Rhymes with Duck

Rhymes with Duck. 

Seriously, we are still using duck as a starting point for brainstorming rhyming words in teacher’s manuals?  You are telling me that there has been no feedback saying you could possibly use other animal names: cat, dog, bee (ok, but pee is way better and I would let kids write it in a poem) Curriculum writers really haven’t figured out that thinking of all the rhyming words for duck might lead to an awkward moment.  The phonics program I am using at least puts a note in the sidebar saying that all you have to do is gently and quietly tell the young master potty mouth that you won’t be writing their idea on the board because it doesn’t fit in with the theme of the silly animal poem you are writing.  As if that would solve all the problems.

Well yes Johnny, that word does rhyme with duck, but maybe we should save that one for when you are at home.  And no, let’s not put that in our rhyming poem today.  Yes, I know it makes sense and I am proud of your for remembering the ck at the end, but let’s all just pick a new animal.

I am a duck,

My name is Buck,

Here’s something strange, 

I like to  __uck.  

Cluck people!  Cluck!  Buck the duck likes to cluck!  

My finger smells like chocolate.

Since we are on the subject of context, yes, this student did say his finger smelled like chocolate.  Importantly, he did not say that what was on his finger looked like chocolate because that would be a totally different problem. In fact his pinky was covered by a splint because he broke it walking in the classroom, but that is a different story.  Now, despite his generous invitation to get right in there and sniff, I did not actually attempt to smell his finger, but I am going to guess that chocolate would not even be in the top five on a list of things a pinky in a finger splint would smell like.  That did not stop him from attempting to convince every other student in the room to smell his finger, which led to quite a lively debate over whether he had a chocolate finger or not.  I do appreciate that at least tried to follow safe masking procedures by putting his finger inside his friends masks so that they could have the whole sweatsock finger style experience in the privacy of their own mask.  And who says kids are not learning during this pandemic.  My class is learning a lot.

Do not sht in the classroom.

Speaking of learning a lot, we have been writing to solve problems we see around us and this is what one of my students wrote on his sign for the classroom this week.  And if you knew this student, you would be impressed by the amount of sounds in his words, his use of high frequency words, and the fact that he is writing longer words and using digraphs.  But, there is that pesky vowel sound missing in what I would consider to be the most important word in the sentence, which might lead to some confusion for the reader.  And yes of course it is displayed in a place of honor in our classroom where everyone can see it.  I even worked a picture of it into a presentation to the school leadership.  I have really enjoyed the look of surprise and/or horror on the faces of other adults at school when they read it.  Whenever possible, I ask the student to come over and read his sign to them.  He worked hard on his sign and he wants everyone to know that they should not shout in the classroom.  Hey, that /ow/ sound is tricky, give him a break.

Coming home.

Well, we have nine days of school left and about ninety, what feel like important, decisions to make on each of those days.  At school, we are eyebrow deep in report cards and comments, end of year student and staff celebrations, field trips, packing up our classrooms and what was that last thing, oh yeah, teaching.  At home we are in the midst of deciding what to bring back with us, other than dry erase markers, selling everything we don’t want to bring home, planning birthday parties, closing accounts, making travel plans for our last hurrah after school gets out, and slowly realizing that we are now doing things for the last time instead of the first time.  And being us, we waited until the absolute last minute to buy our tickets home, but at least we have them.  We officially start our journey back to Oregon on July 7th.  Airlines willing we will land in Redmond late on the 8th of July.  

Be safe, be happy, and be well, 

and for some of you, we will see you in six weeks,

Adam 

How do you say stool sample in Portuguese?

It has been kind of nice to hear from folks back home saying that they are excited to see us, but I am not sure you know exactly what you are in store for.  We are different people, and you should prepare yourselves.

