We went into the flying saucer!!!

Since I learned of its existence, I wanted to go and see it for myself. Oscar Niemeyer, a Brazilian architect designed the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) in Niteroi, a city abot 40 miles from Rio. The building is a flying saucer sitting on top of a hill, overlooking the ocean, islands and to the far right accross the ocean, the splenderous city of Rio de Janeiro. I have also learned that jaw dropping views are the norm here, and this was no exception to the rule, even in the foggiest of days.
We drove accross the 10 mile bridge and landed in Niteroi, a busy port swarming with people seeking for cover under the constant drizzle, buses fighting over space with the other cars, vendors trying to get customers, and lost tourists- well, make it one lost tourist car (mine). Fortunately, we found a taxi driver who didn't mind getting wet while trying to explain, from car to car, the way to get there.

And there it was: majestically weather proof, the white saucer distinguished from afar, standing tall over the ocean.
We finally went in! The building is one of a class, its round shape naturally allowing visitors to have a great view of the exhibition and later on, a fabulous view of the outside. That alone was well worth the visit!
I wasn't too impressed with the exhibit, in fact, I had already seen a lot of the work at the MFAHouston, but I enjoyed it anyway.
After solving some puzzles made to resemble part of the work, the kids, Larissa and I drove through the city in search of a place to eat. We found a pizzeria that had a tv on with the local "futbol" game and had a wonderful meal.
Back home I have to start thinking about the time change, we go forward one hour, grrr, now we have to wake up earlier!

We got our first one! yeah!

Our friends Vicente and Maru took us up on our word and sent their daughter to visit us. Larissa will be here with us until the last week in October, so we're trying to get the most out of her visit to Rio. In a way she's our (and your) guinea pig, because she's trying out the guest room and our self-made tours around the city we haven't yet explored ourselves... so far so good. (I'll send her email so she can give you the REAL insider version, ha ha!).
We've been happy to have her around, it feels good to talk to someone in your language and to be able to "show off" my Portuguese- ha! she won't notice when evryone else doesn't understand me... or will she???

Anyway, we have used her as an excuse to be the real touristy type!(as if it were hard for us, yeah, right!). She joined our Saturday morning Portuguese class with Elida- she didn't have a choice since the kitchen table was the only one we had at the time- outdoor furniture was not an option with the pouring rain. Larissa wanted to get breakfast and she got Portuguese verbs and phrases instead! Elida decided to have our next lesson out in the real world and we went to a neighborhood called Santa Teresa.
We met at "Cinelandia" in Downtown Rio. We walked past the National Library, the Congress House, the National Theater, the Mahatma Gandhi Plaza, and walked to the "bonde" [pronounced bon-gee], a $0.30 trolley that took us all the way up the hill to Santa Teresa.
Everything was quite an experience! From getting there and finding the (excellent) parking lot, to eating lunch at the "loncharia" and the flea market!
We rode the bonde with the people literally hanging from it, saw how the driver and some passengers actually carried a car that was parked on the tracks (you can see the whole thing on the pictures, just click on the title).We walked the cobblestone streets and visited the colorful stores in this quaint part of town, the views were breathtaking!
Santa Teresa is known for its artsy flair and samba presentations.We tried visiting a museum but being with my two (tired & hungry) boys, and Elida's 4 year-old daughter, we decided to try that later on.
We walked to a nearby street where a flea market sets once per month. What a crowd! It reminded me of a famous old flea market in Mexico City where my grandpa would take me : la Lagunilla. In fact, they are basically the same thing!
We found a restaurant and had something to eat there while admiring all the things going on outside. We were curious about a street vendor and his corn, so we went to him and bought what he had. they turned out to be just like tamales, very good indeed, so we bought one more to share. He was proud to tell me he made 100 that day, and loved having his picture taken!
It was a marvelous day, the weather was perfect!

Larissa is enjoying her stay, so now we're officially ready for you guys to come!

trimestral report

So I look back at how time flies and I realize we've been here two months already!
And now it's three!
The kids are in school, Fernando is at work and I'm finally getting some new activities into my calendar.My boys have settled in, have their activities sorted out and seem very happy.

Luzia has been such a great help around the house, I love my bike and I wish I had my dog here!

I still miss my friends! I'm so glad I have kept in constant communication by phone with Alicia, Amber, Anita, Catherine, Edith, Kate, Laura, Lynda, Maria, Norma, Sandra, Tammy, and our families, so that has really worked out well. Facebook and emails have done their share to keep me busily happy and tuned in with the rest!

So far, I've talked much more to Yuwei (Chinese-New Yorker from school) and Ana Maria (Brazilian neighbor),both really nice ladies. Yuwei & Scott, along with their kids have been to our house and invited us to theirs; it's nice to start building up a family relationship, the downside is that we live far from each other, so it's not easy to see her in a regular way, like I would like to.
With Ana MAria it's very easy to see her since she lives right in front of our house, but she doesn't have any kids, so we usually get together in the mornings to go grocery shopping and just recently to our dance lessons. Hopefully we'll do more things together as time goes by... and my Portuguese gets better!

When is a friend "oficially" a friend?

We haven't received the dining table, chairs we ordered, so I still have a couple boxes of things I'm putting in the buffet, I can't believe I still have things in boxes (only a couple)!



The weather in Rio these months has been surprisingly nice and mild. AS an average, I can safely say it stays around 72F, except those rainy days where sunshine didn't show up for a couple of days in a row and the temperature went down to lower 60's, great for sweaters and long pants. On very hot days it went all the way up to lower 80's, but that has been only a couple of days.
We have now entered Spring, weather has been in the lower 70's, great for outdoor activities, but still cool for the beach (at least for us- the ones who have not yet used their own swimming pool). Everybody has warned us about the intolerable heat during December, January and part of February- ha! I'm running away to Mexico and Houston!
We are now members of the American Club in Rio, and eager to go to all their get-togethers and meet new people. Our first party was the "Cajun Night", which was a blast; great food, drinks and chats with all sorts of members.
We just got a new dentist/orthodontist, but we still need to find a pediatrican, ob/gyn and church.Fernando & boys go to the barber shop close to our house, I went to a good salon that cost a leg, arm, both eyes and hands and was good (better be!)... don't know if I can go back, though! bummer. Maybe if I do it once a year?

We just received our first sleep-over guest: Larisa Dominguez! It's been fun going sight-seeing with her, I'll take her to Copacabana tomorrow.

The Olympic Games were just announced two days ago and everyone here went wild! It'll be great!
AND, jst because I promised, the waiting list to our house, for the Olympic Games started with Amber & Bob, then my brother and fam; and then Edith & fam! If we're still here you are ALL invited! I'll get extra hammocks if necessary ;-)

So, you can say we are finally settling in!!!

RIO 2016!

I went to school today to the monthly meeting with the MS principal, the "Community Meeting", this time it was only 6 of us attending: Yuwei, Valeria, Amy,Nina,Penny and I. We talked about assessment strategies, parties, grading and volunteering. It was fun and helpful.
Yuwei, Amy and I then headed to the elementary section to help out in the "Ice cream social", where all the kids got their chocie of ice cream and toppings (so many to choose from, that they had to have several servings...). The kids were celebrating Children's day and had games,ice cream, treats, balloon figures, etc. to add to their fun.
The school will be closed next week because there's some kind of Brazilian celebration (I still have to find out what it is), but Fernando will be gone- again to Houston and Mexico- so kids, Larisa and I will visit other things in Rio.

Yuwei and I had lunch at school and talked about daily stuff. They'll be going to NY next week, so I can't make any plans with them.
I left school around 1:45 and asked the guard at the entrance if he knew anything about the Olympic games. "It's down to Madrid vs Rio, they'll give the final result briefly!"
So, I tuned in to the local news and they were narrating the events, step-by-step as I was rolling downhill from school. They finally gave the now well-known result and you could hear a loud roar, people were screaming, jumping, hugging, laughing, dancing! Everybody you saw was full of energy, with the thumbs endlessly up and the widest grin ever.
The radio people were out of control as well!
I drove as fast away as possible, since the school is fairly close to Copacabana, where the largest crowd had gathered since early that morning to celebrate. The street signs all said "Parabens, Rio!" [congratlations, Rio], flags were waved and the merry spirit spilled all over the city. It was magic!

Rio will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2016 and now I'm worried if they'll be ready in time- so many things to do, we'll be stuck in construction traffic from now on!

