A Brazilian bathing suit to be exact. I have a friend I met here. Her son goes to Ohio State, so you know they are intelligent people. He is quoted as saying "in the US you need to open the suit to see the cheeks. In Brazil, you need to open the cheeks to see the suit." And this is very true. Old women, young, large, small, doesn't matter. The suit is drink coaster size. Mine, however, is actually tastefully covering for a Brazilian bikini. Which means it actually covers half of my butt. Not sure yet if I will be comfortable wearing it or not, but I bought it anyway.
It is a real stretch for me if you think about it. I mean I have been wearing the Midwest Mommy suit for, how old is my first born? About eleven years. For those of you who do not know what a Midwest Mommy suit is it consists of a tankini top with a miniskirt bottom. These are great if you forget to shave before you head to the lake by the way. And in essence my bottom is white as a baby's butt since it has not seen the sun in those eleven years. So part of the reason I don't think I will be comfortable wearing it is that if I get a sun burn I will not be able to sit down for two weeks. We are heading into the summer season though, and I will be laughed off the beach if I even try to wear my usual. Hopefully my children won't laugh at my new bathing suit though. I could just hear them laughing and saying, "I can see mom's butt!" I have a feeling it would be worse than people staring at me being too covered.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Movies in Brazil
Going to the movies is Brazil is very interesting. First thing is you get assigned seating. That is right! You get to pick your seats. So you go and buy the tickets early enough you can get the best seats, then you can show up 5 minutes before the movie starts. And no one sits in seats they did not buy. The US needs to adopt this, but I don't think it will ever fly. Have you ever been to a concert or a ball game where someone is sitting in your seats? It is a pain to get them to move. Then, it is really dark and no one is using their cell phones or chatting. I really like going to the movies here. Plus, the HD surround sound is way better than in the States.
We have been to the movies twice since we have been in Brazil. We first saw Airbender, I think the week after we got here. We could not understand much Portuguese since it was a dubbed movie. However, we did not have too hard of a time figuring out what was going on because the action and acting helped a lot. Today we saw the first installment of the last Harry Potter movie. The movie theater website said it had subtitles. But when we got there they told us it was dubbed. Great. Even in English some of the British accents and coloquialism (if that is a word) are difficult to understand. But Harry Potter in Portuguese? I will have no idea what is going on. But, to my amazement I could follow about 75% of the conversations! Yey! I am getting way better at understanding. And Ricardo got just about all of it. So we were able to explain to the boys the parts they could not figure out. We had a really good time. And the best part is that Cinemark's Saturday matinee movie at 3 pm is R$4 per adult and R$2 per child. So we saw Harry Potter for R$12 ($7 US dollars) total! How awesome is that! Do you think the US will adopt that? We could all be so lucky!
We have been to the movies twice since we have been in Brazil. We first saw Airbender, I think the week after we got here. We could not understand much Portuguese since it was a dubbed movie. However, we did not have too hard of a time figuring out what was going on because the action and acting helped a lot. Today we saw the first installment of the last Harry Potter movie. The movie theater website said it had subtitles. But when we got there they told us it was dubbed. Great. Even in English some of the British accents and coloquialism (if that is a word) are difficult to understand. But Harry Potter in Portuguese? I will have no idea what is going on. But, to my amazement I could follow about 75% of the conversations! Yey! I am getting way better at understanding. And Ricardo got just about all of it. So we were able to explain to the boys the parts they could not figure out. We had a really good time. And the best part is that Cinemark's Saturday matinee movie at 3 pm is R$4 per adult and R$2 per child. So we saw Harry Potter for R$12 ($7 US dollars) total! How awesome is that! Do you think the US will adopt that? We could all be so lucky!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Things I will need...
Well, we have 5 days before we head back to the States. (We are too excited to sleep!) My husband was there about two weeks ago and he said it will be a shock to our systems when we hear English everywhere. Well, we are flying into Miami, so that will not be the case. But we will be heading right off to Houston where, wait a minute, that will not be the case either. Well, we will be at my mom's house first, so we will hear English there. And my brother swearing at the Halo video games because he dies. My boys have learned some interesting words from him. Thank you bro!
I have started making a list of everything that I want to bring back with me. And the list is extensive. I think I need to bring a giant empty suitcase for everything. I told my husband that I need to stock up on a bunch of Cheerios. But his comment was that the boxes were bulky and took up too much space and that I could live without them. Excuse me? What did you say? I sorry, I cannot hear you. My ears are not working properly and you sound really muffled. I did not understand a word you said.
What are some of the things on the list? Glad you asked, thank you. I need swiffers, oven bags, slow cooker bags, hair product that Ricardo likes, printer ink, allergy meds that are too expensive to buy here, shampoo, again too expensive, gym shoes for the boys, again too expensive. I now understand the foreigners in Sawgrass Mills Mall in South Florida who come through with a large empty suitcase. They shop and fill it up. Try US$150 for boys gym shoes here that I can get in the States for $40. Makes a huge difference when you add it all up. I also need duct tape. Yes, this is a strange item to put on the list. But did you know you can not find it here? I need to talk to 3M because they would make a killing here just with the cars alone!
I also need to make room for everything that I bought and had shipped to my mom and sister and mother-in-law. Thank you for being a storage unit for me! Plus Christmas presents. Actually, maybe I need two giant empty suitcases.....?
Then my boys have made a list of what they want in the States. This list consists of Abuela's cooking (do not comment please on my cooking skills), walking Doodle's dog, making a tent with Abuelo, and going to get Mexican food with their grandparents. I think they have very good priorities. Because I don't think Ricardo will let me fill more suitcases...
I have started making a list of everything that I want to bring back with me. And the list is extensive. I think I need to bring a giant empty suitcase for everything. I told my husband that I need to stock up on a bunch of Cheerios. But his comment was that the boxes were bulky and took up too much space and that I could live without them. Excuse me? What did you say? I sorry, I cannot hear you. My ears are not working properly and you sound really muffled. I did not understand a word you said.
What are some of the things on the list? Glad you asked, thank you. I need swiffers, oven bags, slow cooker bags, hair product that Ricardo likes, printer ink, allergy meds that are too expensive to buy here, shampoo, again too expensive, gym shoes for the boys, again too expensive. I now understand the foreigners in Sawgrass Mills Mall in South Florida who come through with a large empty suitcase. They shop and fill it up. Try US$150 for boys gym shoes here that I can get in the States for $40. Makes a huge difference when you add it all up. I also need duct tape. Yes, this is a strange item to put on the list. But did you know you can not find it here? I need to talk to 3M because they would make a killing here just with the cars alone!
I also need to make room for everything that I bought and had shipped to my mom and sister and mother-in-law. Thank you for being a storage unit for me! Plus Christmas presents. Actually, maybe I need two giant empty suitcases.....?
Then my boys have made a list of what they want in the States. This list consists of Abuela's cooking (do not comment please on my cooking skills), walking Doodle's dog, making a tent with Abuelo, and going to get Mexican food with their grandparents. I think they have very good priorities. Because I don't think Ricardo will let me fill more suitcases...
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Where are all of the ducks?
I noticed the other day that there are no ducks here. We have very few birds as well. Maybe some of the smaller ones and a few pigeons are running around. They are all probably all in the Amazon Rainforest anyway. But I do not see ducks. This is interesting to me. Coming from Minnesota where there are mallards and such everywhere in the summer (along with geese and their poop, but I don't miss that at all. Those geese are mean and the poop messy.) The ducks would waddle along the backyard heading to the pond. They were so cute, even the ducklings tagging along behind. We would go to the pond with a loaf of bread and feed them in the summer when the boys were little.
Then the ugly ducks, and I do mean ugly ducks, in Florida. They would waddle across the road and you have to stop because it is actually illegal to hit them. They liked to sit on Abuelo's fence and poop on his patio. It was fun chasing them away. But still them waddling along the yard was kind of cute, well their walk anyway.
Then you get here and nothing. My husband says they are on the golf courses all of the time. But I do not golf, nor do I ever want to. But I miss the birds chirping in the mornings, and the ducks waddling by. Maybe Brazil has intelligent ducks, which is a euphemism I know. But what if it is true? They all congregate on the golf course because they are safe there. No one is going to eat them. But if they were about town, I bet they would be served up as the daily special at the sidewalk grills (people standing on the street corner with a table, food and a grill, literally). I am going to assume this is true and look forward to the day when I can see ducks expressing their freedom to waddle down the street safely.
Then the ugly ducks, and I do mean ugly ducks, in Florida. They would waddle across the road and you have to stop because it is actually illegal to hit them. They liked to sit on Abuelo's fence and poop on his patio. It was fun chasing them away. But still them waddling along the yard was kind of cute, well their walk anyway.
