Gimme a Spiderman egg!

Kids in Brazil don't get Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, the Easter Bunny is a relatively new thing. What kids get are giant chocolate Easter eggs. The eggs are normally hollow but have prizes inside. The eggs are themed. You can get Spiderman, Batman, Barbie, M&M, and a ton of other choices. Stores hang the chocolate eggs in the aisles of the stores. They aren't hung from the ceiling. Stores have special metal bars which are set up just for Easter. You have to walk under the eggs in your quest to find that special egg. There are hundreds and hundreds that unless you are short, ya gotta duck!

This year Wes wants Batman. Michael wants Spiderman. Rachel wanted one that I can't even begin to know how to spell, but it's good chocolate.

Kids wake up and find their chocolate eggs like American kids find an Easter basket. And in Brazil, there's no Easter Egg hunting. I mean, if there's no Easter Bunny, who would have hid the eggs?

Have you ever heard this voice?

You know that voice you hear when you arrive or leave Garulhos? (Garulhos is Sao Paulo's international airport.) It's the voice making announcements. "Varig flight 123 to Curitiba" or "Delta Air Lines flight 105 to Atlanta now boarding". To me, the voice sounds a bit like the computer voice on an episode of Star Trek. Remember the one where the computer goes wacko and the computer begins calling Captain Kirk, "dear"? It's got that kind of voice. It's so unusual and deep...and female.

This morning, I found out that it's not a computer but a real lady. I always told Melody that the voice was a computer. I should have listened to my wife. She was right.

If you've been here, you know what I'm talking about. The lady is Iris Lettieri. There is a website with her voice and history : http://www.irislettieri.com.br

We have a banana tree!

I love living in the tropics. Palm trees everywhere. It normally doesn't get really hot. The beach is just an hour away.

Melody and I have taken up a new hobby together. Usually each weekend we work in our garden. There are 3 areas to the garden. She's even planting squash in one part. It's not a small garden either so it's been fun to do this together.

This morning Michael and I went to the nursery and we bought a banana tree. No bananas on it yet but soon we should have an ample supply. I don't know. I just thought it was kinda cool.

I am my father's son

Until recently my day began around 6:00am. I normally don't even need an alarm. I just wake up. I get up and make the family their breakfast. The coffee gets brewed. Lunches for Wes and Rachel are made. Once everything is done I turn on channel 89 for BBC World News (that's only because Fox News is still rerunning their news from the day before) and read the morning paper. By 6:30, Bom Dia Sao Paulo is on so we can get the latest headlines from overnight and check the weather for the day. At 6:55 I load Wes and Rachel in the car and we head to the bus stop where they are picked up at 7:05. That's just our routine.

But one morning I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't go back to sleep for the remaining requirement of rest. So I turned on the tube and surfed to see just what was on that early. Whoa! M*A*S*H! It's in English with Portuguese subtitles. I'm hooked and even without an alarm I'm up by 5:30.

Still after it went off in 1983, it's one of the funniest shows around. Besides Andy Griffith, M*A*S*H was my dad's favorite. He too got up before dawn. Wait a minute...I'm up before dawn. I watch M*A*S*H. I must be my father's son. Kinda cool if you ask me.

RUUUUUUUN! It's a raid!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone likes to make a buck. I know I do. But I like to make a living legally. All throughout Sao Paulo folks set up stands selling things such as candy, cigarettes, toys, sunglasses, watches, flowers, pirated cds, pirated dvds and even pirated clothing. Why I could have bought the movie "The Passion" on dvd even before it made it to theatres here in Brazil! Talk about tempting. It was only about U$5.00! No, I didn't buy it.

Sometimes the cops do these raids. The police will all of a sudden appear out of nowhere and raid the streets. It's a sight to see these people gather up all their belongings in a flash. Most have things spread out on a sheet in the middle of the sidewalk ready to wrap it up and take off. Still others have their "stores" on wheels. Close up quick and take off!

Today I was coming out of a subway station. The subway here is called "the metro". I went into Habib's to get a hamburger and all of sudden I hear a lot of yelling. It's the cops. They're making a raid. These guys run so fast getting their things together before the police can catch them. However, one man was selling bogus baseball caps and clothing. They nabbed him. And it was a fight belive me. A fight broke out. People were yelling. Then the cops pulled their guns. It got quiet. The police rounded up the goods, took off with them and took the man in.

They only nabbed one guy, one out of many. I guess the others fled.

Funny thing is that after the raid? The vendors come back out and set up as if nothing happened. Business as usual til the next raid.

I so wanted to gripe!

The other day I was in Wal-Mart. I rushed through the store, getting the things I needed for weekend. Michael was done at school at 3 and I was in a major hurry. So, after getting my cart full, I find a line to get in, which is already backed up. I've never understood why here or in the USA these SuperCenters have 100+ lanes but the majority remain vacant. Anyway, there I am patiently waiting for the lady ahead of me to pay. It's 3:05 and Michael is waiting.

