I’m a little late on this post. We arrived in Brazil on September 9, 2011. Somehow I blinked and this year’s September anniversary rolled by. I’ll blame it on the pregnancy, my scapegoat for all things memory-related in 2013. Last year on my one-year anniversary here I wrote about how life will slip by unless you …
Swisschard
The seeds sat mixed among a display of ordinary local vegetables. Taste of my homeland summers I clutched them to my heart, hand-carried them to the register, and brought them home from that distant supermarket. I hoard each seed. I’ll probably never get any more. We are kindred souls, my swisschard and I. Not born …
Hygge-Happiness
Have you heard of the Danish idea of hygge (hue-gah)? Alex Beauchamp explains it this way: The Danish word hygge (hue-gah) is a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary everyday things simply extraordinary; whether it’s using real lights on a Christmas tree or breaking out the good wine when friends come …
Re-post: Letting Go
One final reader’s favorite re-run while I finish up my classes in Belo Horizonte. While I published this oldy-but-goodie on April 24, 2012, this crônica was probably one of the very first that I wrote. It took a couple of tries to find an amenable sales representative. “Taking your cell phone to Brazil? Really? How …
Holding On
We just wanted to see the fireworks and a police blockade stood in our way. The crowd broke through, and we ran. We ran like our lives depended on it because it did. When you’ve got no papers the boys in blue aren’t your friends. We just wanted to see the fireworks so I grabbed …
Letting Go
It took a couple of tries to find an amenable sales representative. “A cell phone plan in Brazil? Really? How long will you be traveling for? ” Forever. I’m going for forever. That concept didn’t quite register with her. I tried to explain that I’d be moving, but traveling back to visit periodically and would …
