this & that...

Today is Independence Day here in Brasil...the first of two independence holidays here. The second one is November 15. Rich and I went downtown to visit the kids on the streets. (Ben is back in the U.S. for a few weeks working on his student visa.) The downtown streets were dead and empty of traffic and people. We weren't sure who we might find, since it was a holiday. But, we ended up seeing more of the kids and youth then usual. There was a mixture of the two primary circles of kids, which has been rare since I have been here. Today I was hit with the reality of young children on the streets...there were six little children, probably ages 0-6. The young girls/women have children very early and do their best to care for their children on the streets. It grieves me as I realize the harsh realities for these babies as soon as they enter the world. Today I also saw my friend Paulo, whose birthday it was last week. We had a good time playing some cards. If all else fails with the language barrier, the kids know I am always good for a game of cards!

I had my first dream speaking Portuguese last night. Well, I wasn't speaking in a full on conversation...I was practicing some simple sentences with someone. But, the Portuguese words were actually coming out of my mouth in the dream. So, maybe some language is sinking in just a little??

Finally, my random life in the favela story for the day....
There is a LOUD juke box just oustide where we are living that plays music throughout the day and night. Most of the time it plays hip hop or funk, which the Brasilians love here. Well, the other night at 3:00 AM....I am woken up with "We Are the World." I instantly flashed back to high school and the 1980's...and the song was in my head all day! Only in the favela!