People are bidding on their upcoming posts, so many State Department bloggers are writing their lists of pros and cons of their posts. I wrote one for Shenyang, and I have found it helpful to remember how I truly felt about it, now that it's a few years in my past.
Pros:
Natureza: Brasilia is beautiful! It is about 80 degrees year round, though this week it has been dipping down to a frigid 65. Ha ha ha! If that's as bad as winter gets (which it is), sign me up! The air is clean, and the skies are blue. After living in China, that's something we'll never take for granted again. There are waterfalls to hike to, a lake to paddle-board in, bike lanes for cycling, and no reason not to get out and enjoy the weather.
Music: I love Brazilian music. It seems like many people here participate in music; our housekeeper sings like an angel and plays the organ at her church,
People
Great for our family
Cons:
Community
This is our second post, and the Embassy community here is so much bigger than the Consulate community in Shenyang!
Limited tourist options
Driving city
Monday, May 18, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Pros and Cons, Fisher girl edition
Penny: I like this window. It makes rainbows.
Naomi: Roses, flowers, nothing.
Penny: Nothing. I like everything in Brazil.
Naomi: Trees and toys. I only like my birthday toys.
Naomi: Roses, flowers, nothing.
Penny: Nothing. I like everything in Brazil.
Naomi: Trees and toys. I only like my birthday toys.
Thursday, May 07, 2015
20 Questions
The other night in the car, I decided to teach my kids to play 20 Questions. I started. I'm the mom, I know the rules, and let's face it, I just like going first in games!
I was trying to get them to guess Kevin. As they kept guessing really specific things ("Is it a bush?" "Is it that car?") I realized I would have to teach them how to ask broader questions to narrow the field.
"Penny, you could ask me if it's something alive."
"Naomi, you could ask me if it's a person."
"Penny, you could ask me if it's someone we know."
(Not only do I like going first in games, but I apparently like playing all the parts of the game myself, too.)
"Naomi, you could ask me if it's someone in our family."
And then-- what do you know?-- they guessed it!
I let Penny go next. I didn't have much hope of a successful round, but we tried anyway. Turns out, she's really good! It was a person, But she clarified for us that it was a GROUP of people. Her Kindergarten class! I thought it was a clever idea.
Naomi went next. She also chose Penny's kindergarten class! It didn't take us quite so long to guess this time. But she was pretty proud of herself for answering all those questions we had for her!
Then it was my turn again. I helped them ask questions again, and it was... our car, Buttercup!
Then Penny went again. Her class at school has been learning about the states of matter, so I asked her, "Is it a solid? a liquid? a gas?"
No to all three.
Uh....
"It's a kind of energy!!"
I swear this girl is going to be smarter than her mom in just a few years. "Heat? Gravity? Radiation? Potential?" I know science stuff, too!
"It's light, Mom."
"Oh yeah, that's a kind of energy. Good job, Penny!"
"Yes, but what kind of light?"
And after a couple guesses, "It starts with a letter that starts with 'eh.'"
Flashlight. Because "F" starts with "eh."
I think it will soon be an even two-player game, Penny versus mom!
I was trying to get them to guess Kevin. As they kept guessing really specific things ("Is it a bush?" "Is it that car?") I realized I would have to teach them how to ask broader questions to narrow the field.
"Penny, you could ask me if it's something alive."
"Naomi, you could ask me if it's a person."
"Penny, you could ask me if it's someone we know."
(Not only do I like going first in games, but I apparently like playing all the parts of the game myself, too.)
"Naomi, you could ask me if it's someone in our family."
And then-- what do you know?-- they guessed it!
I let Penny go next. I didn't have much hope of a successful round, but we tried anyway. Turns out, she's really good! It was a person, But she clarified for us that it was a GROUP of people. Her Kindergarten class! I thought it was a clever idea.
Naomi went next. She also chose Penny's kindergarten class! It didn't take us quite so long to guess this time. But she was pretty proud of herself for answering all those questions we had for her!
Then it was my turn again. I helped them ask questions again, and it was... our car, Buttercup!
Then Penny went again. Her class at school has been learning about the states of matter, so I asked her, "Is it a solid? a liquid? a gas?"
No to all three.
Uh....
"It's a kind of energy!!"
I swear this girl is going to be smarter than her mom in just a few years. "Heat? Gravity? Radiation? Potential?" I know science stuff, too!
"It's light, Mom."
"Oh yeah, that's a kind of energy. Good job, Penny!"
"Yes, but what kind of light?"
And after a couple guesses, "It starts with a letter that starts with 'eh.'"
Flashlight. Because "F" starts with "eh."
I think it will soon be an even two-player game, Penny versus mom!
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