Yesterday, Friday, can only be described as odd. For one thing, I was in a sleepy daze for a good portion of the day, making everything seem just a little off. Also, we had many lovely new adventures, but whenever we tried completing our normal activities, nothing seemed to really work out.
To start the day, Miracy invited Annelise over to join us for a grand lunch. Because we needed to catch the bus by 12:15 pm (it takes at least an hour to get to the university), we planned on eating promptly at 11:00. Come 10:15, though, Miracy was still in her jammies, talking about plans to run out to the grocery store. No big deal, right? At this point, I knew lunch would be late... very late. This woman never leaves the house without dressing her best. Oh, and she still had plans of serving breakfast at this point, before departing for the store! Oh my.
Of course, breakfast was delicious, but I was stuffed. Even by 11:45 when we sat down to eat, I was still full! Oh well. Lunch was wonderful, though, per usual, as this woman is a master cook. Annelise and I were both glancing at our watches as inconspicuously as possible, so concerned about the time. Miracy had been so kind to cook for us, though, and we were having such great conversation that we could not find it within ourselves to break away from the meal early. Her advice and wisdoms are priceless.
Naturally, we left for the bus stop at 12:45. Indeed, we were a bit frantic. We could only get to the bus stop so fast, though, as our backpacks were weighing us down with textbooks and notebooks (good thing we weren't still toting around the class set of books!). Once at the bus stop, we waited... for about forty-five minutes. Good grief! The bus usually comes every twenty minutes. Clearly, something was up (in retrospect, I attribute it to Friday the 13th. solid reason). By the time we actually boarded the crowded bus, it was time for class to start. Luckily, one of the students had our number and called, wondering about our whereabouts, so we went ahead and canceled class. Good thing, too, because we made it to the university right around time for our second class to begin. Gosh, I felt so bad. Those students took a good deal of time out of their days to travel for our class, and we completely wasted that time. Plus, we do not have much time left (only two more weeks of classes!), so every minute is important for these guys.
Class period two was just as productive. None of my students showed up. Granted, this weekend is a holiday of sorts since Monday is Recife's Patron Saint holiday. I had a feeling that attendance would be low, but my goodness. Again, I did what any teacher would do in an empty classroom: pleasure reading time! I found a wonderful collection of novels in English at a nearby bookstore, so I picked up Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, which I highly recommend. Though a novel, the book is a compilation of short stories that have no connection, but share common themes and relate to the overall plot of the book.
After sitting in the classroom for forty-five minutes, I deemed it appropriate to run out for a computer and bathroom break. Upon returning to the classroom, I found that one of my students had showed up! Really? I didn't quite understand why anyone would come to class over an hour late, but it turns out she planned on going with Annelise, me, and some of the other students to a big craft fair, so she came to the university for that reason. Phew! I was starting to feel bad for leaving the classroom! Either way, I was starting to feel like I couldn't get anything right that day!
Once Annelise finished with her class, we took a bus to a mall, met up with Wellington and his friend, and took a shuttle to the craft fair. An annual event held a Recife's convention center, the fair showcases artisan goods from all over the country. We had no idea just how ginormous this fair would be, by my, it was incredible. First, we visited booths from certain cities in Pernambuco and then from regions in Pernambuco. Later, the booths were from other Brazilian states and finally from other countries (at least seventy countries were represented). I could have easily spent a few days there, as each booth had so much to look at! Woodwork, pottery, woven textiles, and paintings were among the things found there. We breezed through some parts, as Wellington pointed out that we only had a few hours and we would never make it to the end if we looked at every booth (plus, I could tell he was hungry, and the food portion was at the end). I really enjoyed looking at all of the crafts, wishing there was some way to take everything home. Also, my students were able to explain the cultural significance of many sculptures and trinkets, which made the experience even more worthwhile.
Sure enough, we made it in time to grab a bite to eat, which helped Wellington to be a little less frantic. Also, he introduced us to a man running a German food booth, who is apparently his friend. From what I saw, it didn't look like the man recognized Wellington at first, but eventually the connection was made and introductions ensued.
We took the shuttle back to the mall where we could catch a bus. As we were getting onto the shuttle, I noticed one of the workers ushering people into the van. I knew him! He had a very distinctive face, and though I could not recall where I knew him from, I very much remembered his kind spirit. Just as he was closing the door, he recognized me, too! He shot me a huge smile, saying what a coincidence it was, and proceeded to close the door. From the window, I could see him enthusiastically related the story to another worker. Clearly, he remembered where we met, but I simply could not figure it out. Later, though, I talked to Wellington, and since he had to take the second shuttle, he heard the guy explain the story. It turns out (and with the little reminder, everything came back to me), back in the beginning of our trip, Annelise and I had been trying to get back from Boa Vista Shopping, a mall that is in a not so great part of town. It was at night, and we still had yet to perfect the bus system. He heard us trying to figure out which bus to take and decided to help us out since he knew a little English. Once he found out where we were headed, he excitedly said that he was going there, too. Immediately, Annelise and I put up a wall, as we feared his possible intentions. Was he truly just going to the same neighborhood, or was he planning on following us, etc.? He stood with us on the bus, but we tried to avoid talking to him. In the end, he got off before us, so our fears were completely unwarranted, but despite our slight coldness he was still friendly and kind to us. Anyways, what a crazy coincidence, seeing him again at the fair, a place swarming with thousands of people. I am constantly amazed by such occurrences.
Though it took everything in our power to not pass out on the bus and metro rides home, we thoroughly enjoyed the day. A normal day it was not, but I was definitely pleased with how everything turned out. I have definitely learned that everything is a process, and dwelling on the small roadblocks and mishaps is unnecessary. Still, I hate that I missed my first class, but all one can do is move on!
More to come tomorrow! I am too sleepy to relate today's events, so until tomorrow! Thank you for reading, and many blessings!
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