"Caju" - Cashew Fruit Experience

Cashew fruit - "Caju"

Well, my "tomorrow" turned out to be more than a week later... too much going on.  I've already left Salvador... but as promised, I'll share what I didn't like.  It was the cashew fruit.  Who knew such a delicious juice and a delicious nut could have such a disgusting taste??  The fruit was super juicy, but it was so weird, because it left a sort of sticky thing on my tongue and teeth.  It's hard to explain, but it just was something that would not "wash out".  Super awful.  Débora kept telling me beforehand that it was disgusting, and for me not to bother, but since she doesn't even like the juice, and I love it, I still wanted to try the fruit, cause I thought she thought that because she didn't like the juice.  Oh well... "to do the what?"  Of course, when I told my mom that I had tried the cashew fruit, she told me, "Oh, that's not a good fruit to eat, that's just good to make juice."  Nice.  Wish I had known that info beforehand.  Either way, I'm glad I tried it.  Now I got that out of my system!  I won't be eating it again anytime soon, and I don't recommend anyone eating it either, unless you feel the need to have a sticky, gross, slimy feeling on your teeth and tongue. However, if you want to try something delicious, go ahead and have the cashew fruit juice or eat some cashews.  You can't go wrong with that!! :0)

I'm smiling now, but that's cause I haven't tasted it!!!!

Sticky teeth and tongue!!!!!!!!!!

"Bread Delicious"

Well, time keeps passing by, and I haven't had a chance to blog... 

I've still been eating, however... haha, as if there was any doubt.  

Today's picture is of a type of bread that I had never eaten before.  It's Debinha's favorite type.  It's called "Pão Delícia", or "Bread Delicious".  She told me that it has to be cooked on a double boiler, that's how it keeps its very light color.  The top has parmesan cheese on it.  

There is more than one type--either plain or with cream inside of it.  

The one in the picture is plain, and it is DELICIOUS, just like its name!

Stay tuned, because tomorrow I will try to post about something I ate that I had been dying to try, that I didn't like... yes, believe it or not, there was something I ate that was not good... 

at least I didn't like it. 

Taking pictures

Instead of posting about food today, I'll share a few thoughts...

When you're traveling with someone, and you're sightseeing, sometimes you want to take a picture with the other person, instead of having only pictures of you by yourself, and the other person by themselves...  Even if you're with a group, sometimes you want the whole group, and not just part of the group.  When I went on vacation a while back with Stacey, Patrick, and Jill, Patrick had an interesting theory.  He said we needed to look for someone who looked like they knew how to take pictures, and then we'd be set, every time we wanted to take a photo of the 4 of us.  That worked out well for us, we'd check out the crowd and pick out someone who had a nice camera, etc, and they would take a pretty good picture.  However... this theory does not work quite well here, because instead of looking for someone who knows how to take pictures, we have to look for someone who looks like they will not steal our camera... which means... for the most part, we get horrible pictures when we have to ask someone to take our picture.  I mean, seriously!??!  It's as if some people have never held a camera in their life...  Is it possible that you can include part of us in the picture, you know, half our bodies and the background, instead of taking a shot of our whole bodies, and ignoring the beautiful background??

  

One of several examples of "wonderful" shots...

As if that wasn't enough... yesterday, when I asked a lady if she could take our picture, and I offered to take a picture of her with her friend , she chose to ignore me completely, as if I were the criminal... I was about to speak to her in another language, cause I thought maybe she didn't understand me, when she finally asked her friend if she wanted a picture and then took our picture, somewhat cautiously. How weird... to each his own, I guess...

Okay, now that that's out of my system... I'll return to food posts soon. :0)

Vacation rocks!

Since I keep posting about food, today I decided to post "different" things.  One of the great things about Brasil is the availability of drinking different types of fresh juice, made from the real fruit.  Pictured above is passion fruit juice and Swiss lemonade.  It was delicious!  The other picture is of a few of the many types of popsicles available... tapioca, peanut, and guave and coconut.  I tried the peanut and the tapioca, but I must say... chocolate is still the winner in ice cream for me!