So, this girl comes up with 5 things in her hand and wants to go ahead of me. I tell her that I'm in a hurry and show her the fast lanes at the front of the store. you know the ones. She tells me she works there and knows about the lanes. I was puzzled. Next thing I know she goes behind the register and asks the cashier if he can check her out ahead of me. He lets here. Man, was I mad. Had I had time, I would have talked to the manager.

It's like the time we were in Wal-Mart in Memphis. We're in the "20 items or less" line. A lady in front of us clearly had more than 20 items in her cart. I call her on it. She quips back and says "20 of these things are mine and the rest are my friend's." Ohhhhhhhhhh man...those things just irritate me to death. She pays for it all at once. The thing is the cashier in both instances let them by.

I know. I know. I'm knitpicking and I need to get over it.

Horseback Riding, cooking out and swimming!

Yesterday missionaries that serve in Sao Paulo city got together in Atibaia. Atibaia is a small town located about 90" outside of Sampa. Atibaia is where the P's live. (I don't wanna give out last names.) Nolen P. is the Strategy Associate representing Brazil with the International Mission Board. All that means is he's the big gun for all of us in this region. He and his wife travel a lot all over the world. They invited us to their place for the day.

It's always fun to get with our colleagues. In recent months, the crew that serves Sao Paulo have gotten closer. We're taking more time out of our schedules to get together just for one. Saturday was one of those days. 4 families representing 14 people make up our neck of the woods.

The kids swam. Some of the kids, and even Shiela P. went horseback riding. When we got back, we ate, and ate, and ate. A churrasco (cook-out) is as common to the Brazilian as eating fast food is to the American. It was good to get together with our friends and it was great to get out of the city for the day.

Anyway, that was yesterday...

My kids have such a cool life...

This past week, Wes took a biology trip to some remote island. The beach is only about an hour away from Sao Paulo. I have no idea where this place is located but I wanna go. They spent 3 days in a jungle-like setting. They spent 3 days/2 nights exploring, hiking and doing experiments. At one point, they captured over 500 hermit crabs. Wes says they even swam with dolphins! His legs are covered with mosquito bites. He lost a pair of cargo pants in waist deep mud. He came up but his pants didn't! Oops.

Wes and Rachel are what the missionary world calls as "3rd Culture Kids". Our kids are 100% American but they are also 100% Brazilian. They come from 2 cultures. They've spent most of their lives here. They can't wait to get to the US and go to Target. Yet, after a few weeks in Disney (the USA), they're ready to get home, home to Brazil. Home is where their lives are really.

And then at school, they're surrounding by so many cultures. Paca is a small school yet there are Brazilians, Americans, Chileans, Koreans, Italians and others.

Wes and Rachel speak 2 lanuguages fluently. You should hear them talk with their friends. They'll begin a sentence in English, mix it with Portuguese and end it with English. It's like one language and they don't realize they're mixing the languages.

The teenage years are often times some of the hardest years we go through. But I think MKs come through with such a richer and fuller life than than most adults. My kids have such a cool life...

President Bush makes an official visit to Sao Paulo!

The leader of the free world arrives in Sao Paulo this afternoon. I doubt Americans who live in the USA have any clue what goes on prior to the arrival of our twice-elected president of the United States.

Several days ago 12 bullet-proof SUVs, the presidential cadillac, food, gasoline, and even toilet paper arrived in preparation for the First Lady and President Bush. Last night and today we'll see 250 secret service officers making their presence known around the areas where the President will be traveling.

Already streets are closed in the Morumbi area of town. Morumbi is where the Hilton Hotel is loacted, where the Bush's will be staying overnight. Morumbi is where the US Consulate is located as well. At the hotel tomorrow, Bush will meet with Brasilian President Lula.

Morumbi is a major business area of Sao Paulo. Here, international businesses such as Hewlett Packard, Nestle, Microsoft and others all have headquarters. Bom Dia Sao Paulo (Good Morning Sao Paulo) is reporting that if you work in the area, it'd be a better idea to bring lunch from home rather than try to venture out to a restaurant or one of 2 malls in the area for lunch. Security will be tight.

City crews are out today painting curbs, cutting grass and tearing down people's houses. They actually tore down a lady's house where she's lived for 15 years. Now granted it was a slum house but her home nonetheless. Ohhhh, she's mad. The city has also evicted families who live under overpasses in Kombis (VW vans) on the route where the President will pass.

We (Americans) have been told not to venture into the Morumbi part of town or downtown. In fact the consulate sent out a warning last night to Americans who live in Sao Paulo. Protests are planned against the President and against the war. Hitler is what he is known as to those who hate him.

Should be an interesting 2 days around here. Come on down!