Then you get here and nothing. My husband says they are on the golf courses all of the time. But I do not golf, nor do I ever want to. But I miss the birds chirping in the mornings, and the ducks waddling by. Maybe Brazil has intelligent ducks, which is a euphemism I know. But what if it is true? They all congregate on the golf course because they are safe there. No one is going to eat them. But if they were about town, I bet they would be served up as the daily special at the sidewalk grills (people standing on the street corner with a table, food and a grill, literally). I am going to assume this is true and look forward to the day when I can see ducks expressing their freedom to waddle down the street safely.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Restaurant Etiquette
There is something to be said for the quality of service at eating establishments in Sao Paulo. For example, Ricardo and I sat for two hours the other night at a wonderful patio style restaurant before we even ordered our meals. I think it was two, maybe only one. I don't know, we were drinking and having an appetizer waiting for others to come. Meanwhile the restaurant waiting area was filling up. But no one rushed us, no one asked when we were going to order, and no one gave us covert looks. Well maybe the waiting patrons, but the wait staff did not. And did you know that IF you tip it is only 10% tops? I commented to Ricardo that if they moved people along faster, this restaurant - actually any restaurant, because no one here rushes you -and the staff could make more money. (I mean this restaurant's waiting area was wall to wall!) He asked if I wanted to be rushed out. Well no of course not! It was just an observation really. I am perfectly happy to take 4 hours out of my Saturday night, have great conversation, sit and eat wonderful food and have drinks and not worry that someone will say "here's your hat, what's your hurry?".
I think it is because Brazilians take their food very seriously. Food can be an art form. And you cannot rush art. People here eat slow and enjoy their food. Me? I can be done in 5 minutes flat no problem. But that does not really work here. Plus you can't eat a burger in 5 minutes when you have to cut it and eat it with a knife and fork. Yep, that is right. You eat everything with a knife and fork - pizza, burgers, sandwiches, desserts. It's really no wonder why meals take so long. Have you ever tried to eat a burger with a knife and fork? I did tonight. It isn't easy. The caramelized onions were everywhere, the top bun slid off, the lettuce was massacred. The table looked like there was a three year old eating at it. And you would think that after five months here I would have it down. Well I have eating pizza with utensils down, that one is easy. But I am still struggling with the burgers. I so badly want to pick the damn thing up and eat it! But, alas, I cannot. Besides I would feel like George Costanza eating a candy bar with a knife and fork and everyone staring!
I know I will learn how to eat correctly, or at least more civilized by the time we leave here. But you can bet your last dollar that when I hit the States for vacation I am picking up that damn burger and shoving it down my throat!
I think it is because Brazilians take their food very seriously. Food can be an art form. And you cannot rush art. People here eat slow and enjoy their food. Me? I can be done in 5 minutes flat no problem. But that does not really work here. Plus you can't eat a burger in 5 minutes when you have to cut it and eat it with a knife and fork. Yep, that is right. You eat everything with a knife and fork - pizza, burgers, sandwiches, desserts. It's really no wonder why meals take so long. Have you ever tried to eat a burger with a knife and fork? I did tonight. It isn't easy. The caramelized onions were everywhere, the top bun slid off, the lettuce was massacred. The table looked like there was a three year old eating at it. And you would think that after five months here I would have it down. Well I have eating pizza with utensils down, that one is easy. But I am still struggling with the burgers. I so badly want to pick the damn thing up and eat it! But, alas, I cannot. Besides I would feel like George Costanza eating a candy bar with a knife and fork and everyone staring!
I know I will learn how to eat correctly, or at least more civilized by the time we leave here. But you can bet your last dollar that when I hit the States for vacation I am picking up that damn burger and shoving it down my throat!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Can't Open the Windows...
I grew up in Ohio where we did not have central air conditioning. We opened windows during the summer and let the breeze in. I can still be in a house that is 80 degrees and be comfortable because there is a breeze. This drives my husband - who is an A/C lover - crazy. Conversely, I can also be in a house that is 50 degrees and the windows are open and be comfortable too. This also drives my husband crazy because it is too cold. To me the 50 and the A/C feel the same so I can't figure out what the problem is. When I moved to Florida I understood the concept and benefits of A/C. I still don't like it, but 75 degrees A/C is way better than 150 degrees and roasting.
So we move to a tropical country where central A/C does not exist. What? Are they crazy? Apparently. What we have in our apartment is unit A/Cs. We are actually lucky that we have them as some places do not, plus these units also have heat. There is no heat here either which is bad in July and August when it can get down into the 40s. Bbrrrr, cold!
But back to the A/C. I still can't stand it. I would rather open the windows and enjoy the breeze. This, however, will never work here. Why? Well I will tell you. First of all we are on the 13th floor. No worries, 13 is Ricardo's lucky number. Second? We have no screens on our windows. So anything flying around outside is welcome to come in, or someone inside is welcome to go out too. Third, the river is next door. Even 13 stories up you can taste the smell of the river. So I have decided to enjoy A/C. Well enjoy is all relative I guess. At night when Ricardo has it blasting, with no covers on, I am totally under the sheets, the down comforter, and wearing flannel pjs. You cannot even see my head above the blankets. But it is way better than the alternative. And I will enjoy it to the best of my ability until we move back to the Northern US where I can open my windows again.
So we move to a tropical country where central A/C does not exist. What? Are they crazy? Apparently. What we have in our apartment is unit A/Cs. We are actually lucky that we have them as some places do not, plus these units also have heat. There is no heat here either which is bad in July and August when it can get down into the 40s. Bbrrrr, cold!
But back to the A/C. I still can't stand it. I would rather open the windows and enjoy the breeze. This, however, will never work here. Why? Well I will tell you. First of all we are on the 13th floor. No worries, 13 is Ricardo's lucky number. Second? We have no screens on our windows. So anything flying around outside is welcome to come in, or someone inside is welcome to go out too. Third, the river is next door. Even 13 stories up you can taste the smell of the river. So I have decided to enjoy A/C. Well enjoy is all relative I guess. At night when Ricardo has it blasting, with no covers on, I am totally under the sheets, the down comforter, and wearing flannel pjs. You cannot even see my head above the blankets. But it is way better than the alternative. And I will enjoy it to the best of my ability until we move back to the Northern US where I can open my windows again.
Thanksgiving
What do you do in a country that does not know what a spiral cut ham is? Or that brown sugar is actually different than regular sugar? Personally they need to know these things, especially the ham. This country loves salt! A ham would be perfect!
They do sell turkeys here for Christmas. But if you want one earlier you need to go to the import supermarket. They do not sell canned pumpkin there, but they do make pumpkin pie. I guess there is enough ex-pats here that they all sell. I did not go to this store and I was not about to boil down real pumpkin to make my pie - too much work. Of course that is saying something since it takes me three hours to cook black beans. Lazy much? Yes, actually. Alas, I will wait for my pie at Christmas. Mom don't forget to put the sugar in it!
Well, it was just us, so I did not go get a huge turkey. I went next door and bought some turkey breast, potatoes, and onion soup mix and threw it in the slow cooker with garlic, sage and butter. It was extremely delicious. I am lucky this is a Latin country so that we could have our black beans for the husband. Of course my maid was looking at me while I was making them and trying to figure out why I would put the things I do in them. Apparently, Brazilian feijao is different than Cuban friejoles negros. But it turned they out well and she actually thought they were tasty though not salty enough.
It was a mix really: Argentine wine, American flavored turkey and potatoes, Cuban black beans, Brazilian asparagus, French bread, American stuffing, and plain old white rice.
The boys actually had school on Thursday since we go to an International British school, who does not recognize Thanksgiving, so we had Thanksgiving on Friday after school. The boys stayed up later and we had great family time. We hope that everyone wherever they are, had a great holiday!
They do sell turkeys here for Christmas. But if you want one earlier you need to go to the import supermarket. They do not sell canned pumpkin there, but they do make pumpkin pie. I guess there is enough ex-pats here that they all sell. I did not go to this store and I was not about to boil down real pumpkin to make my pie - too much work. Of course that is saying something since it takes me three hours to cook black beans. Lazy much? Yes, actually. Alas, I will wait for my pie at Christmas. Mom don't forget to put the sugar in it!
Well, it was just us, so I did not go get a huge turkey. I went next door and bought some turkey breast, potatoes, and onion soup mix and threw it in the slow cooker with garlic, sage and butter. It was extremely delicious. I am lucky this is a Latin country so that we could have our black beans for the husband. Of course my maid was looking at me while I was making them and trying to figure out why I would put the things I do in them. Apparently, Brazilian feijao is different than Cuban friejoles negros. But it turned they out well and she actually thought they were tasty though not salty enough.
It was a mix really: Argentine wine, American flavored turkey and potatoes, Cuban black beans, Brazilian asparagus, French bread, American stuffing, and plain old white rice.
