Home Sweet Home

We are waiting for our baggage at LaGuardia.  It has been a long process to get home, but we're so glad to be back!! 

It was another wonderful trip and will stay with me for a long while. 

Father Potter comes up to CT in just a week.  He's preaching at St. Leo's in Stamford, Assumption in Westport, and at a parish in Shelton.  If you have a chance, go and see him .

Blessings to all as I sign off for the final time.  Thank you God for a wonderful trip, Ann for her help at the crèche, and of course to Sue, who has enough faith in my teaching and musicianship to have invited me to Remanso. 

Until we meet again, Bom Viage! 

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

I loved going out last night after the concert, but Sue and I only got 6 hours of sleep before we had to be up and in church for a 7:00 service!  Racquel and Dorinha wanted to say a special service to wish Sue, Ann, and me a safe voyage home and to thank God for our visit.  How very nice of them.  There was no way I could sleep in and miss it!

Service was lovely- no guitars, just a cappella voices. It reminded me of chant, but you know, in Portuguese.
I was emboldened after a week of immersion to offer a petition in Portuguese. I must have spoken well enough, because Racquel told me I was now Brazilan. Have to admit, that felt good!

Our goodbye parties in Brazil are always joyous occasions.  I know we have to say goodbye, but they do it with so much food, hugs, and music, one is almost too happy to be sad.  Gustavo and Edna were there, of course, along with my good friends from the adult choir and the Creche´s board of directors.  Our friends gave us parting gifts which was lovely of them.  It´s never necessary, but always appreciated.   I had brought bracelets with me thinking they would be prizes for correct answers in class.  Not having enough for all 150 of our participants, I ended up giving one bracelet to each person at our farewell celebration.  I like to think that worked out just as it should have.  

I cried hugging Gustavo, Edna, and Ana Paula goodbye.  I am pleased to say I was not a bawling mess like the end of our last visit.  We parted ways around 9:00 and hit the road for a 2 hour drive to Juaziero.  We only stopped for lunch and a quick visit to Fr. Potter´s house and then huddled into the car again to drive 11 KM to Carnaiba.  We have been here since 2:00, staying at a lovely group residence built by the Diocsese of Juaziero.  I gather its for visiting clergy and religious and is attached to a retreat center for young people discerning religious life.  It is really beautiful here.  I think my CSC friends should take a trip to Carnaiba for retreat!  

As you may know, Fr. Potter and Fr. Edmundo (McCall) are doing a lot of wonderful work to encourage the people of Brazil to embrace their faith and The Church.  Tonight, we all attended a Mass at St. Francis of Assisi church in the Interior.  This is a very poor area and until recently, there was no church in which to worship.  From my understanding, there wasn´t a Catholic or religious presence at all.  With the help of donors in The States, Fr. Potter coordinated the construction of this new church and it has brought a lot of joy to the community.  We all hope to see it grow in years to come.  

That´s all for today! I am on vocal rest, so we came home and I continued talking with my iPad.  I am looking forward to a good night´s rest and a busy day tomorrow as we enjoy Mass, lunch, and the trek HOME!

With Every Thanks and Blessing,
Jamie

Amigas Para Sempre

(I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge it... Happy Birthday to my brother, Chris! Para bens!)

What a night!

We didn't have much time to rest after our "dress rehearsal". The rehearsal actually went very well.  I love dress rehearsal  (those of you who know me from my Rippowam Drama days are probably laughing).  Mostly, I love the hustle and bustle, the uneeded stressing/freaking out.  Yes, I've come to love that about my own mindset. It prepares me to do battle against the nerves that come with live performing.  Anyway, the dress rehearsal was pretty good, though we didn't get in a second run-through.

In between rehearsal and the concert, I was busy re-typing song lyrics which were to be projected behind the audience.  We ate a quick dinner, I changed into my clothes for the concert, and we were off. 

So. Many. Kids!  

Sue and I tried to organize the kids into groups and classrooms to wait until it was time to go into the auditorium for the concert.  This is a hard task no matter where you are in the world.  Unfortunately, the children and we literally do not speak the same language, so it makes organizing even more impossible.  While the kids waited, Sue passed out their scarves (more pandemonium ensued), and I kept watch for Racquel.  True to form, she got to the concert at 8:00 pm.  We started 40 minutes late.  Anticipating this, I reminded myself to keep breathing and not to get upset when we didn't start by 7:35.  

The evening was a rousing success..  The kids remembered most of their words, even without looking at the projections over the audience's head.  They smiled, sang loudly, and were pretty well behaved when they weren't singing.  I think the adults, though small in number this year, really enjoyed themselves. I love having friends in Brazil over the age of 16!! 

Unlike 2012, we had soloists!  I was very proud of the two boys who stood up and sang 'Prepare Ye' with a handful of ladies.  We also had two people dance while the full choir sang 'Asa Branca', a Brazilian folk song.  It was a wonderful addition to the program.  

At the end of the concert, we all sang Amigas Para Sempre (friends forever) and I couldn't help but get misty-eyed.  This was a short trip and I am very excited to go home on Sunday, but that doesn't eclipse how wonderful our friends in Remanso are.   By coming back this year, we have solidified the bonds made two years ago.  My fondness for this beautiful community grows with each visit.  I remember writing two years ago they taught me how to give without reservation and they have proven themselves once more.  Our visit this year was met with joy and every effort to make us feel at home.  They opened their hearts and home to us and let us work with their children and friends to make beautiful music.  Love it!

