettle-type plant. That felt nice. Our legs were a mess of scratches by the end. Despite all that, it was very much worth it, and I had a lot of fun. We finally reached the top of the rock faces, looking back out over Brejo and the surrounding hills and countryside. It was a phenomenal vista.

We headed home later that day, back to our host families for another week of language classes and whatnot. I’m excited for next weekend, it’s my host sister’s 15th birthday, so we’re having a huge party! Can’t wait to see what it’s like!

Til later, I’ll leave you with a few pictures from our hike near Brejo.

Brejo!

The view from the top back out over Brejo and the surrounding countryside.

This is what we conquered!

There are many variations of soft drinks available in the world, some common, others not. Some people like Coke, others Pepsi. I have a number of friends who swear by Manzana Lift, apple-flavored pop found in Mexico. Some strange folks are Mountain Dew fanatics (that’s disgusting). Others prefer the graveyard, mixing whatever is available at the soda fountain. However, I have recently been converted to a new beverage, found almost exclusively here in Brazil: Guaraná.

For those of you who don’t know, guaraná is a plant with found primarily in the Amazon basin of Brazil, best known for the little fruit that it produces. The seed inside the guaraná fruit contains five times the caffeine of a coffee bean (at least according to Wikipedia…). The soft drink is made using a guaraná extract prepared from the seeds.

The guaraná soft drink, of which there are several brands, is definitely the most delicious I have ever had. I don’t know how to describe it, I’m terrible at describing tastes, but just let me say that you have to try it! There are two brands that are the most prominent, one of which is Kuat, which is owned by Coke. Naturally, that turned me off to it just slightly, but it is still very good.

My brand of choice would most certainly have to be Guaraná Antarctica. Since the first moment I tasted it on the plane down to Brazil I have been hooked! I mean, come on, just look at the expression on my face in the picture below. Pure joy, nothing less!

Finally, during our trip to the supermarket to do some guaraná research, we found a third brand which neither Joel nor I had ever seen before. Naturally, we were quite skeptical of this new kid on the block, hence my expression in the picture below. We have yet to try this brand and don’t plan to any time soon…

So, that is the background on my new favorite beverage, Guaraná. If you by some chance happen to locate it in your area be sure to give it a try, I promise you won’t regret it. Once I return to the U.S. I am definitely going to have to do some research and find out where I can get it. Ok, that’s all, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. I leave you with the following picture of pure bliss, otherwise known as Guaraná Antartica.

[This post was written on Friday, September 19]

Today was the day that MCC was hopefully going to get approved for the government funding and support for the cistern project in Pesqueira, so I arrived at the Sede eager to hear what the scoop was with that. Instead, that project is now out of the question for at least a year. I won’t go into the details of the process, and there is still hope that MCC can get the contract in the future, but it won't be during my time here.

So where does that leave the SALTer who was coming to Brazil to be a part of the cistern project in Pesqueira (in other words, me)? Well, good question. As of right now I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing once I finish language training here in Recife in about 5 weeks. Keith, the country rep, and others are discussing options, and I have no doubt that I will still be put to good use here. I may be going to a town called Brejo da Madre de Deus, which is also in the interior, about an hour and a half from Pesqueira, my intended destination. There I would work closely with Betty, an incredible woman who has been here in NE Brazil with MCC for 25 years, working in a variety or roles. I will also likely be working more now with Joel, the other SALTer, and the other MCCers in Monteiro, another city in the interior. They do some work with cisterns there, as well as other water related issues, among other things. MCC currently has some additional funding that they are looking to put to good use, so Keith has assured us that there will be no shortage of work in the coming year!

MCC knew from the beginning, and let me know too, that the cistern project in Pesqueria might not come to fruition, but recently it had looked more and more like it was going to happen, so the sudden reversal is a bit of a shock. I certainly am learning flexibility and patience thus far during my SALT term, haha. I am a bit disappointed that the cistern project fell through, I had been getting very excited about it, but at the same time I am not discouraged and know that the year ahead will still be an incredibly valuable experience and I am excited to see what’s in store for me! When I find out more concretely where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing I will be sure to pass along word via the blog.

Another thing I did today was drive a car in Recife for the first time. Keith figured it was time we started getting a feel for the road, and Joel wasn’t as comfortable with a stick-shift, so he handed me the keys and off we went. I was a bit nervous at the start, to say the least, having seen what driving is like here… But once we got out on the road it wasn’t too bad. The main thing that still worried me was the lack of lanes, motorcycles darting in and out everywhere, and no centerlines to ward off the oncoming traffic. So like I said, not too bad.

