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Egua
Oi galera! I know that this post is suppose to be about the amazing trip that I took around the Northeast of Brazil in Nov/Dec, but I’m sorry—it’s not! I went to the camera store and I was told that my memory card has a virus (how did it get a virus?! Did someone sneeze on it? /how the flip can a memory card get a virus!? L.a.m.e.). So, as soon as I get that taken care of, I will totally post all about it! I think it’s better that the suspense builds ;-).
This post will be about something that I’m feeling a lot of saudades towards: Judaism. The spent the past weekend at my “cousin’s” (Brasilian) house. My cousin, like a majority of Brazil, is not Jewish. Her family happens to be Protestant/Evangelical. My family (the one that I live with) is Catholic. In São Luís, you basically the option of being either Evangelical or Catholic—there is no real gray area of “I’m not sure if I believe in G-d.” When I say that I’m Jewish I frequently get the, “Oh, one of those people” glances, yet what that glance really means is “I have no idea what it means to be Jewish. Aren’t you a cult or something?” Which, I mean is fine. I frequently give enlighten people’s ignorance of one of the world’s four major religions and explain what it means to be Jewish—beliefs, traditions, foods, etc. I like educating people about what it means to be Kelsey Flitter. J
So, this past weekend, I spent with my cousin, Dâmara. Dâmara and I have already spoken multiple times about religion, what we believe, what her church believes etc. Side note: I LOVE MY DâMARA!! We click perfectly and every time that I sleep at her house, we spend hours talking about everythinggggg. Literally we have arrived at home at 330 am from a festa of some sort and stayed up talking until the bem madrugada (that 330 isn’t madrugada enough, lol). Ok, so since I stayed at Dâm’s house from Friday-Sunday, I went to church with her family on Sunday afternoon.
The service was in a Protestant Church and lasted a good two hours. The service was special because there was a Baptism and people also took communion (it doesn’t happen every week?). The pastor gave his sermon—it was a pretty normal service.
I don’t have any criticisms towards the service, the people, the belief, tudo “ok” comigo. The only thing that this service made me realize is how much I miss being Jewish. Ok, obv, it’s not that I’m not Jewish now; it’s just that I’m not expressing my Jewish being. Deixo explicar:
I have lived in São Luís, Maranhão for about five months now. That means that I have been without bagels and lox, challah, Manoschewitz wine, latkes, services, Hebrew/Yiddish (the little that we know), etc, for five months. Yes, of course, I’m going to have to go another six close to seven months without these things again, but at the same time, sinto muito a falta dessas coisas, I miss these things.
Growing up in suburban Philadelphia, an area full of Jewish people, Jewish activities, and a Jewish lifestyle, it’s definitely a shock to suddenly be without all of these things! To put it into a sharper perspective, I have missed four (yes, more than four, but I was never really one to celebrate Sukkot etc) holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Shabbat (happens every weeks so, like having the option of Shabbat services), and Chanukah. Yes, my family isn’t the most observant family in the world, but we celebrate all of these things. I miss dipping apples in honey, eating a salt bagel with lox after fasting for 24 hours. I miss eating latkes and lighting the menorah! I never thought I’d say it, but I miss going to services. I miss being in a familiar place with familiar people, songs, and being Jewish in general. Even though familiar faces and family at this Sunday Service surrounded me, I still felt so out of my element and even more like an estrangeira than normal.
But, I’ve decided that instead of lamenting about how much I miss being Jewish, I should take advantage of the fact that I’m here as a student and therefore will take advantage of the fact that I have a lot to teach and learn as well.
I promise to update again soon!
Tava com saudades!
xoxo, kf
ps. i dyed my hair blonde…let’s see who has more fun!!
