Children's Day and a Morning at an Orphanage

I remember as a kid asking my parents on Mother's Day or Father's Day, when is Children's Day? I got same lame answer every time: Every day is Children's Day! Well, turns out the United Nations declared November 20, International Children's Day in commemoration of the Declaration of Children's Rights in 1959, but it seemed Canada skipped over this special day, maybe because it's so close to Christmas.

In Brazil, however, Children's Day is celebrated with gusto on October 12th. The idea to celebrate this special day was that of a federal deputy, Galdino do Valle Filho in 1924, but it wasn't until the 60's when Estrela, Brazil's toy company and Johnson & Johnson got together to increase sales of toys that the today's more "commercial" commemoration took full flight.

My first experience of this day was when we came to Brazil on vacation. We were driving along the highway on our way out of the city with the rest of the population, happy to have a long weekend away at my father-in-laws. Thank god for the snail pace traffic jam because I started to notice mothers with babies in their arms and toddlers standing next to them along the barely existent shoulder. Suddenly someone ahead of us signaled and pulled over. A woman got out, opened the trunk of her car, handed a mother a bunch of wrapped presents and got back into her car. I was so surprised! What was that? I asked my husband. Oh, it's because it's Children's Day in Brazil and the poor people from the favelas come to the highway and wait for donations from people to give to their kids. Really? Isn't there a better way to collect and distribute toys to the poor without having them stand on the highway? I asked. Oh, you know it's Brazil, he answered unfazed.

This week, my son's teacher asked us to choose a gently used toy from home, to wrap it and bring it to class for a blind exchange. The idea being that Children's Day doesn't have to be about just getting gifts, but giving too. I thought it was a great idea, but skeptical that this was going to work. I just kept picturing my boy suddenly changing his mind as he saw another kid in his class receiving his gift, but it all went smoothly, he was happy that Dula got his whale and he got Alice's talking cow book.

Children's Day was special for me because I was fortunate to get a ride with another mom from my kid's school to an orphanage in Pedra de Guaratiba, a small town outside of Barra. The 60 year old  orphanage run by the Fluminense Evangelical church is located on large grounds surrounded by green wilderness. Two calm nurses take care of 12 babies and 15 toddlers with various ailments and runny noses. 

Without any formal introductions we set off to change bums, give bottles, sing songs and swing babies. Amazingly, most of them didn't cry much, they all had their own ways of soothing themselves and waited for their turn on the rocking chair. In the two hours I spent alone in this old room with chipping paint and mismatched furniture, I managed to hold almost all of them and devote a few minutes of my attention, singing and talking to them while I rocked them. I thought a lot about my grand-mother who had 9 children and a lot of swinging indoor and outdoor furniture. I thought about being far away from my family on this Thanksgiving long weekend, but also about how ridiculously blessed and grateful I am for the "Himalayan" abundance I have in my life compared to the little ones I held.

As I left, I met my ride who was outside with the toddlers. They were sitting in playpens and sleeping in car seats taking in some sun. We walked to the car, looking back at them feeling so strange as no one else came out to be with them. On the way home back, the scenery got progressively more wealthy and shinny and we were sucked back into our "world". Many expats moms I've met have volunteered at the orphanage, and warned me that it would take a few days to re-balance emotionally, and yes, I do feel sorry for them, but at the same time, I didn't want to fill my eyes and heart with sadness while I helped out. I wanted them to see happiness, and joy because they sure had happiness and joy to see me! 

I hope to help out regularly and give a hand to those dedicated nurses who clearly do their jobs well, because despite the lack arms to hold and console, the children were well fed, dry, given medicine and safe. And the thing is I have some pretty good arms, cozy elbow crooks and big boobs to lean little heads on.

Salads R US

I've been to "kilo" self-serve restaurants in Rio glad to see "less deep fried" and meatier choices in the buffet, but after a while I tired of what seemed like the same 6 salads, especially "salads" that are simply paper thin slices of raw salmon or cheese (?) or mayonnaise "surprises". When we lived back in Vancouver and my husband would come back from a business trip to Brazil, he always returned craving a salad. That's because I like to make salads and I think I'm pretty good at making them, if I can toot my own horn for a wee moment.