Previously on "Macedos-in-Rio"

I went to my  trial dance class and barely made it through. I went to my trial tennis group lesson and it was ok.
After a long debate with myself and conquering my fears, I joined both groups and have already had the first class with each. Outcome: great! I get a good workout, I am establishing my routines with more  commitment and I'm getting to know more people.
As I was going out to my 1st dance class (the official one), my neighbor came to see me, and I invited her to the class. She enjoyed it very much and will be joining the class as well, so now we'll have a carpool too!

The Macedos have been busy trying to keep up with Rio's cultural life, quite active! We went to see the Voca People (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6EYrqIn0yI )
and also the Blue MAn group (www.blueman.com ). We missed the theater festival and I am now trying to get tickets for the Film Festival these two weeks. I couldn't get tickets to the International Fashion Show which happened simultanously in Paris-Tokio-New York-Rio, but we did go to the world's largest "FUTBOL" stadium: the MARACANA! We took a tour there, to keep it safe and fun, and it was great! We all enjoyed it very much and became fans of the winning (local) team: Flamengos!
We have also been the "touristy" type and went to see Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer statue) and the local artistic neighborhood or "barrio" called Santa Teresa, where we could also appreciate the monthly bazaar out in the street, we visited the Nationsl Library, one of the largest in America (the continent), and we went by the Cathedral.
[click on the title to see pictures & videos of the stadium]

What was I thinkin'???

(taken from a letter to my two dear friends)


Hello dear Fru fru friends...

It's your long forgotten legal-allien-gone-south friend here, calling to tell you about my latest adventure...

So, I figured I needed;

a) to get out of my shell, hmm , house

b) to exercise

c) meet new people

d) learn how to dance samba

e) all of the above

I responded to an ad in the school's newspaper... 

To make the story short, the teacher picked me up and took me to the class. While he was preparing the music, his two helpers (two young ladies in dance attire) showed me pictures of the shows they've had, and told me about the one they are having today at the Maracana stadium, you know, the largest one in the world! Really?! Yes, more than 10,000 tickets have been sold, and 4000 more confirmed! 

 UH OH... I was hoping for a more, hmm simple?( is that the word I'm looking for?) class, yes a simple, non-pretentious, non-professional group...

Only two more ladies showed up...

the class started.

they moved to the right, I went left.

up, round, left, right,... just imagine Laurel Hardy dancing next to the Ginger Rogers in the class...AND the Fred...

uh oh. They slowed down because of me...

I tripped over myself..

this is pathetic...

To be continued.

(yes, do laugh if you can imagine the video)

BOOK FAIR

"Bienal do Rio" is its actual name and it lasts 10 days, from Sept. 10-20, 2009.
It's a large and well organized event that turned out quite expensive for me... but it was well worth it since we got books in Spanish for the whole family, plus a set of CDs in Portuguese with some short stories and music.
I realized today that it takes such an effort ot be listening all day long and trying to speak in Portuguese, that at one point we were  ecstatic to see some titles in English. Little did we care if they were " Basic Procedures of Urology", "Marketing in the new era", or "Linguistic Principles". So we set out to look for books in English or Spanish- at this point even Chinese would do!
My first approximation was " você tem livros para o inglês o espanhol?", and I finally got an affirmative answer, "sim, sim, um" and he handed out a small book, basically "the most useful phrases in Spanish, for beginners"!!!
Guess my question was wrong... so I worded it differently and got "não " for an answer most of the time. At the information booth I finally got what I needed: go to the blue pabillion and look for "libros vivos", you'll find them in Spanish.
The owner  spent a long time with me talking about books and authors, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and other topics, until I noticed his wife was mad and my kids were tired... Eric later on told me We had spent almost two hours there!!! But it was such a relief to be talking to someone and to actually understand every single word, not to mention knowing what and who they were talking about!!!!!!!!
      We visited a comic strip place where the salesman was shocked to learn we didn't know those comics! He even gave us a couple and explained the story, and how the cahracters "grew up" in time- these comics have been around for 50 years! So, I'll read them and let you know how we liked them!
      The highlight of the visit was also the "Churros stand". We each had one, "dulce de leche" or chocolate filling, mmmmm, hadn't had one in years!!

culture shock 101

Elida, our Portguese teacher, arrived only 35 minutes late today, no worry, no apology.  

Since I thought she wasn't coming, I was outside talking to my neighbor, who told me that she will go next week with her cousin to  buy clothes, but we are getting dresses... BTW, do you wear dresses? (I just laugh to myself inside, realizing she doesn't approve of the way I dress "too Americanish" for Rio- and at the same time I see the way they [Cariocas] dress too  gaudy and even vulgar at times;  large prints, short skirts, no-back blouses, flaunting their tattoos and bodies that have obviously been under the knife... I just can't seem to wear that! Some of the pants I see out there look like pijamas to me, others like  gym attire , and yet others like they are going out to a party, but they're at the mall! Of course, like everywhere else, you have the "normal", no-sweat people, but those don't stand out... And, just for the record, my neighbor Ana Maria wears a nice dress everyday; Luzia will not go to the supermrket with me unless she has her high heels and lipstick). And YES, I do wear dresses, it's just that they are kept with the summer clothes that will be coming out very soon.


         We learned some other important verbs and how to write and say (this being the hardest for me) numbers! 17 and 18 will be in my final exam... I just can't get to say them correctly and this is  always confirmed when I call to get a taxi...
  I was reading an article yesterday about Cariocas and their stereotypes and I couldn't figure out what the title meant: "Malandros no Rio". So I asked Elida about this and it triggered a whole topic on cultural aspects, very interesting!
It turns out the term "malandro" was coined in the  military regime of  Brazil to depict a person who is a laid-back, bohemian artist with a  strong link to samba, a flaunty gait and always wearing a hat. The military basically belittled this image and created the stereotype of a person who would usually take advantage of every situation, would behave in a highly informal way, etc.
She went on pointing out cultural differences, such as the concept of time and how Brazilians are not punctual (no kidding), the way they treat strangers- everybody's a friend, but at the same time not- and other concepts like personal body space [a Brazilian has NO idea what this means]. She also told us that one of the worse things for a Brazilian is saying NO, so they will rather say "yes, I'll go to your party" and then not go at all, than telling you right off "sorry, I'm not able to go". Elida explained that a common way of beating around the bush is saying "maybe", "let me see" , "I'll see what I can do", etc. All those answers are basically NO.
So, if you ask me for money, you might hear me say "maybe tomorrow..." ha ha.

That's just the way it is...

Fernando had to go to Houston to a super important meeting- one of those budget  affairs that gets everyone on their toes.This week was a  stressful one in many ways because we learned that our friends Sergio and Margarita Rojas, lost their eldest daughter in a car accident. We pray for them.

He'll be there a couple of days and then go to Mexico to see the family, our house, the dog.

I wish I  could go with him!

I didn't even have the time to prepare things to take over there! I couldn't even make a list of things I want him to bring back! NOT FAIR!
VERY last minute Eric begged for more shorts- he's growing up so much and now he's showing off too... so he went online to buy 5 shorts, the way he likes them. I had to ask Lynda to get them and now to take them to Fernando... OMG! Thanks!

thinkin' about you.

I walk a lonely road,

the only one I had ever gone,

don't know where it goes,

but it's only me and I walk alone..

I walk this empty street 

on the Bouleveard of broken dreams

I walk alone.... 

Nah! Greenday doesn't cut it for me today. Change it . C'mmon iTunes, you should know better!

It's funny how  little things an bring so much comfort and make you feel good;

I wake up to a fragrant coffee served on my "Honorary Texan" mug, that I set on my Canada coaster. Then I put on my bright pink {bunko} slippers and head down to make breakfast... get the picture???

I am surrounded by photos of all of you, get your mails and phone calls, silly  facebook comments (find me by Diana Esparza Macedo) and my life has been bright and shiny. Just so you know that I appreciate it all. Oh, and let's not forget the birthday scams! Thank you Dean & Rog for making me laugh my belly off!

To all, thanks!

"I can see clearly now " from Bob Marley is waaay better!

Get up and dance.

I can see clearly now

The rain is gone

It's going to be a bright, bright, sunshiny day...

very touristy... loved it.

Monday is a day off in Brazil because they celebrate their Independence! Besides that fact, we didn't notice much going on in the city, unlike Mexico, where Dia de la Independencia is turned into a whole month affair, with special colors, flags, parties, special dishes and costumes. Why is it so much easier to fully appreciate what a rich culture you have when you are far away??? I love and I miss Mexico, specially the "chiles en nogada" that I used to wait for every September!

