ABOUT BRAZIL... - April 28

Answers to the questions about Brazil!

Aunt Jen:

1. Biggest difference between where you are now and where you are from?

- The biggest difference (besides the language, obviously) is that the people are a lot more open and receptive. They are really friendly, even when they don´t know you at all. It is rare to encounter someone who won´t stop and converse with you at least a little bit.

2. Something you will miss eating from your mission when you go home?

- I will miss açaí. It´s a small purple fruit and we don´t have it in the states. Here, everyone eats it in a frozen form with toppings like bananas, granola, sweetened condensed milk, and other amazing fruits and things. During the summer, I ate it THREE TIMES A WEEK because it is so delicous and refreshing!

3. What do you wish you had done BEFORE your mission that would have been really helpful? (I have a son who will leave in just over a year for his mission - help a mom out will ya?)

- I wish that I had printed out photos to bring. On the spiritual side of things, it would have helped me to have studied the New Testament more, or at least the references that are in Preach My Gospel Chapter 3. The biggest thing that I DID do that helped a lot was read the Book of Mormon all the way through on my own right before my mission.

4. The most amazing thing you have seen on your mission so far?

- The most amazing thing that I have seen is how people have faith as big as mountains when it comes to overcoming trials or taking the next step in coming unto Christ. I am amazed at how much faith people can have, and the miracles that happen as a result of it. Faith in Christ has power, and anyone can change and become a better person because of it.  

Aunt Kerinda:  How has Brazil changed you?

- I am much more openly loving! I look for more opportunities to laugh and joke with people. I love hugs even more! Also, I am less scared of bugs. :)

Gabby:  What do you use to get from one place to another?  (travel)

- We use the ``ônibus,´´ which is just the bus system that goes EVERYWHERE in the big city. We also use the metro sometimes. We can travel pretty quickly! Sometimes the bus is so crowded though that you have no choice but to hug your neighbor or be hugged by a stranger. I am used to it though!

Gabby:  What does it say on your name tag?

- SISTER WILLIAMS

A IGREJA DE

JESUS CRISTO

DOS SANTOS

DOS ÚLTIMOS DIAS

Gabby:  What do you do for fun?

- We eat good food, walk around at the fairs, try new foods (there is just a lot to do with food!), go to the mountains (if we are in the country), play volleyball, and email our families!

Corban:  Do you have tables?

- Yes, we have tables, and we always eat at the table for lunch. It is the same as in the states. :)

Corban:  How do you count to 10 in Brazil?

- Um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez!

Quincy:  Do you like Brazil?  Is it fun?

- Brazil is AMAZING! It is so fun. The people here LOVE parties (because they work really hard during the week). There is always good food to eat and a happy feeling when families are gathered together.

Quincy:  How do you say 100?

- cem (``sang´´)

Quincy:  Is it hot or cold?

- Right now, the weather is PERFECT!!! In the summer, it gets as hot as Utah, but much more humid. In the winter, it gets as cold as Utah in the fall. It doesn´t snow here. At night we get pretty cold because our houses are made of cement and we don´t have heaters. I have to use lots os blankets and sweaters!

Quincy:  Do you eat bugs?

- No one eats bugs on purpose, but sometimes we eat bugs on accident... Ha ha. I have already eaten lots of ants. There was only that one time that was on purpose. The other times, I didn´t notice the ants until after... It´s no big deal now!

Bump:  Do ninjas really come from Brazil?

- Yes.

Erin:  What is your favorite portuguese word to say?

- I love saying what I have written on my nametag! ``Sou missionária da Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias!´´

Dad: Have you seen any of the giant avocados that Jody Dulberg raved about when visiting Paula's family in Brazil?

- See photo! After I took this picture, I actually found ones that were bigger... Ha ha!

Mom:

What is it like going to church in Brazil?

- All of the women greet each other with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Everyone is very friendly. I would say that it is pretty much the same where I am serving right now as it is in the states. However, when I was serving in a small branch, there was no microphone or air conditioning, and so it was a little bit different. Also, during fast and testimony meetings in the branch, EVERYONE had to bear their testimony or the meeting would end after ten minutes! But really, the chapels are really nice in many areas here in Brazil because they were built within the past ten years. They are very beautiful inside and out.

What hymns do they like to sing?