If you're salad-impaired or need a new idea, here is a sure-fire way to build and spruce up your salads.

Choose lots of

LEAF: Romaine, arugula, watercress, fresh herbs, cabbage, spinach, baby kale, spring mix, fennel etc...

then some

BROWN: almonds, sesame seeds, chia, cashews, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, chickpeas, beans, lentils, whole wheat pasta, wheat berry, cracked wheat, couscous, brown, red, or black rice, barley, wild rice, flax etc...

then 3 or more from the

RAINBOW: peppers, sweet peas, cherry tomatoes, carrots, beets, celery, olives, edamame, broccoli, green beans, radishes, corn, potatoes, avocado, asparagus, heart of palm, edible flowers, sprouts, mushrooms, roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, or eggplant, sun dried tomatoes, purple cabbage etc...

then a

FRUIT: mango, apple, raisins, grapes, apricot, cranberry, dates, pineapple, pear, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, persimmon, orange, nectarine, mandarin, pomegranate etc...

and maybe a

TINY EXTRA BIT: blue cheese, goat cheese, feta, croutons, smoked/grilled salmon, tuna, grilled meats, ham, eggs, sardines, shrimp etc...

Then

1. Wash, dry and chop everything so that it's all bite size 'cause nobody likes giant pieces romaine spraying dressing all over the place.

2. Us a beautiful plate or a bowl.

3. Add a simple homemade dressing. Don't get lazy on this one. You've already taken the time to choose and chop, so keep going, it's worth it!

Other tricks:

1. If you want a BROWNER based salad, you can still get your greens by chopping the LEAF of your choice really, really finely as you would fresh herbs.
2. Roast your seeds and nuts in a little pan for extra fragrance.
3. Make enough dressing for the week.
4. If you're boiling eggs, potatoes, beets, beans or grains make extra for a later salad.

Some of my favorite combinations are:

1. Fennel, baby green, orange, grilled shrimp, green olive, and avocado.
2. Black bean, corn, peppers, cilantro, avocado, red onion, tomato.
3. Cantaloupe, basil, fresh mozzarella, capers, red onion and green olives.

Send me your favorites!

wheat berry, apple, cilantro, cranberry, feta, orange zest

What Might Give You Away as a Gringo from Canada...

1. You still have lost all sense of when fruits and veggies are in season.
2. You still miss wearing a scarf.
3. You still assume that rain means cold(er). You put on pants and you're wrong every time and sweat. A lot.
4. You crave cider and nachos and think about it even at breakfast.
5. You still find out about holidays the day before they happen.
6. You miss hearing about snow, ski reports or snow related road advisories.
7. You suffer from flip-flop back-aches.
8. You are stunned every time you go to the farmer's market and get a bouquet of flowers big enough to hide behind for 10 bucks.
9. You're still grossed out by the guy selling liver out of his seemingly styro-foam cooler at the farmer's market.
10. You still wish you could find real vanilla not "essence of vanilla".
11. You still can't accept that little kids fly kites on the side of the highway while drivers zoom by like crazed meth addicts trapped in a video game.
12. You still haven't accepted the fact that a 2 km car ride will take 45 minutes and will almost jeopardize your life more than five times, only to arrive at your destination and be happy to find a parking spot on the sidewalk.
13. You still will have strength to fend off the well-meaning strangers who offer cookies to your kid.
14. You still curse every dog owner every time you see shit on the sidewalk.
15. You still go to bed at night while your neighbor's kids are playing soccer outside.
16. You still think that going to the mall on a rainy day is equal to falling in a pit of pointy spears.


But things do change.... and you adapt.

