Babysitting...

My first day off of work and I spent it babysitting...All day! It was fun, although at times I felt like I was running a day care. I told my sister I would babysit Luke so they could celebrate her birthday, and then my other nephews and niece came over. It was pretty great. I am grateful for children especially for my niece and nephew, but I am also very grateful for my single status and that at the end of the day I can give those adorable kids back to their parents. Don't get me wrong some day a family will be awesome but for now I am happy with my life!!! Oh yeah, and my mission!!!!!

Weather of Fortaleza

Temperature in Fortaleza
There is very little variation in the average temperature of Fortaleza. This phenomenom happens because Fortaleza lies very near the Equatorial Line (see map of Ceará); the closer a place is to the Equatorial Line, the smaller the temperature amplitude along the year.Temperature ranges from a minimum of 26 oC and 28 oC (or between 79 oF and 82 oC).
Raining in Fortaleza
The graph shows that there are two well defined seasons in Fortaleza: a dry season and a wet season.The wet season goes from February to June, when it is Summer and Autumn in Brazil (notice that people from Fortaleza erroneously refer to the season as "inverno", of Winter). The increase in precipitation causes a slight decrease in average temperature.The dry seasons goes from July to January. During this period, Fortaleza becomes one of the driest cities in Brazil; not uncommonly, several months go by without one single showering day.Even during the wet season, rains come in showers, rather than storms (which do happen, occasionally). Also, because precipitation in Fortaleza is caused by evaporation/condensation, rather than by the collision of cold and warm fronts, it is very uncommon to see lightinings and thunders in Fortaleza.

History of Fortaleza: Part Two (Parte Dois)

Brazilian History starts officially on April 22nd 1500, when Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the coast of Bahia. Due to Ceará's poor soil that state was completely abandoned, leaving room for corsaries to become friends and do business with the local indians.

1612: Martins Soares Moreno, arrived in Ceará to fight the French and claim the lands for the Portuguese Crown; Soares Moreno won.
1649: the Dutch built another fort, by the banks of river Pajeú, and called it Fort Schoonenborch.
1654: the Dutch are expelled from Brazil; the Portuguese take Schoonenborch, and change its name to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora de Assunção

A village grew around the Fortress, named Fortaleza. On April 13th 1726, Fortaleza became capital of Ceará.

FAST FORWARD.......

1930: in an reaction against the dominant oligarchies, Getúlio Vargas becomes President with dictatorial power
1952: President Vargas created a bank with headquarters in Fortaleza, to provide credit to new enterprises in the Northeast of Brazil.
1959: President Juscelino Kubitschek creates SUDENE, the Superintendence for Development of the Northeast, with the function of fostering projects of social interest.

During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, some industries flourished, like shoes, textile, food processing, agriculture, petroleum and other minerals. Ceará, however, remained as one of the States with poorest economy and worst social indicators.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Ceará (and Fortaleza in particular) found their true avocation: tourism. Word of mouth about the beautinesses of the State, along with marketing campaigns in Brazilian media turned Fortaleza into one of the most popular destinations in Brazil. Heavy investments, both private and official, improved the infrastructure of tourism.

Since the early 1990s, the successive governments have been recognized as ethical and efficient, improving social and economic indicators. Ceará today is a State with excellent perspectives.

Fortaleza Part 1

I leave in two weeks, seriously two weeks from today I will be on a plane headed for Dallas and then I board a different plane and head to Sao Paulo. So in honor of Brazil and the great adventure that lies ahead I am bringing you a 7 part series on Fortaleza and the wonders therein.

Part 1: Introduction
Fortaleza, the capital city of the State of Ceará, has been for decades one of the most popular destinations of Brazilian tourists. In recent years, the fame of Fortaleza has been gaining the world, and the number of Europeans, North and South Americans travellers coming to Cearás has grown fast.What attracts so many Brazilian and foreigners to Fortaleza? Rather than pointing out one single reason, it is safer to say that visitors are attracted by a combination of the sunny beaches, (can't swim) the busy and safe nightlife, (i'll be sleeping) the delicious culinary, the rich Brazilian culture, the very peaceful and friendly people. On top of that, it's worthy mentioning that Brazil is free from natural disasters, (can I get a hey oh?) and is a country with low cost of living.

Area: 313,8 Km2
Population: 2,332,657 (est. 2004 - source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). Including the cities in the metropolitan area.
Fortaleza has more 3,3 million people, making it the fifth largest metropolis in Brazil.
The following cities are included in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza (ordered by population): Fortaleza, Caucaia, Maracanaú, Maranguape, Aquiraz, Pacatuba, Pacajus, Horizonte, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Itatinga, Guaiúba and Chorozinho.

What a scam!

WHAT A SCAM!!!!!

So previously I had mentioned a car accident that I had gotten into, but luckily there was no damage and such. Well, things have changed! So today I got a call from my insurance company saying that a claim had been filed and the couple who I "hit" was saying that there was a scratch and maybe a dent on the car. I find this particularly frustrating because at the time of the accident they told me and my mom that there was no damage to the car. I quote the man “the car is good to go”. Hmmmm sounds to me like a scam. So, I called my individual agent and he was so great! I told him my name and he said he knew who I was and he said he was working on it. They were going to watch the case extra closely and that I had more important things to focus on. He told me that this happens all the time. What a frustrating line of work. He must hate people, but he was so kind to me and today I am grateful for insurance. When the accident occurred I did not want to call the police because I thought I would get a ticket but the man I hit was very adamant about calling the police. Well I did not get a ticket and this only secures that fact that there was no damage to the car. Thank you!

Also...the above picture does not resemble anything about my accident but it is humorous.

Marky Mark

So yesterday was the day. I can't believe my little brother Mark left on his mission. It was a good day but so sad! I was so emotional! I love Mark so much and it kills me to think I wont' see him for two years but I am so pleased with him. He has prepared so well and I can not wait to see what wonderful things he does in the Phillipines. I love this picture of Mark!

Dream a Dream

Last night I had the most odd dream. In my dream I was taking Mark to the MTC and for some reason it was just my Mom and I who were taking him. When we got to the MTC my mom was like "Well Kimber, lets drop you off too"! I wasn't ready. I didn't have all my clothes, I had not said goodbye to people, I had not even been set apart. Sure enough I found myself in the Provo MTC of all places and in my dream I hated it. The dream was so scary to me. I do not want to hate the MTC, that is why I have to be prepared. I am happy that my mom would not really just send me to the MTC, and I am glad that I have time to get more prepared.