Anyway, we decided to work in the morning and go out after lunch, we would go see the "touristy" places  the kids don't know yet, so Corcovado was our first option.
We got there very easily and of course, had to wait in this HUGE line, but we're getting the hang of it. We actually thought it wasn't that bad, until you realize it's only one of three queues you have to go through. At least it's fun to watch all the different people, and all those tourists!!! (like we're locals, huh?)
The train is fun to ride, scary at some points, specially when it stopped in the middle of the tracks, at a 45 angle, in the middle of the jungle, trust me, it's not funny. But everyone seemed so calm and happy.
The train climbs the mountain and carries you roughly 770m (2,500 ft) upward- impressive!
Once you get off and see the massive sculpture you can't help but admire such a feat. You're holding your breath, watching the majestic art piece, and then you get a glimpse of the stunning view. You reach the top and see the mind-blowing scenery; the water, the mountains, the city, Christ. It's almost too much.
We were lucky to arrive there in time to squeeze into the tiny chapel and attend mass there!
And just before the sun set and presented its beautiful colors, we had some mango juice and took [yet more] pictures.
AAAHHHH! you have got to come see this for yourself! Trust me, you don't want to miss this.

Been there...

Fernando had lots of work to do, so this rainy and "cold front" Sunday was good for staying at home till lunch.
Eric had mentioned his group of friends were getting together at a new mall for us to watch a movie, so we decided to have our late lunch there. It turns out this is a very nice mall and we found a great Asian restaurant. Of course there was a wait-to-be-seated-line, but mommy knows best and now I actually FEED my family before going out to eat, so the wait was totally easy for us. Now we didn't care if it took them forever to serve us, and we realized they probably do it on purpose so that people can talk to each other and enjoy the day out. Nobody else seems to care that everything is so slow, they even enjoy it!
So, while we waited, we asked Eric all the details about this group outing. He wasn't very sure who was going, but he "had a number".
"whose number is it?" asked a nosey mom.
"hmm, I don't know, but it's someone who's organizing the whole thing, look"
"ha, I bet it's a girl's!" pointed out a smiley dad.
"naawwhh. what are you talking about" replied the red faced teen.
"And, I bet the group is made of only two... the girl and you!", ventured dad.
"no way!" said Eric.
"wanna bet?" chorused the parents!
That's why we were all cracking up when it turned out that it was Luna's phone number, the girl from the States, and guess what? nobody could go to the movies today!
Delicious food finally arrived and so did another phone call: "Eric, wanna come to my house instead?", but mom & dad were not going to let a good family Sunday go away... neither were they going to leave their little baby with God knows who!...  you know how those girls are!  ;-)

Funky Saturday

Yuwei and I talked and talked on Friday ( a lot of you know I love to do that, right Catherine?!) and  made some plans for Saturday- but of course, we'd have to check in with the hubbies first...
Our Portuguese teacher arrived promptly this time and  continued our class, reviewing introductions and basic questions like "What is your name?". It's funny how I can grasp a whole conversation, but when it comes to it, I can't conjure up the words to make a simple  sentence...
When the class was over, Yuwei called and said we should all meet for  a late lunch (1:30ish), an idea we all liked. We agreed on Barra Shopping, being a place we both knew and it was also close to the place where they were dropping off their oldest son.
As we were getting close to the place, she called me and said they were lost, they went by the mall but were unable to find the exit to arrive there. I told them  how to go back, they called again- to make a long story short, we went to "rescue" them and back to the mall. By the time we got to the restaurant it must have been 2:30 and ... we had to stand in line- a big line!!
We were all famished by then, Alan was taking the hardest toll, so we got him a Coke. He was getting worse, a headache that made him sit on the floor- hypoglycemia for sure- but we were the next ones in. Suddenly, a big shower erupte out of his mouth, covering all the entrance to the restaurant!!! And then it happened again!
Caos took place; some screamed, I jumped, the restaurant manager shrieked, the other boys laughed, everybody stared... my kleenex just didn't cut it, and any other response was too slow. Fernando took Alan to the bathroom while Yuwei's husband, Scott, got us another table at the (open, as in "noo-walls") restaurant next door.
They came back, Alan was feeling much better albeit not ready to eat yet. We ordered our food and  literally attacked the bread  baskets we had in front of us, while we waited.


And waited.


And waited.


OH NO!!


We had mentioned we wanted our food fast, and it was really no big deal- we were all having chicken since that was this restaurant's "especialidad". We tried to figure out what was taking them so long and we reached the following hypothesis:
-they went to catch the chicken, and it ran away
-they went to the nearest city to order a chicken from another restaurant
-they were making up excuses for not having any chicken
An hour and a half later, we finally got our orders- all EXCEPT Fernando's. So we shared mine while his arrived- this one cooked in a much hastier way. We decided to  have  dessert at my house, wonder why...
Cake and red wine, candles by  the pool, cool breeze, kids  playing guitar hero, and new wannabe friends with a new "adventure" to tell about later on... sounds good, huh?
It was.

There IS a silver lining...

I went to the middle school "community meeting", first time that I'm actually driving to school, so I was a little nervous about it. We arrived an hour early, but a good book and the chance to talk to Eric's Spanish teacher made it seem so much shorter. I  walked into the MS office to ask where the meeting was taking place at the same time another lady was getting my answer, so I just asked if I could follow her there. It turned out she's a French who's lived here for 5 years, with a kid in 8th ("great!" I thought to myself, a chance to make a friend!). Wrong. As soon as we reached the place, and in the middle of my sentence, she simply turned around and greeted her other friend, leaving me standing there, perplexed, wondering if it was just a matter of seconds till she went on with the introductions... I could only see her back, with not a single sign of moving, so I moved along, entered the room and scanned the area. A group of about 6 were seated on the sofas, I  went there and cheered "hello!", got some responses, but everyone just turned around to keep on talking to the one nearby... so much for my "Lynda approach".
I started feeling very bad about it, totally set aside and lonely. I  was just sitting there and nobody even tried to take me into the group, so I decided to  move to the table and start writing in my agenda what was going through my mind:
"you can hold back the tears and suck them in from the inside. Watery eyes start giving you away and you fight  hard to  prevent it.
You try  to remember happy times with your friends and it only makes it worse. Where are you??(talking to all my friends, screaming inside and trying to  seem normal on the outside)..." And suddenly, a hand was over my agenda! I looked up and Yuwei, the Chinese lady I had talked to the other day, handed me my lost pen. "Is this yours?" she asked with a smile, and proceeded to double kiss and hug me.
(imagine angels singing in the back)," Ni hao, yuwei! Xie xie." I warily answered. She went on and on about the kids, the traffic, the meeting, and everything seemed right again.
The meeting was quite insightful, we met [yet again] the new MS principal, talked about school  affairs and I left to see Alan's counselor.
At this school, they have a "total communication " policy, and the counselors meet regularly with the parents to see how the kids- and the family- are coping with the new  school, city, environment, etc., to offer their support, tips- very warm and helpful.
As I walked out, I met Yuwei again and asked if I wanted to join her for lunch- we decided it would be easier to have it there at school. For those of you shocked about this (ie, all of you), school lunch at EARJ is actually very good and cheap. It's a very complete and well made meal, with a salad bar, a dessert bar and a beautiful view. Plus, grown ups get to sit outside and away from the kids! yeah!
After that, I offered to drive her home and she asked if I could help her translate (!!!) some things to her maid, so I got to see her house too.
By the time I was leaving, it was time to get the kids, so we both went back to school and I almost pulled mine off the bus.
It was a good day after all, plus I didn't get lost!

to ATM or not to ATM, that is the question

Credit, money, and taxes are clearly all very local and complicated issues regardless of the country. Since this blog is about us in Rio, I will try to stick to that, noting that I do not like these issues in ANY country- and I don't think anybody likes taxes in any part of the world either...
Anyway, it seems Brazil has one of the-if not THE- world's most advance tax system. Fernando was showed in detail how it works and I can just see it. Without going into details, it basically works like this:
everybody has a CPF [Cadastro do Pessoa Fisica] number (sort of like the SS# ) on a card, like a blue credit card. We got our cards as soon as -kid you not-  we applied for the visa, so even before having a visa I already had my CPF card.
All the registers use your CPF number for just about anything, like an ID elsewhere. Whenever you buy anything at the store, movies, restaurant, etc. the tax is already included in the price, and the moment you pay, that tax is sent to the government first and then the store is payed or whatever. In the case that you have to pay tax for the prodct/service, it acts the same way: the government is immedaitely paid first.
 So, if you want to return something, you must show your CPF and they register the transaction. (IT's a total pain and you only have 48 hours to exchange- if at all).