Of course, I wouldn't be having half as much fun if I weren't enjoying it all with my best friend!

Praise God for giving us this vacation together!

(Pictured behind us the the "Cidade Baixa and Cidade Alta"... the lower and upper city of Salvador.)

Coxinha e Crepe

Coisas do Perini

 Coxinha e guaraná

Crepe

This is a place that has some things that are delicious--it's one of the best coxinhas I've ever eaten.

They also had a delicious crepe.  The food fest continues... thank God we're doing a lot of walking here too, or else...

Here's a view of what I saw while we were walking home from this Pereni place...

Beach in Bahia

We went to the beach yesterday, and the beach here is quite a different experience... people come left and right trying to sell stuff, and some of the stuff are delicious things to eat...  one of them was this cheese that we bought.  Anyone who knows me knows that this was a type of heaven on earth for me, because...

 I LOVE CHEESE!!

We also go to have coconut water right off the coconut... 

Ahhhh... the beauty of vacation.

 

Queijo coalho assado (com ou sem oregano) na brasa, na hora.

(A type of cheese that is roasted right in front of us, on the beach...)

This was part of what our view was like at "Praia do Flamengo". 

 (As a side note... it's winter here in Salvador, Bahia, Brasil, 

and the temperature yesterday was 31 degrees celcius, 

 which is 88 degrees farenheit!!!)

Breakfast in Bahia

 Typical Breakfast in Bahia... All types of bread (cheese bread, corn bread, french rolls, etc), and fried plantains with sugar and cinnamon and sweet potatoes.  YUM!  I love it!  The food fest continues...

Let the food and travel fun begin!!!!!!

Well...
Where to begin??  I haven't blogged in more than 3 years, but after my sister and a few others (especially my sister) insisted... I decided to blog again.  Maybe this will be more of a travel/food blog from now on, I'm not sure... but for now, I'm including a picture of an "ACARAJÉ" which is a very typical food from Salvador.  The dough is made from beans, and here in the picture you can see that it's filled with shrimp, a green tomato salad, and "vatapá".  This one apparently wasn't as good as it is in other places, because it is too "doughy"... so I will try it from somewhere else to compare.  It was quite interesting though, and actually completely different than what I expected it to be, especially the way it was served...
More food awaits... ah, the beauty of eating... and of traveling!  Til next time... and let's hope it doesn't take me 3 years to post again!!!

A New Experience

Well, once again, it's been forever since I've blogged. I was looking at some of my past blogs, and what can I say?? This year my kids have not been as exciting... definitely no leeches this year. I barely get a hug, maybe. Go figure... different personalities, I guess!! Anyway, that's okay. For the most part, they're not driving me insane, at least. Not perfect kids, but they're okay. The parents at least seem to read the newsletters, etc. So, that's a plus...

Anyway, since my kids are not that exciting, I figured I'd write about something else. I missed all the holidays, my birthday... usually things I post about. Oh well. The exciting thing that is going on right now is that I'm reading the entire Bible in a year. Our church is doing it as a project, and it's been an amazing experience. We started with the New Testament, and we're reading the Old Testament now. This week we finish Exodus, and start Leviticus. We started in October, I believe. It's definitely been a growing experience for me. For one thing, I've started reading the Bible every day during my break at work. I find that my head is much clearer in that time than at night, when I used to read it. I can really focus, etc. Another fun thing has been to talk to others about what we've read. Me and my best friend have had several discussions on what we were reading, discussing what we thought, what it meant, etc. Also, in our Sunday School class and during the service, we've had opportunities to share things we learned, what we were experiencing, etc. I must admit, there were a few parts which were harder than others to read. And I know we still have a long way to go. But one thing I'm sure of is that God is definitely speaking to me through this experience, and I'm sure it's one I'll remember for the rest of my life!! Thank God He's real. He's always speaking to me. I can't wait to hear what else He wants to tell me and teach me. I'm looking forward to it!! Thank God we started this project!

