POPTARTS! Oh, the dollar must really be weak. :(

It's fun to walk into the local grocery store and find American goodies you don't normally find. Such has been the case since we got back home in January. Wow! Macaroni and Cheese! Pop Tarts! Hershey's Chocolate Syrup! Fruity Pebbles!

I'm glad my kids don't like going to the grocery. Melody almost fainted when she read the prices:

Macaroni and Cheese, U$2.50 a box
Pop Tarts, U$6.00 for a package of 2
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, U$8.00 a bottle
Fruity Pebbles, U$10.00 a box

When the dollar goes weak, the stores buy these items. Prices are high even by Brasilian standards. Still, fun to see the oddities like Pop Tarts "pop" up on the shelves. Fun to see but they'll not find their way into our buggy. And we'll be sure to keep the kids clear from the grocery for some time now!

Well, we enjoyed the calm for a few days anyway...

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Police raided Rio de Janeiro's City of God slum looking for attackers who wounded two officers early on Wednesday, just hours before the winner of Rio's otherwise peaceful Carnival was to be announced.

One officer was wounded in the head during the raid, police said. In another slum before dawn, a police patrol came under attack and two suspects were shot in a standoff. The incidents marked a return to a routine of violence in the beautiful, but crime-ridden, city.

Strong policing during the festival and a general spirit of joy had provided for a calm Carnival in Rio. Preparations last week for the world famous Carnival jamborees had been marred by frequent gun fights between drug traffickers, vigilantes and police.

The city is still teeming with hundreds of thousands of tourists who came to watch two nights of dazzling parades by top samba troupes and take part in raucous street processions.
Wednesday is a partial holiday in Brazil and most Rio residents stayed away from work completely to watch the televised awards ceremony for the best samba school of the year.
Many celebrated at home and in bars as judges named Beija-Flor (Humming Bird) the winner for its extravaganza about Brazil's African roots and African influences in other countries.
Beija-Flor and 12 other top samba clubs competed in the 70,000-seat Sambadrome on Sunday and Monday nights in a globally televised pageant with lavish floats, bright costumes and near-naked beauty queens in feathered headdresses.

The schools were judged by their floats, costumes, dancing, overall enthusiasm, song lyrics and other criteria.

In Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo, which also holds lavish Carnival parades, celebrations at the training grounds of the winning samba school ended in an ugly brawl on Tuesday and police had to cut the party short.

Although Carnival officially ends on Ash Wednesday and is followed by a period of Lent and penitence in the world's biggest Roman Catholic country, some street processions of irreverent merry-makers will continue blasting out their samba tunes, dancing and drinking for a few days.
On Saturday night, six top-rated samba schools will hit the Sambadrome venue again for the all-night Champions' Parade.

Even Wal-Mart celebrates Carnaval!

What you are about to read may be offensive. So, I've warned you.

Today, Melody, Michael and I went grocery shopping. The best and cheapest place around is Wal-Mart. But, the only thing that a Wal-Mart in Brasil has in common with those in the USA is donuts. No, really. That's it. Oh yeah, we found Hunt's ketchup today.

It's Carnaval weekend/week. It'll be celebrated til Tuesday night. Festivities include loud music while partying in the streets, drinking til drunk, and well, sex. As we left Wal-Mart today, Melody and I were both handed free condoms.

Happy Carnaval from Wal-Mart!

It's Carnaval!

When we moved here nearly 12 years ago, I had no idea anything could be larger than Christmas. Carnaval is. In Brasil, Christmas is fun. It's a holiday. It's a thang. But Carnaval is what most in Brasil live for.

It's difficult to describe Carnaval. Mardi Gras is kids play compared to this. There are parades and parties which last through the night. School is closed til Thursday of next week. The media reports that nearly 2,000,000 cars will leave the city. That's cars. Then, if you average 3 people per car...6,000,000 PEOPLE leave Sao Paulo and head for the beaches or mountains. THIS is Brasil.

Anyway, Samba schools participate in overnight parades. The schools are judged and awards are given Wednesday morning. Parades begin on live television beginning at 11pm and go til 7am. But these parades are not like George Washington standing there and waving. These floats are some of the most elaborate floats you'll ever see.

In northeast Brasil, it's called "The People's Carnaval". In the south, people take vacation time and participate indirectly with parties at home, or get away for a few days. In Salvador, in the northeast, it lasts all day, all night with parties, loud music, and in the streets. The parades, which are not like those in Sao Paulo or Rio, are lead by huge 18 wheelers with gigantic speakers all around, musicians and dancers on top of the trucks, and folks dancing in the streets following the trucks.

People say the best time to stay in Sao Paulo is during holidays. They're right. Traffic is light and I get 6 days with my family. Come Thursday, everyone is back, it's time to "straighten up", and life gets back to normal...til next year.

One of those, "UGH!" days

Yesterday was one of "those" days. We haven't been back from furlough but a couple of weeks but yesterday was my first day to get into REAL traffic. I was on my way to Mackenzie. Normally, it may take me an hour max by car, 2 hours by subway. Yesterday it took me almost 2 hours by car. I was getting frustrated. Cars zooming in and out. Taxis owning the road. Motorcyclists thinking their invincible. I got so tired of hearing Memphians tell me how bad traffic is on Germantown Parkway. Please. Come to Sao Paulo and let me show you traffic.