The girls are now young women.  Lila just had her 12th birthday and is embracing the almost teen role with gusto.  They have both grown so much that Sara now has moved down to third place on the height chart in our family of four, and could easily be in last place by the time we get home.  Hannah has started painting, a lot, and has created some amazing art for her friends, and us.  Lila’s favorite activity is baking, which is extra impressive because our oven is so small you can only bake four cookies at a time.   Lila is learning the flute, and Hannah continues to play it, and Hannah is teaching herself guitar in the meantime.  They both are playing basketball and volleyball, and Lila is doing student council.  Hannah has braces, and Lila just cut off enough of her hair to donate for making wigs.  Hannah has her birthday in a month, so you will be looking at a 12 year old and 15 year old next time you see them.  If you are thinking, awww, cute, then I would recommend stopping reading at this point if you don’t want to lose that warm fuzzy feeling. It’s about to get real.

Because apparently too much time spent cloistered in isolation can also have some detrimental effects on social skills.  So as wonderful as they are, there may be some post Brazilian pandemic side effects that linger.  So I apologize in advance if they come to your house for any sort of meal.   If they do, I would recommend covering the floor with a tarp, or perhaps eating outside so at least the birds can scavenge afterwards.  I would not call them completely feral, but you just might call them that after they leave toilet paper in your trash can and don’t flush.  Maybe you will consider it a gift, like when a cat brings you a mouse.  It is gross and stinky, and somehow endearing.  I promise that they are not really trying to mark their territory.  And if they visit for long enough to use a brush or comb in your house, you will be gifted with enough hair on your floor to create an entire pet of your choosing.  Just the other day we sculpted a pair of Newfoundlands right there in the bathroom.  I am sorry.  And not that I always smell of roses, but eating outside might just be safer for all of your senses.  They do still know which feet their shoes go into and occasionally how to speak in full sentences, but just consider making sure your tetanus shots are updated by June.  I am sorry.  They are just a bit Covid feral.

And if you would like to spend time with my lovely wife, I hope that you enjoy the sunrise, because that is when she now gets up.   Once quarantine hit, her schedule somehow shifted to the opposite of our teenager.  Hannah, given her druthers, would go to sleep at midnight and sleep until ten.  Sara would go to bed at 8:00 and sleep until 4:00.  Lila and I split the difference,  which makes for a funny family schedule because it feels like there is only a small window when we are all awake at the same time.  Thankfully the living room in our apartment has an amazing sunrise view, so I often awake to another on of Sara’s incredible sunrise photos.  And then I go for a long bike ride, which puts me back just in time to wake Hannah up.  

Me, well, I haven’t actually given that too much thought.  Other things have taken priority, like learning the Portuguese words for stool sample.  Apparently the word sample can be translated to mean lab specimen, and also translated to mean the kind of sample you take of ice cream before you choose your flavor.   Explaining to the lovely person at the laboratory that you would like the ice cream style sample of your own feces would definitely cause some confusion.  Thankfully, that error was avoided, but it was a still an awkward conversation considering the topic.  My Portuguese has improved immensely, but trying to listen to and understand the twelve step process for this most humbling of donations was almost enough to short circuit my limited language skills.  Thankfully I did understand early in the conversation that I got to handle all of this back at my apartment and not in the laboratory bathroom.  And the instructions were printed on the packaging, so Google Translate and I were are able to continue to be best friends.  In the end, it was worth learning that I did not have some sort of Alien movie style parasite living inside me and just drank some bad water on our last beach trip.  And yes, I’m back to normal, whatever that is these days.

We have four more weeks of school now, and more to do than we have days for doing.  Oh well, that’s how we left the US, so it is fitting that we return in a similar manner.

Be safe, be happy, and be well,

Adam,        Hannah,  Sara,Lila (relative height order)

Twenty plus centimeters donated.

Before the donation.

Yes, they are all standing flat footed.

After the donation.

Lila from August 2019.  

Hannah and Lila in our kitchen now.  Look at the accent strip of tile above the stove.

Hannah and Lila in our kitchen when we arrived.  Look at the the same accent strip.

Pé na Areia.

