Rio - Part 2 & Buenos Aires

My friend Betsy from home visited me for one week. She was my only visitor the entire three months. Everyone else is a loser because you could have had a free place to stay and a local tour guide. She had one and half days in São Paulo before we headed to Buenos Aires in Argentina and then Rio.


Although Betsy and I have been close friends for over 14 years, we are very different people. We're nearly opposites, with drastically different personalities and interests. This poses a challenge when travelling together. These were the principal things I wanted to do:

• active endeavors, like kayaking in the lake and running



• go out to bars and meet new people



• dance at a club



• get a professional massage (so cheap in Argentina!)



• go to local, not-so-touristy spots



• eat healthy food, including sushi, fruit & fresh fish



• wine tasting



• lay on the beach



• see live music, especially because there was a music festival happening in BA at the time



• not spend too much money

And these are the things Betsy wanted to do:

• shopping



• bus tour of the city



• sitting at the hotel pool sipping a tropical drink



• shopping



• stay at a luxury 5-star resort (our 4-star one 2 blocks from the beach didn't make her standards)



• the major tourist destinations, like the cemetary with Evita Perón's grave in Buenos Aires and Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio



• eat at the American-style restaurants with burgers & anything fried



• shopping

And since she spent the money to visit me, I gave in to almost everything and agreed to do what she wanted to do. I wanted her to have a fantastic time. Luckily, we did have a couple common interests - getting good deals, laying in the sun in Rio, and enjoying affordable spa treatments at the Hilton in Buenos Aires. In fact, everything in Argentina is cheap in relation to the U.S. dollar. While in Brazil I'd generally cut the price in half to equate to dollars, in Argentina I'd divide by three. Which is why Betsy did not want to leave.

Highlights of our trip were Ipanema beach, very inexpensive food & clothing in Buenos Aires, and Pão de Azucar in Rio. I created a web album to chronicle our journey through photos. Check it out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/swiryn/BuenosAiresRioTripWithBetsy

Betsy was terrified of Brazil, based on horror stories & advice from multiple people back home. Betsy would walk down the street with my arm in arm so we would be able to save the other person in the case of attack, and every time someone came within 5 feet of us, she's tug my arm tightly.

One girl (who was actually born in Brazil) warned her not to talk or laugh loudly because it will alert people to the fact that we're American and thus make us both targets. It became a favorite running joke of mine that when we laughed, one of us would wanr the other sternly: "No laughing!"

Felipe especially loved these rules. He said if he visits America, he won't speak. Instead, he'll just use sign language to communicate.

General Safety

Time and time again I would get asked the same question about Brazil: "Is it dangerous?"

The answer is that Brazil is not as safe as the U.S., and yes you should take certain precautions, such as:
- Don't walk alone at night
- Don't walk with a laptop bag around
- Don't take pictures with your camera for long periods of time in public
- Don't put your purse somewhere unattended
- Don't wear very expensive jewelry

You basically want to dumb down your appearance when it's dark out so you don’t look like you’re wealthy. If you drive an expensive car and wear diamonds, you're much more of a target. (See the "Kidnapped!" posting and it's moral of the story.) It's unfortunate that you have to be this careful. When my Dad asked me if I could live here long-term, I answered no because of that reason. Personally, I could see myself living in Brazil for up to 6 months, but never with a family.

As with many other countries, the discrepancy between the “haves” and the “have nots” is huge. Poverty is severe and widespread, and there’s much more within the class extremes than the middle class. This makes for a lot of people who strive to even that score and simply make ends meet by stealing.

With that said, the danger factor in the country is overestimated. It's not as bad as most people think. If you're careful and take taxis around at night instead of walking everywhere you should be fine. For me, I lived in Itaim, a nice area of São Paulo, and generally the more wealthy areas see less crime, as one would expect. So if you're visiting and concerned about safety, stay in the nicer neighborhoods.

Before my friend Betsy visited, she got some tips from a girl who used grew up Brazil. The tips about safety included don't talk loudly and don't laugh, because that alerts people to the fact that you're American and may have a lot of money on you. Don't laugh? I thought this was hilarious and a little overboard on precautions. Apparently I wasn't the only one. Felipe is a guy we met at Vaca Veia (one of my fave local restaurant/bars), and he loved reading that printout with tips so much that he begged and convinced Betsy to let him keep it. He said if he visits America he won't speak or laugh; instead he'll just use sign language.

Triple Movie Night

There's a special event in São Paulo called Noitão that features three films in a row, starting at midnight. Leticia, Roberta and Ligia were going to attend, and I decided to tag along. The theater, HSBC Belas Artes, chooses a variety of local and international films. At least one is from America, which meant I could fully understand a portion of the entertainment. I realized that I'd have to read Portuguese subtitles for the other movies, and I viewed this a fun challenge.

After João's birthday dinner at a pizza place, we headed over to the theater and attached to a line that trailed around the corner. Apparently this was a popular thing. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long. Each event has a different theme. This time it was "Segredos Obscuros" ("Dark Secrets"). They disclose the name of two of the movies, and the third is a surprise. We knew we were going to see "Fast Food Nation" and a French comedy that translates in Portuguese to "A Noiva Perfeita." I was wide awake for the entirety of FFA, but by the middle of the second movie, maybe around 3 am, I had to rest my eyes and brain waves for half an hour.

I was actually doing extremely well with comprehending the Portuguese subtitles. I got about 75% of what was going on. Not too shabby. The third movie was another French one, "La Pianiste," which means "The Piano Teacher." In contrast to the previous, this one was definitely not a comedy. It is a very disturbing, sexual and depressing movie to say the least, but I thought interesting from a psychological perspective.

Afterwards all the movie-watchers lined up for goodie bags full of snacks. I can say with certainty that a nutritionist was definitely not involved with the meal. It consisted of boxed orange juice (more accurately described as orange-flavored sugar water), Toda Hora crackers, a chocolate "bolinho" (little cake), Maxi Chocolate (chocolate-filled bar), and Sonho de Valsa chocolate candy. We grabbed our chocolate-drenched meals and walked outside, where it was obscenely bright from the breaking day. It was nearly 7 am. And then with little effort, I napped like I've never napped before.

Rio: Part 1

Everyone kept telling me I have to visit Rio and I knew it was true. My grandmother Lola was disappointed that I hadn't been there and recorded it on the blog. "It's one of my most fabulous areas - actually stunning!" she urged. And a great time to go came along during the Sept. 7 Independence Day holiday. I took off by car with Katia and Ligia from work and it took about 6 hours. The vast green countryside reminded me just how incredibly huge this country is.