The evening wrapped up with a very long photo shoot and pizza with a small group of wonderful friends.  I think my Portuguese is improving.  I could speak a little at dinner and have people understand me! That makes me very happy. 

I may write again tomorrow as we venture to Juaziero with Padre Jose.  I'm hoping so, but if I fall asleep at the keyboard, you may get an update once we've already returned to the US.  Thank you for keeping up with our blog.  Sue, Ann, and I are grateful for your prayers and support.  If you'd like to know more about the Creche Sao Jose or St. Charles Brazilian Children, please don't hesitate to ask.  

AnaPaula and Sita dancing with the kids for Asa Branca at Dress rehearsal

Show time! The youngest choir

Viviana, AnaPaula, Ann, Mariza, Me, Sue, Racquel, and Dorinha
Ana Racquel, Luiz Eduardo, and Luiz Paolo.
Happy faces after a great evening! 

Hi Everyone,

What a great week and also a very busy one for all of us.  I know Jamie and Sue have filled you in on almost everything we have been doing; therefore, I am going to let you know the fun that I have been having with the 3, 4 and 5 year olds telling the story of the Wheels of the Bus Go Round.  These children are amazing with keeping up with the story and singing.  They are so energetic and lovable.  They have even learned English words and used them during the story telling and also the singing sessions that we did.  I have lots of pictures that I took which I will share when I return.

In addition, I received many hugs and kisses from not only the little ones but everyone else.  They sure know how to make your day.

One thing that happened that really surprised me.  Last Monday, when we woke up, it was rather chilly and very cloudy.  I thought to myself it looks and feels like rain.  I was always told that it never rains in Brazil during their winter months, which is our summer months.  Guess what it rained and really hard.  They certainly can use the rain down here at any time of the year.  It was a treat for me to see.

I have a new godchild, Thaislane Christina.  She is adorable and I have been able to see her each day that I have been here while she was in her classroom.  I also visited with her and her family.

It is hard to believe that the dress rehearsal is this afternoon for the concert that will be given tonight. Then our focus will turn to homeward bound activities.  I'm sad to leave but happy to be coming home to my family and friends.

Look forward to seeing you all soon and to personally share the experiences we all had in Remanso.

With Love and Prayers,
Ann

Getting Ready

Hard to believe a full week has passed and we are preparing for the concert. Will everyone be ready? I hope so. They sounded good today but still dependent on their sheet music so we will try to project the words up on the wall for them. Good thing I'm not doing that, as techi-challenged as I am. I am having a hard enough time with trying to film it. I hope i have enough space but I'm thinking not, we'll see.
I'm really impressed with the younger kids, they really pick up the tunes and words quickly. They are also our largest group. Tomorrow is dress rehearsal first, than concert at night. Considering it's only been a week, I think they're doing really well. I also think our expectations are not as high as last time, knowing we had only half the time to prepare. As long as they try and do their best and hopefully enjoy the process, that is all we can ask. Until tomorrow......stay tuned!

T Minus One Day

Hello to All and Happy Birthday, Racquel (Or, as they say in Brazil, para bens!)

Today was a busy day. I thought I planned out lessons last night before hitting the hay, but as it turned out, I was only conscious long enough to make plans for our first class.  After getting up early, I wrote out my plans for the day- all of which involved running  the songs we know in preparation for tomorrow's concert.

My voice is not doing so hot, so I stayed home to rest and spend a few more minutes warming up while Sue and Ann visited the creche.  The 9:00 and 2:00 classes were adorable and we were even able to run Soon and Very Soon with the band.  They sound great!  Edna surprised me today with a gift- a white shirt (Our uniform for the concert) and an angel statue.  That was very sweet of her! 

Sue keeps attendance at every class and today's 2:00 group had ten extra kids in it! They've never shown up before! I'm glad word has gotten out about the classes, but I'm afraid we won't have enough bandanas for the kids tomorrow! Sue and I weren't in town long enough to buy shirts for this year's performance, so everyone is getting a bandana. Not too shabby, right? 

Phew! I am running out of things to write. Not for lack of events, I'm just growing more tired by the minute and bed is calling my name.  Let me see...

Since today is Racquel's birthday, we had a special Mass for her and a lovely party afterwards. Only in Brazil does Mass start 20 minutes late because we're waiting for the birthday girl. I couldn't believe Padres Jose and Edmundo waited!  The party was wonderful- dinner, dancing, and, inevitably, me playing with 4 year olds.  I had to keep silent for most of the evening so I wouldn't hurt my voice, but it was still a lot of fun.  I even convinced Gustavo, my other lovely godchild, to dance with me for 5 seconds! Sue got it on camera, so we have proof (or blackmail, depending on how you look at it! haha) 

That's all for now. I can't wait for tomorrow-  we're going to be exhausted, but it will be completely worth it!  

Lots of love, 
Jamie

techi problems again!

remember i told you i was having techi issues, well, looks like my picture didn't come through and the video I wanted to send wasn't accepted. Sorry folks, guess we'll have to wait until I get back. It was a really cute picture too.