Sunglasses Always Fit

Here is what I have accomplished:

• Went to the last Giants regular season home game, stood idly by as my cousin almost caught a Buster Posey ball, had my first chicken nuggets in two months, which is a record abstention, and drank delicious California beer, all within hours of landing at the airport.
• Reunited with my best friend Kismet, who has learned one new trick and can now jump on the couch, and has defended me from several aggressive squirrels.
• Remembered I am scared of squirrels. Felt blessed that God called me to teach in a squirrel-less land.
• Spent a few hours in Target. Every day. I’ve been to three different ones. Going again tomorrow.
• Had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte and successfully resisted the urge to instagram it.
• Ate Los Panchos. Drank salsa.
• Wandered Trader Joes, marveling at the selection. Purchased several things that do not go together and consumed an entire log of goat cheese by myself.
• Had my second Pumpkin Spice Latte.
• Ate Zachary’s Pizza.
• Drank delicious California craft beer. That tasted and smelled and felt like beer.
• Drank delicious California wine.
• Drank water out of the faucet. Which I did for a while in Brazil, but had to stop, because my poop was orange.
• Drank water while showering. What a luxury.
• Drank Kombucha. Sweet nectar of Jesus.
• Walked my familiar Iron Horse Trail and kicked at the dead leaves already on the ground. Smelled the approach of Fall. Sighed. I love Fall.
• Drove a car for the first time in over two months. Only slightly weirded out.
• Had a really hard time throwing toilet paper into the bowl instead of the garbage can.
• Enjoyed several showers with beautiful, beautiful water pressure, and a temperature that was neither scalding hot nor balls freezing cold.
• Remembered what it was like to not itch from bug bites all the time.
• Shaved my legs in the shower, as there was actually room to do so. Did so without pulling off any scabs from bug bites. Precious.
• Remembered what it was like to wake up in the morning and not immediately start sweating.
• Ate a lot of sourdough bread.

• 

  ARRIVED EARLY TO A SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT. The world stood still. I ate two bowls of salsa.

• Really missed my students. Are they missing me? Will they like all these stickers? Have they forgotten all we did together? I hope not.
• Had my third Pumpkin Spice Latte.
• Aggressively invited everyone I met to come visit me in Brazil.

I had to come to the States because the Brazilian government, for reasons only they know or are making up, decided that since my initial work visa paperwork was filed through the consulate here, this is where I needed to get it, instead of picking it up in Argentina. So I have been happily taking advantage of what feels like a “do-over” week. Now that I know what my classroom needs are, and what my house looks like, and things I wish I had taken with me when I first went, I’m going CRAZY getting things together to go back. Of course, me being me, the things I consider “essential” are rather…well. Probably not. A banana suit, karaoke machine, cookie butter from Trader Joes. These are worth paying an arm and a leg to United Airlines in order to carry into Brazil, right? Right.

I saw some people but not too many. I’ve only been gone two months, which can feel like nothing. I missed sour cream more than I missed people, since I can talk to people. And I’ve been ready to go back to Brazil since about day two.

To my own little cave room, to my students, to a purpose every morning. To my friends and the adventure of completely new something everyday. Which is a good sign, I think. Nothing in me wishes I could stay here longer.

So that probably means that when I’m in Brazil, I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what God wants me to do.

Yay for doing something right!