Arrival

There has been no time for written documentation. Much talking and looking and eating and meeting...  And after all of that, a brain too spent for narrative reflection.

Today, I am staying home. Catching my breath. Luxuriating in the silence and relatively fixed, reliable scenery.

My "world" began to change at the boarding gate in Chicago. Suddenly, most of the people around me were speaking Portuguese. And laughing a lot. And sitting on the floor. 

Watching the Earth fall away as we took off, I was thrilled. My initial excitement evaporated after a few hours. It was after 9:30 before we were actually in the air. My seatmates were Brazilian men. I sat on the window. Leandro, who had the middle seat, was returning from Purdue where he'd presented a paper. His English was not good and my Portuguese was worse but we chatted amiably for awhile. Then dinner was served -- he was famished and did not talk while we dined. Immediately after the vibe in the plane was "bedtime."

Horrible!! No leg room. No space to recline. Could not extend my leg more than a few degrees. Horrible conditions for an all-night flight. (My first opportunity after landing, I upgraded my seating for the return flight to "economy plus.")

Made my way through the non-Brazilian maze at GRU after landing, retrieved my luggage, connected with my driver, Sr. Sosa and dozed most of the two hour drive from airport to Rio Claro.

Window to my room on Rua Particular