When we drove through most of Rio, it wasn't pretty. In fact a large majority of the city is very poor and the infamous favelas (slums) are everywhere. It's sad to think about living in such meager, cramped quarters. I did see lots of soccer playing in fields and courts. In fact, wherever there was grass, there were people playing soccer, usually barefoot (the grass sometimes wasn't the fluffiest looking greenery so I imagine this would scrape up my own feet). But then we hit the lake, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, which is beautiful. I wanted to run around it, but never got the chance. It borders the Botanical Gardens, which I also didn't get to do. The beauty of Rio lies in the green-covered mountains surrounding such a large city, which give it a surreal feel.

We stayed in between Copacabana and Ipanema. Because of the 3-day weekend, already-expensive hotel rates were even higher, so we stayed at the nicest one we could find that was still close to the main beach at Ipanema. The view from the top was gorgeous. These were taken from our roof...

Favela on a hill

The nice lobby wasn't very representative of the rooms, which were basic at best, but we weren't planning on spending much time there. We were ready to explore!

So we hit the beach, naturally.

And there I realized that Rio must be the wedgie capital of the world. The bikinis are like the underwear here - not things, but they're so narrow that they quickly become like thongs. The back is pretty much the same size as the front.

This was the first time I'd laid out in Brazil, and I can safely say I was the whitest person on the beach in a quarter mile radius, although many of them were naturally dark. This included a LOT of people considering the beach was so packed for the holidays that you couldn't even find a spot. This photo gives you some idea of the population on the sand:

Here's us.

Half the men wear tight little Speedo-style shorts, which looked dorky at first, conjuring up long-forgotten memories of the first guy I ever kissed, a French biker in Spain. But then they started to grow on me. It depends on the guy.

Tattoos are huge here, and everywhere in Brazil. I'd say about 70% of the people under age 35 have at least one piece of ink. I saw a lot of generic ones - butterflies and Japanese symbols and the like. If you're going to get one, get one that's unique, that says something interesting about you personally.

At night we hit up OO, an ultra-cool bar/club that's half outdoors, half indoors. There was a dance floor with hip-hop but the songs weren't so great. I talked a lot with Alex, which was my first extended conversation in Portuguese with someone new. He speaks some English, but I wanted to practice. I was holding my own. I was proud. And Alex was my main experience with what I hear is a typical Brazilian male practice: the ancient art of not calling.

Ligia, Me & Katia

The next day we enjoyed the beach again, and did a little shopping at the boutiques in Ipanema. We also stopped in Mil Frutas, a must-visit homemade, all-natural ice-cream shop, They carry delicious exotic fruit flavors from the Amazon. I had a scrumptious combo of ginger-cinnamon and caramelized banana. Mmmmmm.

After a necessary nap (although naps make Ligia cranky when she wakes up) we headed to Melt, a club that my trusty Fodor's guidebook claimed is the spot for many celebs. Maybe it was an off-night, but I didn't see anyone who looked could be a model or one of the famous soap opera stars. We waited three full hours in line to get in, and made friends with the group in front of us, João from Portugal and his crew. After talking with them, I noticed that the language in Portugal is much slower and easier to understand.

When we finally got in, the boys were grabby, and one guy in particular really annoyed me. He was quite the close talker, and I had to physically push him an arms-length away, saying "Stay." He said ok, and then tried to nuzzle back in when we talked. Ligia got a kick of the charade. Another guy got all his friends to surround me on the dance floor, trapping me in for a few seconds, which actually was kind of funny because it reminded me of a kid's playground game. The music was better than at 00, but mixed; some songs were good and some made for getting another drink at the bar.

The next day we had to leave. In typical vacation fashion, the day of departure came much too soon. We went to the weekly Sunday hippie market and I bought some great gifts and clothes. Highly recommended. Overall it was a great trip - got our minds off work for a bit and our bodies out of São Paulo and on the beach.

Movie Names

I noticed after a trip to Blockbuster how many film titles change from America to Brazil. In my estimation about half of them alter the meaning. For example (and translations may not be exact but you get the idea):

Saw --> Jogos Mortais ("Deadly Games")
Garden State --> Hora De Voltar ("Time To Return")
Primal Fear --> As Duas Faces De Um Crime ("The Two Faces Of A Crime")
Meet The Parents --> "Entrando Numa Fria" (expression for "Getting in Trouble")
Lucky Number Slevin --> Xeque-Mate ("Check-Mate")
50 First Dates --> Como Se Fosse A Primeria Vez ("Like It Was The First Time")
Charlie's Angels --> As Panteras ("The Panthers")
Ocean's 11 --> Onze Homens E Um Segredo ("11 Men & One Secret")
Peaceful Warrior --> Poder Além Da Vida ("Power Beyond Life")
Failure To Launch --> Armações Do Amor ("Love Trap")
The Nightmare Before Christmas --> O Estranho Mundo De Jack ("Jack's Strange World")
Inside Man --> O Plano Perfeito ("The Perfect Plan")

The Portuguese versions usually were more basic about the plot. I prefer the more creative titles.

Go-Kart!

On Wednesday Sept. 5, the local office spent the day at Kartódromo Aldeia da Serra, a go-kart racing track, for our quarterly offsite event. Originally I wasn't going to race, because the last time I did this activity, it was indoors, and I got a huge headache from the gas exhaust. But this place looked totally different - it was a huge outdoor track among thick tree-covered dark green hills. Any exhaust would float up and away. So I asked if I could be a late-comer, and lucky for me, Lidiane didn't want to race. So I took her spot, attached her pre-printed name to the back of my rental jumpsuit, and prepared for action.

Before you get on the track there's a mandatory briefing. This seemed to be where they go over important stuff, like where to go and how to not die. But I couldn't understand anything that was said. The only thing I got was the question at the end when the speaker prompted, "Everyone understand?" To this I yelled "no!" but I guess I was drowned out by all the yeses because she didn't pay any attention. Oh well. I could figure it out, right? I'm a college graduate and haven't gotten into any major car accidents. I've backed up into a couple things, but that's different. That dumpster really came out of nowhere.

These were the flags and their meanings:

Of course, I just saw colors. I could assume that going fast was good, and someone would eventually stop me when I was done.

Turns out I didn't need any tips from the briefing after all. I was doing just fine starting at the get-go of the ladies heat. For a while Valeria and I were neck and neck, so I had some stiff competition.

We were lapping everyone...

Then I broke away. Cassali was hot on my tail, but I was in the lead. And I won! Actually I did one lap too many, because I thought the checkered flag might mean one lap left, when in fact it signified the end. I finished the course in 18 min and 43 seconds. Cassali came in next 7 seconds later. And my ex-boyfriend thinks I'm a bad driver. Ha! (The reality is I think you need to be a little reckless to win a road race).

It was a lovely win for the Americans. But I wasn't smiling much; my theory about the exhaust not being a problem was proven terribly wrong. I felt sick for hours afterwards. Maybe I ate too much right beforehand.