The boys actually had school on Thursday since we go to an International British school, who does not recognize Thanksgiving, so we had Thanksgiving on Friday after school. The boys stayed up later and we had great family time. We hope that everyone wherever they are, had a great holiday!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
One Thing Brazil Does Right
Only one thing? What does Brazil do right? Well, even native Paulistas (people from Sao Paulo) will tell you the list is not extensive. Something always gets screwed up. I will give you an example. While driving down the Marginal in Sao Paulo there is a very beautiful building. It is the tallest building across from the Jockey Club. It is white with a black rounded top. It has been there for ten years - unoccupied. Why you ask? Because the guy who built it bribed the city officials to get it built. Then when the inspectors came along they said it was too tall and in the flight path of the regional airport and due to safety reasons and height requirements, he either has to take off the top three floors, with a bread knife?, or leave it as is and not be allowed to rent it out. Local Paulistas view this building as what is wrong with here because it is still there taking up space.
So what is one thing they do right? They have the best juice I have ever tasted. Was it Homer, the writer not Simpson, who's quote "Nectar of the gods" is famous? Well, he must have traveled to Brazil and had a glass of juice. Imagine any juice, Banana? They have that. Strawberry? Try Nectar of Strawberry. It is like drinking a bunch of squished up fresh strawberries and my boys' personal favorite. Pineapple juice and apple juice are actually cloudy because they come from the fruits and not concentrates. The apple juice tastes like you went to the local orchard and had fresh pressed apple cider. There is acai that is so much tastier than the stuff you get in the States. There is maricuja - extremely delish, guave, pear, mango juice so thick it is like sucking down pulp. And none have preservatives so you have to drink them fast before they spoil.
When we go back for the holidays I need to bring back Popsicle sticks and ice trays to make frozen juice pops like the Kool-aid ones we made as a kid. I don't think I will need to eat anything all summer, just snack on those. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Something they do right. And I will definitely miss it when we leave here.
So what is one thing they do right? They have the best juice I have ever tasted. Was it Homer, the writer not Simpson, who's quote "Nectar of the gods" is famous? Well, he must have traveled to Brazil and had a glass of juice. Imagine any juice, Banana? They have that. Strawberry? Try Nectar of Strawberry. It is like drinking a bunch of squished up fresh strawberries and my boys' personal favorite. Pineapple juice and apple juice are actually cloudy because they come from the fruits and not concentrates. The apple juice tastes like you went to the local orchard and had fresh pressed apple cider. There is acai that is so much tastier than the stuff you get in the States. There is maricuja - extremely delish, guave, pear, mango juice so thick it is like sucking down pulp. And none have preservatives so you have to drink them fast before they spoil.
When we go back for the holidays I need to bring back Popsicle sticks and ice trays to make frozen juice pops like the Kool-aid ones we made as a kid. I don't think I will need to eat anything all summer, just snack on those. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Something they do right. And I will definitely miss it when we leave here.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Things You Can't Live Without
It is truly amazing what we think we can't live without. I have actually made a list for the next time we have an air shipment so we wouldn't be "roughing it" where ever we go next. Here is the list:
So these are the things that make life hard to live without. Ricardo has said many times that I bitch too much and I should be thankful. Which is totally true. But I am actually extremely grateful and thank God everyday for the opportunities he has given me and my family. I look outside at the beautiful blue sky and thank God for the day. Or look out when it is rainy and cold and thank God that we have a warm place to live and my family is alive and healthy.
Because you look around Sao Paulo and you see that the city has two distinct classes, those who have and those who have not. This holiday weekend we went to the Rodeo Drive of Sao Paulo - Oscar Freira. It was very nice, and we enjoyed walking around. Then we head back to our car and a lady is sitting on the side of the street with her young child or grandchild (don't know which). She was sitting there when we got there, and has not moved in the time we were gone. The child was maybe 4. And that is all the stimulation that young mind will have that day.
Then as we head out anywhere and have to get on the highway - The Marginal as they call it here - there is a street that you drive down where the people live in cardboard boxes. I have seen a few smoking crack when we have driven by. Which you would say is why they are on the street. But that is not the reason for all of them.
Then yesterday I am at Sam's Club with my friend. We are loading up about $1000 Reais ($500 US) of food and purchases into the bulletproof car between the two of us. Along comes a guy on crutches. This is probably more food than he has seen in 6 months. I have no idea what he is saying, but I can figure it out. He is begging. Now I have passed people before and not given them money, usually when I don't have anything or nothing readily in my pocket. But I just couldn't morally fill this car with food and not give him anything. So I take a R$10 out of my purse and give it to him and say good day. Now some will read this and say I should not have given him anything, that it will go to drugs or something. But how do you know? Statistically it is quite possible, but there is always that other percentage where he actually really needs it for food. He couldn't stop thanking me and blessing me and I could not figure out why. Then when we got in the car Beth asked how much I gave him. R$10. Why? Well usually people only give him 10 cents or so - he's not going to know what to do with that much money. But that R$10 is really only $5 US to me, a Starbucks coffee. Plus it was the smallest bill I had in my wallet.
Now I am not trying to brag or pat myself on the back. Please do not think that. But as I organized my closet yesterday and my boys were thanking me for the M&Ms I bought them I could not help but think of that gentleman. Does he have a place to live? Will he use the money for food? Does he have kids like mine that need that money? And I think, I can give my kids piano lessons, Jiu Jitsu classes, a private school. And as I drink my coffee and look out from my balcony to the Favela across the highway, I thank God for everything He has given me and I promise that I will try to not bitch as much for the things I think are inconveniences.
Things you May want to Include in an Air Shipment
- One place setting for each person: plate, bowl, cup, and silverware set
- One pot and one pan and one cookie sheet
- Basic cooking utensils: spatula, slotted spoon, mixing spoon, garlic press, bread knife
- Cutting board and butcher knife
- Ziploc bags and/or freezer bags in various sizes
- Reynolds wrap
- Coffee/tea pot and cup
- Toaster
- Kitchen towels and pot holder
- Your entire medicine cabinet
- A set of towels for each person
- A set of sheets for each bed plus pillow and comforter
- A variety of toys for kids (not just one thing like Legos, they will get bored)
- Game system (Wii, Xbox)
- Sport equipment: football, baseball and bat, roller blades
- A variety of clothes for warm and cold weather and anything in between
- Your hobby (i.e. knitting or beading)
- All of your computer wires, wireless router, and electronic chargers (iPod, camera, video camera, phone, Kindle/Nook)
- A home telephone
- A variety of DVDs for both kids and adults
So these are the things that make life hard to live without. Ricardo has said many times that I bitch too much and I should be thankful. Which is totally true. But I am actually extremely grateful and thank God everyday for the opportunities he has given me and my family. I look outside at the beautiful blue sky and thank God for the day. Or look out when it is rainy and cold and thank God that we have a warm place to live and my family is alive and healthy.
Because you look around Sao Paulo and you see that the city has two distinct classes, those who have and those who have not. This holiday weekend we went to the Rodeo Drive of Sao Paulo - Oscar Freira. It was very nice, and we enjoyed walking around. Then we head back to our car and a lady is sitting on the side of the street with her young child or grandchild (don't know which). She was sitting there when we got there, and has not moved in the time we were gone. The child was maybe 4. And that is all the stimulation that young mind will have that day.
Then as we head out anywhere and have to get on the highway - The Marginal as they call it here - there is a street that you drive down where the people live in cardboard boxes. I have seen a few smoking crack when we have driven by. Which you would say is why they are on the street. But that is not the reason for all of them.
Then yesterday I am at Sam's Club with my friend. We are loading up about $1000 Reais ($500 US) of food and purchases into the bulletproof car between the two of us. Along comes a guy on crutches. This is probably more food than he has seen in 6 months. I have no idea what he is saying, but I can figure it out. He is begging. Now I have passed people before and not given them money, usually when I don't have anything or nothing readily in my pocket. But I just couldn't morally fill this car with food and not give him anything. So I take a R$10 out of my purse and give it to him and say good day. Now some will read this and say I should not have given him anything, that it will go to drugs or something. But how do you know? Statistically it is quite possible, but there is always that other percentage where he actually really needs it for food. He couldn't stop thanking me and blessing me and I could not figure out why. Then when we got in the car Beth asked how much I gave him. R$10. Why? Well usually people only give him 10 cents or so - he's not going to know what to do with that much money. But that R$10 is really only $5 US to me, a Starbucks coffee. Plus it was the smallest bill I had in my wallet.
Now I am not trying to brag or pat myself on the back. Please do not think that. But as I organized my closet yesterday and my boys were thanking me for the M&Ms I bought them I could not help but think of that gentleman. Does he have a place to live? Will he use the money for food? Does he have kids like mine that need that money? And I think, I can give my kids piano lessons, Jiu Jitsu classes, a private school. And as I drink my coffee and look out from my balcony to the Favela across the highway, I thank God for everything He has given me and I promise that I will try to not bitch as much for the things I think are inconveniences.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Furniture and Acclimating.
