In Sinimbu

On a recent walk along the Rhine – it was a sunny autumn day – , all of a sudden and totally out of the blue, Sinimbu came to mind. Sinimbu is a small town in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul that I happened to visit a few times when I was teaching English in the nearby town of Santa Cruz do Sul.

What triggered it? No idea really. I can only describe what came to mind.

An impressive church at one end of the town and another impressive church at the other end. An interesting talk in German with the pastor of one of the churches who told me of an exchange programme that gave youngsters in the area the chance to spend a year in Germany.

A warm welcome in the home of one of my students, picking oranges, a wonderful yellow flower called Moreia next to the museum of the casa Engelmann.

And then there was this incidence at the gas station. Southern Brazilians often meet at gas stations where they eat, chat, drink beer, and show off their cars. In Sinimbu, they were having a barbecue! I could even see flames rising from the grill! Nevertheless, I'm sure that gas station is still standing ...