I am a member of INC. It is the International Newcomers Club. There is one for ex-pats in most major cities around the world. I have met many of my friends here through INC. It is a wonderful and fun group made up of people from around the world. Every month there is something going on - lunches, evening get-togethers, touristy things around the city.
Today was a monthly lunch with the group. We were to go to a Scandinavian Restaurant. Now there are many kinds of restaurants here like in the States. There is a restaurant for whatever country exists. It is hard to find really good Mexican though. And taco shells are like $20 a box. But I digress. So today was a Scandinavian restaurant. We initially had a difficult time finding it because it does not have a sign on the outside that says here is the restaurant. It only says Scandinavian Association. We took a wild guess and entered. Voila! We were there. We had a mini cocktail hour before lunch was served, and we were able to catch up with people that we haven't seen in two days, or ten. Then comes lunch...
It was buffet style. But there were no markers on any of the foods. What am I eating? I personally would like to know before it hits my plate. I have MANY food issues, just ask my kids. So I grab a lady who lived in Sweden for a while to see if she had any clues. Some - the stuff in the sauces in the back is the herring (fish), the meat with the congealed fat on top is pork belly, don't know what the meat in the pan is but it is red meat, potatoes, meatballs, sauerkraut made with purple cabbage, what looked like roast beef slices but were roasted reindeer, liver pate, breads, beets, breaded and fried eggplant, and a few other things. I really should have eaten before I left the house. I ate the meat in the pan, which was good but tough. I ate the purple sauerkraut which wasn't too bad, maybe a little too pickley, I ate the meatballs which tasted like bratwursts and extremely delicious. And yes. I ate reindeer. Or what we think was reindeer. It could have been something else sliced and unidentifiable. It was a little bit between gamey meat and tongue. Yes I have eaten tongue before, but not on purpose. My friend at the time said it was deli chicken slices. Needless to say this person is not my friend anymore. Not because of the tongue or anything like that. At least not consciously that is.
You know, I like Scandinavian things. Swedish meatballs are a staple at any football party. The reindeer sweaters you receive from gramma for Christmas are... warm. I read and liked all of Stieg Larsson's books. Norway visited the New World way before Columbus. My husband likes Heineken. No wait that is a Dutch beer. Well I like Thor. He was really cute and carried a big hammer. But, I can tell you that my belly does not like reindeer. Even my kidneys hurt from trying to digest the new and interesting foods. From now on I will leave the reindeer to Santa. It is just not worth it.
So Scandinavian food does not sit well with me. I think my husband will appreciate that since I will not be asking to visit there any time soon. Easier on the travel budget I would think, and the digestion.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Looking Back...Looking Forward
My friend and I decided to take a family vacation together. Our kids are similar ages, our husbands are friends, and we get along like sisters. What could be better? We picked September because everyone is back at school, it is more quiet, and the weather is still good and warm. We decided to head to Myrtle Beach. The husbands could play golf, we could sit on the beach or go to the pool, and the kids could have a fun time. When making plans we picked the week of September 8-15. A perfect week to enjoy some relaxing time with friends.
Our hotel ends up a close walk to souvenir shops and a Food Lion. We have a kitchen in the room because it is a 2 bedroom condo type place where people rent out their timeshares when not using them. We set up our rooms, get food and begin to enjoy our vacation. The guys play golf most of the weekend and into the first part of the week. We are okay with this as it was planned out. On Tuesday, my friend and I get the kids and head off for a walk while the guys enjoy another game of golf. First we hit the souvenir shop before the Food Lion. We are trying to hear the radio because something happened, but we could not figure out what. We tried to hear again at the grocery store. But, again, the radio was too low. We decided to go back to the room, have the kids go down for a nap and then check out the news. After all is accomplished, we turn on the Today Show. It is September 11, 2001.
Ten years to the week, I plan another family/friend vacation. I actually did not plan it that way. I latched onto a vacation that another friend of mine was planning. She was happy including us. Again, the husbands could play golf, our kids could play at the pool or at the beach, and we can enjoy ourselves. The kids are now old enough to go off and play without mom's eagle eye. It was relaxing and very peaceful. The sea breeze blowing in my hair, the ocean surf making music along the shore. Kids building sandcastles and forts and chasing the tide.