Yes, after almost three months since being packed and two months since we have been here, our furniture and boxes have finally arrived. We did not anticipate the length of time it would take to get through customs in Brazil. So in the future we will pack our air shipment (which only took 3 weeks not the 5 days we were told) more intelligently. I should have taken a picture of the house will all of the boxes and wrapped stuff everywhere. It was very overwhelming. But we got through it and are relaxing.
I wish I could say I am relaxing on my comfy couch or my bed. But wait, those have not arrived yet. The pieces were too big to fit through the elevator so the movers have to bring them over the balcony. Yey! At least they got my piano through the elevator. That would have been way stressful to see that come over the balcony. A bottle of wine would have been drank (or is it drunk). So we have to wait for the last three pieces. But why build an apartment building where stuff can't fit through doors? Most of them are like that here. Which does not make any sense to me. Anyway, the movers were supposed to come on Monday, but that didn't happen. Then they were supposed to come Wednesday. Again, that didn't happen. Now they are supposed to come on Friday. We will see. Apparently, this is normal for Brazil. So I better get used to it. When it does arrive, I will have pictures.
Now that the furniture is here we can feel more at home. We have tried to get acquainted with the country though and have not relied on "American things" to feel better, well except for JIF peanut butter.
What have we been doing to get acquainted? Well thank you for asking. Here are some things:
1. Watch American movie titles on the guide and try to figure out what movie it actually is. Two that stand out are "Busca Explosiva II" for "The Marine", and "Novias Em Guerra" for "The Devil Wears Prada". Yes that does not make any sense, but it is fun to try to guess the name of the movie.
2. Go to as many restaurants as possible. Well, not anymore now that I have a set of decent pots and pans.
3. Try to make brownies without access to Betty Crocker boxed mix, chocolate chips, good cocoa powder, or correct consistency of sugar. They did not turn out too bad, but they did fall apart when cut.
4. Play a game. We play, what is floating in the river today kids? Usually it is brown sludge. I definitely do not want to know what that is. I do not think it is brownies that did not turn out well. There is a couch down there at the moment. It is a very nice color from here. I think we saw its companion burned to a crisp on the highway a few weeks ago.
So see we are not doing too bad. And with unpacking all of this junk, I don't want to move again for a while. But don't tell that to my husband's boss!
I wish I could say I am relaxing on my comfy couch or my bed. But wait, those have not arrived yet. The pieces were too big to fit through the elevator so the movers have to bring them over the balcony. Yey! At least they got my piano through the elevator. That would have been way stressful to see that come over the balcony. A bottle of wine would have been drank (or is it drunk). So we have to wait for the last three pieces. But why build an apartment building where stuff can't fit through doors? Most of them are like that here. Which does not make any sense to me. Anyway, the movers were supposed to come on Monday, but that didn't happen. Then they were supposed to come Wednesday. Again, that didn't happen. Now they are supposed to come on Friday. We will see. Apparently, this is normal for Brazil. So I better get used to it. When it does arrive, I will have pictures.
Now that the furniture is here we can feel more at home. We have tried to get acquainted with the country though and have not relied on "American things" to feel better, well except for JIF peanut butter.
What have we been doing to get acquainted? Well thank you for asking. Here are some things:
1. Watch American movie titles on the guide and try to figure out what movie it actually is. Two that stand out are "Busca Explosiva II" for "The Marine", and "Novias Em Guerra" for "The Devil Wears Prada". Yes that does not make any sense, but it is fun to try to guess the name of the movie.
2. Go to as many restaurants as possible. Well, not anymore now that I have a set of decent pots and pans.
3. Try to make brownies without access to Betty Crocker boxed mix, chocolate chips, good cocoa powder, or correct consistency of sugar. They did not turn out too bad, but they did fall apart when cut.
4. Play a game. We play, what is floating in the river today kids? Usually it is brown sludge. I definitely do not want to know what that is. I do not think it is brownies that did not turn out well. There is a couch down there at the moment. It is a very nice color from here. I think we saw its companion burned to a crisp on the highway a few weeks ago.
So see we are not doing too bad. And with unpacking all of this junk, I don't want to move again for a while. But don't tell that to my husband's boss!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
What Happens in Rio Does Not Stay in Rio
Well my life is almost fulfilled. I rocked the Kasba in Tunisia (yes a real place). I sang "Copacabana" while driving along the Copacabana Beach in Rio. Now all I need to do is rock down to Electric Avenue. But can anybody tell me where that is?
People have asked me what Rio was like. Weelll, it reminded me of parts of London with not as nice buildings. Maybe a lot like Chicago. Well except for palm trees. And maybe street parking. And maybe really nice beaches with really nice sand. Okay and maybe with really beautiful, tall, thin volleyball players that wear Brazilian bikinis and you just want to rip their heads off and pound them into the sand and use their head as the ball and.... But I digress. Rio reminded me a lot of Chicago. Being able to walk around and enjoy the city and not have to take taxis everywhere you want to go and eat at outdoor cafes. It was really very nice.
What did we see? Well, besides the volleyball players, a lot of butts. Yes, butts. Or butt cracks. These Brazilian bathing suits are no joke. My young impressionable boys really enjoyed the Rio beaches! I think they saw the waves. Anyway, it did not matter if they were big butts or small butts, the suits seemed to be the same size. Tiny. There was actually an Australian couple next to us. The over-sized lady actually asked her husband if her bikini made her look fat. All I could think of was YES! And the Twix commercial where the over-sized girl asks her boyfriend if the jeans she was trying on made her butt look big and the guys didn't say anything and just shoved the Twix bar into his mouth? Yeah, like that. There is really nothing to say that would not hurt her feelings. I did not hear what her husband said, but she talked with another lady the rest of the time we were there, so maybe he was not too smart with his comment. The beaches also had huge waves. We watched several guys try to surf or bodysurf. They were having a hard time at it. But the butts always distracted us. That or all of the beach vendors. They were everywhere! Selling pop, ice cream, sandwiches, fried cheese (this guy walked around with a small grill too), sarongs, beach cover ups and even bikinis. Yep. They had a small umbrella with sarongs around the side so you can't see in if you wanted to try one on. There was a bunch of them but they were very polite if you said "No Thank You".
Not a good picture, butt you get the idea, literally.
We also saw Jesus. He says hello. Well we said hello to him and said a prayer or two. Both at the statue and going up and down the mountain. That was and experience in and of itself. Picture this (in a Rod Serling voice) you are in a bus going up a mountain with a 45 or 50 degree incline doing 20 miles an hour. (Keep reading, this is not a math problem.) There are switchbacks about every 100 yards or so. Then you come down the mountain going about 40 or 50 mph and riding the break. Our bus almost collided with another while going down. I am not exaggerating this because the bumper of the up bus was almost kissing the side of our bus right at my seat. Very nice. And so were the other driver's eyes behind his sunglasses. Yes, I was that close.
We also went to Sugar loaf, or Pao de Azucar, Mountain. You take a cable car up across the water several hundred feet in the air to this mountain. You can see like forever. And no butts anywhere. It was truly beautiful. You could see the regional airport with the very short runway that planes have to take off almost at an angle in the air to get the altitude. City planners did not put it in a good place. You could see most of the beaches. Everything. Very amazing. To quote Ferris Bueller "I highly recommend it."
One other thing that is very beautiful about Rio is the rocks jutting out of the ocean out from the shore a mile or so. There are several out there. They have shear cliffs and trees on top. One I think has an old fort tower or something like that on it. When you see them from the shore they have a unique appearence. There are white stripes down the sides. Very interesting. So you ask a local. What makes the stripes in the rocks? Is it salt, or some sort of calcification? Why no, they would answer. We call that guano. Come again? Guano. In other words, bird pooh. No kidding. The birds, the animals not the musical group, hang out on the rocks. They pooh and then the rain washes it down the side. Hence the stripes - it runs. On the side that does not see as much sun, the pooh stripes are green with algae. And to quote Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, "It's a full on Monet. From far away it's okay, but up close, it's a big old mess."
On the way back to the airport the road just about met the lagoon or inlet or whatever you call it. It reminded me of US1 going down to the Keys. Very pretty. There were even guys fishing off the side of the road or bridges. Only thing was a stretch of the road did not have any lines. Was it two lanes, three, four? Don't know and not anyone cared. It was well paved though so that was a plus. Turned out to be a two laner with emergency side lanes. But hey, who needs painted lines?
Rio was actually very beautiful. We are interested to see what they do to it for the Olympics in 2016.
