Happy Birthday to ME!

Well, I know that sounds kind of selfish, but I just turned 50, so you have to humor me now that I am old.   Oddly, there was a lot more celebrating this year than last year.  Last year on my birthday we were waiting and watching all the news in Brazil, and around the world.  That day, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic and in the same afternoon our school campus closed.  We were so distracted by everything that was happening that we basically skipped my birthday last year.  Am I saying that my family caused the pandemic because they ignored my birthday? No, but if you want to think that, I won’t stop you.  This year my family was determined to do better, so we celebrated with cake, presents, bike rides for me, and a day out hiking to waterfalls with friends.  They gave me two Elephant and Piggie books in Portuguese, a three month subscription for board game rentals at the neighborhood game store, and dry erase markers.  Yes, dry erase markers.  Brazil has the best ones ever.  They have really durable bullet point tips and a cartridge refill system so that when they run dry, you unscrew the back and switch out the cartridge.  Ok, I know.  Only teachers will appreciate that, but they are best.  And don’t even get me started on the paper clips down here.  Luckily, I already got those for Christmas.  Even my students helped out by making the near unanimous decision that I was turning 70.  I am not sure how to feel about that.  I mean, if I feel this good at 70, I will be ecstatic, because 50 isn’t too bad, but it could also just mean that they think I’m old.  

Unfortunately, we are already grasping on to the happy memories of just a few weeks ago.  Anyone who has been following the news knows that things down here in Brazil are bad.  Hospitals are full, medical supplies are running low, vaccines are few and far between, and new cases are through the roof.  We are breaking all sorts of bad records every day, most deaths, most people waiting for ICU beds, most new cases.  If it’s bad news, it’s Brazil.  Covid has been all around us for the past year, but it feels a bit like it’s closing in on us right now.  We have had four potential exposures as a family in the last two weeks, and my class is back on distance learning because a staff member was in our room and then tested positive.  As much as I hate Zoom, I will not complain because it lowers my exposure, and hence our family’s, at least for a few days.  I won’t say that it feels inevitable that we will catch Covid, but as long as we keep going to school in person, we will not be surprised.

And oddly, this is the first time it has felt like we are in the wrong place.  Sure, there have been ups and downs this whole time, but it has felt like either Brazil or the US could be the place to be at any given time. At Christmas we were actually feeling lucky to be here instead of the United States, and things felt pretty equal into February.   Now, not so much.  This is no longer two similar countries each on their own roller coaster.  This is two ships passing in the night, and we are on the one that is sinking.  Brazil, a place I now love, is botching it all badly.  

Could the power of a good birthday be the key to turning this all around? If so, we did pretty well down here all things considered, and you can give Sara and the girls all the credit you want if things improve.

Be safe, be happy, and be well!  

And yes, we are trying to follow those instructions ourselves right now.

Lots of love,

Adam, Sara, Lila and Hannah