     Credit is extremely and ridiculously high here, so most people do not use their credit cards even if they have one. Every time you pay for something the cashier will automatically ask "Credit or debit?".

It was VERY easy for us to open a bank account and have a credit/debit card. They do not do - or maybe they do, but you don't know- credit report checks,  if you have the money, you deposit  and that's the end of that. We started with some money and the paycheck and we were all set in one or two weeks. WOW and major WOW! We were absolutely impressed.

Your cards need more numbers for the PIN, six vs four. Now, here's the trick: since security is an issue here, they have made their system hard to  break into, but also hard to use- especially if you're not familiar with the terms and the language.
Elsewhere, you insert your card, type your PIN and then execute whatever you need (for example get cash).
Here, first of all, you have to understand what type of ATM you need, because if you're at the mall where the bank has at least 6 or 7 of them lined up, one will only give the balance, others will give cash, and yet others are to pay for services.
Second, you must make sure it's working, they don't necessarily have a sign that says otherwise, so you must be observant enough to see which one is the most used.
Third you must equip yourself with a load of  tolerance and patience...
The ATM asks you to insert your card, and  punch in your PIN, but not the whole 6 numbers, just the first (or last) four. BUT wait: you are not given the traditional number pad, but an aleatory combination of pairs, always in different place as before, and you must choose from those according to your PIN:

Say your PIN is 123456

Then you have to chose 1234 from the following pairs, in the correct order:


0-4         2-6        3-5    1-9         8-7

So you'd choose 1-9 first, then the 2-6 pair , and so on.
Once that is taken care of, you must insert your card again and retrieve it quickly. Type in your password again (the pairs are now different and in another order). Nope, you didn't do it quickly enough.
Again.
Nope, your password is not correct, etc. (remeber to breathe in and out  slowly)
Oh! I forgot to mention there are actually two passwords to use... you can see it does get confusing. By the time you have the option to choose different actions, you already forgot what you were there for!

I have only done it with Fernando- you need a whole team doing it together! My option has been simpler: cash a check at the bank! ha ha.

Luzia, the cleaning lady

She's funny and fast working, tries to be around if something is going on, and is amazed by the kind of things I have, like the slow cooker, the drying machine, such a large fridge, etc.

On Friday, right before leaving, she told me that if the weather allowed, she would change all the bed sheets on Monday. What?!

"Yes, you know how it's been raining and it will take a very long time for them to dry, so maybe we should wait until we have a sunny day!"

So, Monday morning I told her that the bed sheets would be washed regardless of the climate, and that we would be using the drier. She refused, claiming there was no need to do that, to waste energy, maybe for the towels that are so much heavier... and she hung the sheets to dry, under the roof so the rain would not get to them.

Finally on Tuesday, she accepted humidity is high, rain is still here and the drier is waiting. I showed her the sign that says "energy preferred" hoping she would grasp the idea that it's less of a pollutant. She does have a point and I know it.

Then I saw her put the towels in: folded! ha ha ha ha. I insisted she could just throw them in, but she said it was better that way. There's no point arguing with great-grandma.

   I showed her how to set the slow cooker and then, as I was brushing my hair to go out, told her to put some chicken and vegetables in there. Before I could say "hey", she had already started cooking the chicken in a pan, with oil (which was precisely what I was trying to avoid) and there was no convincing her that it could only be cooked in the crockpot... that it's main purpose was to avoid further cooking, time, etc.

Eric had some freinds over for the weekend and in the complexity of things, a wooden spoon was left outside, near the pool. Today, Luzia showed me that spoon, all gnawed at the tip, like a bone. She told me there are some animals, for all I understood they are like skunks, that live in the area, are scared of people, but they are always looking for extra food. We should never leave things outside, like food or small trinkets. Do you want me to put out some venom to kill it?
-"oooh! And then what would you do with it? " I shrieked. "Well, I'll just put it in the trash, like I've done before. Unless a cat eats the venom, then you'll have to do it because I'm afraid of dead cats."

I'm totally skipping that one.

why, oh why?!

Today was the day set for grocery shopping. Luzia gave me her list and I ventured out to a new store, Mundial. It's basically like the others, its size like a small Wal Mart (the "neighborhood" kind) and a good parking. All the stores here have the secured parking where you get a ticket that you must surrender on your way out, while showing your purchase receipt. Most don't charge, only our famous Barra Shopping [mall] charges R$5, which is roughly $2.5 USD for about 3-4 hours.

Again, I went on basically all the aisles, taking things here and there- it's actually easier to buy when you don't have much of an option: what do you want, the Corn Flakes, Choco-something, or sugar-other?

I filled up the cart with eggs, cheese, milk, vegetables, cereals, juice, bread, tortillas (the ones with the instruction guide), cookies, meat, chicken, etc. and proceeded to check out.

The lady was amazed that I actually use the reusable shopping bags (I brought some from: Kroger, Wal Mart, Mexico), and I pointed out that they sell some and she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

She gave me the grand total- around R$275 and I handed her my credit card...

-"Credito ou debito?"

-"credito," I answered.

- we don't take credit, only debit or checks

I searched my wallet and remembered I had also decided to change purse today and I must have left my debit card home...

I searched again and only found R$165. I searched some more, found 2 more Reais. Searched yet again, smiled and said "Eu so tenho isso; R$167"*. Was it getting suddenly hotter or was it only me?

I had to take things back: the kid's chocolate, they still have some; we really don't need cookies, we should diet; no, not leaving the tortillas, they are only sold here, these go home ...

I gathered some things and she "deleted them" manually!!! She called the supervisor, reported the items by number, amd waited for him to enter them into the register. Then, she added them, subtracted (by hand) and said " return some more, you're still short" or something like that. The process was repeated three or four times. Every time this happened, the lady behind me was looking at us in dismay, each time displaying her annoyment in a more visible way... The girl that was helping me with the bags started giggling and making comments with other girls, I was getting more and more nervous which only translates to laughter in my case, until I burst into a full blown laugh-turned into tears. We were all cracking up! The lady had already left to another cashier and I had but half of my grocery cart left to take home.

In the end, I had only 10 cents left, that I gave to the girl as a token of the day (they are not allowed to receive tips).

Guess I have to go grocery shopping again, this time somewhere else!

*I only have R$167"

Watch out! She's got wheels!

I decided to go to the Post Office on my bike. Alan had carefully cleaned it and pumped some air into the tires, so it was ready to be used in Rio! I whizzed through the controlled entrance, the security guys amused by my new vehicle promptly lifted the gate and waved.

I "parked" inside the minuscle office and walked (three steps) to the counter. I had about 10 letters to be mailed, but half of them didn't yet have complete address on them (BTW: I probably don't have your address-lost the book, really-, so if you're reading this, please send it to me: diferal@mac.com).

I gave them all to the lady anyway and she looked puzzled, despite the fact that I explained where they were going to. Then she said "Eu não tenho selos". Which to me sounds like "I am not jealous". What?! I was going to say "good for you!" but thought I should keep it professional and instead I asked for "timbres", and proceeded to lick my fingers and "stamp" them on the envelope... She repeated "Eu não tenho selos,você pode obtê-los em Barra Shopping", which means " I don't have stamps, you can get them at Barra Shopping...

O K ...

So, you go to the Post Officce, I mean like a real post office, not some kind of distributor, and they don't have stamps!? What's this about?!!! She explained that she has to put them into the machine and send them, and no, she cannot run them through the machine and give them to me to finish up, and no, there is no way she has stamps, I must go to Barra Shopping, to a larger office, sorry about this but that's the way it is! hmmm.

She took just half of my stack of letters and I wheeled out of there. The stores line up to an oversized

sidewalk where I saw this little fox terrier, no leash, wandering around as if looking for his owner... an idea crept into me , but I brushed it away... I thought of going to get some bread, but leaving my bike outside unprotected would be tempting fate, so I headed back home. The doggie came to me, I pet him, and he followed me about 5 yards, a start.

I went back home and asked Alan for his chain and the lock's combo. "It's on a little sticker ON the lock!" - so much for security here, but it'll do! Five minutes later I was again at the strip mall, past the Post Office, towards the bakery. The dog was still there, following whoever eyed him best... the idea rushed into me this time, and I now had some bait: the bread I would buy.