But I did walk away with my dignity and a crystal clear trophy. Since it was decided not to have a final race between the top finishers in each heat, the trophies weren't accurate, and I was handed one that says third place. Somehow I don't think people will believe me if I write over it in permanent pen.

That's me on the top row in the ninja hat we had to wear under our helmets. Unfortunately, from far away it just looks like a thick black beard.


Excuse me Julia & Talita? What are you doing in my spot?

Anna must be pissed that I won. Better luck next time.

At least Roberta seems to be happy about the results!

This was a rough offsite - proven by some who suffered bruises, cuts, slammed vertebrae and broken wrists that required surgery. I made it out alive with just a queasy stomach and severe headache...and the trophy of course. Did I mention that I won?

Halls

Halls cough drops are sold and consumed as candy, not medicine. Kids sell packages of them outside bars at night, along with other sweets and gum. I'm hoping for Brazilians' sake that you can't overdose on Menthol.

Quick Buying Guide

Some products are cheaper in Brazil and some are more expensive. Know what's a good deal and not in relation to most other countries.

What to Buy:

• Leather goods, especially purses, shoes and wallets
• Restaurant food
• Fruit (such as pineapple and
• Beauty & Related Services (massages, manicures & pedicures, body waxing, etc.)
• Local art
• Gemstones & natural stone gifts
• Swimsuits - including custom ones

What Not to Buy:

• Tennis shoes
• Imported clothing brands
• Electronics, like ipods and the wii
• Mascara
• Ziplock bags
• Designer sunglasses
• DVDs

May the exchange rate be with you.

A Tip About Tips

Tips for services are generally included...but read the receipt or ask if you're unsure.

The City of Swallows

Campinas is a city that feels more local-style than it's larger city counterparts. It's not a typical tourist destination, in contrast to Rio. And compared to its monstrous neighbor São Paulo about an hour drive away, it's much prettier, with rolling hills, not so many high rises, and year-round warm weather. Campinas is still somewhat industrial, but its residents are much more laid-back. Both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are smog-ridden, but Campinas's pleasant breezes and location on a plateau that borders mountains equates to little pollution.

Luana grew up there, and I was more than happy to tag along with her when she visited home. We were welcomed with bird designs on the sidewalk outside. Campinas is known as the "Cidade das Andorinhas" (City of Swallows). The small birds are a symbol that are scattered around the area, often on signs or gates.

The pride and joy of the city must be the largest shopping center in Latin America, called Parque Dom Pedro. When they built a mall here, they weren’t messing around. Besides the innumerable stores and restaurants, it boasts a recreational car racing track, nightclub, rides for kids, Target-like store and supermarket, and a fitness center.

Here I tried acaí for the first time. In its typical form, this anti-oxidant-rich berry from the Amazon is made into a cool, yogurt-like treat topped with granola and banana. It’s healthy, but sweet enough to seem like ice cream.

Here's Luana and I trying on hats...

And one of her two older sisters modeling the glasses she bought...and returned the next day.

Besides shopping, Luana and I laid out to soak in the glorious sun and visited a local bar called Seo Rosa with her friend. About an hour after we arrived, we were graced with the presence of a real live superhero. It was Spiderman in the flesh. Or rather, Spiderman in the suit.

I've heard there is a Brazilian tv show where some guy dresses up as Spiderman and runs around pulling shenanigans everywhere. I guess this Spidey was imitating that, but I wouldn't know because I avoid the local shows like the plague. (The only good one takes old kung-fu and classic movies and dubs over them with completely different words.)
But what provided us even more comic relief was one of the employees, who honestly thought the credit card machine was a phone. Luana and her friend saw him pick it up in the corner of the bar, hold it to his ear and repeat “hello?” So we kindly asked another employee to pose for a re-enactment.

Funny Site Translations

I don't think that's the intent, but some of the website translations from Portuguese to English are hilarious. Here's an entertaining blurb for a hotel:

"El Parador it possesss a charmosa swimming pool, with submerged banks, where they can start the day with a juice or fire the afternoon with one drink. The room of the coffee of manha very glad and is colored. The social area has sinuca, room of reading and TV. In the terrace we have churrasqueira that it can be used by you house them. The inn has access the Internet wireless, and a PC disponivel for ours you house."

Disponivel???

I wonder if these guys actually get business from native English speakers. But you have to give it to them for trying.

These Places Are For Beer, Not Martinis

For a bar that offers a true Brazilian experience, you can't get better than Ó Do Borogadó. This small, unpretentious and somewhat scroungy São Paulo bar has great live samba music, and somehow with all the energy still feels laid-back. The graffiti covering every inch of the bathroom walls is evidence.

The band doin' their thing...well

Rita, João & I

All Black is another great place for cerveja. During my girls-only outing to the Jardins district pub, we sang along to a rock band that played everything from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Rolling Stones to Maroon 5. We also enjoyed (too many) morango caipiroskas, a.k.a. strawberry vodka caipirinhas. It's a slightly older crowd than at many of the dance clubs, called "baladas." The place was packed, so when we discovered a fan in the corner it felt like a hot tub after a cold day skiing.

At most bars in Brazil, you pay for everything at the end rather than by drink. This makes it easy to order quickly, but it also makes it easy to lose track of your bank account funds.

Actual Sayings on T-Shirts

As I've alluded to before, the shirts with English phrases are definitely amusing. (See the World-Class Customer Service post). To continue with this topic, I've provided some thematic examples.

There are the wannabe-funny ones:

• Don't drive and drive. You might spill your beer.
• I'm not gay, but my boyfriend is!

The bitchy ones:

• If nobody is perfect, I must be nobody.
• My life is gemstones
• Don't be impressed by me (don't worry)

The classy ones:

• More than ready
• You've been naughty...go straight to my room

And the ones for people who can't read English:

• Orange Juice - refresh drink
• The Up

American culture has a large influence on the entire the local landscape. Many shops and small businesses have English names, like Doctor Feet and HobbyStar Games. American music is prevalent, and Brazilians often attempt singing in English. American movies are extremely common - there are 3 movie channels on cable dedicated to American films. The only American movies that theaters feature, however, are the predictable Hollywood blockbusters produced for the largest possible audience. No wonder my friend said she doesn't like American movies.

While English titles and words might be spelled the same here, pronunciation is a different story. As a general rule for pronouncing English terms transferred to Portuguese, just an an "ee" sound at the end and you're good.

ping pong sounds like "pingey-pongey"
feedback = "feejebackey"

But then Coke, which already has an e, is said the same way. Go figure.

