Heading back to the USA, I am sitting aisle side on a flight headed south from Brasilia to Sao Paulo. Sure it is the wrong direction I want to go, yet somehow it seems appropriate that I go the opposite direction for a couple hours and then turn around and go back. From Sao Paulo I go to Dallas and then Portland to get Eric and go to Italy. I will only be in Portland two days, brief enough that the time change of six hours from Brasil won’t screw me up before we head nine time zones to Italy.
Leaving Brasil is hard for me. Even though I have only seen one other identifiable gringo during my month and a half here, making me feel like I really stand out, and almost no one speaks English, I have felt very welcome to be in the country. People have been very considerate, and thankfully, tolerant of my pitiful Portuguese. And it is always hard for me to leave a place with good food.
Patricia’s family treated me as one of their own, looking out for me, and really going out of their way to make me feel at home. The cohesiveness of her family was remarkable to experience. Their weekly family gatherings were chaotic, lively, frequently loud, and fun.
Hardest of all, is of course leaving Patricia. It will be a long five months until I see her again. Thank God for Skype.
On the positive side of leaving Brasil, I haven’t seen Eric for ninety-seven days and I miss him very much. I can’t wait to explore Italy with him.
