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!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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.
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