Brazil Bound. . .

OK, so this was back in September, but it was a big deal then. After living here for 15 months, Kevin returned to our previous home in Brazil for work. I was so jealous and really wanted to travel with him but the timing just wasn't great. The girls and I stayed behind and continued with school, playdates and life! Kevin flew out on a Friday and returned a week later.

After dropping him off at the airport in Moline, I took the girls to the South Park Mall for dinner and playtime. We don't make it down to Moline very often so this was a fun treat. I had a fun, random conversation with another mom while we were in line at Chick-fil-A and then we headed toward the playground area to eat. While we were sitting there eating, I looked into the enclosed playground and noticed how many different nationalities were represented. I heard Spanish and at least one other language I didn't recognize. All the parents and kids were very dark-skinned, like they were from India or Mexico. When I asked Emma if she noticed anything different, she said no. I was happy about that. She's been exposed to so many more races and cultures than I was at her age. I love it! She's not afraid to hang out with people who are different than she is and she's OK with kids who might not speak English very well. Once we entered the playground, the girls were off and running. Adri was ecstatic to be able to crawl, run, jump, and slide!! I chose to sit next to an elderly woman wearing a burka. I assumed she was from India, but I didn't know for sure. We smiled at each other and she nodded to me. I guessed she didn't know any English. Her 2-year old granddaughter kept coming close to me to play and eventually wanted to sit right next to me. After about fifteen minutes of playing with her, the father entered the area and we began talking. Turns out he's a Deere employee and has been here for five years with his wife and two kids. His mother-in-law, the grandmother, had been living with them since the baby was born. . . almost two years! We talked for quite a while as the kids played. His 7-year old son came to talk with me and I was amazed at his perfect English! I remember people telling me that Emma's Portuguese was free of accent and now I understand what they meant. We continued to talk and finally the wife returned from shopping. It was a full evening of conversation with the family and I had the greatest time! I called Kevin as we were driving home and shared with him what we had done. He was waiting at the airport in Chicago, surrounded by Brazilians returning to their home country. Our lives have changed in so many ways since living in Brazil. I'm so grateful for those changes. I feel like I'm so much more aware of the people around me and realize that they have fascinating stories! It's been fun to expand my worldview and learn more about those outside what I grew up with! In a later post, I'll share more about some opportunities I've had with an organization here in town. Life's pretty fun right now!