Alignment

We spent the week getting ready for our "alignment" meeting. It was a day-long activity for the whole ICS department on Friday. We needed a presentation on what we accomplished and what we would accomplish this next half year. We also gave a presentation about our family - focusing on the grandchildren. We were to have an hour-long session for leadership training in place of the half hour each morning. We started the day with a breakfast - thank goodness for pão de quejo.

Breakfast time

 We had exercise, as usual.

Our exercise czar

 In our morning meeting, Emerson gave new assignments then we had the alignment where everyone gave the goals they accomplished and the new ones they were working on. By the time everyone else was finished it was time for lunch, so our part was postponed until after lunch. We had lunch at the Feijão de Corda, a restaurant close to our apartment. They specialize in food from the northeast. It was delicious.

Our department at lunch

 In the afternoon everyone gave an introduction to their families. We were the last and sure enough, we ran out of time. Diane talked about our family and I presented our accomplishments for the time we have been here then we all left, skipping the leadership training we had planned.

Paulo introducing his family

 With Evanir retiring we lost our expertise on Webcast. On Monday we had a Webcast test with Badu learning how to do it. A Tuesday meeting was webcast to various locations in Brazil. It worked fine until it suddenly stopped broadcasting just before the end of the meeting.

Some of the other senior couples teach English classes in the evening. Elder DePaula has had the beginning class. It ended up too big so he asked if I could teach half the class. It looks like we will be teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

All the other senior couples attend the Morunbi Ward, but we attend the São Paulo 5th Ward (which is the ward we live in). The Morumbi ward had a missionary activity on Saturday night and asked the senior couples to sing. The bishop of that ward informed us that they will have a Sunday School class in English for the senior couples and invited us to attend. We decided to continue attending our own class in Portuguese.

Our women's section

Our accompaniment section (minus the harmonica)

Our men's section

On Saturday we decided to see the Higienópolis neighborhood of São Paulo. We took a bus to Paulista Avenue then walked to Higienópolis. This is the artistic and intellectual area of São Paulo. It is also the Jewish quarter. Being Saturday we saw quite a few going to and coming from the synagogue.  We also saw a lot of nice houses.

Not a typical house for the area

A hot sale going on at this house

If you end up in the dog house you might as well be in style

Now this looks more artistic

We passed one of the big stadiums in town.

The stadium

 Several groups of drummers were practicing in the praça.

Bass drum section

 they had a typical feira there offering "the Best Pasteis in São Paulo"

At least that's what the sign says

They make them on the spot.

Cooking pasteis

 This one has carne seca [dried meat] and cheese in it.

No, I can't eat them :-(

 Somebody decorated their car with wooden items for sale

Just married?

 We took a stroll through Buenos Aires Park. A lot of families were there for a leisurely Saturday.

Big sister is watching

It takes two to tango

We went to the Higienópolis shopping where we got some paninis for lunch. They made special ones with pão de queijo. They were small, but good.

Bookstore in the round

Dome in the round

Missionary in the round

We passed by the Museu de Arte Brasilia in the morning and found out it didn't open until 1 pm. We went back after lunch and found out that all of the exhibits were closed except for one with strange dresses. Pictures weren't allowed so I found some on the web.

Museu de Arte Brasileira

Chose your dress

Well, we will see what next week brings.

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Father's day in June in Washington then again here in Brazil today. I don't mind getting two Father Days in a year.

This week was a little more exciting. On Monday we had our special Family Home Evening on traditional foods of Brazil. Several thought it was interesting and gave the proper "Yuck" when we showed the Sarapatel (pig innards cooked in its own blood) and Buchada de Bode (goat innards stuffed in a stomach). For refreshments or light dinner Diane prepared a delicious Caipira dish (Assada Mista), açaí sorbet, and other treats from around Brazil.

Our book on Brazilian foods

On Tuesday the Area Presidency approved 24 names as Counsel Technology Specialists (only 10 more to go). This will be the first for Brazil (and for the world, as far as that goes). On Friday letters went out from the Area Presidency for callings to be made and to have them set apart. By next week we could start contacting them to arrange training. These are the ones who will train stake and district technology specialists.