Corn Fields

Last weekend I went to visit Glaucia, Fabio, Willik, and Phoenix. It was fun to see them all, especially because I hadn't seen them since we got back from Florida. It's weird to think that they live out of NYC now, when they've been here so long. For some reason though, all I can think of is corn fields when I think of the area where they live. People keep asking me, What did you see? What did you do? And well, we hung out. We enjoyed each other's company. We saw corn fields. We cooked. We ate. We went to the supermarket. And we saw corn fields... hahaha. Besides that, I saw a few horses, a few cows, and a few sheep. And then more corn fields. On my way home, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, following the directions precisely as I got them from google maps. I think in some areas where I was driving, I must have been the only car around for miles... I saw corn fields, a house here and there, lots of grass and trees, a really pretty river, a cemetery, and you guessed it--more corn fields. Needless to say, it is WAY different than NY. And as I drove around Manhattan the next day with Débora, telling her about the corn fields, when a cab cut me off, someone crossed the street right in front of the car, lights turned red all of a sudden, people honked, and etc, etc, etc, (all the things that you deal with as you drive around in the city), I couldn't help but think--Man, I love this city! I love NY!! I didn't even mind the amount of cabs that were around me, because at least there were cars around. Don't get me wrong--it was great to see the family, and it's a nice relaxing town. But... what can I say?? I'm a city girl!! A total New Yorker!! And it was confirmed once again as I visited my sister. But, I guess when I want a break from it all, it will be nice to go there again and see all the corn fields, and enjoy some of the delicious corn that's out there... Til then, when a cab cuts me off I'll try to remember that I could be looking at a corn field instead, and maybe that will make me feel better about it... haha.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up...

You know, it's funny. I would like to understand why certain things happen to me that just don't seem possible or likely...

So, I'm about to carry a plate to the living room. I'm trying to balance a fork and a knife on top of the plate (it's a dessert plate, and I have part of a cinnabon on it)... anyway, I have that on one hand, and a little mug with coffee on the other. Well, as I'm about to walk to the living room, the fork falls out of the plate. My mom says to me, did it fall on you? And I say, yes, look at my big toe--there's icing on it. But, I also felt pain. Not only did the fork fall right on me, it fell in a way that it stabbed me on the big toe. So I clean the icing off, and then I notice that there's blood coming out. Does that seem possible?? A fork falls from my plate--it goes on my foot, and stabs me enough that there's blood gushing out... so I had to put a band-aid on it, after wiping it a couple of times and putting some Brazilian medicine on it. But I just don't get it... why? Why?? Does that kind of stuff just happen to me??

I guess it's a good thing I like band-aids!!

Parking Meter & Other Nonsense

Well, for all who know me well, and have been to my house, you know I've had that parking meter in my room for some time, filling it with coins... well, now it's pretty full, and I decided I'm gonna count it... who wants to guess how much is there?? Maybe there will be a prize for whoever is the closest guess... but the prize will not be the cash, sorry!!! That will be for my camera!!!
Anyway, today was the last day of school. It was my last day with those kids. I can't say I feel any different, but I think it's because it hasn't hit me yet. Wow! No more Class B this year, no more 8 to 5 schedule... whatever will I do with my time???? Hahaha... I'm sure I'll find something... sleep=first priority!! I'm really gonna miss some of those kids, and notice I said some!!! For one thing, I'll miss all that talking and all that lovin'...
I AM looking forward to my summer though. As a matter of fact, I can't wait!!

It was bound to happen...

Well, it finally happened... I lost my voice. I figured it would happen before the school year was over. I just found it ironic that it had to happen when I wasn't even with the kids!!! I think my voice missed talking to the kids this past week, and that's why I lost it--hahaha. Because of lack of use! Actually, I guess it was the weather change that got me...
The kids were so cute, as usual, though, when I went in yesterday. I got all sorts of great comments from them such as:

• "You're gonna talk different now, Ms. Raquel?"
  
