Friends For The Journey

7.30.07 – Well, friends, by this time next week the 2007 IBEU Language Program in Rio will be over and most of us will be back home settling into our routines once again. At least one of the students has left already and the rest are finishing up final details like souvenir shopping and final projects and papers for class.

It has been a fun filled six weeks and many new friendships have been formed. A couple of students even had visits from loved ones while they have been here.

The last week has been rainy and very cold (the lowest was 14 degrees C which I think probably translates to the high forties or fifties in Fahrenheit) and with no heating in the houses it was sometimes difficult to stay warm, especially if one is sick. I have been fighting off what I think is bronchitis for the last week (NO FUN!) However, on Sunday the sun began to peek through and we even saw a rainbow at one point. Hopefully, it was a sign of the end of the winter season here in Rio.

The waves were huge and the surfers were having a great time riding them. At one point, toward evening on Sunday, the churning waves overstepped their boundaries and eroded away enough of the beach that sand and water began spilling over the sidewalks and street, scattering people every way. This morning the city crews are busy hauling sand, trying to uncover the sidewalks and hoping once more that the ocean will stay at bay.

Yesterday (Sunday), Joseph and I walked to the Fort to have brunch with a fellow student who had attended the IBEU program two years ago. She has been here on a Fulbright Scholarship for the last year working on research for her dissertation along with her husband who was able to be here for the last six months writing his dissertation. She was able to give Joseph some valuable information that he will be able to use when he gets to that phase of his degree. In the meantime, Joseph will be starting his second year of classes in a few weeks and after that will come comps and then research. It has been exciting for me to see how well received Joseph’s work has been. When he presented his paper on “how religion affects politics” in class it provoked a lot of questions and conversation. It seems to be a topic of interest to many.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—“ This has been a wonderful season of much needed rest for me; and Joseph and I have enjoyed sharing the adventure of being in Rio together. I trust this has been a good season for you as well.

Blessings,
Debbie