Summer is over and it's been packed!
We settled in at Momma & Daddy's where we'll be living til after Christmas. We moved all our unnecessary house furnishings into storage and promptly packed things up for a 3 week excursion to see Kellen's parents in Brasil.
We were there Aug 12 - Sept 3- long enough to enjoy seeing family and friends there, as well as the sites around, but not so long that we wilted away from the heat! On the contrary, with all the wonderful delights Bonnie cooked and all the local cuisine we feasted upon, we both packed on quite a few pounds, which we didn't claim at customs!
It's winter in Brasil right now, but you'd never know it! It's quite hot (highs in the mid-80's) but there's little humidity to speak of since it's the dry season. It's been an unusual dry season with more rain than normal- we got to see quite a few rainstorms and rainbows.
The weather cools off most evenings as the sun sets around 6pm and with a fan pulling in the cool night air you hardly miss the air conditioning.... right. There were a couple nights with restless heat, but for the most part the fan did keep us cool. During the day if we weren't frequenting a nearby waterfall, we took advantage of the wadding pool Bonnie has on the veranda... forget the hot tub, give me a "cool tub". Dips in the 3ft deep, 8ft diameter pool were almost daily and always refreshing!
We also were lucky enough to be close to the geographical center of South America- which happened to be VERY windy on the day we ventured there. 
It had quite a view as it was the sloping edge of a plateau- a very cool geographical feature of the area that I find breath-taking! Everywhere you looked you could see a plateau in the distance, or right next to you. Beautiful.
We mostly kept to the house, enjoying time with Kellen's parents, and always Bonnie's home cooking! When we did leave the house it was usually a grocery run or to take in a waterfall. I was glad to have my ever-present translators because Portuguese, though a lovely language, is frustratingly difficult to understand when all you know is a few words in Spanish! We went to several church services, all of which were conducted in Portuguese. This was by far the most frustrating thing I dealt with. Everyone, but me, spoke and clearly understood Portuguese. So about 90% of all conversations outside the house were in Portuguese. Before leaving I didn't really think about how frustrating that might be. Had I not lived in South Korea, dealing with 17 months of not really knowing the native language? It seemed like having a translator right by my side would be easier than the complete lack of understanding in Korea- which had been interesting, and sometimes difficult, but was never as frustrating as this! I guess it was because in Korea I shared my lack of understanding with basically every foreigner I was with, but in Brasil, all the foreigners I was with spoke/understood Portuguese, so I was the only clueless one... I was the only one who had to wait for a translation so I could respond to a question or comment, or get a joke that everyone else had already laughed at 30 seconds ago. It was a learning experience.
Now we're back in the States and settling into a routine. Kellen is substitute teaching, I'm looking for work, and in the meantime I'm starting "my book."
I've been prompted by Kellen, my parents, grandparents, various other friends and family to write about my experiences in S. Korea. I guess I've put it off for so long because it just feels so presumptuous to write about myself and my experiences, albeit in an interesting place, on such a grand scheme... not a simple email update or blog, but a full blown book which I actually hope to publish. I don't want to seem like I'm putting on airs or think that just because I lived off-continent I have a story to tell and the world needs to take note... I don't! I just hope that "the book" turns out to be interesting and could perhaps help provide some insight for people thinking about teaching English in SK. Ideally it'd make us enough money to support us during Kellen's seminary years, but who knows, it may end up costing us! It seems like such a monumental task, a very lofty ambition, and I wonder if I'm up to the task, or if it'll be something anyone would want/need to read...
Anyway. That's where we are now. Living with my parents, enjoying a less financially restraining few months before it's back to the real world, with its burdens and joys, in a new city, with new opportunities and challenges. As always we appreciate the prayers- especially concerning work :)
View my Brasil pics via facebook- the second link is pics from our trip to the zoo in Brasil.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=298530&id=817345012&l=7f7ef6fcc1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=298530&id=817345012&l=7f7ef6fcc1