Well, that was interesting.  I have never done anything like that before, and I really don’t need to do it again.  That kind of 36 hour international speed run can definitely go in the “been there, done that” category.  To sum it up, I survived and have one dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine on board.  Was taking four flights, renting a car on a Brazilian driver’s license because my Oregon one expired, driving six hours round trip to just find a shot, dragging Life Cereal and the supplies for S’mores through customs back to Brazil, changing airports in Sao Paolo on the way home and only eating one meal in the US worth it?  Yes, barely.  I am now almost three weeks post shot number one, and I will have to wait until we return to US this summer for shot number two, but at least I avoided getting Covid on the way to get my Covid shot.   Being on a near empty 777 on both flights between Sao Paolo to Miami certainly felt pretty safe, and bizarre at the same time.  I think a 777 holds more than 300 people, and neither of my flights had more than 50 people on them, flight crew included.  Four economy seats to yourself is still not a first class bed, but it was certainly nice to stretch out.

And it is May, which is always an exciting month for teachers because it means the end of the school year is coming.  We have five and a half weeks of school left and are allowed to stay in our apartment for at least two weeks after that, which means we are starting to think about exactly when we will return home.  It is strange to be leaving our new home to return to our old home.  There are a million things to do, both to end the school year, and to end our time here.  We have accounts to close, things to sell, birthdays to celebrate, people to say goodbye too, of course, places to still try to visit. 

Speaking of travel, we took another trip just last weekend.  Yes, April was crazy.  Rio for a three day weekend, then a 36 hour trip for me to Florida the next weekend, and then to Maracaipe for four days last weekend.  And yes, once again, we found a magical spot on the the Brazilian coast.  We flew out of Brasilia at 8:30 on Friday morning and were “pé na areia”, foot on sand, by noon.  Morning snorkeling trips to natural tide pools, breakfast by the beach, surfing, dune buggy rides, beach walks for sunset, and trips to see sea horses made for a busy, but amazing four days. Once again, I’ll let the pictures do the talking on this one.  

Today was our first real attempt at packing some stuff up.  One thing that won’t be coming home is many of the girls’ clothes.  They have grown so much,  and we have shopped so little, that their remaining clothes might fit in a backpack.  Luckily our friends have a daughter who loves hand me downs, so anything that has survived our girls is finding a new home.  And as far as Brazilian stuff, we haven’t collected that much new stuff down here to bring home, so it will be photos and memories that make up the majority of our souvenirs.  Having all the stores closed for most of our time down here has really helped us limit our shopping.  Even when the stores have been open, the idea of just wandering around stores and checking things out has not been super appealing.  

Our remaining time here is already starting to fly.  We are hoping to end healthy and have a few more adventures to remember before we find ourselves back in Oregon.  Last call for anyone who wants to join us on an adventure in Brazil!

And despite the insanity of everything, I am already realizing just how much these last two years have brought us.  We have had the chance to really live and be part of a country we didn’t really know much about before we came.  Brazil, with all it’s flaws, is a country of beautiful people and places.  I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but there is something wonderfully different about Brazil and Brazilians that I will always be grateful for having experienced.  

Happy May to everyone! 

Be safe, be happy, and be well,

Love from Brazil,

Adam, Sara, Hannah and Lila

Some of our fishy friends from the reef.  

We didn’t realize just how far out the reef was from shore when we went the first time.  It ended up being quite a walk/swim, but worth it.

Mr Grumpy Crab.  Can’t remember if that is genus or phylum.

More fish friends

Hannah miserable again.

Decided to take a sailboat and local guide back to the reef on day two.  Even better than day one.  And yes,  Lila loves that she is the only one that has to wear a life jacket!

That is Hannah and Lila in one of the pools.  The darker reef around the pool is in about three inches of water.

More fish friends.

Sara and Hannah make a sea star friend.  

Exploring the area by dune buggy.

My new friend Spike.  I am standing waist deep in one of the pools and you can see the dry reef behind me.  The reef is only exposed at low tide and then only for an hour or so before filling back in.

Surprise, it has been another crazy week!

You know you are having a strange day when you have to explain in Portuguese to a bewildered airline worker that the third flight on your reservation you are checking in for is a return flight.  The confusion is understandable when you are flying from Brazil to Miami and back in 36 hours.  