People have asked me what Rio was like. Weelll, it reminded me of parts of London with not as nice buildings. Maybe a lot like Chicago. Well except for palm trees. And maybe street parking. And maybe really nice beaches with really nice sand. Okay and maybe with really beautiful, tall, thin volleyball players that wear Brazilian bikinis and you just want to rip their heads off and pound them into the sand and use their head as the ball and.... But I digress. Rio reminded me a lot of Chicago. Being able to walk around and enjoy the city and not have to take taxis everywhere you want to go and eat at outdoor cafes. It was really very nice.
What did we see? Well, besides the volleyball players, a lot of butts. Yes, butts. Or butt cracks. These Brazilian bathing suits are no joke. My young impressionable boys really enjoyed the Rio beaches! I think they saw the waves. Anyway, it did not matter if they were big butts or small butts, the suits seemed to be the same size. Tiny. There was actually an Australian couple next to us. The over-sized lady actually asked her husband if her bikini made her look fat. All I could think of was YES! And the Twix commercial where the over-sized girl asks her boyfriend if the jeans she was trying on made her butt look big and the guys didn't say anything and just shoved the Twix bar into his mouth? Yeah, like that. There is really nothing to say that would not hurt her feelings. I did not hear what her husband said, but she talked with another lady the rest of the time we were there, so maybe he was not too smart with his comment. The beaches also had huge waves. We watched several guys try to surf or bodysurf. They were having a hard time at it. But the butts always distracted us. That or all of the beach vendors. They were everywhere! Selling pop, ice cream, sandwiches, fried cheese (this guy walked around with a small grill too), sarongs, beach cover ups and even bikinis. Yep. They had a small umbrella with sarongs around the side so you can't see in if you wanted to try one on. There was a bunch of them but they were very polite if you said "No Thank You".
We also saw Jesus. He says hello. Well we said hello to him and said a prayer or two. Both at the statue and going up and down the mountain. That was and experience in and of itself. Picture this (in a Rod Serling voice) you are in a bus going up a mountain with a 45 or 50 degree incline doing 20 miles an hour. (Keep reading, this is not a math problem.) There are switchbacks about every 100 yards or so. Then you come down the mountain going about 40 or 50 mph and riding the break. Our bus almost collided with another while going down. I am not exaggerating this because the bumper of the up bus was almost kissing the side of our bus right at my seat. Very nice. And so were the other driver's eyes behind his sunglasses. Yes, I was that close.
We also went to Sugar loaf, or Pao de Azucar, Mountain. You take a cable car up across the water several hundred feet in the air to this mountain. You can see like forever. And no butts anywhere. It was truly beautiful. You could see the regional airport with the very short runway that planes have to take off almost at an angle in the air to get the altitude. City planners did not put it in a good place. You could see most of the beaches. Everything. Very amazing. To quote Ferris Bueller "I highly recommend it."
One other thing that is very beautiful about Rio is the rocks jutting out of the ocean out from the shore a mile or so. There are several out there. They have shear cliffs and trees on top. One I think has an old fort tower or something like that on it. When you see them from the shore they have a unique appearence. There are white stripes down the sides. Very interesting. So you ask a local. What makes the stripes in the rocks? Is it salt, or some sort of calcification? Why no, they would answer. We call that guano. Come again? Guano. In other words, bird pooh. No kidding. The birds, the animals not the musical group, hang out on the rocks. They pooh and then the rain washes it down the side. Hence the stripes - it runs. On the side that does not see as much sun, the pooh stripes are green with algae. And to quote Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, "It's a full on Monet. From far away it's okay, but up close, it's a big old mess."
On the way back to the airport the road just about met the lagoon or inlet or whatever you call it. It reminded me of US1 going down to the Keys. Very pretty. There were even guys fishing off the side of the road or bridges. Only thing was a stretch of the road did not have any lines. Was it two lanes, three, four? Don't know and not anyone cared. It was well paved though so that was a plus. Turned out to be a two laner with emergency side lanes. But hey, who needs painted lines?
Rio was actually very beautiful. We are interested to see what they do to it for the Olympics in 2016.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Beauty of Sunsets
I usually do not post two in one week, but I had to this week.
Sunsets are different each place you go. It is truly a remarkable phenomenon. It is the same sky, the same sun, the same planet. It is also one of God's most beautiful creations.
Sunsets in the north: First of all I should probably say something about the sky. In Minnesota the sky is a beautiful blue. Not a dark blue or anything, but a quiet blue that warms during the day. Like a baby's chenille blanket. Very soft. In the summer, when the sun starts to set, the sky is a rainbow of colors. It will go from a melony coral orange to hot magenta to a warm lavendar and then to a darker, deeper blue. It is remarkable how a soft sky can turn deep and rich with colors in the evening. The sun is a beautiful pinky orange that is so bright you still need sunglasses at dusk.
Sunsets in the south: The sky in Florida is not the same sky in Minnesota. The Florida sky is a deep cerulean blue. It is bold and bright. Kind of like the blue Intel sticker on my computer. Yes a tacky analogy, but very correct. It is not a soft blue like in the north. It is a blue that slams you in the face. But at sunset, the sky turns a golden white. It is hard to explain. There is not many color variations in this sunset. The sky goes from blue to a golden yellow to a golden white. It is so bright the sun seems to penetrate you to the soul. You cannot see the sun because everything blends together into a smooth, bright shine. It is breathtaking that something so in your face blue can turn shimmery and sparkly.
Sunsets in Brazil: The sky here is very similar to the sky in Minnesota. It is a soft blue so far, nothing harsh. Very easy to look at. When the sun is past its zenith you can actually look at it. Around dinner time the sun is a perfect ball of cotton candy pink in the sky. Sometimes it is more watermelon in color. But regardless, you can see it perfectly. But that is not all of it. People who have visited the Smokey Mountains will understand this. There is a haze that settles over the land at sunset. It is like the early morning mist that rises from deep mountain valleys. It smooths everything with a soft, cloudy blanket that takes the edge off of this rough city. It hides the buildings in soft shadow. Like there is a filter over the land. The mist stretches into the sky and blends into the soft blue seemlessly. I don't think I can fully explain it, but it is beautiful and relaxing, even with the traffic zooming past.
You cannot believe this is the same planet, sun, sky. How do you even describe the view correctly so that others can understand even if they have never seen it? And how can some people think there is no God with the evidence in front of them every evening? The way I see it the sunset in Minnesota shows God's love of variety, the Florida sunset is God's love pouring out, and the sunset in Brazil is God's comforting touch welcoming you.
Sunsets are different each place you go. It is truly a remarkable phenomenon. It is the same sky, the same sun, the same planet. It is also one of God's most beautiful creations.
Sunsets in the north: First of all I should probably say something about the sky. In Minnesota the sky is a beautiful blue. Not a dark blue or anything, but a quiet blue that warms during the day. Like a baby's chenille blanket. Very soft. In the summer, when the sun starts to set, the sky is a rainbow of colors. It will go from a melony coral orange to hot magenta to a warm lavendar and then to a darker, deeper blue. It is remarkable how a soft sky can turn deep and rich with colors in the evening. The sun is a beautiful pinky orange that is so bright you still need sunglasses at dusk.
Sunsets in the south: The sky in Florida is not the same sky in Minnesota. The Florida sky is a deep cerulean blue. It is bold and bright. Kind of like the blue Intel sticker on my computer. Yes a tacky analogy, but very correct. It is not a soft blue like in the north. It is a blue that slams you in the face. But at sunset, the sky turns a golden white. It is hard to explain. There is not many color variations in this sunset. The sky goes from blue to a golden yellow to a golden white. It is so bright the sun seems to penetrate you to the soul. You cannot see the sun because everything blends together into a smooth, bright shine. It is breathtaking that something so in your face blue can turn shimmery and sparkly.
Sunsets in Brazil: The sky here is very similar to the sky in Minnesota. It is a soft blue so far, nothing harsh. Very easy to look at. When the sun is past its zenith you can actually look at it. Around dinner time the sun is a perfect ball of cotton candy pink in the sky. Sometimes it is more watermelon in color. But regardless, you can see it perfectly. But that is not all of it. People who have visited the Smokey Mountains will understand this. There is a haze that settles over the land at sunset. It is like the early morning mist that rises from deep mountain valleys. It smooths everything with a soft, cloudy blanket that takes the edge off of this rough city. It hides the buildings in soft shadow. Like there is a filter over the land. The mist stretches into the sky and blends into the soft blue seemlessly. I don't think I can fully explain it, but it is beautiful and relaxing, even with the traffic zooming past.
You cannot believe this is the same planet, sun, sky. How do you even describe the view correctly so that others can understand even if they have never seen it? And how can some people think there is no God with the evidence in front of them every evening? The way I see it the sunset in Minnesota shows God's love of variety, the Florida sunset is God's love pouring out, and the sunset in Brazil is God's comforting touch welcoming you.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Traffic Laws in Brazil
It is very interesting driving in Brazil. When we first got here, we expected it to be like driving in Miami, which in and of itself is an adventure. There you can go 10-15 miles over the limit and weave in and out of traffic. You can also run traffic lights, but I never did because that is too dangerous. So you just waited for a few seconds before entering the intersection in case someone else decided the light wasn't really meant for them.