The Orkut Phenomenon

How successful have I been in infiltrating myself into Brazilian culture? I can speak the basics of Portuguese. I'm listening to Brazilian CDs, thanks to Vicente and Beth. I even store goiabinha in my cupboard. But there was one thing I didn't have that every Brazilian has. No, not a tan. An Orkut account.

Orkut is Google's social networking site, which provides separate personal, social, and professional profiles. In March 2007, 57% of Orkut's 44 million users were Brazilian.

"In Brazil, Orkut feels like it's as big as Facebook and MySpace put together."
-Bernardo Malfitano, Brazilian-born U.S. resident & former Google employee

In reality, it's only about half the size of Myspace in terms of users right now. But Orkut is to Brazil as snow is to skiers. Everyone uses it. Even local celebrities create accounts to promote themselves and control their relationship the public.

And so I decided that to become a full temporary Brazilian, and get everyone off my back about creating an account, I would join the uber-popular site. Otherwise known as a stalker's best friend.

Searching for Capoeira

My highschool cross-country coach once said I had the most willpower she's ever seen. When I'm determined about something, I'm serious. The other day I was determined to watch capoeira, the dance-fighting that was invented by the African slaves brought to Brazil. I got a tip that the martial art could be seen on Sundays at the basketball courts at Ibirapuera Park, so I began my quest there, killing two birds with one stone by running as I searched.

I first encountered a stadium featuring Mickey on Ice, which was not the ideal spot for running as I had to evade hundreds of sugared-up kids in mouse ear hats. There was a grade school athletic competition next door, called Junior Olympics where I grew up. When I entered the actual park, I came across a disappointing magic show that was 95% yelling & 5% tricks. But the next thing I saw had some impressive tricks - the army sponsored an event and I got there just in time to watch the dog show. These were the best trained canines you could imagine. Each dog stood patiently by their own military master, ready to show off their skill. They followed commands like doing figure eights between the trainers' legs, jumping into their arms, and walking backwards on their hind legs. Then they competed in an obstacle course of ladders, hoops and hurdles. The crowd went wild when two of the dogs made the highest jump.

So I found some fun, but no capoeira. I jogged on, discovering a sports tradeshow and the preshow buzz of an MPB (Brazilian pop) concert. I asked a few people where I could find the sport, and where the basketball courts were, but I was out of luck. However, I did speak to Juliette Lewis when she was about 15, and time travel beats dance-fighting any day.

Grazie a Dio

This is the type of bar I knew I wanted to frequent as soon as I walked in. The food is excellent, there's live music every night, and the women were in agreement about the general attrativeness of the men.

http://www.grazieadio.com.br/

The main difference between the bar food in the States and the bar food in Brazil is that here it's not just fried appetizers, threatening you with indigestion and clogged arteries. In Brazil bar food is great - as good or better than a regular restaurant. This stems from the fact that here there is more of a natural blend of bar-restaurants, instead of both being distinct places.

I scoped out the scene with Erin, Luana and Ricardo. All four of us thought it was a treat.

My tender chicken dish was inviting in a fun pineapple shell, and after tasting the escondido I quickly decided what I'll order next time.

The music was a locally well-known Brazilian samba-rock band called Farufyno. I don't dance well, but it was joyously easy to dance to. I adore this musical genre.

Standard Living Arrangements

People in Brazil generally live with their families until they get married. Locals might translate this to great family bonding, scrumptious home-cooked meals each day, and emotional and financial support. Americans would translate this to something else: ruining your game.

"It's Not What It Looks Like"

Working hours at the company, at least in my department, are generally 9 am to 6 pm. At one of the most successful and fastest-growing businesses in the world, you can imagine what kind of workaholic over-achievers abound in the office. Pair that with constant understaffing and set goals that affect your quarterly bonus, and you've got some serious late-workers. In fact, the HR department recently had a discussion with us about this. Being that it was in Portuguese, I only understood about half of it...but I'm sure I got the important part.

My boss here, Rapha, is fabulous. But he's seen me work late hours too often, toiling away in furrowed-brow concentration, and now instructs me to leave if it's a hair after 6. It's a kind of reverse workplace mentality. The only thing that will satisfy him is if I'm actually emailing friends or writing in my blog. Sometimes he sneaks by and firmly says "Go home!" with an accusational pointed finger. If I'm just browsing the Net, I blurt out my defense: "It's not what it looks like! It's not work, I swear!" Funny how this is something my boss actually wants to hear.

The Best Nearby Beach

Maresias.
Just so happens to be the only beach I've seen in Brazil so far, but my secret sources confirm that it's the best one close to São Paulo. Other than that, it's Rio baby, and that's a 5 hour drive.

I took off with Phil, his girl Ana (the blond one), and Ana's big sister (brunette)...also named Ana.

Our destination, Maresias, is a long, beautiful stretch of sand with plenty of surfers, gorgeous bodies, and mouth-watering real fruit popsicle vendors (try the coconut!) to cool you down.

Unfortunately, we didn't need much cooling, because the sun was timid all weekend. Winter in Brazil has unpredictable weather. It can be lovely one day and very cold the next. And so we greatly enjoyed our retreats to the sauna of "Melrose Place," the nickname the locals give to the rental house complex.

The town is different than a typical California beach town - much more rugged and made for the "common man". There are no ultra-expensive stores or posh restaurants in sight. As refreshing as the sea itself.

A Classic Piece of Local Literature

One of my greatest accomplishments thus far: I finish my first book in Portuguese. Turns out "Barbie Gets To Know Brazil" was a wise purchase. It's right up my alley. Barbie guides the reader through the various vast regions of Brazil in just 21 pages (23 if you count the pages where Barbie asks you to write about your favorite place and attach a vacation photo). So it's no Grapes of Wrath, as books donned with glitter usually don't win the Pulitzer, or any prize. But it was the perfect piece of literature for me at this stage of my language development. Highly recommended for travelers like me, or 8 to 12-year-old Brazilian girls.

One of the Nicest Local Restaurants

Fogo de Chão is a top quality churrascaria, and there's locations in the U.S. as well:

http://www.fogodechao.com/index.htm

On top of the mouthwatering seasoned meats on giant skewers, Fogo de Chão has the best pão de queijo I've had (Brazilian rolls of bread blended with cheese). For an appetizer, we received calabresa (sausage) and chicken hearts. I thought even smelling the chicken hearts was brave enough.

After dinner I talk to my friend from Buenos Aires, Chris, about how I haven't been to the beach here yet. He informs me that there are pesky biting ants at many beaches, but if you take vitamin B-12 (or some B vitamin) there's a detectable scent that repels them. He bought the "vitamin" from the drugstore, which I wanted to take until I read the package. Among its multiple ingredients is stomach mucus. Don't think that would make the menu at Fogo de Chão.