- The Brazilian´s favorite hymns are ``Count Your Many Blessings,´´ ``Now Let Us Rejoice,´´ and ``Choose the Right.´´

What type of music do the youth like to listen to, when they're not listening to church music?

- They listen to forró, pop music from America, any vareity of music from America, and Brazilian pop music. They also like Samba, and other fun dance music like that.

What activities do they like to do?

- Most people like to play soccer. Other people like to go to movies, listen to music, go to the beach, go to church dances.  

What do they grow in their gardens?

- I think that I have only seen one or two gardens here in São Paulo... People don´t really have gardens because the yards are really small, without open earth, and you can buy any fresh produce at the fairs at a very low price. When I was serving in a more country part of the state, there were so many fresh fruit trees that you could just eat a mango or guava whenever you wanted. YUM!

What's it like to go grocery shopping?

- It is almost exactly the same. There are just differences in the kinds of things that they have more or less of, and things that don´t exist here or there. For example, here, there are three whole shelves of sweetened condensed milk, but no peanut butter. Here, there are mountains of rice, but very few canned vegetables like we have in the states. Also, there is a TON of meat that is NOT refrigertated, and that threw me off a little bit. But no one gets sick, so I don´t really know how that works. Oh, the eggs aren´t refrigerated either. Really, I don´t know what the difference is here, but I have never gotten sick.

Does everyone have a computer?

- Most everyone that I have met has a computer. Even if their house is not very nice, they have a computer or laptop.

What does demora mean?

- delay

What is something that surprises you, yet is hum drum to the natives?

- There are random fires on the side of the streets that people start to burn trash. There are tons of amazing fruits that you can just pick off the trees anywhere. Cockroaches. The thousands of different colors of houses. How amazing the food is!

Did your mission president serve a Portuguese speaking mission?

- Yes, he served in Rio de Janeiro.

Have you seen any missionaries from your MTC district lately?

- I am in the same zone as three elders from my MTC district and they are all my buddies! It´s really fun. As far of the sisters go, two of the sisters from my district went home, two of them are here with me, and my companion never got her visa, so she is still serving in CA.

What is something you didn't appreciate until you got to Brazil?

- I didn´t appreciate carpet. Actually, no, I always loved carpet. I just miss it now. Ha ha.

What animals are considered pets?

- DOGS, CATS, AND BIRDS. People think that Americans are super weird for having snakes or spiders. They really do think that those people are crazy. They ask why we don´t just like dogs. Ha ha.

How do Brazilians celebrate Easter?

- Instead of making special foods, they just make MORE food, TONS of food. Since their food is already amazing, they don´t even need to cook anything special. They just make a larger amount and have everyone in the family over. :) Also, they give HUGE chocolate eggs as presents. The eggs are about the size of a football or a little smaller, and have presents or more chocolate inside. It´s pretty cool!

What is a unique Christmas tradition?

- Christmas Eve is the day to exchange presents! The party starts really late at night as well. Close to midnight. One good food they eat is a special kind of french toast called ``rabanada.´´ I will make it when I get home! On Christmas day, we just hung out with a family here and everyone ate good food and played cards and things like that. Very laid back!

Nicole:

What are the roads like in Brazil? Like, are they paved very well or not so awesome?

- The roads for cars are paved pretty well, but often have potholes. There are tons of speed bumps. In older parts of the city, the roads are all cobblestones. It´s really cool. The sidewalks are anything but level when they are in front of houses. Everyone paves their own sidewalk in front of their house, and so it is really uneven! You have to look where you are going when you are walking. It makes things more of an adventure, but every missionary suffers some kind of muscle pain in the beginning because it takes some getting used to.

How many new people do you talk to on average each day?

- At the least, one, at the most.... twenty or more!

On a scale of 1-10, how good is your Portuguese now?

- It is probably a 7. I can speak fairly well now, but I am sure that I still have an accent. I am working really hard to improve though. I can understand 95% of what I hear now, which is a blessing!! Heavenly Father has helped me so much.

Did you know that I still cannot spell Portuguese without autocorrect?

- Come on, Nicole. Ha ha.

Photos:

- Huge avocados at the street fair (they are delicous!)

- ``pé de boi´´ - COW FOOT, which I ate for dinner on Saturday. It´s not a common every day thing to eat though ha ha. It was actually pretty good. I wouldn´t have even known that it was cow foot if someone didn´t tell me. :)