The Place I Live
The country side. A small town. Situated in the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, Cataguases has warm people and hot weather. But over time, the well defined seasons are suffering changes, it is being colder during the winter, and the rains are changing too.
It is good to live in a place where you can listen to birds sing in the morning, hear the church bell keep you aware of the time, breath fresh air and walk through wooded streets. Times are changing for all of that too. When I used to come here as a child, I could walk in the main streets with no fear of getting hit by a car (it was more likely to be hit by a horse – although unusual). Nowadays streets are full of cars and busses, noise and pollution is increasing, and poor neighborhoods around the central area are becoming a social problem. There is an enormous increase of drug consumption, and the innocence of the old days is going away.
It is not that I am getting old; it is that I have seen different times. But when I go to rural areas visiting farms, I feel delighted again. Simple people welcome me so nicely and friendly. I feel like home. Again I start to believe that there is still true knowledge and a way to live, in peace, in harmony.
Autor: Fernando Hardman
Teacher: Maria Bernadete