When I came out of the bakery, there was a guy with a dog on a leash, and the little dog was snooping around. Could it be his owner? Nah, why would he have only one dog on a leash? I waited.

A nicely dressed lady saw the dog and started petting him!!! I could tell she liked the dog, too, and she started looking around for the owner. She talked to her maid and made comments to passer-bys... how could it be? she beat me to the dog? No, way!

She stayed there and I was a couple of steps away, on my bike, if only I were walking! the dog didn't like her and walked away. Maybe he sensed something...

So, I followed the dog into a tiny shop (about 6 ft2) that sells all you need for your barbecue: ice, beers, sodas, coal, etc., where two guys were talking. The dog sat on the floor right there! I asked them about a sign they posted on their door, they are collecting clothes and items for poor people, and, by the way, nice dog!, and then I heard "oh, thanks!" and my heart shrank. I knew I would not be able to take the dog home.

Maybe it was a good idea after all; my bike got me out of there fast!

A day in the life of...

We wake up to my iPod's* choice at 4:55 and remain in bed for those glorious 5-10 minutes. (I have given up trying to meditate then, because all that would happen is that I fell asleep again!). Fernando brings my best-part-of the-day to me: my cup of Joe with hints of milk, no sugar and proceeds to wake up the kids. After they've jumped into the shower I trail downstairs and start preparing breakfast.

Then it all happens suddenly: Fernando and the kids appear, plates are served, lunch or fruit packed, kisses given and by 6:10 I find myself waiting for the school bus- we now go to the corner to make it easier for all-and I'm alone.

I've made it a habit to rake the fallen flowers on the front yard, it takes me 5-10 minutes, and after that I take a walk through the neighborhood, spotting different birds and looking out for the tiny monkeys I've seen before (so cute!). I haven't walked more than 30 minutes, but it's a good start.

When I return, I take a shower and turn on my computer to check my emails and the news. (I sneak in a game or two of sudoku, but shhh, don't tell anyone).

These days I'm still working on cleaning out boxes, papers, etc. and trying to figure out where things will go, this, believe it or not, has taken a BIG chunk of time and I don't even feel I've made progress.

This was also the time to do housework, but last week I have a new helper, Luzia, who takes care of basically everything: the house, the clothes and cooking. She had been working with the landlord and his family for over 13 years and is already a great-grandmother because she had her first baby when she was 15, and her daughters followed suit!!! She loves talking and shares stories about her family (and sometimes the neighbors) with me. She knows plants well, bugs and different fruits that I'm not used to and will cook them for me. Luzia saw a slow cooker for the first time and she didn't believe it would cook the beans, but loved the flavor and the idea of it!

It seems every week I have to go and pay something: the rent, eletricity, kid's bus service, kid's school, etc. So a walk to the bank, to the cleaners and why not, to get a coffee take up half a day. People are very friendly, so the bookstore owner will wave every time he sees me, as will the dry cleaning lady, or the newspaper girl. If I so wished, I could easily stop and have a chat with them, they are eager to know about Mexico and about my first impressions of Brazil.

Another day will be spent going to the grocery store, especially if I'm going to that store for the first time! I scrutinize the shelves and the products and ask anybody around me if I don't know what it is or how to use/cook it. The local products are actually cheap (compared to US or Mexico), but anything that is imported will have a higher price tag, usually double the price in the US.

Mexican food is not known here, but I managed to find a package of flour tortillas with instructions printed on the package on how to use them, fold them, etc. They are made by a huge Mexican bread company (Bimbo), so you can say they're the "real McCoy"! American products are also limited, for example there is only one [local] barbeque sauce, two or three salad dressings (people here either make their own or use vinegar and oil), etc. Forget about hamburguer/tuna helpers or casseroles or things like that. I miss Kroger. And Target. And Marshalls, Macys, in fact shopping is nowhere else in the world like it is in the US and you get used to that pretty quickly., so I miss all of them in alphabetical order. Anne Taylor. Container Store, etc.

By 3:30 I better have most things done because the kids will be home in about an hour, and from that point on things go rather fast again! We talk, do homework, watch some tv or read, wait for Fernando, have dinner and go to bed!

*last week my iPod died. I over worked her for 4 years, loaded her up with thousands of pictures, songs and podcasts. Took her everywhere and got her new friends: the iHome wake-us-upper and some iHear speakers (I made that name up) in the kitchen... she could've even hook up with the new tv, but no, she decided my casual tossing her and dropping her were no good and she needed to go get a better life! Now we're using Fernando's.

Parent's day out!

Sunday morning and we are still fixing things around the house. This is the never-ending story, you open up one box and get rid of it, but more things pop up elsewhere...

A guy from Samsung came to install Fernando's new toy: his LED tv, less than an inch thick, that can be hung from the wall. It took him about 4 hours to do it, but it was a thorough and well done job, he also installed the home theater to go with it.Now we're all set: internet, phones, tv and music, what more can you ask for?

After lunch we decided to go buy some fruit to a store I just found (Hortifrut), that became my favorite here, and I wanted to show it to Fernando, but the kids refused to go out, they had books to read and clarinet to practice. The store was closed, but we saw a cafe accross the street from the beach, packed with groups of people talking and discussing life (Brazilians love to talk, given the chance, they will always talk about anything, with anybody); we decided a beer was in order. It was quite nice to sit outside watching the waves, people playing beach volleyball, the other tables full, the sun starting to set. The wind started to blow, achilly sway of the coconut palms told us it was time to go, another week is starting!

Saturday in the park...

Well, not really, I just remembered that song from Chicago and liked it as a title...

Saturday was another "cold" day. I even decided to wear a light turtle neck that I have with a 3/4 sleeve. Fernando cracked up when he saw me zip up my ankle boots and told me to take a picture because this would probably be the only day fit for wearing that here!

We worked around the house, still unpacking some of the boxes that are haunting my dining room.

We went to the shopping area 3 blocks away so the guys could get a haircut while the car was being washed, and Fernando and I had some coffee and pastries. I took an extra sweater and we headed out. Fernando had to run back in to get his jacket since the light rain and the wind made it all cooler (see??? "I told you so" was in order, but I just laghed out loud!).

Later on Eric got the call he was waiting for: a group invitation to the movies! We all took him to the mall (yes, Barra Shopping) which was absolutely packed because nobody wanted to be outside in the cold! He met 4 boys and a girl and took my cell phone to call me later on. We let our little boy walk away without us! While at the mall, I checked out a bicycle store because I want a basket on my pink Schwinn.

When we picked him up, he was really happy telling us all the stories and talking about his friends. They had McDonald's after the movie, so he was only going to chat with us while we had the fondue I had told them about, and he was sorry about this because fondue did seem like a good idea.

We finally got home, late and cold, it was dark and wet outside, perfect for a fondue night. We set the table and cut the bread, heated the cheese and just then reallized we were out of white wine. "Look over there", I motioned while trying to keep the cheese moving, but desperately needing the wine... so I left the place for 30 seconds, in the hands of Fernando and Alan... and they were "experimenting" with RED wine. YES, merlot was their choice. The mixture looked interesting to begin with, but was quickly changing to a weirder color, a violet-grayish shade of purple- blue hues were appearing and mixing with the yellowish cheese...

Eric came into the room and asked about the "play-doh" -until he figured out we were not "playing", but actually "cooking" the fondue!!! We all laughed when he pointed out that McDonald's was actually a VERY good choice that night!

We ate our plastified concoction, promising never to use red wine again!

The School's Open House

It's an early rain, again, the kind of rain I've only seen here: very, very fine, almost a mist sometimes, a spray. Changing with time but never with large drops, like the ones I know from Mexico or Houston. It's starting to get chilly (well, me definition of chilly has changed since living in Houston- it's around 62 F, 17 C) and I take the bus with the kids, to school.

It's nice to see the ocean and the mountains on the way to school, but you know kids, I don't even think they admire the scenery!

Middle school parents have the Open House at 8 and we start with coffee and cookies, followed by a brief introduction from the principal. We then had another conference, this time by grade, where they explained the project the 8th graders will have in Curitiba, one of the first planned cities in Brazil. They will visit a recycling facility, talk to the City Major and help a community, all wrapped up in one week!

