Finally some good news from Brazil...

My parents moved to Brazil a while ago, trying to find work. I don't know if it's better or worse than Chile, to be honest. They've had a terrible time there, and part of my own stress these days comes from worrying about them, and sending them large (for me, anyway) chunks of money each paycheck. For a long while I was basically sending them my entire paycheck; right now, my sister and I are taking turns (we were both sending them money every month for some time). Every time I hear from them, my stomach turns and binds up, stressed and worried about what's gone wrong now.

Until two days ago, when I finally got some news that made me smile...I was chatting with my mom on Google Talk, listening to Joan Manuel Serrat, which of course always makes me think of my dad, and asked her how he's doing.

"He's doing great," she said, "right now he's in a class with five young men singing John Lennon's 'Imagine.'"

Years earlier, I remembered, he'd tutor young people who were preparing for their English university exams. He'd always have a unit on the Beatles.

His students always thought he was the best.