Thankfully this week has gone by much quicker than the last. The heat just really wears me down and I find it hard to resist a daily afternoon nap after work.
While I still can't speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, my Portuguese is improving. I don't necessarily need to speak Portuguese at Mother Teresa as the kids only screech and the old women usually just stare at me blankly. But with the few things I do know I have been able to learn quite a lot about the backgrounds of the kids and women who reside at MT. Each story is so sad, especially the childrens', and it's really depressing to think of the lives these kids will have to go back to once they leave MT.
I of course have my favorite kids, Kyle and Nicole. Nicole is the cutest little chubster of the bunch and just loves potty time, even when she's nowhere near a toilet. She and I got off to a rough start when she jammed herself into a doorway and screamed bloody murder any time I came near her. But now we trust each other and even cuddle during lunch time. Kyle is whom I get most of my Portuguese practice with, such as 'stop hitting' and 'sit down'. He has some sort of infection in his mouth so he can't eat solid foods and therefore has a lot of stomach issues. He is constantly screaming and hitting but it’s only because of the pain. He's just a jem.
At home we've been getting out pretty regularly after work to visit different markets, museums and festivals. Since Carnival is just around the corner many drumming groups practice nightly in the town center. They are really a unique site to see.
Last week we went to the Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin Festival. (Translating roughly into: Our father of good endings) Ten of thousands of people descend on the streets for a 10k walk ending at the BomFin church to celebrate side by side, Catholicism and Condomble, the religion brought from Africa with the Slave trade.
When slaves first arrived in Salvador they were not allowed to practice their own religion and therefore disguised their worship under the pretense that they were worshipping Catholic saints and other figures. Therefore almost all Condomble Orixas (gods) have a corresponding Catholic entity.
Nuestro Senhor Do Bomfin celebrates both Jesus and Oxala. Many people welcome both Catholicism and Condomble in their lives and don't judge if their neighbor only follows one. It is intensely moving to be in a city where everyone believes in God, and even more powerful to experience the emotion that brings them all together, regardless of belief.
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Hey Nat! Glad to hear that you are leaving such a lasting impact in the kiddies' lives. That little gem of a boy, what kind of oral infection does he have? Most oral infections can be cleared up with Penicillin V; unless it is Candida (associated with HIV and AIDS) in which case you will see a white cottage cheese like substance in his mouth. This fungal infection can be treated commonly with Diflucan (an anti-fungal). I do not know if you have access to a doctor/dentist/pharmacist there but if he is in THAT much pain, it is worth a try. As for Nicole's childhood obesity and potty pants, you are on your own there... take care of yourself and I'll talk to you soon. *hugs and kisses*
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