Going home, maybe?

The school has purchased our tickets home for February 5.  We will be going to Z's parents' home in Santa Rosa, California until the work visas are processed, or until....?  The process has been so long and so different than what we expected that I do not really have any expectations about the visa since we have reapplied.  I do believe that the chances they will come through is greater than not, though.

School started back up after the long Christmas vacation.  Since then, we have had a number of trials, including my classroom being moved while I was away in a very disorganized fashion (from which I am still recuperating as I try to organize things in my new space); an ugly dispute with the director that left Z and me in tears; and trying to start up the new semester knowing we are leaving in a couple weeks and unsure when or if we will be able to return.  However, we have been learning a lot from these experiences.  The most wonderful part is that, despite having been broken by the "discussion" with the director, Z has emerged victorious in the sense that he has gained peace and wisdom after many days of seeking through prayer.  This is the best thing we can ask for when dealing with trying situations, and we are so grateful for the ways we are growing.

Just like my family has told me, even though our time in Brazil may not have turned out like we originally expected, we have been maturing and learning so much!

Beyond the green golf course, you can see the sprawling
favela of Rocinha.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed a challenging hike up Pedra da Gavea, the mountain we see from our school.  There was even a portion where we had to do some basic rock climbing without ropes.  We almost thought we wouldn't make it, but we did, and the expansive view at the top was worth the whole trip to Brazil (well, almost).  Here are photos of the mountain we climbed and the view of Rio de Janeiro from the top.

A view of Pedra da Gavea.  It looks like a man lying down face-up.  We were
on top of his nose!
(I borrowed this photo without permission from the photographer on flickr.com.)

 



Our neighborhood--Barra da Tijuca.  If you look very closely, you
can see the white steeple of Union Church on the green land jutting out into the lagoon in the distance.  (Find the center of the photo, then move your finger 1 inch up and 1/2 inch over.)