As Sunday, September 11, rolled around I could not stop thinking about that day ten years prior. I remember everything about that moment. Don't they say that in times of great tragedy you remember everything? Like Kennedy getting shot? Well, I am not old enough to remember that, but I do remember the day JFK Jr. and his wife died. I remember the Challenger and Columbia. And I remember the moments of personal tragedy. On this Sunday I was lying by the pool and remembering the moments leading up to 10 am on that Tuesday. And I was wondering how all of those families who lost a loved one were feeling and how they were coping with the anniversary. I imagine that none of them wanted to turn on the TV at any time to relive, over and over again, the day their lives changed forever. I don't know if anyone else was thinking about it. Brazil, and South America for that matter, is very far from the US. It does not feel real sometimes. It is like the riots you witness on TV in Tunisia or Egypt or Libya. You can say things like, It is a horrible movie that I can turn off and not have to watch. It is happening someplace else. It does not affect me.
Remembering the events of 9/11 and the aftermath have reminded me that I do not live in a bubble. The world is not in a better place after 10 years: the debt crisis worldwide, economic troubles, bombings, wars, droughts, famines, the list can go on and on. Most people will ask, "But what can I do about it?" I do not have the answer to that question. I don't think many people do. Plus, how do you show compassion to suffering neighbors when you are in trouble too? For a little while, after the chaos and before the vengeance, the world came together. We have seen it again after the Tsunami of 2004, and after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Why does it take a worldwide disaster to remember we are all brothers and sisters on this planet, and that everyone needs a helping hand? I doubt this will be answered in our world's lifetime.
Our hotel ends up a close walk to souvenir shops and a Food Lion. We have a kitchen in the room because it is a 2 bedroom condo type place where people rent out their timeshares when not using them. We set up our rooms, get food and begin to enjoy our vacation. The guys play golf most of the weekend and into the first part of the week. We are okay with this as it was planned out. On Tuesday, my friend and I get the kids and head off for a walk while the guys enjoy another game of golf. First we hit the souvenir shop before the Food Lion. We are trying to hear the radio because something happened, but we could not figure out what. We tried to hear again at the grocery store. But, again, the radio was too low. We decided to go back to the room, have the kids go down for a nap and then check out the news. After all is accomplished, we turn on the Today Show. It is September 11, 2001.
Ten years to the week, I plan another family/friend vacation. I actually did not plan it that way. I latched onto a vacation that another friend of mine was planning. She was happy including us. Again, the husbands could play golf, our kids could play at the pool or at the beach, and we can enjoy ourselves. The kids are now old enough to go off and play without mom's eagle eye. It was relaxing and very peaceful. The sea breeze blowing in my hair, the ocean surf making music along the shore. Kids building sandcastles and forts and chasing the tide.
As Sunday, September 11, rolled around I could not stop thinking about that day ten years prior. I remember everything about that moment. Don't they say that in times of great tragedy you remember everything? Like Kennedy getting shot? Well, I am not old enough to remember that, but I do remember the day JFK Jr. and his wife died. I remember the Challenger and Columbia. And I remember the moments of personal tragedy. On this Sunday I was lying by the pool and remembering the moments leading up to 10 am on that Tuesday. And I was wondering how all of those families who lost a loved one were feeling and how they were coping with the anniversary. I imagine that none of them wanted to turn on the TV at any time to relive, over and over again, the day their lives changed forever. I don't know if anyone else was thinking about it. Brazil, and South America for that matter, is very far from the US. It does not feel real sometimes. It is like the riots you witness on TV in Tunisia or Egypt or Libya. You can say things like, It is a horrible movie that I can turn off and not have to watch. It is happening someplace else. It does not affect me.
Remembering the events of 9/11 and the aftermath have reminded me that I do not live in a bubble. The world is not in a better place after 10 years: the debt crisis worldwide, economic troubles, bombings, wars, droughts, famines, the list can go on and on. Most people will ask, "But what can I do about it?" I do not have the answer to that question. I don't think many people do. Plus, how do you show compassion to suffering neighbors when you are in trouble too? For a little while, after the chaos and before the vengeance, the world came together. We have seen it again after the Tsunami of 2004, and after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Why does it take a worldwide disaster to remember we are all brothers and sisters on this planet, and that everyone needs a helping hand? I doubt this will be answered in our world's lifetime.
