May :)

Sorry it’s been ages since I’ve done a blog post, things have been hectic as ever especially as I head in to my last few weeks here in Recife. It’s pretty surreal to think that this time in three weeks I will be in Gloucestershire,  back in the land of cows and quietness and custard without all the crazy Recife traffic and the constant music and rice and beans.

The last few weeks

With Immy

So a few weeks ago now my lovely uni friend Immy came to visit, she’s working down south in Porto Alegre and I was so happy that she managed to make it up to Recife and that we got a chance to catch up. She experienced a fun jam-packed weekend of life with my Brazilian family and I’m amazed at how many places we managed to visit; from the beach to the old town, from a Christian music concert to a night out with my sister Clara and even a pancake restaurant with my friends after church. It was really lovely to be able to show her a bit of my life here and introduce her to my friends and family.

With Vicky!

A few hours after Immy went home we were back in the airport to pick up Vicky. Vicky spent 9 months here a couple of years ago, working in the same communities where I’m working and also living with my Brazilian family. We were both a bit nervous to meet each other as we’d heard so much about each other from the family, however we got on really well from the moment she arrived and it’s been amazing to get to know her and gain a new gringa sister!

At the circus

Another highlight of the last few weeks was a trip to the circus! We went as a family and also took the Dulce (a fellow volunteer at the project in Barra) and her family. It was a really fun night, although we were quite relieved there were no animals as last time my Brazilian Mum went to the circus a lion genuinely ate a child. Fortunately instead of ending in tragedy, this time the circus ended with free spaghetti for the audience (always good) and the whole company sitting down to eat on stage!

Two weekends ago it was Brazilian Mothers’ Day which meant a great chance to invite the families in Barra to a special service. The children sung (see the very poor quality video) and lots of gifts were given to mothers and it was lovely to see the parents so moved by their children’s words and the work that the project is doing in their lives. Afterwards I managed to catch the end of our own family’s mothers’ day celebrations, with a big breakfast in my Brazilian Granny’s flat (on floor 1 of our building) and a chance to give our Brazilian mum her presents.

This video gives a little glimpse of worship time with the kids at Barra, it always makes me smile a lot when I arrive in the morning to lots of singing and enthusiasm and even the occasional worship conga (as you can see in the video!) It always reminds how much I can learn from their enthusiasm and joy in singing and praising God!

Brigadeiro joy

In other Barra news we made brigadeiro last week. Brigadeiro is an amazing mix of condensed milk, chocolate powder and a bit of butter cooked together until it becomes caramelly and then put to cool so it sets a bit. It’s incredible and always makes an appearance at birthday parties (and in my case at many other times too!) I think the photos probably speak for themselves at how much the children enjoyed it!

With Diana, Erika and Evilásio

Another great thing from the past few weeks has been spending some quality time with Diana and Erika, two teenage girls from Porta Larga. When Immy was visiting my Brazilian Dad suggested inviting them to the christian music concert we were going to, which turned out to be a great idea. The band were amazing and there was a really good short talk and then afterwards we went to a Chinese restaurant. The girls were hilarious in the restaurant and got the giggles every time the waiter brought anything and we had a really fun night chatting and trying new foods. I’ve been reading a Christian book for teenage girls with Diana and Erika and it’s been really great to get a chance to chat about things like identity and appearance and making decisions. I also watched a bit of one of Erika’s volleyball lessons for the first time in a while (she’s enrolled in volleyball classes at the private school attached to my church) and was very proud to see her playing away! I’ve got big hopes for Rio 2016!

The World Cup!

On Saturday Georgia, Vicky and I went to see the World Cup (as in the trophy!) with our friend Rafa, who works for Coca Cola (who are sponsors) so managed to get tickets. It was very exciting and even involved a free photo and can of coke! Everything is getting very World Cup related, with flags appearing EVERYWHERE and bunting in the communities where I work – there’s even a token England flag up in our apartment now!

The last couple of weeks also seem to have been full of lots of birthdays, which means lots of cake and chances to meet up with friends and family, so has been great! Hope you are all well and Im very excited that I will be seeing lots of you very soon, although very sad at the idea of saying goodbyes here.