Anyway, yeah, that’s the situation here. Things continue to go well with Portuguese classes and with my host family, it’s really fun to be able to talk and joke with them more, they are great people. I still get lost fairly often, especially when more than one of them is talking, but I’m catching on, and I think my host mom even joked something to the effect of, “oh, I miss the days when Miguel didn’t understand us, haha.”

Love you and miss you all,
Mike

For those of you wondering, the title of this blog post means “the first week with my new family”. It has been quite the week, so let me start from the beginning.

Saturday morning we finished packing up our stuff at the Sede, the MCC unit house here in Recife, and set off with Keith and Andrea to meet our host families for the next 6 weeks. I was first, so I unloaded my stuff and met part of my family, the ones who were home at the time. We didn’t stay long, proceeding to Erika’s host family, who live close by. She and I had lunch there with them before returning to my house. This was my first chance to really see where I stood with Portuguese since I didn’t have someone nearby available to translate. I must say, it was pretty difficult, but I think I’m doing ok. There was a friend of the family over at my house that first day who had worked with MCC in Bolivia for 5 years, so he knew Spanish and we started talking in Spanish and it was soooo nice! But then I was like, ok, no, thank you, but we should really talk in Portuguese, or this is just going to confuse me!

That made me realize how much easier things would’ve been going to a Spanish speaking country, but it also made me realize something else. The following is an excerpt from my journal from a few days ago:

I think God has been teaching me 2 things thus far in my SALT term: patience and humility. The patience part of the equation is rather obvious [especially if you’ve been reading my blog at all, haha] but it took me longer to realize the humility aspect. I’ve traveled a lot and had many experiences in other cultures, but every time I have either already had a good grasp on the language, principally Spanish, or I have been with a group where it didn’t matter, or at least been able to rely on one person to communicate for me or something like that. This is a new experience for me, constantly being lost in a conversation without anywhere to really turn to for relief. I think I always sort of belittled that feeling in others, like on my study abroad experiences, so I think God wanted to turn that around on me for a bit. I keep thinking how much easier everything would’ve been for me in Honduras, trying to justify it by saying to myself how much more I could’ve accomplished there with a firm grip on the language, etc. I think it’s time I understood how much I have to learn here and the incredible opportunity before me.

So I still struggle a bit with this issue, but I’m learning to trust a little more and am enjoying the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture here and learn as much as I can.

But back to my family… Ok, there’s Valdemir and Edilene, my host parents. Valdemir is the pastor at the Mennonite church just down the road. They’ve got 2 kids, Yuri and Kalyne. Yuri is 12, and Kalyne is about to turn 15, a very important milestone here. Valdemir’s sister, Dada, also lives here, and there have been other friends and family members in and out. They are a wonderful family, lots of fun, and we’re learning to communicate with each other, though it takes time. It gets easier every day, so I look forward to getting to know them better as my time here continues. On Wednesday Yuri came into my room and asked me if I wanted to do something, but about all I understood was futebol (soccer) and assistir (watch), so that was enough for me. It turned out to be Champions League soccer on TV, so I was very happy that he had come to get me! As long as he knows I like soccer, I think we’re doing ok!

The other big thing that started this week is language lessons. Monday we had our first lesson with Marta, MCC’s favorite Portuguese instructor. We decided to have Joel and I in one class, with Erika separate 1-on-1 with Marta, since we’re all coming in at different levels and moving at different speeds. I think the class is going to be a huge help, Marta is an excellent teacher and speaks a lot of Portuguese, especially with me, making us really work to improve our comprehension. I can usually understand most of what she says, even when she’s talking normal speed in Portuguese, which is a very encouraging sign.

So yeah, things here are good! I’m getting better and better at Portuguese and becoming more familiar with the city each day. I look forward to exploring a little more as well as visiting some more of the MCC projects in the area.

The Recife beachfront.

My room; notice the mosquito net, what a wonderful invention!

My first cockroach. Perhaps the first of many? This one fell victim to my shoe shortly after this picture was taken…

Ok, so any thoughts I had of leaving behind the annoying political campaign ads and constant reminders of the upcoming election can officially be thrown out the window. However, it’s not the US Presidential election that I’m constantly being reminded of, although I have gotten into several conversations already about that.

