It all started because I had told Jevon that I wanted a tambaqui for my birthday. That’s a fish we liked to eat when we lived in Manaus. And instead of being boring and going down to the meat store and buying a dead fish, he went all out and planned a fishing trip to the local pesque-pague. That is a fish farm where you can go fishing, and you pay by the kilo for whatever fish you want to take home. Whatever you don’t want to take home, you leave in the owner’s freezer for him to cook in his restaurant. It’s a pretty neat deal.
What started out as a birthday idea also became a good relationship building time with a family from our church. Now we feel like they are good friends of ours. It’s kind of like that day 6 years ago when the bluegills were spawning and we went fishing with the Halversons and ended up getting to know them better and making memories to share with them – except this time the van didn’t break down. 🙂
It was also a great culture event, (remember, culture event = people doing what they do = learning opportunity) and I discovered, withing five minutes of arriving at the pesque-pague, that “fishing” was a category of vocabulary in which I had barely dipped my toes. Yes, I could say “Let’s go fishing”, but I didn’t know the words for bait, or reel, or weight, or leader – not even earthworm! So I got confused as soon as people started talking. And in the end I have a GREAT language session plan in the bag for next week.
But enough writing. It’s the pictures you came to the blog to see, right? And here they are!
I know, that’s not a fish. But it’s the first thing that captured the girls’ attention. It’s the owner’s pet macaw, who lives there happily in the great outdoors by the lake.
The fish pond with a pavilion for shade.
Jevon and Isaiah
This is looking back toward the lake, with the restaurant on the shore.
Our friend Rebecca. (But you say it with a “H” as the first letter, because in Portuguese an “R” at the beginning of a word says “h” as in “horse.)
Cali and Jevon looking at a fish in the water – me looking a their reflections in the water.
The first catch of our family.
Karina even tried for a little bit. Marilyn, she now knows that the goal is to reel in a fish, not a bobber. Maybe it helped that we weren’t fishing with bobbers.
Isaiah still thinks his tractor, gravel, and crackers are a lot more interesting than standing there holding a pole and staring at the water.
Cali reeling in her first tambaqui.
With all of her might.
She got it this close, and we snapped a picture. Then the line broke and he got away. You can imagine her disappointment.
Waiting.
The second tambaqui on Cali’s line.
This time she didn’t wait to reel it in. She just ran backwards and dragged it up on the road before the line could break again.
So proud of her fish.
“PAPA! IT HAS TEETH!”
Papa: “I know. I’m trying not to get bit.”
Somebody hiding under Jevon’s hat.
There he is.
In our real life we have crabby faces too, along with the smiles.
Waiting.
Back to play fishing, in which they catch an imaginary fish every time they dip their stick. The pace is a lot more kid friendly than real fishing. 🙂
Scenery.
Friends.
More crabby faces.
A ha! We caught him smiling about the minnows in the water!
I love my boy…even when he is crabby and squirmy.
Jevon’s matrinchã.
That big guy has a pretty startling tail slap.
Karina is nervously trying to keep an eye on the fish while she smiles for the camera.
Isaiah won’t even get close.
He’s hiding behind Tia! Scared of the fish.
Tambaqui (a small-ish one) next to matrinchã.
Maybe he’ll be more into the big fish in a few years – when they aren’t half his size.
Finally got mine.
My birthday tambaqui.
Our whole group.
Girls walking together to the restaurant.
Isaiah enjoying the best of two worlds – french fries with his Brazilian food.
Jevon and me.
Feeding fried fish skins to the minnows off the dock by the restaurant.
Water is so fun and relaxing – it can make even Isaiah smile on his crabby day.
Our new friends.
Fish to clean…fish to EAT!
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