Vitoria and Brutus

There is a giant, terrifying stray dog that often hangs around the entrance of the convent where I'm volunteering. I have named him Brutus (I'll try to take a picture of him sometime). Today, as Ricardo and I drove up, I saw that Brutus had blood all over his front paws - it didn't look like his. Blood was dripping out of his mouth, and then he sneezed blood all over. Only the relatively small amount of blood allows me to rule out his eating a small child. Undoubtedly, some poor creature met its end this morning.

Also, today was Vitoria's first day back since the break. I was worried she wasn't coming back since it has been 2 weeks since the restart. I missed her so much. The first day I visited to see if it would be a good place to volunteer, Vitoria stared at me with these sad eyes that really seared my soul, and I've always felt a special connection with her. She often seems sad and older than she is - but she also has quite the wicked streak and can be amazingly sassy. I was so glad to see her, but it was also heartbreaking. She has always been one of the thinnest girls, and she's even thinner now. I can see her ribs. She has sores all over her hands and legs that look like they are probably roach bites. She sat with me for a long time - quietly, sadly. I almost cried. I was glad I knew how to say I love you and I missed you in Portuguese. However, by the end of the day, I saw a bit of her sass returning, and I even got her laughing at lunch.