• "You have to drink water so your voice will come back..."
• "You sound like a man now..."
• "We're gonna take care of you so that you can be better."
  

All that was great... except for when they weren't listening later, and made me "yell" (yeah right!) at them at nap time. I wanted to laugh as I was "yelling" because I sounded crazy. Oh well... I think that made me worse!!! So, today I'm home. If I'm there, I just can't not use my voice. A teacher without her voice is just useless!!! Especially for the preK class. It's just too much!!!
Anyway, I have to find a way of being productive here at home now. Let's see if I can work on my slide show for the end of the year. Maybe God is giving me this opportunity to really move forward with that!! I just don't want to get sick. I need my voice back!!! I talked to Ms. Lupe for a bit on the phone today and she said to me, "You must really be suffering. I know you love to talk." Hahaha... she's got it right! God knows this is pretty much one of the only ways to get me to shut up!! And even with no voice, it's difficult!!!!!

If they're not vacuums, what are they then??

Wow...

It's been a while since I've blogged. And Fab, no, I don't think they are a vacuum anymore... I've been meaning to post for a while already, but never did get around to it. Well, now my parents are in Brasil, I'm over a stomach virus, it's Saturday afternoon, it's raining outside, the boys are here next to me watching some weird cartoon thing, Glaucia's cooking in the kitchen... I think I've finished most of my errands and chores for the day, so here I go...

Well, let's see. A friend of mine asked me, "If your kids are not a vacuum anymore, what are they?" And I answered, almost without thinking, "They are leeches!" I'm serious! Can you believe it?? Actually, it's funny to think about how my year has gone. I started out not really happy with this class, missing my old one. That feeling sort of continued as the year went on... (Hey, what can I say?? I had a great class last year!!!) But now I can honestly say I really love these kids! Not only that. I love the class as a whole! I love the different combinations, I love being there with them at all times of the day, for all sorts of meals, for nap and all that. I mean, don't get me wrong--I still "hate" that time. But at the same time, it's an important time to be there for them, and I'm happy to experience that with them. Maybe the reason I'm loving them IS because I'm spending most of my time with them, who knows????

But, the reason (I think) I said that they have have become leeches is in the sense that they just have become sort of "obsessed" with me. I mean that in sort of a good way!? Let me try to explain. Well, I have this one little girl who tells me at least 2 or 3 times minimum that I'm her favorite person. She started with this a while ago, I don't remember the exact day. Well, she's not quiet about it--she says it nice and loud, and in front of anyone. She doesn't care. She says it even when she gets in trouble. This doesn't even include her telling me she wants me to live with her, visit her, sit next to her, etc., or asking about me when I leave the room for a second, when I'm absent, etc. Anyway, some time after she started saying that, several other kids have started up with that as well. Except, they say "You're my favorite teacher" or things of the like. I gotta say, it's a nice feeling most of the time, except when I feel sort of bad for Ms. Lupe or Anna, who they don't say that to. Oh well, what can I do, right? I think it's just from being with me all day long--I mean who wouldn't love me??? Hahahaha... I'm just kidding.

These kids have really won over my heart. I say they are leeches because they still require a lot of my energy. I guess with love comes responsibility, right? I actually love "hanging around" with the kids. This is the beauty of pre-k. This is why I'm a pre-k teacher, and I love what I do. It's a great feeling... I don't mind the kids loving me, wanting to hug me, wanting to talk to me, wanting me to pay attention to everything they're doing or saying, etc, but there are some kids who don't know limits. I don't like when they become hogs... not wanting to "share" me or my attention with anyone else, or when they just become mean to someone else because they want me to only play with, or look at or listen to them. As long as they are leeches who don't mind other leeches around, it's okay. Other than that, it really is a nice feeling to know that these kids have finally become "my class." I really feel that they are right now. I've broken them down--it only took what--6 months??? Better late than never, I guess. Now I've started looking forward to graduation, and I think I'm even beginning to think that I'm gonna miss these "little leeches"--go figure?!!!!

