"Love is a not a place you can come and go as you please" (altered by Amoding Original by W. Barfield)

After canceling an Orchestra Opening night and lunch date, am sure that I want to stay in study, write and do some yoga. Oh, for little women, a reminder of what it was like growing up in the Oluka family. For a long time I have been avoiding the movie however, am stuck here in my living room and its showing, so to convince myself that am learning Portuguese using the subtitles I will watch it, Teddy has just asked Aunt March, “Are they engaged?” she replies, “not yet!” So far am enjoying it. It reminds me of  how there was  always so much going in our household, I do not remember a time when I got bored. My parents often said there was no boredom as long as there was a lawn to mow, dishes to wash, clothes to press and all other household tasks that you can think of. So doing these things for me is sometimes a pastime. I can get down to housework like it’s a game. 

The melancholic in me wants to say that this past week has been extremely unproductive. However the truth is I have achieved muito pouco (very little). On Segunda- Feira (monday) I spent some time at the Federal University of Bahia library after spending about  1 ½ hours trying to find the place with the limited Portuguese I could master coupled with no sign posts I was left with random people and security men pointing out directions for me to follow.  It’s been a beneficial experience because I was able to speak some Portuguese to get what I wanted and where I needed to be. Found some websites that will be helpful, the library itself is pretty run down; it does not seem like any new research material has been documented there at least for the past five years. Everything there reminded me of Makerere University's BLISS library- even the Main Library gets a bit of a + when it comes to the Law library at UFBA. Was not the least bit surprised as Bahia seems like the forgotten place am sure Rio and Sao Paulo have better libraries. 

The rest of the week I lazed, Samantha returned to the States, Kim and I are hiding in our respective apartments getting work done- well am sure she is; I for one I have  been going through  that time of the month when I barely recognize who I am. Reading here and there, writing and cooking. On Wednesday I spent the day with five Brazilian University Students who have so much energy they made me feel like an old woman. They took me to a Museum, then to have Ice cream and then to a restaurant in Santa Antonio to watch the Sunset- they say it’s the most beautiful part of the city. I loved it. its hilly and stoney, we were either going down or up on paved coblestone roads; am amazed at how they do it with such ease. We laughed so much took pictures and talked. Tomorrow inshallah they will be coming over for lunch. 

Ernandes and I talked about child rights and the social situation of children in Bahia, he also shared his views on what I thought was a picture of people living in harmony- Brazil being so mixed and presenting a sense of no or little  prejudice. I shared my thoughts on the sadness I felt when Sudan split, and he assured me that Brazil is not what it looks like. From his perspective racism is instilled in people’s conscience, even though nothing is said actions speak louder than words. I still want to live here anyway; even he agreed that this place is heaven (his own words). Today I walked out to get some air, post office and so much window shopping; I like that everyone speaks to me in Portuguese and I get by as a local until I  open my mouth.

So am reading 'Children for social change' by Anthony Swift and he starts the book by comparing Britain's notorious children who  have instilled fear in Teachers to the point that by 1997 13, 419  of them had been excluded from attending school.  It’s raining outside and all I can think of are the street children in Pelourinho outside my building. It breaks my heart to know that there is not so much I can do right now. A series of gun shots went off this evening, it’s been happening almost every evening at about the same time, the gang fights do not seem to stop, or is it juriceiros getting rid of notorious children in the lower city? That place (Lower City) has been advertised as hell, everyone is afraid of it,  my new friends told me it’s a place that the wealthy ignore, everyone ignores it.  In a few years I want to be able to do something, however right now I will begin by writing about it and see where it goes. 

This place is a place of love, and even after falling in love with it, am reminded of Warren Barfield’s quote, ‘love is not that place that I can come in and go as I please.’ There are requirements, most often unspoken requirements that should be motivated by the commitment love demands. Right now it’s helping to make the place better than I found it, and so with all that I can, in writing about Child rights in Brazil I am going to do my part in this love affair I have with this part of the world. My dreams get wilder as I get older, maybe am actually beginning to realize that anything is indeed possible.