Casa Que O Amor Construiu.

The House That Love Built

Despite all of the horrific and horrible things happening in this world today, there are so many awesome and inspiring things happening each day. While it sometimes feels like there is, there is not shortage of love all around us. We just need to open our eyes to it.

Here in Rio de Janeiro, we have our fair share of crappy things happening. But we also have teenagers donating their time to so many social projects throughout the city. We have elementary students going barefoot to raise awareness for the social injustices of the world as well as donating their old shoes to children who need them. And we have amazing organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House helping thousands of families throughout the world every day.

My first contact with the Ronald McDonald House (affectionately known as RMH) came while in college. I was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority whose national philanthropy is RMH. Each year we held various philanthropy events to raise money for RMH, each semester we would drive up the RMH in Cleveland to spend and evening cooking dinner or crafting with the kids, and we were ALWAYS collecting pop tabs. Always. 

After graduating and moving to Honduras, I didn't really have the opportunity to be directly involved with RMH as one does not even exist in Honduras. The closest one was in Guatemala. I hardly left my little city in Honduras, let alone the country. 

And so I forgot. I forgot about all of the awesome things that RMH does for families.

The McDonalds here in Rio de Janiero is currently having this awesome promotion where you can buy a Triplo Bacon for R$6.50. In English, a triple cheeseburger with bacon for about $2. I know, I know. It sounds like heaven, but it's really just Rio de Janeiro.

Nautrally, I'm not going to pass up a deal like that. So as I stood in line waiting for my Triplo Bacon, I noticed a collection box at the register. The change, of course, would be donated to RMH of Rio de Janeiro. 

After a quick Google search, I see that RMH is located near Maracana. I don't frequent that area often, but my friend and I had rented a car the other weekend and happened to be out that way, so I asked to stop.

And then I remembered. I remembered all of the awesome things that RMH does for families.

RMH truly is the house that love built.

One Day Without Shoes-- 2015 Edition

"This one goes out to the heroes. Every day heroes. Yeah, I'm talking to you. You probably are all like, "I'm not a hero. You're talking to the wrong person." And I'm all like, "You're talking to your TV!" So listen up! I think you're a hero and don't even know it yet. Maybe you're like me. You look in the mirror and you don't really see a hero. You look and you just see a regular kid. A really good-looking regular kid. But you? You're a hero. Whether you're a kid or a grown-up. You're way more than you might think you are. You're more than your problems and you're more than your mistakes. Somewhere inside, you're a hero. You might not have a cape or wear underwear outside your clothes (that's probably a good thing). You have everything right now to change the world. EVERYTHING! Heroes are just ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. They inspire other people to be extraordinary."

-- Kid President (For the Heroes)

Kid President is awesome. He and I could say the exact same thing (I could even dress up in a cape and jump off benches in the park) and my students are going to be more receptive to Kid President because he's their age. He's also hysterical and charismatic and I wish he was a student in my class.

His "For the Heroes" video tied in perfectly with TOMS One Day Without Shoes campaign which just so happens to be one of my favorite days of the entire year. TOMS is an American based company that started in 2006, when it's founder, Blake Mycoskie, traveled to Argentina and witnessed, firsthand, the hardships faced by children living without shoes. (You can read all about how TOMS got started and how the company has grown on the TOMS website.) TOMS operates under the motto "One For One"-- for every pair of shoes that is purchased, another pair is donated to a child in need.

I think it's easy for people, especially elementary school students, to think that they're too insignificant to make any real change. TOMS has clearly blown that myth to pieces as they have donated over 35 million pairs of shoes since it's foundation. There are many pieces of wisdom that I hope to bestow upon my students (multiplication, long division, the scientific method), but more importantly that differences among people are what make us special, that our words and actions have lasting impacts on those around us, and that each person is capable to make significant change in the world around them.

And so we went barefoot. We learned about empathy versus sympathy, we laughed along with Kid President, we posted photos on Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes, we started a shoe drive to collect gently used shoes for people right here in Rio de Janeiro who need them.

One step at a time, one day at a time, we're making a difference. Because, as Kid President says, heroes are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Click here to read about One Day Without Shoes of years past.
One Day Without Shoes-- 2012 Edition (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
One Day Without Shoes-- 2013 Edition (Siguatepeque, Honduras)
One Day Without Shoes-- 2014 Edition (Siguatepeque, Honduras)

Conquer.

When thinking back on 2014, I was reminded of the OneWord365 philosophy that I had so adamantly believed I could succeed at. I had chosen the word "faith" and believed I could apply it to all aspects of my life and embody "faith" as best I could. I would chronicle my journey throughout the year and look back and see how much I had grown. 

But then when I clicked on the "OneWord365" label, I saw one blog post. ONE. In 365 days, I had written about faith one time. Way to stick to that goal.

