Christmas under the Southern Cross - The Journey and the Landing (1.)
HERE WE GO...
4.12.2023
Vienna airport decorated with Christmas trees. Crowded everywhere. And yet the atmosphere of a big metropolitan chaotic airport is somehow absent. This place has a calm, almost familial feel. And there's a nice warmth about it. Even though the wind is blowing outside the windows and it's, in Czech, "decently cold".
It's quarter to seven in the evening, and for the first time in a long time, I have a strong inner confidence that everything is as it should be. Now and here. Perhaps this confidence was given by the unexpectedly good news we received before our departure—such a simple warm confirmation. We're going. And we're supposed to go now. And we should have waited all this time for this very moment.
So this is us. Sitting at the table over the last of the sushi here in Europe that I'm no longer able to devour due to my rising adrenaline and the Chinese beer I'm washing down my awe of airplanes. Our children are having a great time on a model plane, my husband is trying to hide his moist eyes - how could he not, returning to his homeland after five long years in the Czech Republic! - and I realize that this is the last hour with my feet on the ground for now. We're about to take off...
Even though I have a lot of respect for airplanes, I love these moments. I've flown to Brazil three times in my life, and each time the trip has been life-changing. And already now, with an inner shiver, I know that this time will be no different. It's these moments that we have to do from time to time, so that what we have been dreaming of in our hearts for a long time and "only" lacking courage can be written into the reality of our lives.
The white plane with the Iberia sign arrives and I let go of the control. Knowing that what is to come will be the best for all of us. The tremor is already coming, with that strange shiver that vibrates my whole body, knowing that now and here is exactly what is supposed to be happening. As scary as that may sound. First time on the other side of the world as a wife and mother...
SÃO PAULO ON A DECEMBER MORNING
6.12.2023 5.45.
My little daughter woke up an hour ago and after our repeated attempts to get her back to sleep made it clear that she really was ready to get up and go live. In the Czech Republic, I would probably be a bit angry internally about the killing hour, here I just take the baby carrier and go with her to the terrace. Peace and quiet, with a smile on my face.
Maybe it's the fact that it's almost 10 o'clock in CR by this time, so I don't feel any extra big sleep deprivation. Or maybe it's more the amazing Brazilian light, which I miss in the Czech winter; I don't know. But I'm here with her, letting her play, listening to the birds singing and watching the skyscrapers and the ubiquitous palm and banana trees in between. I'm at peace and I'm just trying to quietly take it in so that what Brazilians call cair a ficha can happen so that I can fully understand where we are and that Brazil is a reality.
You may ask how such small children managed the flight: brilliantly. My son, in the lightheartedness of his four and a half years, was most looking forward to the action movies for kids he would be able to watch on the plane. You know: Kung Fu Panda, Paw Patrol, and other stories about animal superheroes saving the world (and kids on long road trips from boredom). The toddler-daughter then randomly picked passengers she decided to entertain with her laughter and charm with her charm. Of course, we also experienced a bit of adrenaline during our 45-minute layover in Madrid. We even had to catch a metro transfer to another terminal within that three-quarter hour. Our boarding was thus reminiscent of those aforementioned action movies where the heroes run to avert disaster at the last minute...
But it turned out well, and here we are. And we are settled in, rested (within reason), and gradually acclimatizing. Yesterday we visited the beautiful Parque do Carmo and are enjoying the atmosphere of the pre-Christmas big city. True, the combination of Christmas decorations, decorated trees, and tropical climate is a very special one, but somehow I find that this is what I missed this year.
Soon the city will come alive to life, to the first coffee in the morning, to going to school, to work and to run errands. So I'm enjoying the quiet for a while longer, punctuated only by birdsong....