Vacuum=My kids

You know, this is weird. I felt like posting a few days ago, and I was going to post about how I'm loving my kids again, and I feel like I'm finally breaking through, and I might actually miss them, etc. Then, the days passed, and I wound up not blogging. Ironically enough, I feel like I've had it today!!! These kids, I just don't know... MAN!!!!! Especially the one, I don't want to write his name, but he is driving me crazy!!!!! I told a few people today that my kids are a vacuum this year, and not just an old, bad brand of a vacuum. (They're whatever brand is the best--I don't know what it is, since I'm not an expert on the subject.) They are just sucking every last ounce of energy out of me!!! I know it's long hours that I'm working, but it's not that. They are just too much. There is some improvement, of course, but I have to get at the root--cause the root of the problem is causing everyone else around, including me to go nuts!!!!!!! More prayer, more prayer--God, what are you trying to show me?????????????????

It's a New Year!!

Well, as it turned out, I never did get to blog about Christmas and the New Year before the new year started. So, here we are in 2008... No more 2007. So I guess what I want to write about is how blessed I've been feeling lately. I gotta say that 2007 was a year that I won't forget. I'm looking forward to 2008, and I'm looking forward to new things. I think that God has lots in store, and I'm excited to see what He's up to every day. I had a great Christmas with family and friends. Good vacation, with days off as well. New Year's was also lots of fun, again with family and friends. But through it all I gotta say that if God wasn't in the middle of it, then it wouldn't have been fun. The best part of all is that I know God is with me, always guiding me, leading me to the right people, the right friendships, the right decisions for my life. And that's why looking back I have to say that I am truly blessed. I'm so thankful for all He's done for me, and for all He's yet to do. So instead of sharing details about this or that, about what I ate, who I hung out with, where I went, who I talked to, what places I visited, etc... suffice it to say that God was in the middle of it all, and that's a true blessing, in fact, it's the most important thing I want to remember.

My B-Day

Well, here I am, back, trying to write one more time... amazingly I made it before the end of the year!! Well, I promised I'd try to write about my birthday. So as I'm here watching the Survivor finale, and thinking about all I have to do this week before I can enjoy my vacation, I'll try to remember all that happened on my birthday... Here goes!! I can't promise I'll write again before the end of the year! I'm gonna be busy enjoying life...


Well, my birthday celebrations started on Friday already, even though my birthday fell on a Sunday this year. It started with Ms. Lupe surprising me by cooking for me. The food was delicious--she made ribs and potato salad. There was also cake, of course, and my kids singing for me. So the party at school was real nice, and then the celebration continued at night as I celebrated at Stacey's house. We got together our GiGG group, and we ordered Spanish and Chinese foods. That was amazing, even though it sounds like a weird combination. You just gotta eat it one bite at a time!! When you have roast chicken, chicharron, beef chow fun, etc, it's all good!! Anyway, the night was really a great time, and included lava cakes and a Wii tournament. Pat and Stacey had just gotten the system, so we got to really enjoy it. It was so much fun!! Well, that was Friday, although I'm already leaving out amazing gifts, phone calls received, cards, and lots of words of love...

Moving right along... So, I got home really late, of course, on Friday night. Well, if there's one thing I don't like, it's getting up early, especially on Saturdays, my day to wake up late. Well, Glaucia was sleeping over that night. So, early on Saturday morning, when there was a knock on my door, I thought that it was the boys. I ignored the knock, thinking, "Why in the world are the boys knocking in my room at this hour????" Anyway, the knocking continued, and when I kept ignoring it, all of a sudden, Débora walks in and I'm like, "Huh?" Débora is my friend who lives in Ocean City, and she was not supposed to be here!!! She just came to NYC especially to see me, and surprise me. Took a bus and all--one on Friday night and one on Sunday!! And what a surprise it was. I felt so bad, cause all I could say was "What are you doing here??" I know what a sacrifice it was for her to come, and that's why I couldn't believe it. She left early the next morning, but we got to spend that Saturday together, which was so much fun. The best thing about it was that there were no plans. It was all about just having a good time together. Those are the best times!! I still can't believe she came!!

