Full Circle

Edited to add: yesterday we left our house around 4 pm and arrived safely here at 10:30 p.m. I left the 900+ photo order loading and I just checked my email and verified that the order was processed although probably only with very few minutes to spare before the computer was scheduled to hibernate.

Thirteen years later we have finally returned to this Massachusetts town (the only city in the country in which there is a major highway passing under the city hall :) to spend the holidays.

Thirteen years ago we had been here in the U.S. for six months and we lived in a tiny two bedroom apartment in a dirty street at the top of a three floor house (the windows on the right side of the building). All we had was some pieces of hand-me-down furniture and just the most basic things to live (pots, pans, plates, etc). Those were tough days because the apartment's old gas central space heater's defective pilot light would go off every time it shut off while the temperatures outside fell to zero (F) and below (-20 C). It took over a week for our landlord (who lived on the ground floor) to get it fixed.

Now my in-laws live in a comfortable, spacious two bedroom apartment with free heat, electricity, and hot water and with an indoor pool and health club in a really nice part of town.

Thirteen years ago I was quite depressed since all our savings of 6 long years (16K) were quickly going down the drain. Worse than that was the fact that we didn't know what the new year was going to bring, it was all "darkness" ahead. Thankfully we went on to graduate school with a sponsorship from Brazil in the fall, but we didn't know that on those dark days of winter 96-97.

Now we still don't know what the next years will bring, but our residency ("grass-colored" card) application forms are in K's work laptop right now, so I think it's a good conclusion to this adventure that started thirteen and a half years ago. We have come full circle, but we almost didn't make it! I don't even want to think what would be going through my head right now if we hadn't received that "anniversary present" last Tuesday. I don't want to think of what-ifs now, I just want to enjoy the feeling of "fullness" and "fulfillment." I guess we're meant to remain in this country, at least for now. It taken thirteen years, but it looks like this time it's going to happen.

P.S. Please keep my grandmother in your thoughts and prayers. She's back in the hospital and we don't know if she'll ever recover (she's suffering from a lung emboly, the accumulation of fluid in the lungs as a consequence of a having suffered and being treated for thrombosis). What a tough time for my father's family, particularly during the holidays! The worse part is that my grandmother is uninsured and although Brazil does have publicly funded health insurance, her doctor and the family put her in a private hospital and they're charging her a discounted rate (around 100 dollars a day). Her children are splitting the costs, but those may add up. Everyone's biggest concern, however, is that she doesn't suffer pain and she goes peacefully, like she wants. I hope this is possible. My mom is spending the night with her and I'll give her a call soon. I'll keep you posted.