I stopped to get gas after picking up Grace from school and the guy who pumped my gas (it's illegal to pump your own gas here) told me that my Portuguese wasn't very good. I didn't know what to say, I'm trying my best here. I definitely think my Portuguese skills have gone downhill since we got here. While in language training, I was listening and speaking Portuguese for 5 hours a day for 5 days a week, one on one with my instructor. I have definitely not been doing that here, as crazy at that may seem. Grace goes to the American School so all her friends, PTA meetings, and all that are in English. Also most of our friends here are American or English speaking. It has been difficult to meet and make friends with the Brazilians. I think a lot of that has to do with how different things are here. Like most moms, I make most of my friends through Grace-through school, at the playground, etc. Well here the Brazilian moms never bring their kids to the playground, it's always the baba (nanny). It is rare to see Brazilian kids with their parents.
I now understand why toddlers cry so much-it's so hard not being able to express yourself. It's funny how the simplest things are so difficult to get across when you aren't fluent in the language.
On the other hand, Dean's language skills have vastly improved. He spends a lot of time in class, with his Thesis mentor, and has joined a soccer league.
Watching TV and listening in on other people's conversations are still so difficult. We didn't learn a lot of slang while in language training and everyone seems to talk so fast. A lot of times I find myself tuning it out when I should be listening and trying to understand.
There are a lot of international families at Grace's school. One of her classmates speaks German, Polish, English, and Portuguese-at six years old! I am definitely pushing Grace to learn the language, kids’ minds are sponges-it's amazing. When she does speak Portuguese, she doesn't have the accent that Dean and I have, she sounds like a native.
Maybe it's time for me to sign up for a Portuguese class here...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Florianopolis
Last Wednesday we flew down to the south of Brazil to Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina. This area of Brazil is known as the European Valley. For some reason there are a lot of European immigrants living in this area, most of them German. We didn't feel as out of place in this area of Brazil as we do here in Rio. The people have lighter skin and some even have blue and green eyes, something you never find here in Rio.
We stayed at a Pousada (Bed and Breakfast) on a farm. We had a fantastic time horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. There were several waterfalls on this farm, which were amazing.
While at the farm, we saw capybaras- the world's largest rodents. They were HUGE-about the size of a pig. I am terrified of mice so I'm not sure how I survived seeing these things-yuck. Our host told us these animals are really a pain and when he gets the chance, he shoots them.
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Probably the most memorable thing we saw on the farm was a calf. We were out horseback riding while it was born, but when we came back it was about 30 minutes old. He was shaking and scared with his mama hovering over him. About two hours later we went to see the calf again and he was standing up and doing just fine. It was truly incredible.
The people who ran the pousada were great. They showed us around and really went out of their way to be sure we had a great time. We ate all of our meals there because it was pretty far from town. Dean asked if there was a place we could have a campfire-something Grace loves and something you can't really do in a city of 12 million people. Not only did we have a campfire, but they grilled that night, something Brazilians don't do often. Dean and I had chicken and Grace ate something else-thank goodness. Dean and I took a bite of the chicken and realized it wasn't done. Well, one bite was all it took. I went to bed with a stomach-ache and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible case of food-poisoning. About an hour later, Dean was sharing my pain. We were miserable. We're just so thankful that Grace didn't get sick. Although we were up most of the night, we did not have the heart to tell our hosts what the problem was. After all, they went to a lot of trouble for us. We couldn't stomach eating breakfast, but decided to press on with the day's activities. By noon, I couldn't take it anymore. I admitted defeat. I went to bed and laid in the fetal position trying to sleep it off. Dean showed great stamina and acting skills. He managed to make it through the rest of the day. I don't know how he did it. I know now that my husband truly loves me. We had one Imodium AD left and he let me have it. We are doing better, but still haven't fully recovered. As I told Dean, this was one vacation we would not be gaining any weight on!
After we left the pousada, we stayed along the beach of Florianopolis. This area is very touristy in the summer. A lot of people go there to surf and do other "extreme water sports." The beaches are beautiful but unfortunately it was raining so we didn't get to enjoy them. This area is known for its seafood and while we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we would have been able to had we not been sick, we managed to eat some shrimp which were excellent.
One night while we were sleeping, we awoke to a loud noise and flash of light. Being a carioca (someone from Rio) my first thought was: get Grace and head for the bathroom to get away from the gunshots. Dean woke up thinking we were still at the pousada and that the farmer was shooting capybaras. What the noise really was: fireworks. Are we paranoid or what?
As with any trip, we were so happy to get home. Dean had to stay behind for the geography symposium. He has the camera but as soon as he gets home I'll post the pictues. It's too bad I didn't have the camera because on the way home from the airport I saw a police car driving down the road with an assault rifle sticking out the window-home sweet home Rio!
We stayed at a Pousada (Bed and Breakfast) on a farm. We had a fantastic time horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. There were several waterfalls on this farm, which were amazing.
