{"id":4353,"date":"2018-07-09T15:59:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T18:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=4353"},"modified":"2018-07-10T19:50:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T22:50:20","slug":"people-places-and-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dknolte.com\/?p=4353","title":{"rendered":"People, Places and Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

It<\/strong> has been awhile since we last visited and a lot of things whirled past like a fart in a windstorm, sort of speak.<\/p>\n

I took four weeks off in the States for the Family Reunion, which I missed the previous two.\u00a0 It was good to see the family and all four of my kids together.\u00a0 I am the one in the middle.\"\"<\/a>Then I took a road trip in my little Barbie Car<\/em>, as MotherDear calls it, down to the Austin and Houston area and then on to Santa Rosa Beach in Florida, near Destin.\u00a0 \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>I’m the one pretending to be asleep.\u00a0 Any time spent at a beach is priceless, even if it rains.<\/p>\n

@<\/span>}-}-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 -{-{<\/span>@<\/span><\/p>\n

Issues that take place at the Consulate are one of the many reasons it is so enjoyable to work at, and each time something happens, I am impressed with the way the guards react.\u00a0 Extremely professional.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, there was a mentally disturbed young lady who decided the US Consulate should give her refuge status, thus a free trip to America and a firm path to citizenship.\u00a0 She camped out on the sidewalk across the street from the Consulate, day and night waiting for the Consulate General to cross over and give her a free ticket to the States.\u00a0 Never happened.\u00a0 The local Poliza would come by and question her, but she since she didn’t break any laws she was allowed to stay there.\u00a0 At one point, she crossed over to the Consulate’s side of the street to harass the guards, and the Poliza showed up and took her away.\u00a0 Within hours, she was back at her campsite.<\/p>\n

She would often stand and yell obscenities to the guards or taunt them with offers of some sort of sex, but that wasn’t breaking any laws.\u00a0 She was repeatedly taken in by the Poliza, but always returned.\u00a0 This lasted almost a month until finally she was picked up and placed in a mental health facility.<\/p>\n

I keep hoping she would return because I found her amusing.\u00a0 On my way to work every morning, my path took me past her but she never bothered me.\u00a0 She did speak to several females about things I will not mention here.\u00a0 At one point I was tempted to take a picture of her, but I actually felt sorry for her and decided not to.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, there are minor demonstrations that take place outside the Consulate.\u00a0 The Poliza makes sure the demonstrations do not cross over to Consulate property.\u00a0 I understand it is not a pretty sight when that happens.<\/p>\n

A while back, a visa applicant was upset about something and decided to use his umbrella to break a window to let everyone know how he felt.\u00a0 Didn’t go well for him.\u00a0 The umbrella did nothing to the bullet proof glass and he ended up being suppressed by the local guards until the Poliza arrived.<\/p>\n

What I thought was interesting, was how our local guards reacted.\u00a0 They didn’t just stand looking at this guy like I would have done, but focused their attention on all the surroundings, anything that may take place elsewhere.\u00a0 As it was pointed out to me once, if something takes place at the Consulate, be aware it may be a diversion for something worse.\u00a0 The US has learned this in hard ways.<\/p>\n

The Consulate’s Independence Day celebration took place on Thursday, June 28th.\u00a0 This is any Embassy or Consulate’s biggest celebration.\u00a0 It is an expensive gathering, but with no fireworks.\u00a0 It is a gala where we invite dignitaries of the local Government, several high ranking military personnel and representatives of the American companies who do business in Brazil.\u00a0 In years past, I did my best to escape having to attend these, but the RSO (head of security) in Sao Paulo felt the world will collapse if I wasn’t there.\u00a0 So I showed up in one of my suits and stood around looking pretty, sort of speak.<\/p>\n

I meet many incredible people here and become friends with several.\u00a0 My good friend Carol, whose wedding I attended in Brasilia, has since left forever to be with her new husband in Japan.\u00a0 Good for her, but not the Consulate.\u00a0 She was a good nurse, even managing to make me stay healthy despite my objections.\u00a0 She was at the Fourth celebration and we had our pictures taken with another good friend.\"\"<\/a>Carol is the pretty one in blue and Fabbie is the crazy one in white.\u00a0 Fabbie is the Office Manager for the Management Office and a joy to visit with.\u00a0 Once a week, I will stop by her desk with a trivia question, usually about a movie.\u00a0 I have learned to be careful which movie I mention, because many times she will burst out in song if the movie has one.\u00a0 Beautiful voice.\u00a0 I once asked her if she ever saw the Sound of Music, and she started singing how the hills are alive with the sound of music.\u00a0 Mention Mary Poppins and she will start singing about a spoon full of sugar.\u00a0 Mention the Wizard of Oz, and she sings of a yellow brick road.\u00a0 Crazy Lady, so I call her my Crazy Lady Friend.<\/p>\n

Here is another friend I will miss.\u00a0 Her name is Jesse and she reminds me of my bossy daughter.\u00a0 Vibrant, intelligent and full of humor.\u00a0 She has also moved on to greener pastures as they all do.\u00a0 One of the pains of working in the Foreign Service, is all the people you meet who have to move on.\"\"<\/a>I made a batch of beans this weekend and as expected, it was delicious.\u00a0 I added some sausage and bacon to it, but I wanted you to see what bacon looks like here in Brazil.\u00a0 Look how beautiful it is!\"\"<\/a>And the finished product was amazing, except I added a bit too much garlic.\u00a0 And likewise, the side effects were amazing as well.\u00a0 Here it is on a bed of rice with “country” cornbread.\"\"<\/a>Life is made up of people, places and food\u00a0 … and the Waters of the Earth who will always beckon those who visit her.\u00a0 Let nothing pass under your feet without at the very least noticing as it passes, because you do not want to miss any adventure it may offer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has been awhile since we last visited and a lot of things whirled past like a fart in a …<\/p>\n

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