The kids gave us a packet with papers, brochures, etc. and a copy of their schedule. We then went from class to class to meet their teachers and have a taste of the subjects they take, meet their classmates with their parent(s). We went through an algebra test, a book review, a social studies problem, Spanish (I was surprised at the high level here, I actually learned something there), a Portuguese lesson and a game of basketball!!!

All the while, we went up and down the stairs, got lost, got to advisory late (no pink slip, though) and met lots of parents. :-)

We had lunch in the cafeteria- not lunch, actually a full dinner: soup, rice, choice of meat or chicken dish, cooked vegetables, salad bar and dessert!!!! (no wonder they are not hungry when they get home!!)

Alan's open house (5th) started at 1:00 in the auditorium where the elementary school principal introduced ALL the teachers and staff (this school is sooo much smaller than Hamilton! There's basically one or two groups per grade, plus the music, PE and Portugese teachers) .

We met his teacher and some parents, and went through the program in a more relaxed way than middle school. I was glad to hear English and Spanish spoken all over the place- you never realize what an effort it is to try to understand the foreign language! It actually tires your brain!

She gave some class rules(the only one totally different was about parties: she'll hand out invitations as long as the whole class is invited, mothers may bring cake and drinks to the class but we must talk to her a week in advance, etc.), she introduced her helper, showed us the books they used, and let us see their work so far.

I met Dylan's mom, Alan's new friend who just arrived here 4 days ago.

We took the bus back home and I was exhausted at the end of the day!!!!! Thank God I didn't get homework!

My legs hurt from going up and down the stairs all day long!

Meeting the neighbors

We wanted to introduce ourselves to the neighbors, but it seemed that the weekends we intended to do so, they were having some kind of party or get together and we didn't want to "crash the party"! (well, I secretly did, but Fernando would not approve...)

One day, we arrived at the same time the couple accross the street from us did, and while they were getting out of their car and opening their gate, we approached them. They were surprised and quickly introduced themselves as well. After that, they insisted we go into their house to keep talking (It's considered rude- or not wanting to let you into their lives- to be left outside) and they promptly offered coffee, tea, water, etc. We chatted for a while and learned they are Brazilians from Sao Paulo, they also lived abroad, in Japan, for about 5 years. After a while, Joao Luiz wanted to show Fernando something and we ended up going on a tour all over their house!!!

Since then, Ana Maria has been very friendly with me and has taken me twice to two different grocery stores after she realized I still don't have a car or know my way around. She told me how lonely she had been living abroad and that she really needed help, and she remembered how hard it is to be in a place where you don't speak the language and everything is different.

Last week, she came to tell me that she was "having a coffee" with some neighbors, so I could meet them, Friday at 3:30.

The date arrived. I had been running errands and had missed lunch, but figured coffee would do. When I entered her house, I found a beautifully set table with lots of finger food and desserts!!!

My next door neighbor, Marcia, arrived half and hour late and another lady, Sonia called in to say she'd arrive later (around 4:30!- welcome to the third world!). Frankly, we didn't mind at all, we were busy getting acquainted as they deciphered my "Portunnol" (Portuguese + Espanol). It was amazing how well I understood everything (and they would slow down and explain if I didn't). I learned the word for gossip "fofoca" very well!!! We talked and talked, and ate and ate, and had a jolly good time. Suddenly someone said "Ooopaah!* Look at the time: 8:30 pm and my husband doesn't know I'm here!". We started saying our good byes and exchanging telephones (no "Cardinal Newsletter" here). They welcomed me yet again and offered any kind of help I needed.

I really appreciated that because I left such good neighbors and friends in Cypress that I knew would be really tough to duplicate... I still miss my friends and I often wished for at least a fraction of that great friendly environment.

* "upa!" typical interjection used by Cariocas, expressing surprise

OMG!!! So much to do, so little time...

Dear friends,
so sorry I haven*t been writing lately!! I~ve been caught up in school activities, opening boxes, getting around.
We finally moved to our house last Sunday, the day before school began... We got the beds on Friday and we sorted out some things, but we are still way off to being settled in.
As of right now we don]t have internet, phone, tv, and my cell phone broke down yesterday night. Yes, I*m still alive...
The internet-phone-cable people came today and they told me they could not install it because the house was not prepared for it, we need to call someone in to open holes in the walls and bring the cable from the street!!!!!!!!!!!! uuuuggggghhhh. So, I already called someone and they are coming Friday morning to see what they need for that, probably get it done on Saturday, and then I need to get another appointment with the cable guys... so we*re probably talking another week!!!
I was freaking out yesterday when I wanted to call my friend Amber to wish her happy birthday, plus |I~ve got accounts to pay and other things to do, like this blog, and keep in touch with everybody. I finally got to this internet cafe, far away from home and wher only one computer really works for me... sort of, I can~t find the apostrophe...

I started goetting a little desperate this week when the kids went off to school. They leave at 6:10 am and come back close to 5 pm. Fernando went to Chile this week, so I~ve been basically by myself all day long... not nice. I try to focus on the good, on the work, on the memories, on the pictures I have!
Anyway, I will write all the things I want to convey at home, put it in a drive and bring it back tomorrow...
I finally met a neighbor, great experience! Tell you about that tomorrow.

bye to all (my 5 readers), all great friends- and cuz! Thanks for being there.
Luv ya.
Di

She's got wheels now!

I decided to go to the Post Office on my bike. Alan had carefully cleaned it and pumped some air into the tires, so it was ready to be used in Rio! I whizzed through the controlled entrance, the security guys amused by my new vehicle promptly lifted the gate and waved.

I "parked" inside the minuscle office and walked (three steps) to the counter. I had about 10 letters to be mailed, but half of them didn't yet have complete address on them (BTW: I probably don't have your address-lost the book, really-, so if you're reading this, please send it to me: diferal@mac.com).

I gave them all to the lady anyway and she looked puzzled, despite the fact that I explained where they were going to. Then she said "Eu não tenho selos". Which to me sounds like "I am not jealous". What?! I was going to say "good for you!" but thought I should keep it professional and instead I asked for "timbres", and proceeded to lick my fingers and "stamp" them on the envelope... She repeated "Eu não tenho selos,você pode obtê-los em Barra Shopping", which means " I don't have stamps, you can get them at Barra Shopping...

O K ...

So, you go to the Post Officce, I mean like a real post office, not some kind of distributor, and they don't have stamps!? What's this about?!!! She explained that she has to put them into the machine and send them, and no, she cannot run them through the machine and give them to me to finish up, and no, there is no way she has stamps, I must go to Barra Shopping, to a larger office, sorry about this but that's the way it is! hmmm.

She took just half of my stack of letters and I wheeled out of there. The stores line up to an oversized

sidewalk where I saw this little fox terrier, no leash, wandering around as if looking for his owner... an idea crept into me , but I brushed it away... I thought of going to get some bread, but leaving my bike outside unprotected would be tempting fate, so I headed back home. The doggie came to me, I pet him, and he followed me about 5 yards, a start.

I went back home and asked Alan for his chain and the lock's combo. "It's on a little sticker ON the lock!" - so much for security here, but it'll do! Five minutes later I was again at the strip mall, past the Post Office, towards the bakery. The dog was still there, following whoever eyed him best... the idea rushed into me this time, and I now had some bait: the bread I would buy.

When I came out of the bakery, there was a guy with a dog on a leash, and the little dog was snooping around. Could it be his owner? Nah, why would he have only one dog on a leash? I waited.

A nicely dressed lady saw the dog and started petting him!!! I could tell she liked the dog, too, and she started looking around for the owner. She talked to her maid and made comments to passer-bys... how could it be? she beat me to the dog? No, way!

She stayed there and I was a couple of steps away, on my bike, if only I were walking! the dog didn't like her and walked away. Maybe he sensed something...

So, I followed the dog into a tiny shop (about 6 ft2) that sells all you need for your barbecue: ice, beers, sodas, coal, etc., where two guys were talking. The dog sat on the floor right there! I asked them about a sign they posted on their door, they are collecting clothes and items for poor people, and, by the way, nice dog!, and then I heard "oh, thanks!" and my heart shrank. I knew I would not be able to take the dog home.

BTW, I forgot to mention...

Yes, the fridge DID make it into my kitchen after they took off its doors as well as the kitchen door!!

Most things are fitting into the house, many shouldn't have come at all!!!

No, recycling doesn't come on Thursdays, so I had to put everything back in and wait until next Wednesday. There are 4 different days during the week and I got confused, plus they pick up the trash at night!!!

I still don't know the complete address, but will absolutely get it today before I go buy the beds for the kids...