So let me see where to pick up.  Last time I posted, I had turned fifty and Brazil was in the dumpster as far as their Covid response is concerned.  Fast forward three weeks and not much has changed.  I am older, but that is actually a good thing because it means I am still alive and kicking.  Our state the Federal District has somehow maintained both incredibly high levels of new Covid cases and incredibly low levels of available beds to treat folks.  A one-two punch of suckiness.  It has gotten so bad that we are now only one degree separated from people who have died recently, and it feels like it won’t be long until we lose someone we know.  And yes, we are still in school in person, and no, it has not spread on campus yet.  We continue to play this most dangerous of games.  Oddly, our life day to day has not changed that much.  Outside of school, we socialize with just a few people, and only outside when we do.   We even decided to still go on our long weekend to Rio.  It was a strange decision to make in some ways, but it was also a cost/benefit decision.  We felt like the risk was worth it.  One major factor was that Rio has Covid much more under control than the Federal District.  And a year into doing it, we know how to travel as safely as possible.  Plus when your weekend is outside 90% of the time, it is easy to choose your exposure.  Rio was also on lockdown, which was probably a disappointment if you are into the nightlife and crowded social scene, but for us, it worked out great.  Bars and restaurants closed at 10:00.  No commercial operations were allowed on the beach, and parks and attractions were open at half capacity.  Basically, for Rio, it was empty, and awesome.  It has taken us almost to the end of our two years here to make it to Rio, but we might even try to go back before we leave.  It is just that incredible.  It is this massive city tucked into a coastal mountain range.  Nature is everywhere.  You can be at the most popular tourist attraction where millions of people come each year, well almost each year, and there are legitimate warnings to not step out into the jungle and off a cliff and to watch out for venomous snakes.  The jungle is as much a part of the city as the buildings and people are.  Like much of Brazil, it is hard to describe, but difficult to forget.  Yes, put it on your list of places to visit.  Pictures never do it justice, but I will try.  

As wonderful as it was to get away, it was hard to every really disconnect from Covid.  When teachers will get vaccinated is the big topic of daily discussion, and although we will qualify as resident teachers, there is no definite start date.   And it has been interesting because all of the Embassy staff has been vaccinated, but the State Department has refused to provide vaccines for the American teachers who teach the children of those families every day.  We were told to wait in the Brazilian line or fly home.  

So for the last week and throughout our trip to Rio,  my dad has been helping us work on options for returning to the US to get vaccinated.  And as of Monday morning, we finally had a plan.  I would fly to Miami on Wednesday, get a J&J shot on Thursday, fly back on Thursday night and be home on Friday morning.  Then Sara would repeat the same itinerary leaving Sunday night and getting back Tuesday morning.  Easy peasy.  Sara and I going at the same time really wasn’t an option unless we dragged the whole family.  Lila was convinced she and Hannah would be fine for a few days on their own if we left them some money, but Sara thought leaving them alone in a foreign country as we fly to another country might be too much.   And you can’t exactly have them stay with friends.  Who wants my children and all their potential Covid exposure for the weekend? So I scheduled my appointment, bought my tickets Monday morning, and was ready to roll.  Sara would buy her ticket when she got an appointment scheduled, which she could only do five days out.  Fast forward to Tuesday and all J&J shots are paused.  Damn.  What now?  Well, after spending too much time researching options and looking at efficacy rates of getting just one dose of a two shot regimen, and weighing all the plusses and minuses,  I find myself at the airport waiting on flight number two to Miami.  Sara may not be able to follow me next week, but we decided having one of us vaccinated was better than having neither of us vaccinated.  Should we get exposed, it will at least give one of us a chance to get less sick.  And clearly I am the dainty little flower in the family.  Or I am just more willing to take back to back red eyes and drive six hours between red eyes.  Either way, we felt like we could use all the protection we can get.  There have been too many horror stories down here of both parents being in the intensive care while their children are with god knows who.  So, here I am, now sitting in the international terminal in Sao Paolo awaiting takeoff for Miami.  It is going to be an interesting couple of days. 