Anyway, I must continue on to Sunday. My mom brought a cake to church, everyone sang Happy Birthday, etc. It was nice. Of course, I thought that was the end. Well, we go home, and right after we get there, all the people from church show up. My mom had invited everyone to our house for a surprise. So that was loads of fun as well. My mom and my sister had a strogonoff competition. I had told my mom that I wanted to eat either gnocchi or strogonoff for my birthday when she asked me. So my mom made gnocchi for me on Saturday, which was great, and then on Sunday, her and my sister made a crazy amount of strogonoff to feed everyone. I really had a lot of fun, and the whole weekend was great.



It's hard to describe all the feelings I felt. I mean, I guess mostly I just felt really loved, which is always a nice feeling. I was thanking God for giving me so many wonderful people in my life, who made me feel so special. Between the surprises, the presents, the food, the cards, the phone calls, the e-mails, etc... it just made my birthday one of the most special ones I've ever had. I really will never forget it. So if you were a part of that somehow, thanks.

Not a blogger

Well, once again it's been forever since I've blogged. I guess I'm just not a blogger and I gotta live with that--hahaha. I mean, so much has happened, but the people who are closest to me already know about it! Then again, I have no idea who reads this, so it can be that people who are not talking to me all the time don't know all the stuff that's gone on.
Well, the everyday stuff, and even the not-so every day stuff I guess I'd just rather tell people. I mean, it's more fun when I can share, with hand motions, and feelings and facial expressions... I guess that's just me!! Well, anyway, let's see, let me try to describe it anyway... since I've blogged, relating to work, my kids have gotten better, surprisingly enough. When we got back from Thanksgiving break they seemed to have calmed down a bit. Lots of stories there, but, I just don't feel like writing about that right now. Let's see, speaking of Thanksgiving, right before Thanksgiving, I went to Ocean City again to visit Débora. We had a great weekend there, and also we got to go to Baltimore, and we went to the Aquarium there. After that, we had a great week, cause she came to NYC with me. It was cool, because we got to hang out a lot, have lots of great conversations, lots of shopping time, lots of time to just be, and also had a lot of NYC cultural time with some new friends from church. It feels weird, cause it was like a lot of stuff was crammed into the week. But what can I say? I guess we didn't waste any time! Also, I love NYC. Once again, I just gotta say that. There's just so much to do here. I can never get enough of it! Never a dull moment!
Well, besides all that good stuff last week, yesterday I went to a cookie exchange party at Stacey's, which was a lot of fun. I had never been to one, and of course, Stacey, being the perfect hostess, made sure we all had a blast. I can't believe I baked something, since I'm not really a baker... well, it was a savory thing after all, not sweet. That's more my style. The party was full of fun things to do besides eat, which we did, believe me!!
Anyway, whatever. This whole blog probably sounds boring, cause I think I tell a much better story than I write. Of course the people who lived the moments with me know what I'm talking about... Well, now I'm looking forward to my birthday, which is coming up in a week. I can't believe it!! Time is flying!!! And of course, now that my birthday's coming up... It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Let's see if I'll actually blog after my birthday. I'm not making any promises, but I'll try... Until next time, whenever that is...

Ah.... my kids...