No. Here in Brazil, they obey the basic traffic laws. You usually drive 10 km below the speed limit as a precaution for the traffic cameras. You also do not cross the white line at a light let alone run a red light. You always use your seat belt. You never drive and use your cell phone at the same time. If someone is in the crosswalk or trying to jaywalk, you stop and let the person cross. In this aspect we will be better drivers when we return to the States.
What we will have to not do is the following:
No. Here in Brazil, they obey the basic traffic laws. You usually drive 10 km below the speed limit as a precaution for the traffic cameras. You also do not cross the white line at a light let alone run a red light. You always use your seat belt. You never drive and use your cell phone at the same time. If someone is in the crosswalk or trying to jaywalk, you stop and let the person cross. In this aspect we will be better drivers when we return to the States.
What we will have to not do is the following:
- If you want to get ahead in a line of cars it is very much acceptable to drive on the wrong side of the road as far as you can go to get into the line further up.
- If you are in a Retorno (a u-turn designated area) and the line of cars is long, it is very much acceptable to pull up to the front along the curb and over the painted lines to get further up, and if there is a small curb and your car can get over that, you can do that too.
- Stop signs don't actually mean stop. They mean take a quick look and get into traffic. Or if there is a line it is an every-other car deal like in the church parking lot. You do not need to stop at the signs. It is really just a suggestion.
- Cutting other cars off is acceptable. Do not use your horn if this happens because the other driver will have no idea why you are so upset.
- If there is a 4 lane road, with the left two being turn lanes and the right two are for going straight, it is very much acceptable to turn left from the right lanes and try to go straight from the turn lanes. All you have to do is weave between the other cars. This is also acceptable if you are a city bus.
- Driving down a one-way the wrong way is not actually a big deal.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Traffic Police
Well the police do not too much as we have seen just yet. They do not help people stopped on the side of the road, that is for sure! We have only seen them at major accidents on the TV. Who does control the traffic? The CET. Do not know what it stands for, but they are the traffic police. If you are driving on the day you are not allowed due to your license plate? They give you a ticket. If there is a car stopped on the highway here in town? They are holding up traffic. And if you want to have a rally outside the mall? They are the ones who will block the entrance to your condominium so you can't get in or out.
What is this you say? Well Sunday there was a rally at the mall outside our house. Great to have a mall so close for shopping, but not so much during a rally. We thought it was some political thing because elections are this weekend. No. It was a labor union rally because the mall has decided to open 2 hours earlier on Sundays. It sounded like a Hitler/Castro/Chavez speech outside. Well actually inside too. They had the microphone so loud it sounded like I had all of my electronics up as loud as possible. But it wasn't music. It was a guy screaming into a microphone!! It went on for 3 hours!!!! With fireworks of course.
But back to the traffic police. There are sections of the city that have the traffic cameras that the US is embracing. Well, these are not at traffic lights to catch light runners. No. These are in the middle of the streets and go for quarter mile stretches. At first we could not figure out why people would suddenly slow down to 10 km below the speed limit. Now we know. If you get five tickets you can get your license suspended. Luckily they do not have Ricardo's license. So far since we have been here, we have gotten 5 tickets. And we still have one more week to see if there are more because we just found out about these this last week. One ticket was for 8km over the limit. These guys are sticklers! So, if you happen to be driving in Sao Paulo and the other drivers suddenly slow down, follow their lead. It is to your benefit.
What is this you say? Well Sunday there was a rally at the mall outside our house. Great to have a mall so close for shopping, but not so much during a rally. We thought it was some political thing because elections are this weekend. No. It was a labor union rally because the mall has decided to open 2 hours earlier on Sundays. It sounded like a Hitler/Castro/Chavez speech outside. Well actually inside too. They had the microphone so loud it sounded like I had all of my electronics up as loud as possible. But it wasn't music. It was a guy screaming into a microphone!! It went on for 3 hours!!!! With fireworks of course.
But back to the traffic police. There are sections of the city that have the traffic cameras that the US is embracing. Well, these are not at traffic lights to catch light runners. No. These are in the middle of the streets and go for quarter mile stretches. At first we could not figure out why people would suddenly slow down to 10 km below the speed limit. Now we know. If you get five tickets you can get your license suspended. Luckily they do not have Ricardo's license. So far since we have been here, we have gotten 5 tickets. And we still have one more week to see if there are more because we just found out about these this last week. One ticket was for 8km over the limit. These guys are sticklers! So, if you happen to be driving in Sao Paulo and the other drivers suddenly slow down, follow their lead. It is to your benefit.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Ballpark Hotdog Vendor
Well good afternoon and happy Spring to us! Spring is finally here and with it came the rain. It is a mist that falls that is very annoying; the type where you need the wipers on but it smears everything so it is hard to look out the window. But we have needed the rain here. We have the world's largest supply of fresh water you know!
So we are heading down the highway one Friday night trying to reach the family happy hour. This has become our weekly ritual. It is nice because Ricardo and I can talk to adults and have a drink or three and the boys can go run off and play with the other kiddies. Only problem is it takes place in a condo complex southeast of us. I think that is the direction. Anyway, it takes a while to get there. Well Friday night is here and we are ready to go. It takes us about 30 minutes to get onto the highway which we can see from our house. Yes there is that much traffic.
So we are finally on the highway and the average speed is about 6-10 miles per hour depending if there is an exit/entrance ramp around you. Ricardo says it is not normally this way. I do not exactly believe him. He changes his mind later too when low and behold! In the middle of the highway! What is it we see? Food vendors! Yep. There are about a dozen guys standing in the middle of the highway on the white lines, kind of interspersed over a quarter mile area. The traffic is not moving very fast so they can make quite a profit. And they obviously know the traffic is like this every week, or why be there right? They are selling some kind of food or candy, wrapped up like a Dome Dog without the bun. So it was small, but we were not tempted to find out what is was. They even had towels they were waving in the air and calling out. I will attempt to translate for you 'Hotdog here, Beer here!'
So we are heading down the highway one Friday night trying to reach the family happy hour. This has become our weekly ritual. It is nice because Ricardo and I can talk to adults and have a drink or three and the boys can go run off and play with the other kiddies. Only problem is it takes place in a condo complex southeast of us. I think that is the direction. Anyway, it takes a while to get there. Well Friday night is here and we are ready to go. It takes us about 30 minutes to get onto the highway which we can see from our house. Yes there is that much traffic.
So we are finally on the highway and the average speed is about 6-10 miles per hour depending if there is an exit/entrance ramp around you. Ricardo says it is not normally this way. I do not exactly believe him. He changes his mind later too when low and behold! In the middle of the highway! What is it we see? Food vendors! Yep. There are about a dozen guys standing in the middle of the highway on the white lines, kind of interspersed over a quarter mile area. The traffic is not moving very fast so they can make quite a profit. And they obviously know the traffic is like this every week, or why be there right? They are selling some kind of food or candy, wrapped up like a Dome Dog without the bun. So it was small, but we were not tempted to find out what is was. They even had towels they were waving in the air and calling out. I will attempt to translate for you 'Hotdog here, Beer here!'
Friday, September 17, 2010
Week 6
It is so hard to believe we are closing in on our sixth week here in Brazil. The time has flown. I guess that is a good thing. Before we know it, it will be Christmas and we will be in Houston and then Florida. Then we will be able to enjoy "fresh" air. But we have been enjoying ourselves and learning our new home. And I definitely like that I live right next door to a mall.
What has happened this week? Not too much.
Sunday, we played American football in the lovely courtyard we see from our balcony. But we got kicked off to play on the hard court in the play area. Didn't know grass was NOT for playing on. Football is not the same on a hard court. We will have to brave the park next time.
Ricardo went to Florida for a couple days for work. I think he was there a total of 36 hours and then 18 hours of flying time. Doesn't sound like fun. But he brought back stuff from Florida that Abuelo and Abuela have been collecting for us. Thank you! The boys got their Tebow Bronco jerseys. They have worn them everyday this week. We got mail and magazines and such. The boys got textbooks so they are not behind when we repatriate. Yes, I am a mean mom to have the boys read and do other work after school. But they get no homework so don't feel too sorry for them. And although Ricardo did not bring me Cheerios (I doubt he could have fit a box in anyway) he did bring me dryer sheets.