We have been preparing presentations for a big meeting Friday including metrics of our work here and what we will be doing for the rest of the year. We found out Wednesday that the meeting is postponed for a week so the pressure is off. When we got home Wednesday night the power was out in the condo so we had to walk up 6 flights of stairs (20 steps each) to get to our room. Lights were on, but nothing else. We used matches to light the gas stove for dinner and waited for the power to come back on to start the laundry - late night!.

Friday turned out to be a different day. We were all called together to be informed that it was Evanir's last day at work; he is retiring. He was the one responsible for Webcasts - now I will need to learn how to do it before Elder Oaks comes in September. We all went to a Japanese restaurant for a farewell lunch for Evanir. On the way I felt something biting me on the side. After 8 bites (or stings) I got it out. The Brazilians said it looked like a type of fly that bites and lays eggs in the skin. I'm just waiting for the maggots to start coming out. It could have been an orchid bee.

Farewell lunch

I could eat some of the food 

Evanir has his tie off already

On Saturday we explored Vila Madalena neighborhood. We had a bus ride and a bit of a walk to get there. We started by passing through the Feira.

Flower on our walk

Nice produce - broccoli anyone?

No one seems to wear hats here and when they do, it's a baseball cap. I got a hat to keep the sun off my head. As we were walking through the feira another man came up saying he liked my hat.

Two Caipiras

 We walked around the neighborhood. We visited a bookstore. I'm not as tempted as I might be in an English bookstore.

We couldn't fit into this bus

 We walked down a street that had grafiti (the good kind of wall paintings) on every wall. There were a lot of photographers taking pictures so we decided to do it ourself.

Our grafiti queen

 We walked through the São Paulo cemetery. No little gravestones here! Each place was a monument with a lot of artwork. Very interesting!

Walking through the pearly gates

As I mentioned, today was Father's Day in Brazil. I got a little gift package with cookies Diane will eat.

A Happy Father

We received an invitation for a baptism today after church. The family went all out to make it a special occasion. Even the mission president was there to speak (we think he is related to the family). Gustavo's brother is on a mission in Japan and gave a talk via technology. His little sister also gave a talk to a packed chapel - what a marvel!

Invitation to a baptism

 After the baptism we were invited to the luncheon held in the activity room of the condo. It was a lot of fun.

Ceia batismal

It has been a good week. Next week starts a new era as we learn to work through the Council Technology Specialists.

Quiet Week in São Paulo

We are in a holding pattern. On August 4th we should have some Council Technology Specialists approved by the Area Presidency that we can start training, but meanwhile we can't take the next step. We were able to find different things to keep busy. Monday August 3rd is our night for Family Home Evening so I have been preparing information about "The Foods of Brazil" while Diane has been looking for samples we can use for dinner (shared after the lesson).

We enjoy listening to the parrot choir as we return home from the office.

São Paulo Parrots

As we left the temple one day there was a group of sister missionaries taking pictures with a Mexican flag. I don't know if they were from there or going there, but I took a picture anyway.

Coming or going?

On Saturday we went to Bexiga (a nickname for the Bela Vista area) which was settled by the Italians. We had a nice walk through the neighborhood where they were decorating for a festival.

Street in Bexiga

Our goal was to visit the Museu de Óculos (eyeglass museum). It was upstairs in a large house used for an optometrist office. There were examples of eyeglasses from past centuries.

Museu de Óculos

Hanna would love wearing these glasses

We passed several interesting stores.

Beauty at the spa

Iron man

 There were also some nice houses.

Italian style

Red house as an office

We found our way to Paulista Avenue and got lunch at one of the "shopping". They were featuring a lip display.

Mustached upper lip

We decided to go to the art museum, since we weren't able to go the last time we visited Paulista Avenue. There were a lot of nice paintings, especially their French collection. We tend to like Renoir. Our favorite was the two little girls that reminded us of Kamary and Alyssa when they were younger. (Don't worry, Kamary, you're the one in blue, not pink).

As meninas

 As we walked down Paulista Avenue there was a Samba School practicing near the park.

Samba School

 There was also a street painter selling his art.

Local artist

We went to the bookstore of culture and found a book about the foods of different regions of Brazil. I had finished my presentation for Family Home Evening, but made some changes after buying the book.

Another month is over so it was Fast Sunday this week. Diane bore her testimony with very clear Portuguese (not even reading it). It was a simple statement of the truths she has found in the gospel.