No, it’s Election Day here in Recife that is fast approaching (it’s October 5), and you can’t step outside your door without being reminded of it. Think presidential campaign ads on TV are in your face? How bout a car driving down the street, plastered with signs for a certain candidate, with the entire top of the car loaded down with huge speakers, so many so that there has to be a diesel generator in the back of the car to power them, blaring out music and other propaganda for the candidate. It’s pretty wild. Unfortunately, I haven’t had my camera at the ready in time to get a picture of one yet.

But that’s just the start. Everywhere you look there are the names and numbers (people here vote by inputting the number of their choice) of candidates painted on any available wall space. Posters line the sides of streets as well as cars. People holding flags for a certain candidate can be seen all over the city, standing there all day on the side of the road holding the flag for passing drivers to see. Different color flags adorn houses and business, the colors used to signify what party the candidate is from and whether they are the incumbent or the challenger. Just today we passed several parades of cars, motorcycles, and people, taking up the entire street waving flags and setting off fireworks. It’s really quite amazing.

So why, you might ask, is it such a huge deal to get the candidate’s name out there? Well, unlike in the states, everyone here is required to vote. So by getting their name and number plastered across the city the candidates must be hoping to cash in on the ambivalent or undecided voter simply choosing the most familiar name. I wonder how different our elections would be if everyone were required to vote. It’s an interesting thought.

Anyway, it will be kind of nice, I think, once Election Day is past here and things settle down a little. We’re hoping to be able to go with our host parents when they vote to see what it’s like, that should be cool. Meanwhile, Election Day in the states fast approaches as well, and I’m waiting for my absentee ballot to arrive here so I can go ahead and cast my vote.

The walls of businesses are often covered with posters, usually the same ones over and over.

Just about any open space on the walls lining the street has been painted to support a candidate.

This is a wall right near my house, with more advertisements just outside the view of this picture.

Like I said, they’ll use anything. Like the sail of a boat, for instance.

Yesterday we headed out from the Sede to the town of Bom Jardim, a couple hours from here, for the MCC Brazil quarterly meeting, where we had the opportunity to meet the entire MCC Brazil team. There are 19 total people, including us, on the team itself, but there were many more there who are connected to MCC Brazil in other ways, so there were lots of people to meet and have difficult limited Portuguese exchanges with. We also met the other North Americans who are on the team, which was cool. There’s John and Julie, who work in the interior where Joel will be heading, John does work with cisterns and some other things, so I might see more of him. We also met Betty, who has been here with MCC for 25 years! She first worked near Bom Jardim, so she knew lots of folks there, and she’ll also be a part of the team in Pesqueira working on cisterns, so I should get to know her a lot better in the coming months.

During our time there we got a tour of the community and saw the results of work that MCC had done there nearly 30 years ago, meeting lots of people who had worked with MCC then and had many wonderful things to say. We also got a better feel for the work that MCC is doing here in Brazil and how we fit into that. All in all, while somewhat overwhelming, it was a very good couple of days and I’m glad we were able to take part in it. I wish I knew more Portuguese so I could’ve talked more with the other team members, but there were enough people to translate that we did alright.

Tonight we’re back here at the Sede, and tomorrow morning we get to move in with our host families! I know very little about my hosts, except that their names are Valdemir and Edilene, and that he is a pastor. Not sure if they have kids or not, so we will see! Then Monday we start language classes with Marta, who apparently is the favorite teacher of everyone here, so that’s good. I can’t wait to start!

This will be my last post for about a week, it’s immersion time!

The health post in Bom Jardim that MCC helped with.

Visiting an organic farmer in Bom Jardim that MCC worked with in the early 80's

Celebrating 40 years of MCC in NE Brazil!

Brazilian pizza... a little different than back home... but still good!

The purpose of the past several days has been to orient us to the city of Recife, where we will be living for the next 6 weeks or so (we were told today that we’d probably be heading to our assignments, which will take me to Pesqueira, on October 24 or 25). During our time here we’ve become acquainted with the bus system (but by no means mastered it), explored the downtown a bit, and learned more about the work that MCC is doing here in northeastern Brazil. Our Portuguese is still very limited, although we’re starting to learn a little bit. That will be amped up significantly come Saturday when we move in with our individual host families and then Monday when we start our formal Portuguese lessons, which I am very excited for.