I Did Not Take These Beautiful Photos

Eric Nomura, brother of the lovely Mari Nomura, took these photographs in Brazil a few weeks ago. I don't know what Eric does for a living but he might want to consider switching careers...

A fort on Morro de Sao Paulo, an island off the coast of Salvador

The stunning Iguaçu Falls in the South

I would never have gotten that close!

I am tourist - hear me roar!

I don't think this needs a caption

Is that Mari's butt?

Tiny hummingbird

World-Class Customer Service

The other day I tasted such scrumptious, moist banana cake at the hotel that I was determined to get the recipe. I asked trusty Luciano at reception if they were willing to divulge their culinary secrets. Apparently they are. He promised to bring it to my room, and sure enough, there was an envelope on the round glass dining table when I returned home.

Inside the envelope I found a typed recipe with a handwritten message. It said he's sure with my Portuguese skills I could read everything, but if I have any doubts (people in Portuguese confuse the word 'doubts' with 'questions') he would be happy to help. The speed and personal touch demonstrated excellent customer service. But Luciano went above and beyond, adding an extra element that was unexpected. He snuck in a pin with the hotel logo. Actually it looks more like a family shield. Now, I don't normally wear pins, in fact the last time I wore one I was about...well, actually I don't think I've ever worn one. I didn't even know pins were still in production. Will I wear one advertising a particular hotel? That's besides the point. It's a free gift - how fabulous! I shall treasure it always.

It's this kind of customer service that keep people coming back and referring your business to others. Bravo!

As I strolled along the street to check out the shops, I went inside a cheap jeans store. There I stumbled upon another item I didn't know was still being manufactured: jean vests. I thought about whether this could be the current style, whether I'd seen anyone wearing a jean vest since I'd arrived. To my comfort, the answer was no.

The women's style right now is 80s revival, complete with black stretch pants and screaming bright pink tops. Also, an alarming number of shirts in all stores have English phrases written on them. It's not hard to find the teen-targeted tees that say thing like "You're the one I've been waiting for" or "Stop looking at my breasts." Some are idiotic, some slutty, and some are clearly sold only to people who can't read English.

In this same jeans store, a young saleswoman had a different customer service approach than Luciano. Her method was to make fun of and slightly insult the customer. She asked what size I am, and said something I couldn't understand while patting her butt and laughing. It all became clear when she brought back two pairs of jeans, both sporting a giant tag that read 'Maxi Buum.' I didn't even ask if buum with two u's is even bigger than regular bum. I like the hotel pin better.

False Friends

"False friends are words that may sound similar in two or more languages but in actuality mean different things."
-Wikipedia

Here some English-Portuguese falsies:

• largo - wide, not large
• longe - far, not long
• novela - soap opera, not novel
• propaganda - advertising, not political propaganda
• receipt – recibo, not receita
• estúpido - rude, not stupid
  
• puxe – pull, not push (this was the worst, resulting in many temporary door wars)

Dire Need Of A Chiropractor

Yesterday was a proud day. I completed 16 full laps in the heated pool. Breaststroke counts as swimming, right? Sure; legs and arms are moving consistently in water. This may have been the most swimming I've done in 15 years.

I thought I was using the correct form. They taught me in swim school when I was 6 to scrape the giant bowl of cookie dough and then bring it towards your mouth. I scraped! A huge bowl! And my legs moved like a frog's in between the scrapes. What am I missing?

Everything was fine until this morning when I couldn't move my neck in any direction more than 1 inch. It's 7 pm and I still have to turn my entire body around to look at people. I had no idea breaststroke was such a dangerous activity! Next time I'll just do butterfly.

Art and Music at MASP

Yesterday I headed to the city's most famous museum, MASP (Museo de Arte de São Paulo). I knew none of the locals would be as interested, so I made the excursion solo. There is something wonderful about seeing art alone, as if you can have a deeper, more meaningful experience with each piece. On the other hand, I do like going with other people, so I can ask what their favorite in each room was.

My favorites of this collection were Renoir's "Menina Com as Espigas" for the color palette, and Lady Callcott Graham's "Panorama De Baia De Guanabara" for the unique panoramic design. The Italian section of art was a little unnerving as I found myself surrounded by what seemed like way too many Virgin Marys, Baby Jesuses and Christs on the cross. It was like a carnival fun house mirrors with a religious twist.

I couldn't read a lot of the descriptions, but I did quickly figure out that "retrato" is "portrait" and "nu" is "nude." The Darwin exhibit had just ended and the new exhibit wasn't up yet. Surprisingly, this left just one floor of art.

As I was leaving the museum, I stumbled up on a concert that was going to start in two minutes. The program said something about violão, which I know to be guitar, so I bought tickets and took the last front row seat. I was in for an unexpected treat.

The concert featured the Duo Siqeira Lima, two classical guitarists playing simultaneously. The program had a hefty artist biography which I was able to catch bits and pieces of. The last paragraph read:

"O que principalmente nos envolve é sua sonoridade clara e objetiva, como um brilhante, perfeito em todas as faces. On sentido musical, com toda sua flexibilidade interpretiva, possui um acabamento perfeito e é trabalhado com todas suas nuances colorísticas, mostrando um completo conhecimento do instrumento e de suas reais possibilidades."

This basically translated to "they rock!" It's beautiful enough to hear one amazing guitarist, but two side by side is a whole new level of depth. They seem to take you through he entire range of emotion, from joy to jealousy, anxiety to admiration.

And the most engaging part for me was that one of them was a woman. To see a female perform on guitar with such incredible skill is rare. Bonnie Raitt is up there, and I have a soft spot for French model-turned-singer (yeah, I said model) Carla Bruni. But in rock music, you learn some chords and repeat. Sheryl Crow and Jewel come to mind. In a related category of women, Ruyter Suys said Courtney Love "uses her guitar as a necklace not as an instrument."

From my perspective, classical guitar takes much more talent as it has a vastly more complicated composition. I was mesmerized by Uruguay-born Cecilia and the insane speed and dexterity of her fingers as they danced with every section of the strings.

Like jazz, there were no words to distract from the music, so your mind could focus on the instrument sounds. You can also easily wander into your own thoughts. You are in control of what the songs say, what they're about.

I was also happy to discover that I'm not the only one who confuses "Good morning," "good afternoon" and "good night." Fernando Lima said "Boa tarde" and then corrected himself with "Boa noite." Everyone laughed so I must have missed something with the language barrier, as usual.

The audience excitedly gave multiple standing ovations. I did my best to ignore the cheesy photo on the back of their CD where they stare happily at one another, his arm around her, and made my first Brazilian music purchase.

Battle of the Taxi Drivers

All the taxi drivers are part of a three-month competition to see who's the best. They just don't know it. And they can't just win by being safe, speedy and friendly. To be at the top, they need to stand out. The current standings are:

Last place: The guy that didn't give me the correct change and jipped me $6.00. Bad karma to him. Wait, does wishing him bad karma bring me bad karma?