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Real World...
...is definitely not shown on MTV. We when first moved to Brazil, I thought this would be a great experience for the boys - new language, new country, new customs. But, they are also getting an education on the real world.
Living in the Midwest is very different than here. So is parts of South Florida where we also lived. People have cars and nice houses, and you can walk to the grocery store and be safe. You are more isolated in those places than here. You see things on the news, but those bad things happen some place else to someone else.
In Brazil, on the news, you will see shooting with the police, or major drug busts with the police holding machine guns next to the loot. You will also see pictures in the newspapers about shootouts in Rio, or the flooding in the northern part of the country. The newspaper recently recapped events of last year with pictures - the Afghan girl who was on the cover of Time Magazine (?) who had her nose and ears cut off by her husband; Haiti and the disposal of dead bodies in mass graves; people shooting each other.
We also have seen firsthand people smoking crack on the street, or very hungry people looking for food in the garbage cans along the side of the road, and eating whatever they can find. Homeless people looking for scrap metal that they can sell. People begging on the street. Not far from where we live there are people who live in boxes along the side of the highway.
These are not the things I expected to have my young children exposed to at an early age. But if not now, when? They see what they have, and then they see how other people have to live. They realize how lucky they are to have things - even simple things like a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Where their concern is what they will have for a snack, not when and from where their next meal come.
My hope is that as they grow up, they will remember what they have seen and experienced here; that they will understand the importance of helping others and giving to those in need. The world is not as large as it seems, and everyone needs to do their part in making it a better place.
Living in the Midwest is very different than here. So is parts of South Florida where we also lived. People have cars and nice houses, and you can walk to the grocery store and be safe. You are more isolated in those places than here. You see things on the news, but those bad things happen some place else to someone else.
In Brazil, on the news, you will see shooting with the police, or major drug busts with the police holding machine guns next to the loot. You will also see pictures in the newspapers about shootouts in Rio, or the flooding in the northern part of the country. The newspaper recently recapped events of last year with pictures - the Afghan girl who was on the cover of Time Magazine (?) who had her nose and ears cut off by her husband; Haiti and the disposal of dead bodies in mass graves; people shooting each other.
We also have seen firsthand people smoking crack on the street, or very hungry people looking for food in the garbage cans along the side of the road, and eating whatever they can find. Homeless people looking for scrap metal that they can sell. People begging on the street. Not far from where we live there are people who live in boxes along the side of the highway.
These are not the things I expected to have my young children exposed to at an early age. But if not now, when? They see what they have, and then they see how other people have to live. They realize how lucky they are to have things - even simple things like a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Where their concern is what they will have for a snack, not when and from where their next meal come.
My hope is that as they grow up, they will remember what they have seen and experienced here; that they will understand the importance of helping others and giving to those in need. The world is not as large as it seems, and everyone needs to do their part in making it a better place.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
I need a vacation from my vacation!
We just got back from a great vacation with friends. Back to reality! We went to Bahia for a week and stayed at Praia do Forte. It is a very nice beach an hour north of Salvador. We stayed at Iberostar Praia do Forte. If anyone has a chance to stay at an all inclusive, please try this chain. It was wonderful. Our hardest decision each day was: do we go to the beach or do we go to the pool? But like every vacation, it had to end. We had some interesting vacation happenings though.
Interesting thought that came out of vacation: Why did we figure out how to put a man on the moon before we figured out that putting wheels on luggage was a good thing?
Interesting comment that came out of vacation: The guys: The longer we are here the more behind I get at work. The ladies: The longer we are here the more behind my maid gets at home!
Let's see. Okay, we get there and the next day or there abouts there is a strike of hotel workers. Now strikes in Brazil only last one or two days. So not really a problem. But there was definitely a lack of employees available to bring us drinks. But by the weekend, no problems. Then I get a rash on my neck. From the sun? From the lotion? I don't know, but I could not stay in the sun very long for the rest of the trip. It is difficult to go to a beach vacation and have to sit under an umbrella for 5 days! And you know what? I am tired! It was hard work not doing anything for a week.