Before coming here I heard a wide range of opinions on just how much of a help or hindrance my knowledge of Spanish would be, but I think it really is going to help a lot. The one thing I was most worried about was pronunciation, but here in the NE I think that it’s the closest to Spanish of anywhere in Brazil, so that is nice. The d’s and t’s in particular are what are typically the most different, but here in the NE they speak them much more like the Spanish sound, although g’s and j’s still will be a bit of an adjustment. A lot of the vocabulary is at least similar, and I have started making note of words I encounter that differ significantly from their Spanish counterparts.

Monday we went downtown with Andrea, who has worked with MCC Brazil for some time now and was in Akron at MCC headquarters for the past year through an exchange program. Her English is quite good, and she has been the person chiefly in charge of our orientation here, along with Keith, one of the country reps. We visited a large market area and tried some interesting local fruits, and then walked around downtown a bit just to get a feel for the city.

Yesterday we took a couple buses to the north of Recife to the school there that Erika will be working at. We met several of the teachers and talked about the work they do there, teaching math and Portuguese as well as some music and dance to kids coming primarily from the slums around the school. We then had a very exciting and overwhelming time meeting all the kids, ranging in age from 4 up to 16, as they arrived for the afternoon session. We visited each classroom and introduced ourselves, speaking some in English since very few of them had heard it before, and trying to use what little Portuguese we know to communicate with the very persistent kids. I think the funniest exchange, which I happened to catch on video too, was when Joel was trying to have the kids guess how old he is. The answers that were thrown out included 44, 1000, 50, 85, and others, before they finally got into a more reasonable age bracket and figured it out, it was hilarious. The whole exchange also wore us out, evidenced by the fact that all of us, including Andrea, fell asleep at one point or another on the long bus ride back to town.

Today we took care of some more administrative details, such as learning how are finances will work and learning some other practical knowledge for our time here. We also went to register with the federal police, something all foreigners must do, but they had changed locations recently and we didn’t quite make it in time to get it done today, so we’ll have to try again, maybe next week sometime.

The reason it’ll have to be next week is that tomorrow morning we’re heading to the town of Bom Jardim about an hour and a half from here for a big regional MCC Brazil meeting. This year is the 40th anniversary of MCC’s work here in NE Brazil, so they’ve been having their major meetings in various towns where MCC still works or used to work in the early goings. I’m not entirely sure what to expect at this meeting, but it should be a good chance for us to meet some more of the folks we’ll be working with as this year goes on and also to get a better feel for what MCC Brazil is all about.

We’ll be back from that Friday evening, and we’ll have one more night here at the Sede before moving in with our host families on Saturday! I’ll probably blog once more on Friday before cutting myself off for a while, and hopefully the next time I’m on here I can write some more things in Portuguese, haha. I’m really excited for the day when I can start journaling in Portuguese; that will be a momentous occasion!

A nice welcome!

Me with a giant baobab tree in a little plaza in downtown Recife

Basílica Nossa Senhora do Carmo, one of the old cathedrals in Recife

Joel and Erika out in front of the Sede

We made it! I’m currently sitting at the kitchen table in the MCC complex here in Recife, Brazil, and it feels great! Other than a few minor flight delays, which were easily mitigated thanks to long layovers, we had a very smooth trip down here. It took us about 28 hours total travel time, with only intermittent plane sleep, so we’re all a little tired and looking forward to naps this afternoon…

The past few days have been pretty wild, I must say. When I first got word that we would leaving Saturday instead of the previous plan of Thursday I’ll admit, I was a little disheartened. So I started thinking, hmm, what can I do to take my mind off of all this visa stuff and just have some fun. Then it hit me: why not go to New York City?! It’s only a few hours from Akron, so I sent out some Facebook messages to some friends I have out there and started planning my trip. One thing led to another, and Thursday morning it was off to the bus station to head to New York!

I had very little in the way of plans for my time in the city; about the only thing I knew was where I was going to stay. I have some friends from Calvin who have since moved to Jersey City, which is just across the river from New York City, so I lined up to spend the night with them, which worked out wonderfully. But more on that later.

So I got into the city around lunch time and just started walking around, making my way through Times Square and uptown towards Central Park. Along the way I decided to make a stop at the Eugene O’Neil Theater, where the musical Spring Awakening has been showing. Ever since I was given the soundtrack by my good friend Ashley I was in love with the music from this show, it is truly phenomenal, and I’ve been wanting to see it for a very long time. So I figured I’d see if they had any cheap tickets, and, lo and behold, they did! So I got my ticket to see it that night! I was very excited, to say the least.