I get on campus and the first thing one of the students says to me is, "Chris! Voce engordou!"or, "Chris! You got fat!" Brasilians are nortorius for being truthful. That's kinda ironic because as Americans, we'd never say that. But you know you'd want to hear the truth. I knew I had gained 10 pounds. Anyway, he wasn't being mean. It was just a fact, and that's the way Brasilians can be.

Then, I met with Felipe, Joao and Erika. We're there for lunch. It's the first time I've met Erika. She looks at me and says in Portuguese, "Wow, 12 years in Brasil and you STILL have an accent. Wow." Ever wanna just slap someone? I didn't but I sure felt like it. Great meeting though, in spite of being fat with an accent.

Then, it was back in traffic. It took me 90" to get home. I wasn't mentally ready to take the plunge yesterday. Didn't give a second thought. I've driven in this city for over 4 years. I thought it'd be like riding a bicycle. It's more like running everyday for months, taking a break and then trying to pick up where you left off. Takes time to get back into it.

Speaking of running, that's where I'm going now. I'm fat but I won't speak to anyone along the way!

The Middle Ages

While on furlough, or STAS (STateside ASsignment) as the International Mission Board nows refer to it, something happened. I got reading glasses.

I had been doing so well. I've worn contacts since 8th grade. I wear them for distance. My prescription hasn't really changed since 1978 when I got my first pair. In fact, the doc said my vision has gotten a tiny bit better, distance-wise. Of course that's easy to say when you're practically blind without the lenses.

But I began to notice that what I was making fun of Melody doing, I was now doing. I read my Bible, and anything else, at arm's length. Man, this stinks. I always thought it'd be fun though to have the half frames, you know, to look up with your glasses halfway down on your nose? I always thought it made people look wise. I know better now. It's just a facade. Ya just can't read!

So, now at 43 I've lost hearing in my left ear, the hair on top of my head is escaping, and now reading glasses. Is it mid-life crises time? Can I buy my 2007 covertible Mustang now?

Here's a tip for ya, buddy

In the US ya gotta do the math when it comes to tipping. I've heard from all sorts of people how they decide how much they'll leave their server. One person will leave say a U$20 bill on the table and if he gets good service, it'll stay. If not, the amount diminishes. Some, keep an eye on their watch gaging time from ordering to delivering food to the table. Me? I tend to watch my ice tea glass. If it stays full, then I know my server is keeping a close eye on the table and taking care of us. Most of those who wait tables are college age and they depend on the tip.

Here in Brasil, no math is involved. No gaging tactics. Whether you like the service or food, 10% is added to the total bill. A whopping 10%. It's easier here though I don't think it's fair. Sometimes you have great servers who deserve 15%-20%. Others, I wouldn't give them 5%. Anyway, just a difference between our 2 countries and one I have to remember when we go back...include a tip.

Which brings me to something that just really chaps my hide. It drives me nuts these places like TCBY, Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery. They have these tip boxes. You know, I don't tip the Taco Bell employee who makes me stand at a counter while they prepare the food for me. So, why should I tip someone for making me a cup of coffee?

Okay, off that...my point is this...just showing the difference in cultures in tipping. Why I thought of that, I don't know.

Back to blogging! February 5, 2007

Well, we meet again. My blog history tells me that I haven't posted since the end of November. That's pretty sad. I'll try to do better. The purpose of my blog is to give folks who pray for us an better view of what missionary life is like. In our E-News that is sent out each week, I touch on how God has answered prayers and how you can pray for us. The blog is an attempt to go a bit deeper with our family and our ministry, basically everyday life.

So, I'll back up to the first of December. Our family had the best 3 days in London, England. We went to The Tower of London, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, rode a double-decker bus, rode the tube, visited the National Gallery, strolled through Herrod's and a bunch of a lot of other things. I think the most incredible place we visited was the Imperial War Museum. If you're ever in London...go! I couldn't believe the place was free. It gave me and the rest of us such a better appreciation of those who have fought for freedom on both sides of the pond. There were tanks, planes, shows, uniforms, everything you can imagine about war. It brought war to reality. Outside there was even part of the Berlin Wall. That gave me chills.

The sun goes down pretty early. It was getting dark around 3:30pm each afternoon. One evening we were pretty tired but not ready to go back to the hotel. The hotel was actually a hostile for missionaries which is pretty impressive. Anyway, Wes really wanted to go see "Casino Royale". So, I took Wes and Rachel. Melody took Michael to see "Happy Feet". We were in Picadilly Circus where there are several movie theatres. The kids and I get in line, pay for tickets, get seated and then I realized just how much I paid for the tickets...U$24.00 a piece! OUCH! I didn't really care. Seeing James Bond in London was cool.

While in that area of town, a movie primeire was going on. We got to see Ewan McGreggor and some actress whose name escapes me. The movie is called something like "Miss Potter". I didn't keep track.

Oh yeah, we had the best fried chicken from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant run by Indians. I felt bad that Melody never got her fish and chips but I took her to Red Lobster when we got to the US.

And, I finally got to ride my first 747-400. Man, is that huge plane. BIG! It was great. And, British Airways is amazing. The plane originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Not many originated in Sao Paulo and we thought the plane would be empty. Wrong! Most folks got on board in Buenos Aires! But there was legroom and Michael enjoyed having his own tv where he watched cartoons all night long.

So, this is a new beginning. That was our trip to London. Lots more to tell, but this got long.