Dias de Luto, Dias de Gloria

  They're back in my mind today.  Those crazy Brazilian kids, their crazy translations: "Mason, you have beautiful hair - please don't wear caps."  Their crazy pop songs from Brazil and their corresponding dance moves.  Just when you think you're getting serious about your life, when you think you're getting old - kids come along to remind you that nothing has changed.

The whole group at Boston College

Socializing during free time

Learning about American food

My group!  Group 9 Forever!

Luiz, a fellow mountain biker and hooligan

Gabriel e Pedro, very bright kids - made my every effort worth it

Last minute lessons...

  They're back in my mind because they sent me a few of their favorite songs.  One is called "dias de luto, dias de gloria", it's really a beautiful song.  They told me that capital E everyone knows the song, and that they can all sing most of the lyrics.  Immediately, some of those songs from my youth pop into my mind.  I'm amazed at a young person's ability to learn so many strings of words by heart.  These songs are very important to understanding a culture, there is a reason they are known by everyone.

  I was going to make some awesome comparisons to particular songs, but I am really not that good at pop culture - unless of course you ask me to sing "Jack and Diane" or "Mirrors".
  So they're gone now, pretty far away - a few thousand miles.  They were here for two weeks, sixty or so Brazilian middle school kids.  I was lucky enough to get hired on as a mentor and to spend every day, 12-8pm with them for fifteen days.  There was a lot of things that stand out:

  I know most of that song by heart.  I had never seen the video before I posted it right here.  And I am beginning to understand the lyrics better so I like the song less and less.  But the smiles of the kids singing it don't get any less amazing.  It's really easy to take kids up as little brothers and sisters.  The affection is mutual, the mentors and I loved spending time with them and they with us.  Every moment was a new joke, or a and hilarious misunderstanding.

  The camp was a leadership and science camp.  But most of the lessons in leadership were learned through osmosis.  Once again, like my experience in the Peace Corps, with my many little siblings adopted from families where siblings abound, I found myself examining my every word and behavior to see if I wanted to see it spoken or reenacted ten minutes later.  And who knows which lessons will be the most lasting for them, likely not the ones that I gave intentionally.

  But most importantly, music has become a new form of dialogue for keeping in touch with my mentees, my little brothers and sisters.  As a good friend, Stephen, once said: Music started this conversation so let's use music to keep it going.  Several of my best friends and I exchange many more songs per month than words.  When a song rings true for me, I just have to share it.  So here's a few of the songs that are ringing really true for me right now - given to me by kids, just starting to understand friendship and family - and adolescents, understanding those things in a way that I have long forgotten:

This song is amazing.

This song was described to me as the "Piano Man" or "Bohemian Rhapsody" in that everyone can sing every single word, especially if it's in a group.

This is the wierdest post ever - blame Gabby.  Hope you liked it.

Here are more ridiculous songs that these kids love:

This next one is a genre called funk, look it up online if you wanna see how it's danced...