Our Life in Brazil – Day 5 (Oct 13th)
Today was somewhat of an interesting day. We planned to go to out to lunch, but the restaurant that Jeremy wanted to take us to was closed. Some places were closed down because this was a holiday weekend; it was children’s day. In fact the whole weekend was like a holiday. People were out shopping to buy gifts for their children. This was strange to Jeremy, but not too strange to me. When I was a little girl, we also celebrated children’s day in the northern states. It was always on a Sunday, but I looked forward to it because we usually got a gift from our parents.
Before we got our lunch we stopped by the Atacadao, the Brazilian Grocery Store. Wow! It was huge. After picking out just a few items and then seeing the lines, we decided to leave them and come back another time. There is no telling how long we would have been in line. I don’t think I will complain about Sam’s lines any more. We could have pushed our way to the front of the line because in Brazil, if you are 60 or over, you have the right to do so.
Before we got our lunch we stopped by the Atacadao, the Brazilian Grocery Store. Wow! It was huge. After picking out just a few items and then seeing the lines, we decided to leave them and come back another time. There is no telling how long we would have been in line. I don’t think I will complain about Sam’s lines any more. We could have pushed our way to the front of the line because in Brazil, if you are 60 or over, you have the right to do so.
Pictures of the Atacadao – click any picture to see a larger size.
We drove by a southern baptist church and Jeremy thought their sign outside read fish fry so we stopped there too hoping to get lunch. Well he had his words a little mixed up – they look somewhat the same, but this was not a fish fry, but a sort of indoor yard sale. 🙂 So no lunch there. We finally opted for a fast food restaurant where we got our food to go. The order was for Mamitas (sp?) You can count on it – beans, rice meat, all mixed together. We took our food and looked for a place to picnic. We were happy to find a little road side park where we enjoyed our food and the kids were able to play for a few minutes.
Roadside park for lunch time – click any picture to see a larger view.
A couple weeks ago Jeremy had taken part in a funeral of his friend’s father. He wanted us to see the public cemetery where he was buried so that is where we went from the park. Most people cannot afford cemetery plots like we have in America so the public cemetery is free, but certainly not glamorous. When death comes, the body is usually buried within 24 hours. This is due to the fact that there is no embalming and the heat causes the body to stink and swell quickly so it is important to get the body buried as soon as possible.
Because it is a free cemetery, the graves are rotated every three years. Caskets and bones are dug up and put who knows where? So don’t plan on visiting your loved one’s graveside after three years. The cemetery is full of weeds and trash. It is a very sad place, not at all glamorous as we make it look here in America. Death is sure, sin is cause, Christ is the cure. We may have our remains placed in the ground, but knowing Christ as Savior brings the assurance that we will have a new body awaiting us and to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.
Because it is a free cemetery, the graves are rotated every three years. Caskets and bones are dug up and put who knows where? So don’t plan on visiting your loved one’s graveside after three years. The cemetery is full of weeds and trash. It is a very sad place, not at all glamorous as we make it look here in America. Death is sure, sin is cause, Christ is the cure. We may have our remains placed in the ground, but knowing Christ as Savior brings the assurance that we will have a new body awaiting us and to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.
After a full day, we went to church service on Saturday night. This is the usual routine for the church Jeremy attends. I had been having some back trouble so had a “squirmy” time sitting on the benches, but Jeremy interpreted for me and that was helpful.
Today was the hottest day so far. In fact the thermometer went up to 148 at one point where Mel had it in the sun. I really thought I was just about going to die. Praise The Lord for an air conditioned bedroom where I could hide out once in a while. That is one luxury that Jeremy and Esther have. It cools down to the low 80’s and that feels good. But then I hated being inthere while everyone else together in the other room. After all I didn’t come for myself – I came to visit my children and grand children.
Today was the hottest day so far. In fact the thermometer went up to 148 at one point where Mel had it in the sun. I really thought I was just about going to die. Praise The Lord for an air conditioned bedroom where I could hide out once in a while. That is one luxury that Jeremy and Esther have. It cools down to the low 80’s and that feels good. But then I hated being inthere while everyone else together in the other room. After all I didn’t come for myself – I came to visit my children and grand children.