The day just gets crazier from there. I’m walking around Central Park after eating some lunch, and some guy gives me a free wristband to get into this NFL Kickoff Concert that’s going on, since it was the first day of the NFL season. I had no idea what all this would entail, but I had nothing else going until the show at 8, so I decided to check it out. I ended up being part of this huge concert, on live national television, and got to see a bunch of current and former NFL players, including David Tyree, Warren Sapp, and Deion Sanders, topped off with performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Keith Urban, and, get this, Usher! Only in New York City!

Strawberry Fields in Central Park

Keith Urban playing right out in the crowd

Usher, doing his thing.

So after that I went to the theater to see Spring Awakening, and it exceeded all my expectations, I absolutely loved it! I’m so glad I finally got the chance to see it!

Spring Awakening!!

Once the show got out I got on the train out to Jersey City and met up with my friends there, Deborah, Amy, Sarah, and Kyle. They’re all such wonderful people, it was awesome to get to spend some time with them, having not seen any of them since graduation. The following day I spent some more time in the city, not as eventful as the day before, but still fun, before getting back on the bus and heading back to Akron that night. What a fun little side trip!

Good friends, good times!

Back in Akron, Joel had finally received his visa, so all was set for the three of us to head out on Saturday! I got back around 10:30, and hadn’t starting doing any packing or anything, so I had a long night ahead of me. After phone calls to multiple family members, taking care of some other things at the MCC office, and packing up my bags, I finally hit the pillow at about 3:40 AM. Departure time to the Philadelphia airport? 6:30 AM. Beautiful.

Daryl and Jean, MCCers who had been in Brazil the past year, took us to the airport in the morning and off we flew, first to Miami, then to Brazil. Our plane made several stops in Brazil, first in Manaus, then Belem, before we deplaned in Fortaleza, our first taste of Brazilian air, and it was wonderful. Another layover, then a short flight to Recife, and here we are! We were met at the airport by Keith, one of the MCC country reps, and Andrea, who works with MCC here in Recife, and they gave us a little tour around the city before dropping us at the MCC unit house, where we’ll be staying for the next several days.

It is so good to finally be here after so many delays and uncertainties. I can’t wait to jump into this whole experience. Thursday and Friday is a big regional meeting for MCC, where we will have the opportunity to meet lots of the MCC Brazil folks and learn more about what MCC is working on here. Saturday we will move in with our host families, which I can’t wait for, and then Monday begins the official language training.

I may be in touch more this week than I initially thought, posting some pictures hopefully and other stuff, since we’ll be here at the MCC housing. However, once I move in with my host family I am going to try to stick by my goal of one week without internet use and contact with folks back home, and then limiting myself quite a bit after that. We’ll see how I do!

Thank you again to all of you for your prayers and support, your role in this experience cannot be overstated and is so greatly appreciated.

Alright, I think it's time for a nap. Gotta rest up before watching the Brazil-Chile World Cup Qualifier soccer game tonight!

Love you all,
Mike

I am currently holding my visa in my hands, and oh, what a glorious feeling it is! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for this visa situation to be resolved; it has certainly been a long and arduous process. I would also ask for your continued prayers for my fellow SALTer Joel Krehbiel, as his visa status is still up in the air. We were hoping that his could be picked up this morning, but there were some more complications, so it looks like tomorrow he should be able to get his. Then it will be sent out here, so that Joel, Erika and I would be able to fly to Brazil all together on Saturday. If more complications arise and it is not possible to get his visa tomorrow, then Erika and I will fly to Brazil on Saturday and Joel will come as soon as he can get his visa.

After weeks of uncertainty and confusion it is a huge blessing to have a measure of order restored and the knowledge that I will be in Brazil before the week is out! My heart goes out to Joel as he remains in the realm of uncertainty and I sincerely hope he can join us in our trip to Brazil.

So I will be leaving here Saturday morning, flying through Miami and then overnight to Fortaleza in northern Brazil, and arriving in Recife early afternoon on Sunday. The plan was for us to move in with our initial host families on Sunday, we’ll see if we can still do that, and then begin our language training Monday. We’re not wasting any time! I think most of the other SALTers had a fairly relaxed first week with a nice introduction to the country and the work MCC is doing there before jumping into host families and language learning, but I’m afraid we won’t have that luxury. They don’t want to cut our language instruction short, especially since Joel and I will often be the only North American working with mostly native Brazilians, so we’re going to get started as quickly as possible so as not to cut into our time in the field too much.