1. You remember to throw the toilet paper in the garbage can instead of the toilet in public washrooms.
2. You don't sigh when you see a 30 people line-up.
3. You know your notary's first name, his children's names and when he takes his lunch break.
4. You bite into a chocolate bar and you don't think it tastes like a birthday candle.
5. You look out your window in the morning and are awed by the beauty of the ocean every single time.
6. You find your favorite kiosk on the beach, and make a point to sit with a drink at least once a week.
7. You don't blink when you see a driver next to you at the red light playing the guitar.
8. You start buying the little candies that street sellers pop on your side-view mirrors when you're stopped at a traffic light.
9. You can tell the difference between what is real and what is simply something happening in a soap opera.
10. You consider wearing white knee-length socks over your black running leggings for your daily 38C mid-day jog on the beach.
11. You sign up for a surfing, body boarding or kite-surfing lesson.
12. The things you say usually get a response somewhat along the same line you were expecting.
13. You drink a beer on the street and no one comes over to tell you to pour it out.

The Mystery is Finally Solved.

Exhibit A. Holes on a shirt I bought a week ago and only wore once.

Possible culprits: Hungry moth or crappy washing machine.

I go with the moth theory because I have seen some small flying things that hang out on the ceilings in our place. I start to research ways to get rid of them without using moth balls.

Exhibit B. Holes on my favorite shirt. Aaaarggggh!

I throw out my suspicion that a moth is eating my shirts because the holes are only at belly level and unless I exude some kind of belly button pheromone that moths can't resist, the bugs are not the culprits. The mystery thickens......

Suddenly, I remember that in Vancouver I had the same problem with most of my shirts. Ah, ah!

So what is the common denominator?

Here are my suspicions: Two offenders working together.

Possible culprit #1: The kitchen counter.

Possible culprit #2: My jeans.

I deduce this for two reasons:

1. I wore way more jeans in Vancouver and I had way more shirts with holes.
2. I wear shirts with shorts and skirts that are not denim and lean against the counter all the time and I don't have holes in those shirts!

So sorry if this seems totally RIDICULOUS and maybe it is, but I'm not alone in this, lots of people say they've had the same problem as me, and the internet is full of explanations ranging for silverfish attracted to belly-button oil and rubbing on guitars to lifting dumbbells and coarse belly hair.

None of these explanations could possibly work for me so I'm going with the FREAKING JEANS RUBBING ON THE COUNTER! What a relief it is to finally come to this conclusion!

I swore I'd never do that again!

Last year around this time of year , I had this ridiculous idea that it would be fun to make a quilt for my boy.

And for some reason, even though I realized quickly at that time that quilting is excruciatingly repetitive and should be left to those of us who like exactitude and monotony, I found myself gathering up left over pieces of fabric from different projects I've completed since I moved to Rio.

This time around, I made my life a wee bit easier by cutting out 6X6 squares which were much bigger pieces than before and right away the boy gleefully realized that the fabrics were the same as his shorts. This quilt was also a lot easier to make before I didn't use any cotton filling given that anything thicker than a sheet is way too hot here.

The quilt was the launch pad for the "make the kid's room kid-friendly" project I took on this month. As you can see from the walls in the picture below, Brazilians are very, very fond of the "Chalk- White" paint color and use it on all interior walls in their homes. I jokingly pointed this out to an expat friend of mine when I noticed her place was the same exact tone of white. I've not even seen shades like "sweat-yellowing-pillowcase-white" I said with a laugh! To combat the coldness of the white I thought about painting his room, but decided against this messier option and put up a map instead.

The map was a big hit. My mom gave it to my kid when we were in Halifax and once I remembered to put it up, this resulted in a lot of bed jumping and squealing excitement . We've spent a lot of time looking at it,  put stickers on the places where our friends and family live and talk about where were going to travel next. I'm going to France and he's going to Russia!

The biggest splash for the kid though was the little blue light I put in the corner. It's one of those lamps that has no "on-off" switch, you only need to touch the base and it lights up brighter and brighter the more times you touch it until it switches off. He LOVES wacking the light to set the mood for story time!

I'm pretty happy with these simple changes, and I'm thinking it needs a little something else, but I'm waiting for the right thing to jump out at me.