Dryer sheets? You ask. Why would I be excited about dryer sheets? Well they do not exist here. Not exist? How could that be? Well, it is because they hang dry everything. Which is not fun when you go to dry yourself with a hung-dry towel that is stiff. Yes, everything that is hung dry is a little stiff. And it kind of smells like the air that comes through the open vent that cannot be closed. And that air does not always smell the "freshest". So the need for dryer sheets. Why don't they use a dryer? You ask. Well, because they suck. Try drying a load of clothes for three hours and it not be dry. Yes I wrote 3 hours. That is the time on my dryer if I put it on the first setting. I don't think the heating element is really hot. I would love to see the faces of people when they encounter an American dryer. They would probably fall on their knees in awe at something besides slightly stinky air drying clothes. 'Oh my goodness! A dryer that dries! Who has thought of such a thing? This is truly a work of craftsmanship! A new technology! Where has such a thing come from?'
Alas, that is not going to happen. I did not have an American dryer to bring down here. So I am stuck hanging things to dry and then throwing them in the dryer with a dryer sheet to freshen them up. Or the reverse. Makes life more interesting though. Doesn't it?
We have an open weekend. Don't know what we are going to do. Next month we want to plan a trip to Rio. So maybe Ricardo and I will start that. I think this is Florida v. Tennessee weekend, so that is on the schedule. And of course, Sunday football. Dolphins and Broncos playing this week and everyone is happy. There are several shoe stores in the mall. I wonder if they will miss me while the games are going on.....?
What has happened this week? Not too much.
Sunday, we played American football in the lovely courtyard we see from our balcony. But we got kicked off to play on the hard court in the play area. Didn't know grass was NOT for playing on. Football is not the same on a hard court. We will have to brave the park next time.
Ricardo went to Florida for a couple days for work. I think he was there a total of 36 hours and then 18 hours of flying time. Doesn't sound like fun. But he brought back stuff from Florida that Abuelo and Abuela have been collecting for us. Thank you! The boys got their Tebow Bronco jerseys. They have worn them everyday this week. We got mail and magazines and such. The boys got textbooks so they are not behind when we repatriate. Yes, I am a mean mom to have the boys read and do other work after school. But they get no homework so don't feel too sorry for them. And although Ricardo did not bring me Cheerios (I doubt he could have fit a box in anyway) he did bring me dryer sheets.
Dryer sheets? You ask. Why would I be excited about dryer sheets? Well they do not exist here. Not exist? How could that be? Well, it is because they hang dry everything. Which is not fun when you go to dry yourself with a hung-dry towel that is stiff. Yes, everything that is hung dry is a little stiff. And it kind of smells like the air that comes through the open vent that cannot be closed. And that air does not always smell the "freshest". So the need for dryer sheets. Why don't they use a dryer? You ask. Well, because they suck. Try drying a load of clothes for three hours and it not be dry. Yes I wrote 3 hours. That is the time on my dryer if I put it on the first setting. I don't think the heating element is really hot. I would love to see the faces of people when they encounter an American dryer. They would probably fall on their knees in awe at something besides slightly stinky air drying clothes. 'Oh my goodness! A dryer that dries! Who has thought of such a thing? This is truly a work of craftsmanship! A new technology! Where has such a thing come from?'
Alas, that is not going to happen. I did not have an American dryer to bring down here. So I am stuck hanging things to dry and then throwing them in the dryer with a dryer sheet to freshen them up. Or the reverse. Makes life more interesting though. Doesn't it?
We have an open weekend. Don't know what we are going to do. Next month we want to plan a trip to Rio. So maybe Ricardo and I will start that. I think this is Florida v. Tennessee weekend, so that is on the schedule. And of course, Sunday football. Dolphins and Broncos playing this week and everyone is happy. There are several shoe stores in the mall. I wonder if they will miss me while the games are going on.....?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Boys Camp Week!
Well we got our boys back safe and sound. They had a fun time at the Peraltas Camp in Brotas, SP - Brazil. Although they do not want to do it next year. Unfortunately we do not have any pictures of the place. But it looked a lot like a Y sleep away camp. It is 240 km outside of the City of Sao Paulo.
We had an interesting time getting there. The roadside looked like driving through Wisconsin on I-94. I say we had an interesting time because along the trip we found out we had a GPS alarm on the car. What is this you ask? I will tell you. The previous driver had a GPS alarm installed that if you take the car a certain distance outside the city limits an alarm will sound. Anti-theft kind of thing we guess. The car does not stop running. There is no interruption to the engine. There is just an alarm coming from the car like you are a police car. It is legal to drive a car that sounds like a police car? We do not know, nor did we want to take the chance. So we pulled over to the side of the road about 100 km northwest of Sao Paulo. We called the insurance company. They had no idea what it was so they were going to send out a tow truck and mechanic to see if he could stop the alarm. The gentleman was coming from about 15 km away. Did he get there? No. We were on the side of the road for about 1.5 hours total. After about an hour, Ricardo tried to remove the fuses to see if one controlled the alarm. However, the fuse remover tool was not in the compartment. So he left me on the side of a Brazilian highway to walk to a truck stop about 100 meters away. They did not have a tool. But he said I should be glad I did not step foot into that place. It was very yucky.
Well no such luck removing the fuses. So is there a way to pull the wires from this thing? Let's open the hood to find out. Well we see the wires, but there is no way to pull them so let's follow the wires. Where do they go? Ahh, here they are attached to the battery. And what is that at the connection? Hey, it is a little fuse. Let's pull it out to see what happens. Hey the alarm stops! You have got to be kidding me!! That is it? What kind of anti theft device is this? A sucky one to be sure.
So we get back in the car and head off down the Wisconsin-looking country side to pick up our boys. And low and behold what is 500 meters around the bend from where we were stopped? A regional mini Police station with policemen sitting on the side doing nothing.
Has the tow truck called to find out where we are? Nope and he still hasn't. I doubt he ever left the station.
But now with Ricardo heading off to Florida for two days, I have to laugh about the situation. It is actually funny once you think about it. But for now I get to double wash all of the boys clothes that went with them because the smell is horrendous!
We had an interesting time getting there. The roadside looked like driving through Wisconsin on I-94. I say we had an interesting time because along the trip we found out we had a GPS alarm on the car. What is this you ask? I will tell you. The previous driver had a GPS alarm installed that if you take the car a certain distance outside the city limits an alarm will sound. Anti-theft kind of thing we guess. The car does not stop running. There is no interruption to the engine. There is just an alarm coming from the car like you are a police car. It is legal to drive a car that sounds like a police car? We do not know, nor did we want to take the chance. So we pulled over to the side of the road about 100 km northwest of Sao Paulo. We called the insurance company. They had no idea what it was so they were going to send out a tow truck and mechanic to see if he could stop the alarm. The gentleman was coming from about 15 km away. Did he get there? No. We were on the side of the road for about 1.5 hours total. After about an hour, Ricardo tried to remove the fuses to see if one controlled the alarm. However, the fuse remover tool was not in the compartment. So he left me on the side of a Brazilian highway to walk to a truck stop about 100 meters away. They did not have a tool. But he said I should be glad I did not step foot into that place. It was very yucky.
Well no such luck removing the fuses. So is there a way to pull the wires from this thing? Let's open the hood to find out. Well we see the wires, but there is no way to pull them so let's follow the wires. Where do they go? Ahh, here they are attached to the battery. And what is that at the connection? Hey, it is a little fuse. Let's pull it out to see what happens. Hey the alarm stops! You have got to be kidding me!! That is it? What kind of anti theft device is this? A sucky one to be sure.
So we get back in the car and head off down the Wisconsin-looking country side to pick up our boys. And low and behold what is 500 meters around the bend from where we were stopped? A regional mini Police station with policemen sitting on the side doing nothing.
Has the tow truck called to find out where we are? Nope and he still hasn't. I doubt he ever left the station.
But now with Ricardo heading off to Florida for two days, I have to laugh about the situation. It is actually funny once you think about it. But for now I get to double wash all of the boys clothes that went with them because the smell is horrendous!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fogo de Chao dinner
Okay, Happy Labor Day to the States. And tomorrow Happy Independence Day to Brazil! We celebrated by going to Fogo de Chao for dinner. Very expensive, but very delicious. Javier loves steak. Can't you tell?
And of course Ian got cold during dinner like always!
I don't particularly like this picture because my arm looks like a side of beef they were trimming from the swords. I guess I need to work out more. We had a great time though. The steaks were delicious and they even had lamb and sausages. One thing that was truly disgusting that Javier and Ricardo tried was chicken hearts. Blah, gross! They even look nasty!
This is a bunch of them on a plate. Ricardo made a bad face and Javier said they tasted like sausage. I offered both a piece of my beet to remove the taste. They both refused. Now tell me, why would someone eat a chicken heart but refuse a beet? Doesn't make any sense to me.
We did see Cats last night. Man that was creepy. I think the guy was on drugs when he wrote it. Just bizarre. But I did get chills when the cat sang Memories. That song always gets me, it is so beautiful, even in Portuguese. Javier gave it a C-.
