Brazilian Tea Party. . .

A few weeks ago I was invited to one of the most elegant tea parties ever! My friend Monica had been introduced to a Creative Memories consultant and she wanted all her Brazilian friends to come to a party so they could buy scrapbooking materials. Fancy invitations were sent out and we were even asked to wear dresses! Normally, a tea party isn't my idea of a great time, but I was excited because all the ladies, except the consultant, were Brazilians. I felt honored that I would be invited and I was excited to share an evening with such special women. I was shocked when I walked in the door! The tables were delicately decorated and different appetizers and teas were on each table. Each seat had a name card and there were handmade decorations everywhere. I've known for a while that Brazilian women have a talent for throwing parties, but this one was just incredible! I sat next to Kristi, the CM consultant, and she was about in tears. She felt so honored and couldn't believe how excited the women were to hear about scrapbooking. It's a fairly new hobby for their culture and they just love the stores here with the endless accessories for their new hobby!

Kristi came prepared with a page for each guest and they had so much fun creating a "tea page" for a future scrapbook. She showed them new techniques for decorating pages and the women ooh-ed and ahh-ed every few minutes!

I had another commitment that evening, so before I left, we all gathered for a few fun photos. I knew there were a lot of Brazilians in the QCA, but I don't think I realized just how many!! Except for Kristi on the bottom right and myself, the rest of these women are not from here! I love them dearly. I have such a special place in my heart for them!

Monica hosted this party with her friend Janet. Janet is my most recent Brazilian acquaintance. I can't wait to spend more time with her in the future! She's lived her for twelve years I think and she will likely stay here for many years to come. She teaches ESL to most of the Brazilians and she also teaches at the local college as well as one of the elementary schools. She is so kind and fun and just easy to talk to! Her English is great, so we can easily switch back and forth between that and Portuguese. We have a coffee date planned for sometime in the near future and I am just really looking forward to getting to know her more. She has two very sweet and mature teenage daughters who helped throw the party.

Paula moved here shortly after Christmas. This is actually her second time here in the U.S. Her son was born in the QC about 5 years ago. I met her when we were living in Horizontina and she had a baby girl a few months before Adri was born. We had no idea they were moving here and Kevin randomly ran into her at Target one day. They don't live too far from us, so hopefully we'll see them more as they get settled!

I left Monica's house just feeling happy. I'm comfortable with these women and all the Portuguese floating around. I remember so well the days when I would want to cry because I just couldn't understand a word anyone was saying! Learning the language opened up a whole new world for me and I'm so thankful to be a part of their lives!