Still dealing with posting pictures here... check out the Picasa link I put on the blog and when you do, click directly on the picture...

It is getting a little warmer, now I only use my sweaters at night.

OH! Forgot to tell you about the strip mall three blocks away from my house!!!! It's great!!! Consider super small shops of the following: a bank (Banco do Brasil), my bank's ATM (Itau), car wash (gotta tell you about this one later), pharmacy, newpaper/magazine shop, bakery (delicious), bookstore, organic products shop, mini-mart, clothes repair, laundry/cleaners, a "Party City" wannabe, restaurant, coffee shop (not Starbucks, but it works), tire repair , and maybe something else .

We tried a new sushi place yesterday. We didn't understand the way it worked, and ordered what we thought was a California Roll, a Philadelphia and something else. When we got our order, I saw this tiny plate with 3 small round pieces of sushi, not even bite size!!! THAT was our order!!!!!!! You have to ask for the number of pieces you want, so a typical roll would have 6 pieces, and so on. See what I tell you? They make you conscious of what you eat, because it's not the same to say " I want 1 California roll" than to say "I want 8 pieces"... And, since you can order as many as you want, if you ask for something and you don't eat it, they will charge you per piece (left on the plate). Nice way to make people think twice about getting too much and wasting!!

This week at the Macedo's...

WHEW!!!!!! The move-in was brutal! Too many people from the moving company for me to handle alone (about 8), so I called the handyman that the owners had told me about, he got there with his brother. That way, we could divide the work and get things done a little better.

I panicked when I realized I forgot the list that we had been working on days before!!!!!!!!!! I rushed to the hotel and, to make things worse, they had not been able to print it, so I had to do without!!! It did complicate things just a little bit, but in the end it was ok.

We worked endlessly all day long, the guys stopped for lunch, I ate a bag of peanuts on the job.

Tons of paper and cardboard exuded from the house, the trailer took most of it, but they left me with many boxes that needed more time and care, something I must do little by little.

My days consist basically of the following:

6:00 start getting ready, get kids up, showered and dressed

7:20ish have breakfast

8:00 kids start their holiday course at club Marapendi

8:20 arrive home and start unpacking boxes, sorting things out , filling up closets

12:00 maybe get something for light lunch

12:30- 5:00 work, work, work while listening to my podcasts. (I love the ones from "This American Life")

5:30 get the kids, time to start the cool down!

6:00 another shower is due, get ready for dinner

6:30ish - 9:00 go out for dinner with Fernando & kids, talk, watch some tv or play dominoes,

maybe check some e-mail or write this blog...

The kids and Fernando will see a HUGE change when they go back home this weekend! I'm leaving all their stuff for them to sort out, although all their clothes and books have been taken care of.

Eric and Alan have enjoyed their day camp VERY much. They are very happy, surrounded by friends, they teach me a new word every day, and they tell me about their day. Eric has become very popular, especially with the girls. He tells me everybody talks to him and they try their English. For some unknown reason, they call him "Jeffrey", despite all his attempts to change that.

Alan is very cheerful and is always asking for more time when I pick him up. He has ended every day exhausted, and his Portuguese is getting better. Yesterday was the first day he asked to use the computer to send an e-mail... to a girl from camp, and in Portuguese!!!

FREAK OUT!

I'm freaking out!!!

I got the house keys and a "tour" with the [very nice] owners, who explained those little details you sometimes find out the hard way, they made sure we knew before hand and had everything under control.

I looked once again at the empty house, love the marble floors and the details it has all over, love the pristine condition it's in, and the fact that the owners repeatedly told me they will do anything to keep it like that, I can ask for all the changes I need [they even mentioned changing the AC if I so desired, so I can have one with a remote control]! But then I took a closer look at the size. It is basically all that you need, no excess at all, the bedrooms rather small...

Over the weekend we got the long-waited for call: Your shipment is ready for delivery, will Monday be a good day for you???

hmmm, let me check my calendar- wait, it's empty, heck, yes!!! Monday is fine!!!

So, the moment of truth has arrived... will it fit in there??? Of course it will, I'm just exaggerating...

Fernando and I spent a lot of time deciding where we would put things, the kids chose their rooms, and we started remembering the details. So, did we bring those book cases here or sent them to Mexico? Here.

ok.

And what about those big desks? Here.

hmmm

And the extra folding tables and chairs? Here.

oh, yeah, but I'm glad all the tools went over there. Hmmm, not really...

And so on.

But then again, I'm exaggerating. I'm trying to remember just how big our fridge really is... that space sure seems way smaller... I'll ask Fernando, maybe my sense of space has changed... and then I saw his face, confirming my night terror: the fridge will not only not fit, but it will have a mighty hard time going in through the door!!!!!! So, we called in a handyman who will take away the stove and the hood, as well as the door so the fridge can go into the kitchen, then he will remove a cupboard so it fits in that space... hopefully if we take of the fridge doors then it will go in. If not, it'll have to stay outside, next to the washing and drying machines that I'm not sure will fit either (thank God I returned the dishwasher).

We went through each and every item in the 10 page long list, deciding which room it will go to so that the movers can at least put them in that room. With every one I was getting more nervous, and for those of you who don't know, when that happens, I start laughing uncontrollably. So, we had a very "funny" afternoon, making list after list, of numbers which will hopefully make some sense tomorrow, when the movers arrive.

Fernando is feeling sick, so he is going to the doctor and to a meeting he has- I will greet our stuff alone! GULP!

Now can you see why I'm freaking out?!

It's almost midnight and I'm not a bit sleepy- it's almost as though I could keep it from coming if I'm awake...

I better get some sleep!

Night night!

p.s. thank you, my dear [5] readers, you make me want to write more!

ooops, wait!!!! Why did we bring the piano here????? whose idea was it????

Here comes that lady!!!!!

We started a basic routine this week by going to Marapendi Clube, having lunch there and then the kids go off to their lessons. People know who we are because we are basically the stand-out foreigners that don't speak well.

Then, on Thursday, as I was driving out of the club to search for cars, the guard at the entrance stopped me- something that had never happened before, and most certainly not at the exit gate...

I rolled down my window and he started talking full speed ( I can understand most if they speak slowly), so this is the closest to what I could understand:" hello, @#$ @#$ bla bla bla, lady, blabla, cantina [in spanish it means bar, what bar???], she said, kkjjk 18 bla bla, cantina, {this guy and his bar, what's with this???] you, bla bla, go, bla bla, bla ,bla" and then suddenly I heard the equivalent to" you no pay", and it dawned on me: Eric and I walked out of the snack bar without paying!!!!!!!! He kept on talking and then I understood that the lady had said I could pay later if I wanted, but I was so embarrassed that I went there Immediately.

From there on, she smiles widely at me!!!!

Day to day...

Eric's lessons have been very different to what he was used to, starting with the fact that the tennis courts are clay, but he ahs liked them so far. He told me it isn't the best way to meet people because they concentrate on playing! ha !

Alan's "colonia de ferias" (something like holiday camp- I think) has been very good for him. It has given him a chance to play with outgoing kids his age that are curious about him and the things he says- or doesn't know how to say. Some are trying to speak English with him, some are trying to speak Spanish (both languages are taught as foreign languages), and he has had a good time climbing on trees, chanting unknown songs, playing soccer and doing other things. The first day I sent him off, he was immediately sent back by the teacher because "he forgot to give you a good bye kiss!". When I picked him up, the teacher told me that he wasn't able to swim because "his swimming shorts are too long and they are not allowed here. He must wear the short kind! You can buy them at any store that sells swimming gear." . Alan has been refusing to even go and see them, so he has been doing other things while his friends play... maybe this coming week he'll want to!

I found out what to do: while the kids were at camp, I went to the movies and finally saw "the Proposal" with Sandra Bullock. I laughed very hard at all the silly and predictable things going on, very glad I had seen it, making the rush back to pick them up well worth it!!

All the other days have been filled with my car hunting. It has been confusing because of the fuel complexity, the language, getting there, etc., but I have been able to test drive several and decided I want anything close to a mini van, since I hope we'll have visitors and we need space. Besides, the other ones are way too small and the price is not very different.

The last model I saw is a Zafira, a smaller and lower quality, albeit more expensive, version of what I used to have! I already saw a used one and we'll go on Saturday to check out a brand new one to compare.

