These are a few of my favorite things..

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.."

These past few days (in true Brazilian fashion) have been incredible. I am in the city of São Paulo. It is the biggest urban center in South America and the birth place of a very special person in my life; Rodney Neves De Mello (this special person is my father). He lived here for many years and (naturally- i am very curious) I wanted to discover this place. Papa grew up in a city called Diadema, it is located on the periphery of the big city Sao Paulo and in the State of Sao Paulo. I came here to see the house he grew up in, to see things he might have seen and to feel a certain energy that was once a part of his life. Papa told me that it used to be very different in Diadema, there were more trees and less people. I felt the absence of these things, and I especially felt the absence of my father. Papa, I always wanted to come here with you, but you left me no choice but to come on my own!

I was greeted at the airport by my beautiful cousin Cintia! She is the daughter of my father´s closest cousin Walkirya. She is so incredibly beautiful, and so loving and so funny. We talked for hours on end and then I met her mother who is a very important figure in my father´s life (first kiss!!) she is like a sister to him and meeting her was like meeting my aunt, it was awesome! We chatted and they told me so many stories about my dad, and I just kept writing down everything they were saying! We invited more family over and I discovered that contrary to what I thought I have A LOT of family in Brazil! More than twenty people who are still alive and whom I must meet!!

The next day we went to vote because everyone in Brazil is REQUIRED to vote! It was a fun experience, my cousin took me into the voting booth with her and everything here is electronic ( this makes so much sense, the US really needs to convert to this system). The streets were full of people and there was so much traffic!! In Brazil during election time they are not supposed to sell alcohol it is prohibited. But I quickly learned from my cousin that in Brazil many things are prohibited but... they are not. You cannot do many things BUT you can do everything. I like that about Brazil, rules are meant to be broken, the sooner we understand that the better! We went to the house where my father lived and I even asked the woman who lived there if I could please enter and she said no... urgh!! Later i went to the house of my father´s first childhood friend Helio! Oh, the happiness I felt when i saw him! He came to visit my father in 1994 when I was five and I remember him and I remember the photos we took together. My father loves this man so much so consequently I do too! What a happy happy day!! Later we went to meet other family members and my heart was full of joy (still is).

Before leaving to vote my cousin and I went around her property (she lives on a beautiful piece of land with a lake many birds, trees etc) and we were chased around by a peacock! Never have I been so scared of something so beautiful! It must  be mating season here in Brazil so this bird is very hormonal and could have hurt us really bad. My cousin and I were running around like maniacs and then we got into the house and could not stop laughing.. we were being chased by a peacock, this is absurd!

Today, I spent the day in the city and went to the University of Sao Paulo where my dad got his degree in Philosophy! The school is sooo cool and so big! I walked through the halls imagining a day long ago when a young, hopefuly, idealistic papa was walking through those same halls. It was fun! I kept wishing that it could be the end of the 1970´s so I could talk to my dad! Later I met my grandma Heroina´s twin sisters Erecina and Edith. I never met  my grandma and they told me so many beautiful stories about her. They were crying when they were talking about her, they miss her alot. I miss her too, and it hurts a lot that I never met her. I love her though and I think of her often so I hope that is enough.

Tonight Courtney and I go back to Curitiba and tomorrow morning we leave to Brasilia the capital of Brazil. There we will study the Cerrado, the Brazilian Savannah and by October 9th ill be in the capital city of Amazonas MANAUS. I am so excited for the following weeks where the program travels North. We are going to enter the tropical Brazil that I am so anxious to know about!! I do not know how much access I will have in the North but I know that it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

Until then I send you all a warm kiss.
Lazzuly