Second to last place: The old, catatonic cabbie I had tonight, who I think drove us to the border of Bolivia before we made it to Sushi Isao in the Liberdade district.

First runner-up: The chivalrous man who got out of the car to hold my backpack while I got in, and then again when I got out.

First place: The only cab driver who asked if I needed a receipt before I requested one. She is also the only female driver I've had.

First Meal in the New Hotel

My first dinner in the hotel restaurant was just shy of 11:00, so I asked for a good, light recommendation and I quickly ordered it as they were about the close. The meal arrived on a plate about 20 inches in diameter, with a massive mound of fettucine smothered in cream sauce and a steak the size of a bag of popped popcorn. Good Lord, what does this woman suggest for people who are starved?

Goodbye Evil Treadmill, You Shall Live a Miserable & Lonely Life

I've written before about the viciousness of the treadmills at The Address Cidade Jardim Hotel. My last experience confirmed their capacity for evil. As I was chugging along, minding my own business, the emergency stop jumped off the magnetic circle, trying to propel me forward and injure multiple body parts at once. Fortunately, I was able to stop quicker than the machine expected. Ha! Five minutes later it attacked again, sucking the life out of my i-shuffle battery just as NIN’s “Closer” came on. Then I was pissed.

But I had the last laugh, because I switched hotels and now the treadmills have no company at all. I didn’t change solely because of my rocky relationship with the exercise equipment. There were building-wide problems of slow drains, insufficient insulation, consistently decreasing water pressure, and hideous toilet noises. I also thought it would be great to have a stove for home-cooked meals and freezer for ice cream and pizza.

And so, with the company’s consent, I transferred myself and my belongings (including the 4 tiny packets of salt that the old hotel charged me for) to the Gran Estanconfor Itaim. The hotel is much larger, and better located in the midst of more shopping, restaurants and bars. There is a heated lap pool, two TVs even in the one-bedroom apartment, and real hangers instead of the two-piece kind.

I've already used the treadmill and so far she's very kind. Life at home is good.

Hot Date

Luana and I did meet up again - at a bar with about 10 of her co-workers. At the end, we got our bill with a free round of drinks. Certain places will do this for large groups if the tab is high enough and you ask.

Then, on Tuesday, I went to her house, where we ordered pizza and listened to different kinds of Brazilian music. I haven't figured out yet which groups, styles or songs I prefer, but I liked what I heard. Interesting tidbit: Portuguese does not have an equivalent translation for "song" - it's just "music."

She also made brigadeiro, a traditional Brazilian candy made from chocolate and condensed milk. It's typically topped with chocolate sprinkles or coconut flakes. Talk about tasty.

We planned to hang out again this weekend, which would be our third date, so I guess you could say it's getting pretty serious...

Happy Hour at Cachaça University

For Luciano's birthday, a group from work went to the bar Cachaça University. Somehow, the birthday boy is the only one I didn't get a photo of. Geez, Luciano, you must have been in the bathroom for a while...

Bibiana's impressions of everyone were spot on. She's in the back of the first photo, resembling a moose. Supposedly I say "muito divertido" ("very fun") in a peppy voice all the time. But then, she does all American voices in a Valley Girl voice.

Henrique

Raquel, Rodrigo, and Jason, our special visitor

Thomas, Laura (left) and Luciano's wife (right)

Me, Felipe, Beth and Lidiane

Beth's name is the only one I hate to say in Portuguese. It's pronounced "Betch." Too close for comfort, especially for such a gentle personality.

Formal vs. Casual Communication

I came into work the other day and over my papaya and granola breakfast, excitedly shared the latest lesson I learned from my Portuguese workbook. I explained how I could use the shortened version of "it" and "them." For instance:

Quando Paulo pega nas filhos de escola? (When does Paulo pick up the kids from school?)
O Paulo nos pega à tarde. (He picks them up in the afternoon.)

As soon as the words come out of my mouth, Franqui says "yeah, we don't really say that. It's very formal."

What? All my efforts the night before down the drain!

In fact, a lot of spoken Portuguese is much more casual than the written, taught language. There are verbal shortcuts for everything. Portuguese speakers are either very efficient, lazy, rebellious, or all three.

Kissing Behavior

The men are much more aggressive when you go out in Brazil. They'll grab your arm or your waist just to get your attention. If you're really lucky, you'll get a winner like I did who grabs your arm tighter if you try to pull away towards the bathroom. Really makes you want to go out with the guy. You can also expect the guy to come on strong and quick for a kiss. A conversation may go like this:
"Can I kiss you?"
"No thanks."
"Why not?"
"Because I just met you."
"That was an hour ago."
"Exactly."
"C'mon...You should experience a Brazilian kiss."
"One day maybe I will."
"Why not with me now?"
"Well, I don't remember your name..."

Don't they realize they're decreasing their chances even more as they speak?

The good news is that it's not hard to start conversations, and there's plenty of opportunities for an ego boost when you need it.

On the other hand, there's the other kind of kiss which you do all the time - the beside-the-cheek kiss when you say hello or goodbye. This practice is by no means limited to Brazil, but America was out of the loop on that one, and it's a shame. It's such a warm and friendly way to greet people. Basically what you're doing is matching your actions to your words. you're not saying "good seeing you," you're showing it.

The number of kisses depends on the region. For example, São Paulo natives give one kiss, Rio natives give two.

A Couple Good Bars

For local bars, there seems to be a theme emerging - people dancing downstairs, and people watching them from upstairs. This was the case at Pucci, where we went for Katia's birthday, as well as Kiaora. Both are great spots. Pucci had more dance/electronic music, and Kiaora had a live rock cover band. It's funny to hear so much American music when you go out. Somtimes they'll throw in something older, too. I wouldn't expect a dance club to play a song off August & Everything After by Counting Crows, but it's refreshing to hear something so different.

Gimp

Someone was telling me about a website, or band, or something, and wrote it on a post-it for me. The name was just one word. But now I can't remember what it was for, so I just have a post-it that says "Gimp" placed in my office cube wall.

One Sport You Can Do & One You Can't

The first time Phil & I played tennis, I was a little rusty. I hadn't played in three months. The final score was The Dark Side 7, The Force 3. Last Friday we played again, and I was out for revenge.

Our ball boy helped keep score so they'd be no disputes. Of course, as he didn't speak English, he only told Phil the score, so for all I know Phil could have ignored him. Someone was always watching from beside the court or above from the restaurant, and at one point we had an audience large enough to make me nervous. I didn't do phenomenally, but much better than the last time. We were at an even 5 games each, and it came down to deuce. In the end, Phil took the game to win the set. But we're moving in the right direction, so next time, he better watch out.