I also went back to the mattress store I had been to when we came to search for a house. The sales lady, Fernanda, received me with a hug and asked how the moving was going on. We tested the mattresses with the kids and she pulled out the numbers she had given me then and told me that she would send me an email with a better offer, I should wait and come back on Saturday... I already received it and she went down on the price a couple hundred bucks!!! Nice going! (BTW, I have already researched other stores and they compare), so we'll get beds over the weekend!

a new schedule... or so I wish

First of all, sorry about the Petropolis post, for some unknown reason the layout is totally wrong, and I can't seem to fix it!!!! (but I did it to see who noticed...)

Fernando had to go on a business trip this week, leaving us at the hotel from Monday-Friday, with "the huge truck" that I'm almost afraid of driving. Yes, you read well... imagine that!!! People here drive crazily, I call the motorcycles the suicides, the buses are the bullies...

I ventured into the wild today in order to get my laundry done before we all ran out of clean clothes. I managed to arrive there without getting lost, hit or mad and decided to do the laundry myself: last time I went there I told the lady I'd leave the clothes there so she could wash, dry and fold them, but I didn't realize that they count piece by piece!!! So, a bucket carries 24 pieces regardless of size, ie one sock is equal to one shirt or pair of jeans, but the worst part (from where I stand) is that the lady takes your bag and takes piece by piece out, in front of everybody, counting each and every single item- those wishing to remain anonymous step aside please...

If you decide to do it yourself, you can put as many items as you wish into the machine, but you have to wait for the cycle(s) to run and, DIY, the price is really not that much less, but you have the benefit of privacy... no need to be showing anybody's undies all over the place...

On the way there I saw a couple of car dealerships and went to look for my car. We had started the quest on Sunday, but I need to see more, I can't get used to the models here- or the lack of color choice: you can have basically 3 colors: any silver, black or white shades/names you can think of. A couple of makes have a red, a champagne and maybe even a very dark blue or green, but the models are very limited when that happens.

The other limiting factor is that I am adamant on getting a car with automatic transmission. 90% of the cars here are NOT!!! Even though I drove gear shift for many years, I do not want to go back to that if I can help it. So, my options go down noticeably to a couple of models:

Honda Fit, Mitsubishi 4x4, VW Jetta and some others I can't think of now. I set up a couple of test drives for the week, I'll write about that later!

Then we headed to a local club, Maripendi Clube, to ask about tennis lessons for Eric, swimming for Alan. I got info on a "summer " course- that's what I call it -because we're in winter here now- that started this week. I will enroll Alan there, starting tomorrow. I think he's a little reluctant after last year's idea, he did say that my choice in summer course is usually poor...

(Last year I decided to enroll them in the Chinese Community course, from 9 am to 5 pm. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever, imagine, what an opportunity to be there, even if it did include some "school work". Let's just say that I would've loved it... Well, Eric ended up having (among other things) Algebra and poetry recital, all in Chinese, while Alan had history and song singing, also in Chinese. They were the only non-Chinese amongst 200+ students, so they became very popular... at least give me that credit! Needless to say, they were not happy about the arrangement, especially when I made it clear that we had a deal and they had to finish the whole week... I guess they wouldn't like to go in my dream trip and spend a whole summer in China, huh?).

Back in Rio, I found a tennis class for Eric, so , starting tomorrow the kids will go to their classes from 1 to 5:30 pm- hey, I'm letting them sleep in !!!!

Now, I've got to think what I'M going to do!!!!! Any suggestions???

going to Petropolis

In a nutshell, Petropolis is the summer place created by Pedro I and Pedro II, former rulers of Brazil in the 1800's. It is close to 800 m (2400 ft) above sea level, making it cooler than Rio, just a little over an hour away... if you don't get lost in the way...

The drive is around a mountain covered in green, jungle like plants.We even saw a sign warning about monkeys jumping into the road! Every now and then we saw people selling things they make or fruits and food. The view is great, once you reach the top you can see a set of mountains, a

flock of large birds, and the winding roads full of cars, everything else is green.

Petropolis is a very busy small city, spread out around the mountain, with German style houses built a long time ago. Being an old town, the streets are narrow and crowded, some are cobblestone and they are all twisted and crooked, wrapped around the mountain, going up and down.

Again, we took a wrong turn and ended up in "Rua Santa Teresa" instead of downtown, but this was a fortunate turn of events because we wouldn't have known about this otherwise. Santa Teresa is one

of the busiest places I have ever seen, and you can trust me on this one! It's about 2 km of shop after shop, one right next to the other and thousands of people shopping, carrying very large bags full of things. People go around in their tennis shoes, busily searching for the best prices (I saw VERY good ones) and offers, sometimes flooding the street where vendors, cyclists and cars go about as well.

We didn't stop,but that will certainly be a place I'm going back to, although I need to go with girlfriends instead of kids!!! Anyone want to join me?, I can't go there alone :-D!!!!!

We were lucky to find a spot to park, accross the street from the Imperial Museum. I went to stand in line, a long and slow one, while Fernando took the kids to watch some kind of street dance. Once we

reached the front of the line, and to my dismay, I barely understood that the tickets were not sold there, but at a booth!!! Fernando and the kids ran there, but had to stand in a line there as well and I had to go back to the end of the line!!!!!! I was upset about that one!!!!!!

The visit went well, nice summer house, and lots of paintings and stuff (check out the link I posted).

Once outside, while we were taking pictures, a group of teenagers came to talk to us. People are really

friendly and curious when they hear us talking in English or Spanish. It was a group coming from another

city, 4 hours away. they asked us if they could take a picture with us- well, with our kids to be precise-

and were so happy when we did! they also asked Eric " voce tein uma enamorada?" (do you have a girlfriend?)...

o.k. so, girls here don't beat around the bushes, huh? Eric and Alan were really happy about this!

We love our day trip and said we'll be back, we didn't have a chance to see many other things, and

we will bring our guests here!

our life, a constant comedy.

"Mom, we're living in a comedy!", Eric said tonight after Alan spotted a "Monster truck" getting gas at the "posto de gasolina".

-"no, Alan, that's not a monster truck, that's a regular pick up with slightly larger wheels!", Eric pointed out, and we all laughed at how fast it had been for Alan to get used to small cars!

Then we arrived at the hotel and we saw one of our favorite waiters, a young man who teaches us words in Portuguese and serves us breakfast with a huge smile. "Oi, Eli!", the kids and I chorused as he passed and waived . Fernando had a puzzled grin and said, "his name is Bruno, not Eli." He paused and then clarified, "Eli means 'he' in Portuguese!"... and then we realized, we have been calling him "He" all these days, no wonder he smiles so much at us!!!

A new concept of time

When we started our paperwork to obtain the Brazilian visa, we noticed the people at the Embassy took their time while doing their work and that should have been a sign as to how people see and handle time here.

Our first dinner was at the hotel. We were tired and hungry, but also excited and ignorant of how things work here. Alan was the hungriest, so we asked the waiter to bring his dinner first, asap because he had not had a hearty lunch. We waited, talking about the trip, our first impressions, we talked some more. Fernando had gone to work and he wanted to take a shower, but we were waiting for the food, so he figured he'd go after dinner. We waited some more. And yet more. We asked about our food and got an "almost ready" answer. After f o r t y - f i v e l o o o n g minutes, he decided to rush upstairs and take a quick shower, asking us to start without him. It was getting late. Everyone around us was talking, no rush, it didn't matter if it was a Wednesday night either... We were running out of talking themes...

Fernando came back and our dinner was delivered 5 minutes later, a good hour later. (Alan's express only took 50 minutes...). the food better be good, and it was, but "the [time] price" was too high!

To be considered legal here, one must report to the police Department, something we had to do today. Leo, the company driver, picked us up at 8:30 am and took us to the first place, some government office where we were able to correct Eric's visa (24 days to 24 months) and my mom's name on my papers. Of course we waited in line, but were lucky enough to get out of there around 11:30. Then we met Fernando at the other post to continue the process, which we thought would take another 2, maybe 3 hours, since it was a 'low movement week'. We took numbers 377-378-379 and went to have lunch while the driver waited there.

Fernando waited some more with us until about 1:30, when he decided he had to leave to a meeting.

We waited, chatted, played, read, finished my sudoku booklet, and yet the numbering system was still on number 371, the same number we had seen since we arrived!!! When I asked why, they told me the government workers went out to lunch...

at 3:05 our number, 377 finally came up!!! We went through the process and came back "home", arriving here at 4:30 pm, barely 8 hours after we had left!

Patience is tested frequently here.