Hopefully the next blog will be the boring story of how everything worked out smoothly and I am now vaccinated and back in Brasilia, but I’m not holding my breath.  

Be safe, be well, and be happy, 

International Adam

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

Do dogs understand elevators?

Do dogs understand elevators? If you were thinking that this is one of those cute questions five year olds ask, then you clearly are not living with a teenage girl in your home.  This was Hannah’s question, and while the greater discussion of just what goes on inside a dog’s head when they enter an elevator in one place, and then exit in a totally different place, is a much deeper topic than the statement might imply, it is also a fairly accurate representation of the inside of that kid’s head.  Our topics as of late have included whether or not a prom dress is appropriate for Zoom classes, answer is yes, the best way to teach a friend a TikTok dance when dealing with the delay in the music when video chatting, answer is giggle a lot, and whether hamsters have periods or not.  No answer on that last one yet.  Hannah says we should monitor Hammie for mood swings.  

And for the record, Hannah’s answer to the dog in the elevator was that the dog would see the doors open and think, “whoa, world changed!”. 

I return to in person instruction tomorrow, which is a good thing only because I am starting to run out of Zoom jokes.  The ones I have been using have taken on a life of their own, and not necessarily for the better.  We have a morning greeting on Zoom where we wave, fist bump, make silly faces, and my favorite, ride the elevator.  If you haven’t tried it, break it out, it’s a hoot.  My class loves pretending to push an elevator button and then sinking out of sight, waiting a second, and then slowly coming back into view.  Some of them are getting pretty good at it, and have even branched out to taking the stairs up and down, another classic.  Had I left it at that, all would have been good, but I decided to start bringing up random items that I had found in my “basement” when I took the elevator down.  Another good Zoom gag, but now my kids have started bringing up more and more elaborate items.  What started with stuffed animals has turned into full breakfasts, siblings, and whatever pet they are able to keep a hold of and out of sight until it is time for our morning greeting.  Except for the dad in his bath towel that somehow made it on screen, It has made for some lighter moments to start our day.  

However, I do not recommend stopping your Zoom class to suddenly exclaim, “oh no, _____ has turned invisible!” when someone gets out of their chair for too long.  That one has kind of backfired because now all they want to do is lay on the floor out of sight and yell, “Mister Adam, I’m invisible.”  I know, that one is on me.  But I can’t help it because I have one student who either just turns around or only makes it halfway off the screen.  Yes, I should be worried that he has not moved past the object permanence phase, but it makes me smile.

You might be thinking that the return to in person instruction is due in part to the Covid conditions in Brasilia improving.  You would be wrong.  Our numbers per 100,00 are in the high 40s, our ICU beds are still over 93% full, and seven hospitals in town have zero beds available.  We are now under a curfew from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.  In short, the current conditions in Brazil and Brasilia are setting daily records for being the worst they have ever been.  

So why are we going back?  In a nutshell, the leadership at our school decided that we would return to school the instant the governor allowed it, regardless of the Covid conditions in the community.  When asked, they stated that the only reason we would shut down, short of a government order, is if things get bad at our school.  They have decided that school is the best place to be, and the community is the worst place to be, despite the fact that it is exactly this same community that we are bringing back on campus.  Do I agree we should go back right now, no.  Do I feel like I have a voice, no.  Am I worried about going back, yes.  And considering just how devastated I was to be back on Zoom just ten days ago, for me to want to stay on Zoom for a few more days is saying something.  Interestingly in a town run on money and power, only the private schools have been allowed to reopen.  Public schools remain in distance learning.  We will leave that discussion for my interview with Oprah.

It’s late.  I’m going to bed.  I have a day full of Covid dodging ahead of me tomorrow and I want to be as rested as possible.

Be safe, be well, and be happy.

Love from Brazil,

Adam, Sara, Hannah, Lila and Hammie

Hammie monitoring me for mood swings.

