Welcome back

I'm back in Brazil. It was so nice to spend time with my parents, to feel cold, to eat things that I haven't eaten in about a year (blueberries! grapefruit! grape nuts! mexican food! good yogurt! let me stop before my stomach start growling), but mostly to be in a place that is familiar, where I don't have to work so hard to understand and be understood. It was a gift.

And then I got to the Tacumen Airport in Panama City. I unfortunately had l o n g layovers both coming and returning, and it's not really a big airport. On my way back to Brazil, I called a good friend, wrote the last blog entry, ate a Subway meatball sandwich, listened to people speaking Spanish, and wondered through the duty free storea. When it was finally time to head towards my gate, I knew exactly where I was suppose to go.

My gate had the three year old running around in just a diaper, screaming. And everyone was watching him, smiling. My gate was VERY LOUD because everyone was talking at the same time to everyone else. My gate was crowded and full. At my gate, everyone was totally pushing the limits of acceptable carry-on baggage, after shopping their hearts out abroad (me included). My gate was the happy one, and people were whistling and singing to themselves.

Ah, Brazilians! What a nice way to welcome me back.