Now I’m just kind of tying up some last minute things, talking to friends and family one last time before leaving the country, and starting to pack up. I can’t wait to get to Brazil and join in with my fellow SALTers around the world in this incredible experience. Thank you again to all of you who have supported and continue to support me through this adventure, your presence is so greatly appreciated. I plan to post on my blog and maybe send our a few emails when I first arrive in Brazil, but after that it is my goal to cut myself off from the ease of internet communication for at least a week or so, and only allow myself limited access during those first 6 weeks. I really want to immerse myself in the Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language; need to make up for these last couple weeks!

Throughout the coming year I would love to receive emails from all of you telling me what you’re up to, I do want to stay in touch with what’s going on in all of your lives. Also, even though I might not respond to the email, I know it will be a joy to hear what’s happening back home and your words will not go unappreciated.

Thank you all so much, your prayers for safe travels this weekend would be most appreciated. The next time I post on here it should be from Brazil!

I got my visa!!!

No words... should've sent... a poet...

What a weekend, let me tell you! Joel, Erika and I were made honorary members of Joel’s brother-in-law’s extended family as we joined them for a family reunion/campout on some of the family’s property in southern Pennsylvania, right near the border with Maryland. What transpired there was a fantastic time filled with canoeing, ultimate frisbee and other games, lots of great food, and plenty of pyrotechnics. What’s not to like?!

Originally when we heard about the event we didn’t pursue it much because we were expecting to leave for Brazil this past weekend and thus would not be able to attend. However, when the word came through on the delay of our departure, Joel did some additional investigating and managed to get all of us invited to the campout! So we caught a ride down there on Saturday morning with Justin, Joel’s brother-in-law’s younger brother, arriving just in time for breakfast.

Rather than going into the Martin family tree, suffice it to say there were a lot of people there, at least 35 or so. Introductions, obviously, took a while, and we were still meeting new people the next day. After a fairly leisurely morning which involved learning names while throwing a frisbee around, a bunch of us piled into cars to head off for some canoeing. We unloaded the canoes from the various trucks and cars they were piled into/on top of and set off down the Conococheague Creek. It was a beautiful trip down a relatively calm river, we only encountered a few other people, and only ran aground a couple times, haha.

Dinner that night was another experience that was new to us…

It’s called Frogmore, and it’s basically a combination of meats and vegetables all cooked up and dumped on the table, and then everyone just eats whatever they want. We had corn, green beans, potatoes, shrimp, and kielbasa, not sure if I missed something else in there… It was delicious!

The next day was filled with more great food and fun games, and by that point we really felt like we were already a part of the family, it was wonderful. Everyone was so welcoming and gracious, not at all taken aback by the fact that we were kind of crashing their family reunion! Sunday morning we had a time of worship with the entire family, which was very cool. The main event of afternoon then was a trip to the park for a big game of ultimate frisbee. The sun was beating down on us, so I’m afraid we didn’t last too long between water breaks, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless!

The hammocks were a personal favorite spot of mine...

Had to get in some Euchre, of course!

Sunday night brought something which is near and dear to my heart… pyrotechnics! A campout just isn’t complete with some crazy uncles lighting things on fire. Case in point: a giant wire frame ball was filled with paper and firecrackers and attached to the tetherball pole, lit on fire, and thrown around. The wire then broke, so the flaming ball was then paraded around and twirled all around, exploding and bellowing flames the whole while. At this point I felt right at home with the Martin family, haha!

Nothing like a flaming tetherball...

The fire-related fun was by no means over after this, don’t worry! A brief fireworks show was followed by fun with sparklers and bottle rockets, all good things. A little later on in the evening I got to experience another new event while I immediately fell in love with: lighting a gasoline-soaked tennis ball on fire and throwing it around! Think hot potato, but with what essentially looks like a fireball. The thrill of catching and quickly releasing a fireball is tough to beat, and the only consequences were some nicely singed arm hair and strongly gasoline-smelling hands!

The tennis fireball coming to earth and bouncing upward again.

So, all in all an awesome weekend! We couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend our labor day weekend, with wonderful people having a great time. It was so nice to be immediately welcomed into the family, what a warm and caring group of people. It also offered the opportunity to forget all the visa-related hassles of the past couple weeks and just have a good time, which I think was much needed for all of us.

Tomorrow we should get work that Joel’s visa has been picked up and sent on its way, and I should be able to finally get my hands on mine, so it should be a good day. Then only a couple more days til we head out! Hooray!