"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

That was a sentence I picked up from an AIESEC friend in India. He used to have that on his MSN commentline for a while.

And really got me thinking ... seriously ... when was the last time I did something for the first time? Gave a new look to something that I had taken for granted so far? Or when was the last time I stopped to think about it?

Naturally, living in a new environment, traveling, starting a new job etc offers more frequent opportunities for doing something that I've never done before. Yet, I think that the other side of this (a more critical one) is the will to take the time to reflect and the ability to look at things, even if the 'old' ones, from different and new perspective, re-thinking/re-perceiving them, in a way, re-learning from what's in and around us.
Could I do something for the first time every day? Could that, and how, be an opportunity to learn more about the world around me and within me?

*** ***

Tuesday
2nd day at work, 3rd day back in Brazil.

I opened my eyes at about 5.15, to check what time it is and to make sure I'm 'on the track' with getting to work (can't really trust myself with early alarms).

Then, the alarm went off at 5.45.
That's when I am and will be getting up to go to work from now on.
Wake up, shower, get ready, leave home at 6.30, get the company's bus at 6.40, arrive at the company's facilities at 7.40, have coffee with colleagues, get settled, start work at 8.

You know, I'm excited!!!
I had never got up that early to start work (even the thought of getting up at 5 or 6 (!!!) seemed crazy enough!!), but instead, it has even happened that I have finished work at hours around 3, 4, 5 am and gone to sleep. I used to love working at night, usually with my own projects in our NGO, thus working at home until late hours. Happened quite frequently in the last 6 months that I stayed in Estonia.

But I am really excited about the change - new way of starting the day, waking up with the sun, having a gradual entrance to the working day etc. So yes, I am excited about the change of the daily routine. And will keep learning from that way of being.

Back in Sao Paulo

Sunday 06/07/08
at 5.40
Day 1

After a 11 hrs flight from Paris I had a soft landing in Sao Paulo, my home for the time coming.
"Soft" was the landing as far as it goes for the plane. I myself had quite a re-integration 'awakening' :). The 6 months in Estonia had left its marks and the contrasts stroke more vividly than about 2 years ago when I first came to Brazil.

It was still dark in the morning (at 6 am), when I arrived since it's a winter time in Brazil. Though, it ain't during summer neither that the paulistanos can enjoy the 19 hrs daylight that the nordics can enjoy.
The air smells sweet of pollution (never knew that CO2 smells sweet!!!), there's a chaos in traffic (I'm still not able to block out that noise, since it's sooo vivid, it's like as if I was in the boiling pot), and from my 24th floor window I can see kilometers of stone and glass - the skyscrapers!!
It is such a contrast to my home or even to Holland where I had a 2 day stop over before changing the continents.
All in all, day one was a bit shocking - part of it because home had got deeper and stronger under my skin within these last 6 months of waiting for the visa, and secondly, for the contrasts really being huge.
Only relief was seeing some Brazilian friends at night for a beer - Marcio, Monika, Dea, Guga, and Zoe, of course - helped a lot to ease the re-integration hurdles.


Day 2

It's a night of the day 2, and I'm content. The weird sort of shivering anxiety that I had yesterday due to the initial "shock" is almost gone. Or I have found a way to handle it. It has turned into a positive movement in me...
I spent a whole day in the company I'm going to work - and got assurance regarding the decision to stay in Brazil.
Also met up with Pioneers of Change at night - many special people I had not met for a while, and good, deep conversations. Good energy that I would need more time to write about...

Now off to sleep...my new start in Brazil will require a total lifestyle makeover :) - I'm a night person, but need to somehow turn into a morning person (that's basically cos my work starts at 8 and it'll take an hour at least to get to work...so you can only imagine :).

Boa noite queridos!!