Language Barriers

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...

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.


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!

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.

A New Semester Begins

Grace started school at Escola Americana on August 2. All instruction is in English with Portuguese taught as a second language. She is really enjoying school and has already made a lot of friends. After school on Monday and Wednesday she is participating in a gymnastics class, that girl always has extra energy to burn!

Dean finished his first semester at PUC and is now onto his second semester. He had some time off in between semesters and we were able to do some traveling. We visited Ouro Preto and Tiradentes in the state of Minas Gerais. We saw some amazing churches, life-sized stations of the cross, a gold mine, took a train trip, and we went horse backriding-the highlight for Grace! It was nice to get out of Rio for a while!

Now that Grace has started school I have a lot of time on my hands! I'm volunteering at her school and thinking of starting my master's degree online. I have been increasing my running and plan on running a half-marathon next June. I also plan on doing a better job of keeping up with this blog.

We have been enjoying the "winter" weather here. It's pretty funny to see people walking around in coats when it's 70'. I would love to see how Brazilians would react to an Alaskan winter!

We are very sad to announce that our dog Buttercup has passed away. She was nine years old and I'm not sure there was a more loving dog out there. She earned the nickname "Speedbump" because she was always under our feet. She loved to be around people. We were unable to bring her with us to Rio and we were lucky enough to have the Carneys (family members) step in and take care of her. They loved her as we did and it helps to know her last few months she was loved and just as spoiled as when she was with us.

So I'm not so great at keeping up with this...

So I'm no so great at keeping this blog updated. What can I say, we're too busy living life to have much time to write about it! I am busy homeschooling Grace this semester. It has been a rewarding time for me and we both really enjoy it. Having said that, we have been visiting schools for her to start up Kindergarten in August. We are excited for her to make some friends and experience school in Brazil, but I have to admit the thought of dropping her off at school in a foreign country is a little terrifying to say the least. Her safety is always in my thoughts and my prayers.

Dean has been busy with his classes here as well as his ACSC correspondense course. He has been doing a lot of hiking with his geography professor. As you know this is really his thing so he is really enjoying it. The next month will be very busy for Dean as he finishes up his first semester at PUC.

We are STILL waiting for our license plates, which means that we haven't gotten out much. We did borrow a car and make a trip to Buzios, a beach town about three hours from here. We had a wonderful time there. We went on a boat ride, where we got to visit different beaches and spend a lot of time in the water. We enjoyed the clean water and beautiful beaches there. We also enjoyed being away from the hectic city for a weekend.

We also visited a fazenda here in Barra. They had a lot of farm animals for kids to see and touch. They also had a lot of ropes courses. Grace was too young for most of them, but she was able to try the zip-line. Naturally our fearless little girl loved it!

We are getting used to some aspects of Brazilian life. Of course the easiest thing to get used to is the maid-it's wonderful having someone else clean my house and cook for us. EVERYONE here has maids, it's a part of life here. We've also gotten used to the warm weather. The other day it was in the mid-70's and we were actually cold! One thing we still cannot believe is how late the kids stay up here. We hear them on the playground when we go to bed at night, it's unreal. I'm not sure when they sleep. Of course they are all down there with their nannys, parents are rarely seen with their children here. We are definitely living in a different world...

March 2010

March has been a really busy month for us. We moved into our permanent apartment in Rio. The move was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that our sofa came up 10stories. Six guys hauled it up over the balcony using ropes. It was a little scarry but the photos are great! We are now settled in and enjoying what Rio has to offer.

We've also had our first visitor-Angie's mom. She gave us the excuse to get out and see some of the big tourist attractions here. We visited Pao de Acucar, the Cristo (which unfortunatley is undergoing renovations), Tijuca National Forest, and of course the beach!

We are still waiting to get the license plates for our car, which has been sitting in the garage of our condo for a month. We are looking forward to getting out of Rio and seeing some more of Brazil. It is amazing that our car went from DC to Rio faster than the time it takes to get the license plates. Everything takes a long time to get done here. Brazil is definitely teaching us the fine art of patience!

Grace has started taking ballet at a local dance studio. She was a little nervous at first, but she enjoys her class. She is teaching her dance teacher English and her dance teacher is teaching her Portuguese. She dances twice a week and it's been a great way for her to start socializing with other children. There are also a lot of other children in our building and she plays with them at the playground and at the pool.

The language barrier has been a bit of a struggle for Grace and me. Gace is picking up the language quickly-with a perfect accent! I am planning on taking some more Portuguese classes and of course Dean has a lot of practice at school.

Brazil is definitely feeling more like home now that we've moved into our permanent apartment and have all of our things; although, we're still getting used to the heat!

First Month in Rio de Janeiro

We arrived in Rio on January 13. The first thing we noticed was the heat! We went from snow and 20' temperatures to sunny and high 90's. Unfortunately our luggage didn't arrive until the next night, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the first few days. Grace was so excited to visit the beach and drink coconut water right from the coconut! She could spend all day splashing in the waves.

We spent a lot of our fist month apartment hunting. We finally found a place in Barra and plan on moving in next month. Until then we are staying in a temporary apartment in the heart of Ipanema.

We visited a small town, Conservatoria, our second weekend here with another Olmsted scholar family. This was our first trip outside the city of Rio, about three hours away. We drove through several small towns where horse and cart were not an unfamiliar means of transportation. This was an amazing contrast to a city of 11 million just an hour away. Conservatoria is famous for a group of people who get together in the town center and sing every weekend night. Of course this being Brazil, they start late-around 11:00. A crowd gathers around them and follows them as they sing and play guitar through the small town. While there, we also visited a coffee fazenda (farm).

We felt pretty well prepared for our move here, but as always there have been a few surprises. It is hard to believe how little air-conditioning there is here. None of the apartments have central air and many of the restaurants open right up to the street and have no air-conditioning. It has been close to 100' everyday so this is definitely hard to get used to. Another shocking thing is the cost of living. We cannot believe how expensive it is to live here-from housing to groceries. We find ourselves missing the conveniences (and food) from the United States. We have seen favelas (shanty-towns) in books and magazines but seeing them up-close is unreal. It is hard to believe the difference in social classes here. All the upper-class people have maids and nanny's. All the apartments have a service area, which includes a bedroom for the live-in maid.

The people here have been very friendly as we attempt speaking Portuguese. We felt pretty prepared after taking our language classes in Washington DC, but being immersed is a different story. We feel like we have the basics down, but still struggle to understand and express ourselves. It can be very overwhelming. Hopefully with time, the language will get easier.

We are on the eve of Carnaval and are unsure what to expect. The block parties and parades started a couple weeks ago and are escalating each day. Last Sunday morning I went for a run and most of the people I saw were still out from the night before. Brazilians definitely know how to party!

Each day we are thankful to wake up here. It is hard to believe a year ago we had no idea Dean would be chosen as an Olmsted scholar and that we would be moving to Brazil. What an unbelievable opportunity!