Deja Don’t

At a staff meeting back in November, we watched a video of someone telling a story about a prisoner of war who made it through his experience by not allowing himself to imagine ever doing anything other than being in the prison camp.  According to him, others around him struggled, and even died, because they dared to hope that there would be an end to their imprisonment and so were constantly disappointed when freedom didn’t come.  This survivor said that after Christmas was always the hardest for those that hoped.  I think that the intent of the video was to help us gain perspective and to hear about the resilience of the human spirit, but unfortunately, in the middle of a pandemic it ended up feeling like we were being told that we would be much happier if we simply abandoned all hope.  I have been trying to find that balance between settling in for the pandemic long haul, and also holding onto the hope of the vaccine coming and changing our world.  Unfortunately, it looks like we are in for another pandemic prison camp Christmas down here.      

March 12th was the date last year when our city and state went into lockdown for the first time, with all non-essential business closed, schools included.  We have been slowly climbing out of that hole ever since.  We even made it back to in person instruction every other week in October, and Monday was to be the first time my class would come back to campus full time.  It was supposed to be the end of distance learning for my kindergarten kids.  No more parents sitting off screen whispering all the answers to their children, often incorrectly.  No more cats, dogs, sisters, brothers, and horses (true story) interrupting our Zoom classes.  No more kids falling off their stools.  No more kids wandering off and never coming back.  No more kids deciding five minutes into the lesson that they are tired, saying goodbye and logging off.  No more overdressed dads and underdressed moms.  No more frustrated students crumpling their papers and throwing them at the camera.  No more Zoom.  So yes, I had allowed some hope to creep into my life.  I planned my lessons for next week without creating a Google Slide show for a single day.  I had dreamed of using an actual physical book as I sat in front of my class.  Alas, it is not to be.  As of 12:01 AM Monday, our city and state return to a full closure of all non-essential businesses.   We return to Zoom.   

Why now you ask?  Statistically, it is a combination of a rise in the number of cases, the arrival of variants, and the lack of availability of intensive care beds, 98% full as of Friday.   Realistically, we think it is a combination of Carnaval gatherings, vaccine dreams, and pandemic fatigue.  And no, we have no idea how long this lockdown will last.  I could say that we hope it will be shorter than last time, but that would mean we are hoping, which I’m not quite ready to do again yet.  

I worry most about the girls, who had just started to have sports practice after school, and were feeling connected to real people again.   They are amazingly strong, but this one hurts.   So, we are spending this weekend pouting, planning, and dealing with our new, old reality.   At least we know what we are in for this time, and we know what we need to do to keep our sanity.  Takeout dinners, chocolate bars, and Netflix are proven winners.  If we can keep regular exercise and time outside on our schedule, we will make it through this bump.  

And because we feel like we know how to do it safely, we are still traveling.  We had a week break not long ago and we were able to spend it on the coast with friends, hiking, swimming, and surfing on amazing Brazilian beaches.  And we are planning a few long weekends before school ends to squeeze a few more destinations into our time here.  We still count ourselves among the lucky ones, and we continue to be grateful for our health, thankful for the experiences we continue to have here in Brazil, and “cautiously optimistic” that this lockdown will be shorter.

Be safe, be well, and be happy,

Adam, Sara, Hannah and Lila

Hannah finally got her wish, to hike in bare feet and her swimsuit in the middle of a torrential downpour.

Shallow rocks make for fun pictures.  This is Hannah enjoying the beach after the lightning had passed.

Same beach just around the corner 30 minutes after the storm.  

The next day’s hike.  We are headed all the way to that beach in the background.

There is a small chance that I convinced Lila to detour onto a random trail through a bamboo forest.  Clearly we made it back.

The term trail is used lightly.  This one dumped us onto the beach and left us with a kilometer of boulder hopping before we could head back into the jungle.

Yeah, the trail is just around that corner.

Lila loving every hop.

Hard to see, but there are four more people above Lila on the “trail”, which after the rocks, turned into a near vertical mud track.



This beach was definitely worth the hike, rocks, mud and all.



Lila catching a friendly wave on Itamambuca Beach.



Hannah catching a wave of her own.  That is my yellow board on the left.  It is actually much harder than you might think to get your board to stand up like that.  That would be called Hanging Zero.