I began thinking about it more and more. I had only written about faith one time, but I certainly didn't live out my faith only one time. 

The time I quit my job in Honduras when I so desperately wanted to stay? Faith.

The time I accepted a job in Rio de Janeiro? Faith.

The time my visa took  exponentially longer than it should have to go through and I still didn't look for another job? Faith.

The time I laid in bed and cried each night for weeks, unsure if I would last in Rio until Christmas yet waking up each morning and going to class? Faith.

The time I renewed my contract to teach in Rio for another school year? Faith.

It was there. It was present in every single thing that I did whether I was aware of it or not.

For 2015 I have a new goal, a new word. Conquer. 

Conquer fears. Conquer difficulties. 

I lived by faith last year and it brought me here. To a vibrant, busy city that is full of unknowns. Full of opportunities. Full of things that seem really scary.

This year I will conquer these fears. I will push myself to do things that I think are too difficult or not part of my character. I will push myself outside of my comfort zone. I will conquer fears that have been present in my life for many years.

I will conquer challenges that are placed in front of me-- whether they be a challenging situation or a challenging student. Life is full of challenges, but you grow as person in the way that you conquer those challenges.

I'm not so great a New Years Resolutions, but I'm better at One Word 365 than I had originally thought.

Conquer-- I got this.

"If it's both terrifying and amazing then you should definitely pursue it." --Erada

"We don't want to tell our dreams. We want to show them."

- Cristiano Ronaldo

"I am living a dream I never want to wake up from."

- Cristiano Ronaldo

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

- Lao Tzu

Petrópolis-- The Imperial City of Brazil

We took advantage of our four day weekend in celebration of Easter to visit the nearby city of Petrópolis. Petrópolis, also called the Imperial City, is named for the second monarch of Brazil, Pedro II. And let me tell you, they LOVE that man. Statues of him can be found around every corner and the Imperial Museum is dedicated to sharing his life story.

The day began by journeying to the central bus station in Rio called Rodoviária in order to catch a bus up to Petrópolis. Again I was reminded of how much the countryside of Brazil looks like the mountains of Honduras. I could have been driving to Petrópolis or I could have been driving to Comayagua. 

Upon arriving in Petrópolis, we visited the Museu de Cera, also known as the Wax Museum. Wax museums creep me out. It would be so easy for one of those wax people to be a real human being and that terrifies me. These are terrible realizations to have when you halfway into the museum and have paid about $7 to be there. We studied with Einstein, we jammed with Michael Jackson, we felt way more calm when we stepped back outside at the end.

Hangriness sets in for the gringos and we dine at a kilo restaurant overlooking the central park in Petrópolis. Uneventful, but delicious nonetheless. Three hangry gringos walked in, three happy gringos walked out.

Petrópolis is a GORGEOUS city. The architecture there is still as grand as it was in the 1800's and many of the streets are still cobblestone. While walking down the street, we passed houses belonging to barons and counts as well as the summer home for many of the Brazilian presidents. At the end of said street sits the St. Peter of Alcantara Cathedral which is where Pedro the II, his wife, his daughter, and her husband are all buried. Creepy, but true.

After visiting the cathedral, Maggie, Matt, and I decided that no trip to Petrópolis would be complete without a horse-drawn carriage ride. Our driver was very knowledgeable, but also very conscious of the fact that we speak very little Portuguese. He gave us just enough information for us to know what was going on without it being overwhelming. He drove us past the cathedral, the houses of the royals, the Bohemia beer brewery, and the Crystal Palace before taking us back to the Imperial Palace. Five stars for the horse drawn carriage ride.

We'd been seeing signs for the chocolate festival at the Crystal Palace and weren't about to pass that up. Reality rarely compares to expectations, but we were able to buy some chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, and alfajores which is dulce de leite or brigadeiro sandwiched between two cookies (think soft Oreos) and sometimes covered in chocolate. What the chocolate festival lacked in...whatever it was that we were expecting, it more than made up for in delectable chocolate treats.

Oh, did I mention that the lawns were filled with recycled two liter bottles fashioned into Easter baskets and bunnies? Because that was a thing.

We wrapped up our day in the Imperial City with a tour of the Imperial Museum where we got to wear the most attractive little slippers that I have ever seen in my life. Allegedly the slippers are required because the museum wants to protect the integrity of the original floors and streets shoes can compromise that. Fair, but I have NEVER seen so many adults ice skating around in my life.

We watched a presentation where ladies pretended to be Princess Isabel and her friends and we got a glimpse of a typical royal ladies day. The crowd really seemed to enjoy it, I assume I would have enjoyed it more if I spoke more Portuguese. Finally we watched a sounds and lights presentation on Pedro the II's life. I told you, they love that man.

And all of that wrapped up our day in Petrópolis. Our 9 mile, 20,000 step day in Petrópolis.