Day 1 – Spit-Proof Grace: My ‘Desculpe, Obrigada’ Moment
As usual, it was quiet and serene until I was jolted out of my thoughts by this grumpy woman who brushed by me hastily and attempted to spit at me, but it fell on the floor right before my feet…quickening my pace till I caught up with the woman just by the traffic light that made us stop before the road to Madalena’s church. What I really wanted to do was spit at her face, but what I found myself doing was saying, ‘desculpe’ and ‘obrigada’ in succession, meaning ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ in a weird circle of politeness.
Day 2 – My mum remains the unbeatable champion of all time
During that particular year, my mother could have petitioned for me to be transported on an ostrich’s back if it meant I’d participate in age-appropriate activities. I just couldn’t fathom why children were subjected to so much. I mean, my class teachers were already pushing their luck by urging me to study every day; why add this stress labelled ‘extracurricular’? And birthdays, don’t even get me started on the fuss over parties.