Why "Mermaid Tales"?

As missionary kids, my siblings and I have often been called mermaids. Thanks to our parents we are Americans in citizenship, education, and customs even though most of us were born in Brazil. However, when we return to the USA, we do stand out as odd. Again and again situations arise where we are forced to realize that we aren't completely American. Yet, we aren't completely at home in Brazil either,  even though most of our lives have been spent here. I do like the country, but I'm not Brazilian. I am constantly reminded of that fact by those moments were I want to say something in Portuguese, but I don't know the right word for it. Brazilians also don't mistake us for Brazilians. Almost every day we have a Brazilian say "You aren't from around here are you?" "No", we answer, "we're Americans", but we really ought to say "we are mermaids - half American, half Brazilian, and doing our best to swim in whatever country we happen to be in at the moment." The older I grow the more I appreciate being a mermaid. We learn a few lessons, have some adventures, and commit some comical blunders that the average person will never know. I hope on this blog to share a few of our "Mermaid Tales".