We also got our air shipment today. We got most of our bathroom stuff and half of my shoes. But no extra clothes for the boys. I guess I pointed at the wrong boxes because we did get the comforter for the spare bedroom, but we have no bed for that room. I don't know what I was doing. Flaking obviously. Or I pointed to the right box and the guys added the wrong box to the shipment. I like that way better. Takes the blame off of me. But, hey I have a bigger shoe collection than before even if my boys have to run around naked!
And of course Ian got cold during dinner like always!
I don't particularly like this picture because my arm looks like a side of beef they were trimming from the swords. I guess I need to work out more. We had a great time though. The steaks were delicious and they even had lamb and sausages. One thing that was truly disgusting that Javier and Ricardo tried was chicken hearts. Blah, gross! They even look nasty!
We did see Cats last night. Man that was creepy. I think the guy was on drugs when he wrote it. Just bizarre. But I did get chills when the cat sang Memories. That song always gets me, it is so beautiful, even in Portuguese. Javier gave it a C-.
We also got our air shipment today. We got most of our bathroom stuff and half of my shoes. But no extra clothes for the boys. I guess I pointed at the wrong boxes because we did get the comforter for the spare bedroom, but we have no bed for that room. I don't know what I was doing. Flaking obviously. Or I pointed to the right box and the guys added the wrong box to the shipment. I like that way better. Takes the blame off of me. But, hey I have a bigger shoe collection than before even if my boys have to run around naked!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
First Day of Independence Weekend
Independence Day is September 7, so we have a 4 day weekend. Then the boys go off to camp with school. We are not drinking over the weekend, we are waiting till we send our children off three hours into the farmlands of Brazil to do that.
First day was pretty busy. We go to breakfast every Saturday at this bakery/store/restaurant. Very delicious chocolate crossants. How do you spell that anyway? Don't know so I am going to leave it. Anyway, we found out they sell deli meats as well and got some great German ham. Very yummy! At the checkout we were making fun of Ricardo saying he was expensive because the bill was high. Well in Portuguese it is "Ele esta muito caro." Well, instead I said "Ele esta muito carro." First sentence caro the r is pronounced as an r. Second sentence the rr is pronounced as an h. So instead of saying he was expensive, I said he was a car. Then I said I was cheap. Well I didn't. That would have been "Eu estou barata." I said I am drunk "eu estou borracha."
The boys went to play at a friends house. They all go to school with each other. It felt and looked like a very nice summer day in MN. Ian got a home run in backyard baseball. The link is above.
While the boys played Ricardo and I went to Ibirapuera Park for a while. It is like a mini central park. We were walking around working off the chocolate crossant and really enjoying ourselves. With the day and the lakes in the middle you could almost think we were around Lake Harriet or another.
Until you looked and saw the really green water and palm trees.
Yes the water is that green!
Last night we went to a very delicious pizza restaurant. We got there at 7:10 and it was empty. Dinner usually doesn't start until 7:30 - 8:00 pm. And yes there are children at those dinners! We have to get used to the dinner thing for this culture. My boys are going to have to learn to stay up later. Don't know how well that will go. But I digress. The pizza restaurant was really cool; the architecture amazing. There was a candle stand that we had to take a picture of. The wax looks like wool! Check it out...
Today, we are thinking of going to see Cats, the musical, in Portuguese. Definitely an experience.
First day was pretty busy. We go to breakfast every Saturday at this bakery/store/restaurant. Very delicious chocolate crossants. How do you spell that anyway? Don't know so I am going to leave it. Anyway, we found out they sell deli meats as well and got some great German ham. Very yummy! At the checkout we were making fun of Ricardo saying he was expensive because the bill was high. Well in Portuguese it is "Ele esta muito caro." Well, instead I said "Ele esta muito carro." First sentence caro the r is pronounced as an r. Second sentence the rr is pronounced as an h. So instead of saying he was expensive, I said he was a car. Then I said I was cheap. Well I didn't. That would have been "Eu estou barata." I said I am drunk "eu estou borracha."
The boys went to play at a friends house. They all go to school with each other. It felt and looked like a very nice summer day in MN. Ian got a home run in backyard baseball. The link is above.
While the boys played Ricardo and I went to Ibirapuera Park for a while. It is like a mini central park. We were walking around working off the chocolate crossant and really enjoying ourselves. With the day and the lakes in the middle you could almost think we were around Lake Harriet or another.
Until you looked and saw the really green water and palm trees.
Yes the water is that green!
Last night we went to a very delicious pizza restaurant. We got there at 7:10 and it was empty. Dinner usually doesn't start until 7:30 - 8:00 pm. And yes there are children at those dinners! We have to get used to the dinner thing for this culture. My boys are going to have to learn to stay up later. Don't know how well that will go. But I digress. The pizza restaurant was really cool; the architecture amazing. There was a candle stand that we had to take a picture of. The wax looks like wool! Check it out...
Today, we are thinking of going to see Cats, the musical, in Portuguese. Definitely an experience.
Monday, August 30, 2010
First Post
So Ricardo said I did not have enough to do, so I need to create a blog of our time in Brazil. No problem. I can do that. Let's see, what happened in the first few weeks since we have been here?
Well Sunday morning, August 8th was an experience. Since we have been here I noticed that Brazilians respect the concept of lines - in the line for passport control, in grocery stores, at movies, waiting for the bus - but not in the airport. It was a free-for-all at the conveyors to get your luggage. And let's not mention the luggage cart you need to have right next to you, or 4 is some cases so that no one else can get one or get to the luggage. If anyone has ever been to Rome, it was very similar. And with only having a few hours sleep and then trying to handle a cart that does not want to go where you want it to, well not fun. But once we got to our apartment, ahh relaxation! I love the apartment. It is very nice, but a lot of doors everywhere. The boys are getting used to being more quiet since we are in a high rise and there are people living under us. Well, they are getting used to us telling them in loud voices to be quiet. Makes sense right?
The boys started at a British school with an IB program. So far so good, but not enough homework from my point of view. Ian and Javier are in year 3 and year 5, respectively. They said it is supposed to translate to grade 3 and 5 in the States. Thanks to friends in Switzerland with a tip we are trying to find out if that is right or not. We will see.
I started Bible Study with the church we found. It is part of an English based school here. We love it! And everyone is so nice. We are also part of the American Club here. Ricardo and I are teaching the little kids how to play baseball. We have never been so tired in our lives! Javier and Ian are playing with the experienced kids. Javier hit a home run! Go Javi! Both boys have lost a tooth here, and the tooth fairy must know we are Americans because she leaves American Dollars.
This weekend we went to lunch after church at a really cool restaurant called Pe de Manga. It means foot of the mango. There is a tree in the middle of the patio. I am guessing it is a Mango tree? Not sure, but it would make sense considering the name. There is a picture below somewhere of me, Javier and Ian sitting on the patio. Anyone comes to visit, we will take you there. It is very fun.
Never wrote a blog before so I hope you like the first one. I have to get used to doing this.
Well Sunday morning, August 8th was an experience. Since we have been here I noticed that Brazilians respect the concept of lines - in the line for passport control, in grocery stores, at movies, waiting for the bus - but not in the airport. It was a free-for-all at the conveyors to get your luggage. And let's not mention the luggage cart you need to have right next to you, or 4 is some cases so that no one else can get one or get to the luggage. If anyone has ever been to Rome, it was very similar. And with only having a few hours sleep and then trying to handle a cart that does not want to go where you want it to, well not fun. But once we got to our apartment, ahh relaxation! I love the apartment. It is very nice, but a lot of doors everywhere. The boys are getting used to being more quiet since we are in a high rise and there are people living under us. Well, they are getting used to us telling them in loud voices to be quiet. Makes sense right?
The boys started at a British school with an IB program. So far so good, but not enough homework from my point of view. Ian and Javier are in year 3 and year 5, respectively. They said it is supposed to translate to grade 3 and 5 in the States. Thanks to friends in Switzerland with a tip we are trying to find out if that is right or not. We will see.
I started Bible Study with the church we found. It is part of an English based school here. We love it! And everyone is so nice. We are also part of the American Club here. Ricardo and I are teaching the little kids how to play baseball. We have never been so tired in our lives! Javier and Ian are playing with the experienced kids. Javier hit a home run! Go Javi! Both boys have lost a tooth here, and the tooth fairy must know we are Americans because she leaves American Dollars.
This weekend we went to lunch after church at a really cool restaurant called Pe de Manga. It means foot of the mango. There is a tree in the middle of the patio. I am guessing it is a Mango tree? Not sure, but it would make sense considering the name. There is a picture below somewhere of me, Javier and Ian sitting on the patio. Anyone comes to visit, we will take you there. It is very fun.
Never wrote a blog before so I hope you like the first one. I have to get used to doing this.
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