We go home this week.  This is a list of things I will miss.  Not to say all these things don’t exist elsewhere, or even that they’re better here.  But they all have some uniqueness here in Brazil that I will miss.

• Fresh daily bread
• Walking to the bread store to buy fresh daily bread
• Saying good morning to everyone when out walking
• Friends coming over to our house unannounced, just to say hi
• The booming sound of samba school parade practice, heard from our house on Saturday mornings
• The echoing sound of pastors preaching, heard from our house on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday nights
• The crackling sound of the neighbor lighting his trash on fire, heard from our house too frequently
• The man who sells fish from his truck
• The man who sells cheese from his truck
• The airplane flying overhead to announce the fair
• The lady across the street who sells salgados from her house
• The old couple down the hill who sell pastel dough from their house
• Rice and beans
• Rice and beans with beef
• Rice and beans with chicken
• Rice and beans with rice and beans
• The downtown
• The mall
• The river walk
• Our hill
• Star
• Vovo Rita
• Tia Rosileia
• Tia Rosiane and Kito
• Tia Rosemary
• Tia Giseli and Waginho
• Tia Katia and Carlinho
• Tia Amanda
• Tio Rogeiro
• Tio Robinho
• Too many primos to count
• The love and kindness and warmth so many people have given us over the months we’ve spent in Tres Rios, Brazil.

Until next time.