Mosaico

The last three weekends have been jam-packed. A midnight film fest, dinners with friends, dancing, a church that feels like home...all good things.

And because I am obsessed: weekend breakfasts at Cafeína in Leblon. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day, and Brazilian breakfasts are no exception, though they are significantly different. Gone are the sausages and bacon, the pancakes, scrambled eggs, huge steaming mug of coffee, cereal. Instead, breakfast is fresh juice, expresso coffee with cream and sixteen packets of sugar, cake, muffins, chocolate filled croissants, breads of all varieties and shapes, yogurt, jams, honey, granola, and lots of fresh fruit. Pineapple, watermelon, mango, bananas, papaya...

And breakfast at Cafeína just makes me happy. Yes, it is too expensive. Yes, it takes almost and hour and a half to get home afterwards. But I am treasuring the occasional treat. Because there is nothing like a leisurely weekend breakfast with good friends, seated on those little tables, knowing that the beach is just three blocks away and across the street is the world's second most perfect bookstore-open 24 hours a day-(the most perfect being Howard's in Bloomington, Indiana, because of the cats that ran free among the shelves)...and peoplewatching while sipping your coffee and wondering if anyone would notice if you licked the chocolate off your plate...because it is JUST THAT good.

I've been able to eat breakfast at Cafeína without having to wake up at 6 am to get the metro because of Saturday night church. I've been going there now for the past three weeks and don't miss one bit Sunday morning services. I love sleeping in!

I was introduced to this church by some friends of mine, and because it is kind of far away, and because we always seem to go out afterwards, to eat and drink and talk until the wee hours of the morning, I've been spending Saturday nights at my friend's house in Leblon. Which means I wake to the sound of the ocean instead of barking dogs. It is a beautiful thing.

My prayer letter this month talks more about the church and my impressions, so if you don't get that, you can access it at the WMF website. Click on the "view Jenna's prayer letters" link and choose the July letter.

And that's all for now, folks, because I have a lot of classwork to be catching up on and I've procrastinated for much too long. As usual.