Memories in Recife (He-sea-fee) and Porto de Galinhas

#1 Through a tinted cab window, I only saw her for a split second.  The streetlights were merely a yellow splash to the darkness under the bridge, passing before my eyes just moments before I checked in at my hotel in Recife.

Her shirt was cut off just below the breasts, leaving a skinny torso to meet shorts that were low on her waist and high on her thighs. Dark mascara.  Chin up.  Arms resting on her hips, beckoning her next customer.  No sense of shame. 

This life on the street corner amounts to crinkled bills and hollow hearts all tangled in sheets of unfaithfulness. She waited for her next customer.  Exposed for all that she was by the brake lights of the cars slowing as they pulled past to get a quick second glance, and the headlights of oncoming traffic.  My heart broke for her as we passed by, and I too, sneaked a double take.  

#2 The book to the right is a must read!  The times I spent laying out at the beach and evenings at the local outdoor restaurants along the shoreline allowed ample time to bury my face in Southern Fried Sushi, by Jennifer Rogers Spinola.  Jessica let me borrow it this past week and I could not put it down.  She is pretty good friends with the author, who attended the International Church of Brasilia with the Axworthy's, and has a great testimony with her husband and son, that I was able to hear last Sunday at church at the amazing Thanksgiving service.  Southern Fried Sushi is the first of a three part series, and the second one comes out in March.  I can't wait!  

#3 My new favorite dessert:  Fried Bananas (not deep fried, just fried in butter) with cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, and topped with melted mozarella cheese.  They even have a special Brazilian Dessert Pizza with this on it and it's really good too!  Yummy!  You can't judge me until you try it! 

Shrimp, un-peeled, with the heads

#4 Seafood in Brasília is a little bit, ok fine, alot out of my price range.  So, this past weekend, I enjoyed the privilege of "cheap" seafood.  My choice for the weekend was shrimp.  And, although I kind of expected it, the shrimp here is served cooked, seasoned, and ready to eat... with the head and shell.  When it comes to food in Brazil, do as the Brazilians.  So, I ate them like that.  And, as some of you may think, the worst part of it was that I actually enjoyed it.  However, I couldn't get enough courage to eat the heads. 

Oatmeal or Sand?

#5 The sand in Porto de Galinhas really reminded me of oatmeal.  The grains were HUGE... well, at least in comparison to any of the beaches to which I have ever been.    

#6 This weekend was my first trip in Brazil all by myself, or as the brasileiros say, "Sozinha."  It was very nice and relaxing.  I met some very nice people, saw some amazing things, and saw God answer all of the prayers for safety and good health.  Thanks alot!  I was able to stay in Porto de Galinhas for very cheap.  This place has a lot of history with slave trade, and the artwork reflected it as well.  

www.flikr.com

#7 "Ladies, Can I paint you a picture?  You don't have to buy it."  The boy could not have been over six years old.  After the women at the table next to me permitted, the boy with faded, torn-up jeans covered in paint, knelt down, opened his small paint set and began his work on the floor beside their dinner table.

His work was actually quite impressive, containing tall palm trees, a background with an endless sea meeting a clear blue sky, and the beach almost looked real, like the one I had relaxed at all day while I read Southern Fried Sushi.

After he had finished, the child took his paint stained hands and held up his artwork to the ladies.  The compassion on their faces did not dig deep enough to their pocket books, because they asked this poor child if he accepted credit cards.  He packed up his paint set, walked slowly to the grassy median across from the restaurant, and wiped off every speck of color from the tile in the blades of grass.  Only to begin again at the next table.

Buggy Tour

I can't even count the amount of kids that I saw working during my dinner that night.  Every ten minutes, a kid would come up to a table at the restaurant in which I was eating and ask to sell a painting, a grasshopper, flower, or fishing pole made of thick tall grass near the beach.

Fish in Porto de Galinhas

#8 It was about an hour and a half bus ride from Recife to Porto de Galinhas and a bus came about every 30 to 45 minutes or so.  While I was waiting at the bus stop, I was overwhelmed with laughter, and honestly could not keep it in.  Seated at the bus stop was this older brazilian lady, she was average in size, height, and appearance for a middle aged woman.  Attached to her cell phone sat in her lap was a pair of earbuds going straight to her ears and apparently the concept of "headphones" didn't rest well with her because she wanted everyone around her to be as happy as she was with the song.

Map of Brazil in the Coral Reefs

Thanks to Raquel, and also to radio in Brasília, I had already heard the song, "Ai Se Eu Te Pego," and the woman's rendition was just not quite up to par.  Apparently, I was not the only one at the bus stop that was laughing, inside and out.  Even her husband was wearing a smirk.  He even encouraged her to keep singing.

Adding to the humor of the tone-def vocalist, are the lyrics.

#9 The Boa Viagem, or the walking strip along the beach in Recife, was lined with Warning Signs for  Shark Attacks.  Although I looked, and looked, and looked, to my disappointment, I never saw a shark.  Yet, I was not about to even touch the water out there.  However, in Porto de Galinhas, the clear waters were full of tropical fish nibbling at peoples toes. 

#10 When I got to the airport to go back to Brasilia, my flight had been cancelled and I had been moved to a new flight, leaving at 1:00, so I had to wail about 5 more hours in the airport.  I began to see tons of Recife Soccer Fans wearing all of their gear camping out where people check-in at the airport.

As soon as I went through security, I began to hear chanting non-stop for the next 4 hours as I waited for my re-scheduled flight.  These fans had drums, beer, and not a single airline ticket, but they were decked out to support their team arriving from the previous game.

Cajú Fruit (Cashew, like the nut)

All in all, I had an amazing trip. I was deeply impacted by the things that I saw, and challenged to share them with my readers, and encouraged to live for my King.  He saved me from Darkness, and has adopted me into the Kingdom of His great Light!

Please continue to pray for:
 My Portuguese
 My trip home to Dallas for Christmas Break
 My Students and their families
 My friend Raquel as she applies and prepares for Reformed
   Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi
 Continued good health and safety