The exercise that I really want to do now is snowboarding. The past few days have been very cold, and classical conditioning makes me long for some fresh powder I can sink my Salomon Maiden into. I could travel to Bariloche in Argentina or Portillo in Chile, but there's no worthwhile ski resorts in Brazil. The good news is that if I don't make it to the slopes during this trip, Tahoe will be white with inviting glory soon after I return.

Kidnapped!

No, not me. My friend João, a few years ago. He's the only person I know who's been kidnapped, although many co-workers have been robbed, sometimes at gunpoint.

It was 3 a.m. and he was driving in his Mom's expensive car, sporting a nice suit because he'd come from a friend's formal party. At a red light, two guys reached through the rolled down windows, opened the door and ordered him to the backseat. They demanded all his money, but they chose the wrong guy at the wrong time.

João's wallet consisted of two reais (about $1.00) and two bus tickets worth 75 cents each. His credit card wasn't on him. They actually pocketed the 2 reais and bus tickets (did they end up using them?) and asked for access to his bank account. He said he only had 80 reais - around 45 dollars - in the account. The thieves wouldn't accept that a guy that was dressed so well and driving a fancy car could have such a meager balance. They also couldn't believe that João didn't have a cell phone - for God's sake, this was 2003.

They threatened to beat him up if he didn't give everything he had, so he offered his quality leather shoes. "Those aren't even nice!" one of them laughed. They wanted tennis shoes, which are expensive in Brazil. Instead, they stole his watch, a cheap Swatch one that replaced the nice one he lost.

But this treasure combined with João's H&M jacket didn't satisfy them enough to let him go. So finally, he pulled out a bank card from a secret pouch in his wallet. They drove to the ATM, but it was an unsuccessful venture. In this country, you can't withdraw money from an ATM between 10 pm and 6am.

The situation frustrated the two guys more with every minute. They argued the entire time, which was a good sign, and created somewhat of a comedy routine. João refers to them as "Smartie" and "Dumbass." When Dumbass looked through a group of photos in the glove compartment, Smartie said, "Stop that. Those aren't yours."

Things went from bad to worse when they put João in the trunk. It was then that he got scared. He laid on some bricks and just waited. The thought of this makes my stomach turn with fear. I can't imagine being trapped in a car, with no one knowing where I am, and no idea of when or even if I would ever get out.

But eventually the trunk opened, and the men released him. The whole event lasted one hour. Strangely, they didn't take the car. Smartie actually helped João close his door before he drove away.

Moral of the story: If you're in Brazil, drive a crappy car.

Whoops

Bravery with speaking a foreign language leads to a lot of mistakes. Here are just some phrases that I've butchered:

Meant to say: I gave everyone in the office a nickname. (Eu dei um apelido para todo mundo no escritório)
Actually said: I gave everyone in the office a last name. (Eu dei um sobrenome para todo mundo no escritório)

Meant to say: I'm excited! (Estou animada!)
Actually said: I'm horny! (Estou excitada!)

Meant to say: It depends on the accent. (Depende do sotaque)
Actually said: It depends on the ankle sock. (Depende do soquete)

Meant to say: You are mature. (Você é madura)
Actually said: You are marinated. (Você é maturada)
"Mature" in Portuguese translated to ripe, so I don't know which is worse...

Meant to say: Do you have a car? (Você tem carro?)
Actually said: Do you have leather? (Você tem couro?)

Meant to say: I would kill you. (Vou te matar)
Actually said: I would die. (Vou morrer)

Meant to say: It's great because it doesn't have any preservatives. (E ótimo porque não tem salvaguardas).
Actually said: It's great because it doesn't have any condoms. (E ótimo porque não tem preservativos).

When looking for a conference room with Ricardo...
Meant to say: Where's the meeting room? (Onde fica a sala de reuniões?)
Actually said: Where's the bedroom? (Onde fica o quarto?)

And those are just the ones I'm aware of!

The Japanese Festival

The 10th annual Japanese festival on Sunday was enormous, part indoors and part outdoors. You could enjoy food booths with yakisoba, mochi, sushi and sake, stations for learning how to create origami and Japanese writing, shopping for fans, jewelry, and more, massage tables, art exhibits and a flower sculpture garden. But get there early! There are more people attending this event than there are at the Superbowl.

Share the Love

PDAs are widespread in this culture. Not palm pilots. Public displays of affection, like we used to say in 6th grade.

While it's clearly better to see love and affection shared instead of violence and hate, there's a dark side called being single. Don't get me wrong - singledom is lovely. You have complete freedom, you can flirt with anyone you want, you get to hang out with your friends and family more, you have the dignity of not settling, and you don't have to deal with anyone's crap or bad moods.

But when you're in the midst of all types of people making out in public, all the time, it will start to remind you of your singleness. And when you're trying to have a serious conversation with your friend in the restaurant booth but the couple right behind him are nearly horizontal, it's distracting. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The interesting thing is that dancing at clubs in the U.S. is considered much racier than in Brazil. There are close dances, but grinding to hip-hop is not one of them.

Three Things You Do Differently When You Travel

When you travel, your lifestyle can change in slight or drastic ways, beyond what you experience. I'm talking about preference changes, internal changes, changes in you. There's two things that I do drastically different here:

1) Sleep. Or rather, not sleep. Here it's physically impossible for me to go to bed at a decent hour. When I finally lay my head on the pillow, it takes twice as long as normal to fall asleep, and I've never had insomnia before.

2) Eat. I swear being in a foreign country makes you hungrier. My hypothesis for why this occurs isn't fully developed, but I think it has something to do with the different choices in front of your face, constantly calling your name to experiment and enjoy while you can. The funny thing is, people tend to eat when they're bored. You'd expect that while living in a new place, you're more excited, occupied, and less apt to eat as an activity. But not me. And I'm not exercising more than I'm used to. Maybe I caught a fierce indigenous tapeworm. I bet the little Brazilian critter is naturally tan.

And I don't just eat more food, I eat different foods. For example, normally I'm not a chocolate person. Strangely, since I've settled in, I haven't been able to get enough. I buy bars of chocolate at the grocery store, and the hot chocolate from the coffee machine in the office is my best friend.

I also loosened my personal regulations on food. I have qualms with any meat that's been put into a grinder and spit back out. You never know what's in there. Without going into any detail, you can use your imagination. I dub this "sketchy meat." So no hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, pot stickers, chicken nuggets, and definitely no Spam. As a foreigner in a new land, I've abandoned that rule, due to a combination of convenience, concern for politeness, desire to experiment and a feeling that this is like vacation, and on vacation the rules are out the window.