While at the farm, we saw capybaras- the world's largest rodents. They were HUGE-about the size of a pig. I am terrified of mice so I'm not sure how I survived seeing these things-yuck. Our host told us these animals are really a pain and when he gets the chance, he shoots them.
_2560x1600.jpg)
Probably the most memorable thing we saw on the farm was a calf. We were out horseback riding while it was born, but when we came back it was about 30 minutes old. He was shaking and scared with his mama hovering over him. About two hours later we went to see the calf again and he was standing up and doing just fine. It was truly incredible.
The people who ran the pousada were great. They showed us around and really went out of their way to be sure we had a great time. We ate all of our meals there because it was pretty far from town. Dean asked if there was a place we could have a campfire-something Grace loves and something you can't really do in a city of 12 million people. Not only did we have a campfire, but they grilled that night, something Brazilians don't do often. Dean and I had chicken and Grace ate something else-thank goodness. Dean and I took a bite of the chicken and realized it wasn't done. Well, one bite was all it took. I went to bed with a stomach-ache and woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible case of food-poisoning. About an hour later, Dean was sharing my pain. We were miserable. We're just so thankful that Grace didn't get sick. Although we were up most of the night, we did not have the heart to tell our hosts what the problem was. After all, they went to a lot of trouble for us. We couldn't stomach eating breakfast, but decided to press on with the day's activities. By noon, I couldn't take it anymore. I admitted defeat. I went to bed and laid in the fetal position trying to sleep it off. Dean showed great stamina and acting skills. He managed to make it through the rest of the day. I don't know how he did it. I know now that my husband truly loves me. We had one Imodium AD left and he let me have it. We are doing better, but still haven't fully recovered. As I told Dean, this was one vacation we would not be gaining any weight on!
After we left the pousada, we stayed along the beach of Florianopolis. This area is very touristy in the summer. A lot of people go there to surf and do other "extreme water sports." The beaches are beautiful but unfortunately it was raining so we didn't get to enjoy them. This area is known for its seafood and while we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we would have been able to had we not been sick, we managed to eat some shrimp which were excellent.
One night while we were sleeping, we awoke to a loud noise and flash of light. Being a carioca (someone from Rio) my first thought was: get Grace and head for the bathroom to get away from the gunshots. Dean woke up thinking we were still at the pousada and that the farmer was shooting capybaras. What the noise really was: fireworks. Are we paranoid or what?
As with any trip, we were so happy to get home. Dean had to stay behind for the geography symposium. He has the camera but as soon as he gets home I'll post the pictues. It's too bad I didn't have the camera because on the way home from the airport I saw a police car driving down the road with an assault rifle sticking out the window-home sweet home Rio!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Happy 6th Birthday Grace!
When Grace was born six years ago, I never imagined we would be celebrating her sixth birthday in Rio de Janeiro! Brazilians usually have these HUGE parties for their children. They hire DJ's, spotlights, the event is catered and usually goes on until all hours of the night. This is not how we spent Grace's birthday...
She chose to spend the day at a farm with her friend Isabella. They had a great time riding horses, feeding ducks, holding guinea pigs, snakes, taking a ride on a zip-line, and seeing/petting a lot of other animals. It is clear that Brazil does not have the same safety mindset of America. We saw things that would NEVER be allowed in the US. Sometimes we wonder how people survive living here.
Grace is truly a girl (poor Dean). I made her two cakes this year. She wanted a pink butterfly cake for school and she wanted a high-heel shoe cake with pink and purple frosting for her little party we had at home. I had to import powdered sugar from the US because it is nearly impossible to find here. We also imported candy and marshmallows for her butterfly cake that we shared with her friends at school. Marshmallows are about $10 a bag here so they were a pretty big treat.
This coming week we will be traveling to Florianopolis, which is in the south of Brazil. This area of Brazil has a large European population so maybe we will fit in a little better there. We will be visiting a German town while we are there, too bad it's too early for Octoberfest! We'll be sure to write about our adventures and post some pictures when we return to Rio.
She chose to spend the day at a farm with her friend Isabella. They had a great time riding horses, feeding ducks, holding guinea pigs, snakes, taking a ride on a zip-line, and seeing/petting a lot of other animals. It is clear that Brazil does not have the same safety mindset of America. We saw things that would NEVER be allowed in the US. Sometimes we wonder how people survive living here.
Grace is truly a girl (poor Dean). I made her two cakes this year. She wanted a pink butterfly cake for school and she wanted a high-heel shoe cake with pink and purple frosting for her little party we had at home. I had to import powdered sugar from the US because it is nearly impossible to find here. We also imported candy and marshmallows for her butterfly cake that we shared with her friends at school. Marshmallows are about $10 a bag here so they were a pretty big treat.
This coming week we will be traveling to Florianopolis, which is in the south of Brazil. This area of Brazil has a large European population so maybe we will fit in a little better there. We will be visiting a German town while we are there, too bad it's too early for Octoberfest! We'll be sure to write about our adventures and post some pictures when we return to Rio.
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