We signed up for the charity work at a Longo Doce. Students distributes bags to shoppers and they would purchases food for homeless people.

We talked to several homeless people who had been waiting on the side of the building. We asked what did they need. Some said they needed tissue paper. A few students then went inside the store to buy them tissue papers.

We were also let to a ‘home’ for one of the homeless people. It’s the space behind a balcony on the corner of the street. It’s about 1 and half feet tall, three feed wide and 10 feed long. A plastic sheet is hang on the side to block wind and rain. It is on a slow slope with about half inches higher than the ground so that in general rain will not flow in. However, the soil is not dry.

We were told there were about 36 homeless people in the city of Braga at this time. That’s a remarkable low number in comparison to Berkeley, a city of about the same size. There are 1,108 homeless people in Berkeley in 2019. Frederick has about the half the population of Braga. We have 316 homeless people in Frederick in 2018.

In the morning, William met his friend Tyra at the Nova Arcade shopping mall. They are on a team to find a Christmas toy for inmates.

The lighting ceremony was at 6 pm. We have had festivals in Braga before, but this time it seems people are really in the mood of a holiday. Many people were dancing with the Christmas music. We should celebrate two Christmas, one with snow and one without for the people in the Southern Hemisphere. Since they have been celebrating our Christmas with their own lyrics without wording of snow, we should celebrate theirs too in our summer.

Moments later it started drizzling but it did not deter people’s enthusiasm. William rushed to the ice rink while I went back home to retrieve a hat and a pair of gloves for him. When I came back he was the only one who was still in the rink under pouring rain. The operator offered us two vouchers to come back.