Hard workers and beautiful too -

I have been working so hard that there has not been much time or energy left for blogging. You remember me talking about taking a course in Linguistics at PUC-Rio? I am in the process of finishing the final paper. The Monograph! I have spent hours and hours trying to think my way through a 30 +/- page research paper.

I don't want to think it is hard because of my age and surely I have some advantage because I am writing it in English - BUT it IS HARD. Can you image all my classmates, native language of Portuguese, researching and writing in English. They hold down full time jobs, have young children, spend hours and hours reading and doing the homework and in the end travel many miles to attend class. A smart, ambitious group, and beautiful too. Teachers all, I have the greatest admiration for them. Over the past year I managed to take all these pictures but I missed many - sorry to those I missed this blog honors your efforts also. Kisses - GingerV

Winter Forest

Contra to what my body and mind are used to, as it often is in this country, it is now winter. In Rio, I don't notice it so much because the temperatures are pretty moderate, never dropping into the freezing range as it will from time to time in Houston, but in Friburgo it can feel pretty cold. In Houston we wouldn't think it cold, in the mid 50s or so but there, there is heat in the house and our house in Friburgo is not heated - in other words it can FEEL very cold. What is astonishing to me is the colors in the forest this time of year. The QUARESMEIRA (purple trees) is just finishing its show and the 'flor-de-Maio' is just beginning (yellow single bloom). Last year, they were both in bloom at the same time - fantastic - this year they will be separated by several weeks. Right now there are bird of paradise, poinsettias, jasmines and Christmas cactus flowering, the leaves of the caqui are red and all combined, as if compensating for the days of fog and clouds, the color show in the forest is the best this time of year.

old journal entries

I have been having such a hard time getting photos to upload on the blog - I do not have the patients for things that don't work right - so I try and try - then turn off the computer - then try and try -- I don't know what is causing the problem.

Last week, I spent the week in Friburgo by myself. After five years here it would seem that I could have spent the week in peace with myself and my environment - but I suspect that last week was just as hard as the times when I staayed up at the house alone when I first arrived in Brasil. I get all depressed then can't seem to get myself to do what I WANT TO DO - does this make any sense?

Journal entry - June 5, 2003 - The dogs in the valley are barking again - there is one high and on the other side of the hill that has a deep loud bark - I get a kick that they bark every time someone goes by - on foot - which is everyone - all 25 or so that live over on that hill - seems like they (the dogs) would learn the sound of the footsteps and the voices of their neighbors - Maybe they just can't stand the silence and because they are locked behind high walls - they have to give verbal territory markers.