Oh and a really funny story. We were at the beach, and the beach attendant brought me over an umbrella because of my rash, of course. I am laying there on my belly with my book on the sand. I am so engrossed in the book that the attendant has to catch my attention. He points to my book and smiles and I look down and there is a sand crab right next to my hand. I scream like there's a spider on my lap. The crab runs a little away and stares me down. I must be on his beach condo or something. Then the other people around me come over to take a picture of him. He is really mad now and circling watching all of us. So then he decides to charge me. Yes, a crab the size of a hot dog bun charges me. I try to shoo him away. He does not listen so I take off my visor to shoo him. He latches onto my visor. I scream. He flies and lands on my lap. I scream and jump up. He lands under Javier's chair. Everyone around me is laughing. I don't think it is funny. He tries at me again. I scream again and the attendant comes and traps him to take him away. I had a headache after that.
Let's see what else. Oh yes, the guys played golf 4 times and were attacked by angry birds each day. Apparently there are a bunch of birds that have migrated from the south to this golf course. They live in the ground and they are about the size of a pheasant. There were 6 adult birds protecting about 4 babies from golfers. Then there are government protected plants that live along the course. They are a type of cactus that, if you rub up against them, it is VERY BAD. The guys did not know this the first day because, well, the strike. But the second time they were walking through the brush looking for a lost ball a course employee told them about the plants and to be careful. Thank you for the forewarning! Oh and then the last day of golf some employees tell the guys that they had to move an anaconda from one golf "pool" to another so no worries. An anaconda? Really? No worries? Thanks guys, you are the best!
The kids had fun too. We all played pool games and poolside bingo. They really liked that they could get all the food and drinks they wanted. Javier's eczema around his eyes tanned, then peeled so his face is patchy. Kimberly's kids now have neon greenish hair from the pool chemicals that gallons of tomato juice will be needed to remove. Ian, well my poor Ian. He got stung from a jelly fish, which apparently were all over the ocean. It hurt really bad. Especially when I had to put vinegar on it to get rid of the sting. Well that stung more. Then I only had an adult Benadryl, which I gave him just in case, and he slept for about 3 hours.
Oh and here is a lesson he learned the next day. Listen better to mommy. Why? Well it was almost dinner time and he had nothing to eat in a while, but we were leaving in a few minutes. Well, here is the conversation:
"Mom, can I have a capuccino?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"But I want one.'
"I don't care."
Well he took only the I don't care part. He did not hear the rest. Now a capuccino on an empty stomach is not the best in the world. But here they add chocolate to capuccinos. Usually delicious. But wait. So he drinks his capuccino and eats a few peanuts. We leave for dinner. We get to the restaurant and he feels sick, like he is going to throw up. We tell him to just sit down and relax and drink some water. Bad idea. After I come back with my food he gets up from the table. Ricardo warns me (he was smart enough to sit on the other side of the table in the middle where it is hard to get out). Ian at this point is trying to hold the puke in. I rush him to the bathroom and the sound of his vomiting echoes throughout the cavernous bathroom. Now I do not do well with puke. The smell really gets me. So I am on the outside of the stall, he is throwing up all the capuccino and peanuts and a mom comes in to change her son. We share a commiserating look and I help Ian clean up. He was fine after that. But at this point I am thinking it is going to be a long time before I have peanut M&Ms. Because that is what it smelled like.
And to top the whole trip off, after waiting for our luggage for 45 minutes to get taken off the plane, we head home. We are driving down the highway when all of a sudden a CRAZY driver in a truck, like a 15ft. white U-haul flies by, weaving through traffic, texting, you name it. But following this maniac are 3 armed escorts. One pick-up and two little Ford Escort types. And they are flying and weaving with this guy. Who cares who else is on the road? At one point the crazy truck gets next to us and yes the driver is looking at his iPhone texting, no lie, and weaving around in the lanes, and just really asking to get into an accident. The armed escorts pull up next to us and in the back facing the traffic are guys with machine guns. The windows are open, for convenience sake?, and they look really scary. Ricardo decided to speed up and pass them to get away.
We really did have a great time though. We are back to reality and school and work. Of course today I got back into my routine: grocery store, phone calls, and a Starbucks. Man, life is tough.
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