And no, I'm not pregnant. Today we have been in Brazil an official three months. Today is Monday and David is in Buenos Aires on business, our apartment is still empty (but much cleaner), the kids both got on the bus with smiles on their faces, and the sun is breaking through the smog.
Today it is Fall in Sao Paulo, opposite of Spring in the North. This seems to be the hardest adjustment for me to make so far. My psyche is wired for a rebirth about now, everything coming back to life. Instead, the birds are migrating to Florida, the stores are filled with wool, fur, and boots, and brasileiros are making plans for their Winter vacations. We've prepared by buying the kids their uniform sweatshirts, anoraks, and long pants. They both looked at the coats like we were crazy, as we've really not needed anything more than short sleeves since we've been here. So far the season change has brought more sunshine and less rain.
Wednesday we have our first official parent/teacher meetings at the school. I usually look forward to a one-on-one where the teachers praise Aidan and Camryn's talents and behavior and I ask for more challenging work to keep the boredom at bay. This time, I have no idea what to expect. St. Francis is an International Baccalaureate Organization, IBO for short. Aidan has had almost no homework other than reading. When I ask him if school is harder or easier, he says it's about the same, other than math. They started with division this term, which is a little harder when you've never learned to multiply (according to Aidan). Do you think? In the States, they were to start multiplication after Christmas. The children here have also been using handwriting since first grade. Aidan was just learning cursive when we left. The one thing I do know, is his reading level is finally on target. They do not assign a classroom reading book, but allow each child to read at their own level, which is late sixth grade for Aidan. What a difference that small change has made. As far as Camryn, she has blossomed as an early reader and artist. Her drawing skills are amazing. She also seems to be thriving in music, singing song after song learned in music class. On the negative side, they've both picked up bad habits too. Mostly fighting with each other to get their way and swearing, which is a novelty for Brazilian kids here. They want to learn the bad English words and hear sweet little girls say them. I about died (of mortification and then suffocation stifling my laugh) when Camryn used F*&% to mimick the F sound when we were studying. She had no idea what she said.
As school winds down, plans for our long winter break have been made and the kids and I will spend the majority of it in Michigan, visiting family, shopping, and house hunting. Yes, we will be hopefully buying a home in Milford that we will vacation at and then live in when we eventually return to the States. We're also fitting in a side trip to Mackinaw Island once David joins us at the end of July. In the meantime, we're taking a quick beach trip with our Sao Paulo friends to Ubatuba and then spending Easter at an inland golf resort. We all need a comfortable bed, a soft couch and carpeting under our feet for a couple of days.
After three months, I'd like to think the honeymoon period is over and we actually do love Brazil, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop and the sadness to creep in. I do have my days, wishing things were different, but that mostly has to do with David's long hours and having none of our things.
As we enter this next stage of Brazilian life, the nervous excitement has calmed, the Portuguese has advanced enough to have primitive conversations, and the circle of friends has expanded and deepened. We leave for the States on June 23rd for 45 days, at which point I'm hoping Brazil feels like a place we want to come back to, like it really is our home. I've felt like I belonged here from the very beginning. There's something so perfect about being called Mamai, Camryn begging for mango as her snack, David mixing up Caipirihinas on a Saturday night, and Aidan's two good friends being Louis Phillipe and Julio. Anything else would be a little too ordinary. Now if I can just get used to the idea of wearing knee high boots and sweaters in June, the rest should be a piece of cake.
Just a little note: Winter officially starts here at the end of June, we are leaving for MI at the end of June. Spring begins in September. So essentially I will have managed to dodge Winter in both the Northern hemisphere Southern Hemisphere. Happy Spring where ever you are. Renewal is a state of mind.