3) Watch TV. In San Francisco, I own a TV, but I don't even get the basic channels. I just watch TV for movies. Here, I veg out whenever I'm in the hotel. It's more interesting, because there's always either subtitles or dubbing to serve as education. I've become a TV freak. I have to say, On The Lot - the reality show about the directors - is captivating.

The quality of the shows I watch here is also questionable. Right now there's a Jason Priestley B-movie in the background. The other day I watched Seed of Chucky. The entire thing. And somehow I feel like it's more acceptable here to watch bad TV. I'm so far from home and I don't know what to watch. So basically being here is a giant excuse for watching anything I normally wouldn't. But I refuse to step down to the level of the local soap operas ("novelas"). There are some things I just won't do.

Is Brazilian Food Healthier?

Many Brazilians think American food is crap, but I find it no more unhealthy than the food here. It's true, many Americans are fat and eat mostly burgers & fries. But these people are mostly in the midwest. On the coasts, there is such a wonderful variety of different types of food, and many people prefer the healthier options - especially on the West coast. In Brazil, a quarter of the food is fried (like strips of polenta, which I admit is much more tasty than regular polenta).

And then there's the artificial factor. There's some stuff that's just not as natural. Take Zero-Cal, which lies on every table at the hotel restaurant during breakfast. I know enough Portuguese now that I was able to generally translate the label. It's a sugar substitute in clear liquid form. It looked to be quite the cancer-causing agent in all its nutra-sweet glory. And it's common. I suppose for someone diabetic it's a viable option, but when I think of everyone replacing natural sugar, salt, toppings or sauces with Zero-Cal, I start to lose my appetite.

However, I doubt that many Americans would jump for yogurt that was oat or wheat flavored. I'd like to see an ad agency try to make that one sounds delicious. Aveia is a grain that's very common as a yogurt flavor here. And it's good.

Current Events & Brand New Sports

By now, every nation should have heard about the plane crash in São Paulo that happened on Tuesday. A TAM airplane skidded along a resurfaced runway in heavy rain and crashed into a building across the street. About 200 people died. Although the Congonhas airport is actually very close to our office, I don't know anyone who knew anyone involved in the tragedy. At the soccer game the following day, there was a full minute of silence in remembrance of the event and people affected.

On a lighter note, something else is the newspaper is the Pan-American games. The 16-day professional sports competition is making Rio an even more popular and crowded spot than usual. When did trampoline gymnastics come into existence? Handball has been interesting to watch as I've never seen it before. It's a cross between basketball and soccer, but seems easier than both. This combination of activities got me thinking about my own idea for a new professional sport.

It's a mix of running and singing. I could call it ringing, or sunning. No, sunning sounds too lazy. Regardless of the name, I think it could really take off. Maybe become an Olympic sport. The winner is based on two factors - time and the voice recording during the entire race. The less it sounds like huffing & puffing the better, so clearly lung capacity is a factor. Quality of the cover is one component of the voice portion. If you can do something like "Blackbird" by Sarah McLachlan or Galactic's "Tenderness" which is better than the original while pounding through a half marathon, that's major points.

It was a gorgeous Saturday in São Paulo...

I went for a jog in the lush, beautiful Ibirapuera Park with Bibiana, Helio and Helio's wife Risa. We ran around the lagoon as I admired the trees studded with bright orange and cherry-blossom pink flowers. Afterwards, we replenished our systems at a nearby cafe that had this awesome yogurt blended with oranges and strawberries and tasty pao de quexio (balls of cheese bread), a Brazilian staple.

The rest of the day Bibiana (a.k.a . Bibi) and I got our nails done at the salon, watched "The Painted Veil" at the cinema, and found children's books in Portuguese at a Borders-style bookstore. I walked out with 3 winners: Bibi Corta O Cabelo (perfect because Bibiana did just that hours ealier), Esop's Fables (with an activity booklet!), and "Barbie Conhece o Brasil." The final piece of literature is multi-beneficial - language, geographic and local culture education in one.

When I was searching for the children's section of the store, I accidentally asked an employee where the books for little boys are. Oh well. He got the picture. And it wasn't as bad as Bibiana's English mistake in the subway. "Smells like semen," she said, which immediately puzzled me. It took some clarification before I realized she was trying to say "smells like cement."

I Meet Someone Unexpectedly

A couple nights ago I met someone awesome outside of work and we exchanged phone numbers.

It just so happens that this person is a girl. Her name is Luana and she speaks English very well because she used to live in Florida, selling snacks at DisneyWorld. Her job now at a local ad agency is slightly more prestigious, where co-workers dress as human beings instead of anthropomorphic animals.

I was struggling alone at the Pizza Rodízio place, trying to say "I didn't order that" when the server brought by a pizza. She stepped in to explain that at the rodízio you pay one price and they bring a variety to every table. It's all-you-can-eat pizza, which sounds grossly filling, but the pizzas are very thin so you can try many different kinds and not feel stuffed. And the dessert pizzas are included! Luana helped me order, then we chatted on and off and decided to go out sometime. I know she's not into women because she mentioned that we'd find some nice guys. Hot date with Luana hopefully to come...

My First Live Soccer Game!

Last night Ricardo & I went to a live game, where the beloved São Paulo fútbol team played the evil Flumenese Football Club from Rio. Unfortunately, we lost 0-1. I'm convinced it was because I didn't have a team jersey.

The stadium looks pretty empty because it started at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night...plus everyone was sitting in our warmer, protected section. The fans were crazy, as expected, but one guy truly scared me. Every time I tried to take a picture of his tantrums he'd stop. All I could get was this one...
And here's me, happy even after our loss. I'm confident that all I need is that jersey and we'll crush them next time!

Avenida Paulista

Avenida Paulista is a long, 8-lane street and a great walk that passes through multiple neighborhoods. While it boasts the city's major financial institutions, there's plenty of shopping, movie theaters, bookstores, bars and restaurants to check out, too. The strip contains the Museum of Arte of São Paulo (MASP), as well as Feira do Bixiga, a Sunday flea market. But don't expect any signs to help you out as you stroll. You just have to sense where everything is.

Peeps in the Office

To everyone's great pleasure, I brought my camera to work today. Here's a glimpse of the fabulous people on the 5th floor.





Bibiana: "The Sweetheart"

Thomas: "The Optimization Workhorse"

Laura: "The Topper"

Felipe (Felipinho): "The Feliz"

Katia: "The Fashionable"

Leticia: "The Training Machine"
and Helio: "The Spare-Time Tool Creator"

Fausto: "The Photogenic"

Ricardo: "The Playful"

Anna: "The Helper"

Franqui: "The Calm One"

Beth: "The Corinthians Favorite Girl"

Lidiane: "The Language Teacher"

Phil: "The Ladies Man"

João: "The Sociable"