'Can life be a little simpler?' I asked myself.
When I go to vacation, my attitude is to enjoy every single minute. This vacation in Brazil is unique. I had a new family. When Renata dropped me off to his brothers and cousins, she said, 'treat them as your family!' I was with my new family whom most of them did not speak English. None of them spoke Chinese. Interesting.
In the beginning, my Brazilian/Portuguese (abbreviated as 'B' below) family seemed to have nothing in common with me. They ate mandioca, stregonofe and long grain rice (which were delicious). In meals over one hour long, I kept listening to this beautiful language, occassionally intensive argument, and passionate laughters. I enjoyed it even my only participation is smiling. From breakfast to dinner, B mom and tias (aunties) kept passing me food, until I was so filled up. B grandma liked to talk to me, thinking that I may pick up a few words.
Later, I got to know my B family, and we actually have a lot in common. We are all God's children.
B dad is a talented maker. He made a puzzle cube, and he taught me how to solve the puzzle. He also has a toy airplane that the torpedo can be motorized with rubbing finger nail against the plane body. We both love toys. One day, he took me to his family farm, and showed me the houses that he built. The construction is simple and functional. We both like construction.
B mom is a dedicated Christian. I can tell Renata's sweetness was coming from her. Every morning, she bought fresh pom (bread) and made fresh cafe for everybody. For me, she would even fry eggs. The eggs were very yellow, and Renata told me that they were probably from their farm, which were very nutritious. She has a translation app in her I-phone that she sometimes used it to talk to me. She is so sensitive and detail-orientated.
When we were outing, B tia Gloria always called me and tagged along with me, making sure that I did not get lost. One day, per my request, Renata let me take the crazy metro back from downtown in rush hour. Metro in Sau Paulo's rush hour is no joke. It was beyond crowded, and comparable to Hong Kong's rush hour. The bad part was that it did not have enough air conditioning. When I got back to the B home alive, the two B tias looked so relieved and B grandma hugged me, and said something in Portuguese. They cared about me as family.
Perhaps language is not that important. It may be better that I don't know so much details or overwhelming amount of information. I know that they love me, and that is the most important thing. Language may be hurting, especially when it is used without care. Also, sometimes people understand but they do not listen. This is more disturbing than not knowing the language.
I learned to listen and speak with my heart. Things can be simpler when I did not understand words from the mouth that requires interpretation, because they can be misinterpreted, and I may be deceived by myself. Perceiving with the heart is a lesson to learn.
After all, Renata, B brothers Luciano and Rafael, B sister-in-law Flavia and new friend Heidi, who know English, kept me entertained and informed when they were available. I was not totally mute and deaf.
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