Well, here we go, it's another year once again moving right along. Something strange, which I guess only if you're a teacher you can understand, but there's something that happens every year when you start a new year. It's like, after the year is over, you're so into your class, and you can't believe they're leaving, etc. Then, summer comes, and a new year starts. And for me, I loved my class last year so much. I wasn't sure I could love a class as much as that. But lo and behold, this year starts, and my class is really great again. I feel like this is my class now, and the one from last year, is now no more. I still actally see a few of them because they're in the afterschool program, but it's like, theyr'e not mine anymore. I don't love them the same way. Now I'm into MY class. I mean, don't get me wrong. These kids drive me crazy, they're so loud!!!!!!! And they need lots of discipline. But I don't know if it's because I'm with them all day long or what, but I really love those kids! It's like, a different class all day long, between morning, lunch time, and then afternoon time. But I like all aspects of it, and I gotta say, that I really love being with the kids all day, cause I get to really know them, and see them in all their different modes. The hours, I'm used to already, although I feel like doing nothing after I leave work. But for now, I'm happy to be with the kids. Every day when I go home, the kids are like, "I love you", "I"m gonna miss you", "don't go", etc, etc, etc. So that's always a good feeling... One girl today told me she missed me yesterday. I said to her, what do you mean, I saw you yesterday! You were with me all day long! Then she was like, "no, I missed you in my house". I was like, "oh, okay, but I saw you a lot!" Then she said, "I dreamed with you". I said, "oh really? What was I doing?" And she said, "You were singing." Hahhahahahha. I said to her, "as if you didn't see me enough here, you gotta see me in your dreams too!!" She was laughing. Cracked me up that kid.

Anyway, let me share a few other moments, because they were cute and I don't want to forget them. We were playing together in the gym, and one girl says to me,"Ms. Raquel, what do you want to be when you grow up?" What a cutie! I was like, "I'm grown up already, I'm a teacher, remember??" Hahaha. She was like, "Oh yeah, Ms. Raquel, I forgot, you're a teacher!" She was so funny though, like, thinking I was one of her little friends or something... Then, this same girl, today, I was eating chocolate near them at snack time. (I've been eating too much chocolate these days, I don't know why. All the getting ready for Halloween and all...) Anyway, I was eating a piece of chocolate and I said, "That's it. After this week, no more chocolates!" So this girl looks at me and says, "Why, Ms. Raquel?" And I said, "Because I don't want to get a big stomach!" So she looks at me and says, "That's right. We don't want to have a fat teacher." Hahhahhahahhaha. Thanks! What a girl. I told her, "Well, thanks, because I feel good now, cause you're telling me that I'm not fat right now..."

Oh man, these kids. It's gonna be quite a year, I"m sure of it. It's already been quite a year, and it's practically just started. All I can say is, I love being a teacher. There's just such a great feeling about it. I mean, sometimes I'm tired, worn out, etc. But there's no feeling that can match when you have a class that you just love, who you're helping to mold. It's quite a responsibility, but I'm happy for the opportunity God is giving me. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year... on most days...

Sweet Moment

This past Sunday we had a picnic with our church. It was a pretty good time with everyone. We went to Tallman State Park. I brought Phoenix along with me, so he could enjoy it too, and Willik was already going somewhere else with my sister. Anyway, on the way back home, I was giving Débora's sister Mercia a ride home, and Phoenix was riding along too. Well, Phoenix was telling us some things, that were making us crack up, that his "papai" told him, but then all of a sudden, he starts saying, "Ms. Raquel, Titia" several times. Then out the blue, he says, "Titia, I love you." Oh, that was such a sweet moment. Me and Mercia looked at each other and were like, "Aw." And I told him, "I love you too, Phoenix." Then all of a sudden, he looks at me and says it again, "I love you, Titia." Anyway, I tell him again that I love him, and then I ask him, "Why do you love me, Phoenix?" And he says, "Because you rock, Titia-- you rock at school" or something like that. He was so cute. I think it was the first time he said "I love you" on his own to me, without me saying it first. Anyway, it was a real special moment, and he made me so happy! I'm so glad I get to be his teacher this year, even if only for part of the time. I think it will be a memorable year for us... Too bad I couldn't be Willik's teacher as well...