Better Late Than Never

Well, I probably should have made this blog about 7 months ago...but it's better late than never. As I am sitting here writing this I am watching Brazil play a friendly against Switzerland. (I don't think it necessary to say which sport is being played haha) Too bad I can't hear anything other than my neighbors' gospel music on full blast.... This is all part of life here. Part of the experience. Brazil is a very interesting country. There is no way to understand this culture; or probably any culture for that matter, if you have never lived in the actual country. I will not attempt to chronicle everything I have done or that has happened to me and my wife Géssica in the past 7 months, but I will give a quick overview.

Here it goes: I think it was late November of last year when I made the difficult decision stop everything and move to Brazil. The reason: I had made the not-so-difficult decision to get married to the love of my life Géssica. I would like to publicly thank my parents and relatives for the support they gave me. I'm sure it was not easy to understand or accept. I got on a plane Dec. 29th 2011 and after a 8 hour wait in São Paulo I arrived on the 30th. The first month was full of wedding preparations and trying to get my documents in order for me to be able to legally reside in Brazil. My parents came to Fortaleza for my civil wedding on Feb. 1st and went to Recife for my temple sealing on Feb. 5th. Having my parents here was an awesome experience. I just wish we had had more time together. Géssica and I had our honeymoon in Porta de Galinhas, which is near Recife. Very beautiful.

The next 2 months were spent looking for a job. I had the erroneous idea that I would be able to find any job I wanted because of the lack of English speakers here in the Northeast. Actually, any English speaker with a college degree under their belt won't have any problem finding a job in Fortaleza. I eventually found a job teaching English at a vocational school. I got a calling as YM's president. I turned 23. Géssica turned 20. I eventually left that school because they told me they were going to do certain things and then did others. I found a job teaching private classes through a start-up company. What I found is basically in order to get a well- paying job you need a college degree. Surprise surprise. I'm not sure why I thought otherwise. the difference here is it doesn't matter all that much what degree you have. You just need a degree.

These last months have found Géssica and I very busy. She is the YW's president and between her job 6 days a week and my job and calling, things are going full steam. She recently started having a series of migraines that have troubled us greatly as she ends up having to go to the hospital every time. We are in the process of getting tests and MRIs done. Géssica's mother recently had a baby and frequently asks us to watch him.

Well that was the 7 month wrap up. Now if I can just get this music out of my head.....