Roughly 30 days left

I had hoped to spend some time travelling around the country, but I've been restricted to the south. That's okay. It is beautiful here, and I've, instead of doing the tourism thing, made a routine that shows me that I can acclimate to a new place, make new friends eek out a little pocket money and be generally content. That's nice to know.

I'll be heading home in roughly 30 days. The idea of reentry is daunting. How will I react to everything being the same? How will I react to things being relatively easy (i.e. language, cultural mores)? I dunno, but if I can get through being foreign here in Brazil, I can deal with feeling foreign at home.

I've been slacking on the blog because I'm officially in vaca time. It's been a particularly quiet time. I'm applying for a job, and trying to prepare a soft spot to land in when I reenter the Chicago winter. I've become a facebook addict. It's kind of disgusting.

I could talk about why I decided to go home in February, but the reason is simple. I want to make a home, and I want to do that now and in Chicago.

MW asked how the book project turned out.

After everyone had finished their covers and their texts, I assembled the individual books and presented them as presents at our holiday party. Each person showed his or her book to his/her peers. The effect was that each felt noticed and listened to. I'll make a simple anthology, but the funding for the group itself was cut in the last weeks of December so I won't be able to deliver indivudual copies. Still, I will send a copy to the community center. Hopefully, they will be able to pass them on. Now, I'm translating all of the texts to English, for the heck of it. I'll journal on it a little more. The project could be easily adapted for any age group.



Unfortunately, because of severed ties with J, we won't be able to publish it formally or informally with UFRGS, but worst things have happened.

speaking of publishing. check out this press

because soon my words will be on their pages.

later ya'll