Saturday, 29 November 2014

Taking things for granted!

In the UK, we have so many things that we enjoy and sometimes we want more. The hideous behaviour of some people on 'Black Friday' only goes to prove this! However, it is some of the basic things in life that are so important that we can take for granted and not fully appreciate. One of these is water.

On Sunday morning, we work up to find that there was no water in the base where we are staying. This caused problems including being unable to clean dishes, flush the toilet, wash our hands, have a cup of tea, or have a shower. During this time, it was inconvenient and a bit frustrating and even though it only lasted for a few hours, it was bad enough during that time. I'd like to challenge you for half a day to consider the effects on your day not having water would have. Each time you use water, think about what you would have to do if it was not available. For many of the families that we have visited, this is an ongoing issue as they do not have clean running water in their homes!

As our time nears an end in Brazil, we have also been lucky enough to be able to afford taking a few days away from the base and our work. Currently, I am writing this from a beautiful location in a resort called Porto de Galinhas, which translated means 'Port of the chickens'. It is a beautiful place and is considered to have one of the best beaches in Brazil! 

So why is is called 'Port of the chickens'? 
Until 1850, the town was called Porto Rico (Puerto Rico) when it became a place where people bought and sold slaves to work in the plantations of sugar cane. As this was illegal, passwords were created by the traffickers (people trading in slaves). When a ship arrived in town, as it was prohibited to mention slavery, the word spread as "there are new chickens in the port"; and so the place gained its name of Porto de Galinhas.



That's all for this week - a shorter blog, but I'm off to enjoy the rest of my stay here!

Tchau!

No comments:

Post a Comment