Daily Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Are you an expat in Rio? It's Survey time!

New posts can be found below, as this will live at the top of the blog until I take down the survey. Expats in Rio - have your say - please take a few minutes to fill out my survey, it will help new expats transition to life in Rio. If you left Rio in the past year, I want your opinion, too.  Click here to access the questions. Thank you!

Speaking of Travel...

Still on the road here...

I will be posting detailed travel reviews of our trip and all of our many destinations when I get back, but in the meantime can I just say how much I love Tripadvisor, and the New York Times' travel section of its site and Globorati?

We ended up booking our trip fairly quickly and used just these sites for information, and every recommendation has been awesome. Restaurants, hotels, you name it. I will definitely be paying it forward by writing detailed reviews on Tripadvisor to benefit other travelers.

Tripadvisor is not always very complete/accurate for travel within Brazil as the number of posts are limited especially for not as well known destinations, so be sure to post about your favorites and not so favorites! For other destinations in South America it seems to be used a lot more, and is therefore much more useful.

New on Ipanema

An internet kiosk on the beach!

Stalker's Paradise

Have you checked out this Google Latitude thing? It is a feature on Google Maps on that can be used with your blackberry or PDA device to share your location with others. We use Google Maps a lot here in Rio on our blackberries and now Mr. DRL and I can also stalk one another on Google Latitude. Also a good tool if you lose your cell phone (assuming no one's nabbed it). Now I can just check my handheld to see where he's stuck in traffic now (assuming he has his with him) and not call him to find out. Which is good because yesterday he received a ticket in the mail for talking on the cell phone while driving!

As much as it is a great tool for families, etc. I don't plan to ask all of my friends to join me on Google Latitude. Seems a bit odd!

Twitter Traffic

Twitter is now the way to check for instant, up to the minute traffic reports in Rio - once on twitter find: cetrio_online

Mr. DRL may not be a facebooker but he might start twittering just for this!

English Speaking Private Schools in Rio

Sending kids to English private school in Rio is NOT CHEAP. Most expats I know who have children include school fees in their compensation packages. See below, it's quite the perk...

Here is the link for the American School http://www.earj.com.br/

Escola Americano Tuition schedule for the upcoming school year:

2009-10 Academic Year

Monthly tuition payments due the 5th  of each month, to be paid in 12 monthly installments:

3 day per week Toddler program:                      R$ 1.585,00
Pre-school half-day:                                            R$ 2.171,00
Pre-school   extended day:                                 R$ 3.193,00
Lower School (Kindergarten to 5th Grade):      R$ 3.942,00
Middle School Fees (Grades 6 – 8):                   R$ 4.281,00
Upper School Fees (Grades 9 – 12):                 R$ 4.873,00

Capital Fee: US$ 6,500.00

The Capital Fee, paid once for every child who is enrolled in 1st grade or above, is used to support investments in technology, facility renovations or other special projects.

Bus fees currently range from R$ 293,00 to R$ 408,00, depending on the route.

Lunch ticket: R$ 11,00 per day or R$10,00 for monthly contracts.

British School: http://www.britishschool.g12.br

2009 Monthly Fees
Pre-Nursery (Part-Time)     R$ 1.963,00
Pre-Nursery (full time) & Nursery     R$ 3.007,00
Reception to Class 4     R$ 2.759,00
Class 5 to Class 11     R$ 3.367.00

Entrance Fees

An Entrance Fee is charged at the time a child enters the school. Entrance Fees contribute to the school’s Development Fund which is maintained strictly for major development projects. Use of this fund is controlled by the Board of Governors. Entrance Fees are as follows:
Entrance Fees
(1st January – 31st December 2009)
First child     R$ 16.747,00
Second child     R$ 10.766,00
Third and subsequent children     R$ 8.374,00

My Guestbook - Part 7 - Would You Come Back?

Part 7 of a series of questions I asked my guests after they left Brazil.
Question 7: Do you plan to return? And if so, what would you like to do in Brazil next time?

My Mom: I am booking for June, (DRL comment: mom has already been back since the survey was made!) will spend lots of time holding the baby, will go to Sugarloaf.

My Bridesmaid & her Boyfriend: We would like to return, but it all depends on timing and the thousand other vacations we would like to take in the next couple of years!

If we came back, we'd like to see Paraty, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and MORE SUN!!  Haha, we just had bad luck.  Apparently it was nice before and after we were there!

My Mother-in-law: Would be nice... We would love to see the heritage buildings in Salvadore, the Amazon River, there are semi-plans to meet at Machu Picu in Peru....who of your readers will grant us an unlimited supply of funds, please?

Engaged Couple Friends: There are lots of amazing-sounding places we'd love to see in Brazil, and the rest of South America . . . I'm sure by the time we hear about the rest of the DRLS' visitors' trips, we'll be wanting to go back to do everything they did!

My Dad: Would love to go back and take (my partner) this time, otherwise I'm sure Uncle will be game again....

My Guestbook - Part 5 - The FOOD!

Part 5 of a series of how my many visitors answered questions to a little "survey" I gave them after their trips to Brazil.

Question 5:

Did you enjoy the food in Brazil?

My Mom: The food was amazing, heavier, and more rich, great desserts.

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: Um YES.  We absolutely loved it.  Porcao was sooo good and both Thai restaurants were awesome.  Fresh fruit smoothies were to be found on every corner too...so tasty.  We also really liked the place in Leblon or Ipanema that DRL took us to for lunch on our second day (when we went shopping - DRL's note: Via Sete). And Koni (a place that just sells sushi cones... so good)!

My Mother-in-law: What's not to enjoy.  Even the buffets at the hotel in Argentina were good.

Engaged Couple Friends: Yes!!!! The fresh fruit was such a treat, and there was tons of seafood and fish. The Brazilian BBQ was very good and really fun. And, I would kill for an agua de coco in Calgary!!

My Dad: Enjoyed the beef, seafood and sushi.  Believe it or not had a great feed of spaghetti, too, but don't tell my Italian wife.

My Guestbook - Part 4 - All about the Brazilians

Question 4 on the DRL visitor survey: What was your impression of the Brazilian people?

My Mom:  I found the Brazilian people friendly and cooperative with the communication barrier, they like to talk to you whether you could understand them or not.

My Bridesmaid & Her Boyfriend: I found some to be very friendly and really try to communicate with us even with the language barrier, but others didn't want to even try to understand us.  We had really nice cab drivers the whole time though! That was a relief.

My Mother-in-law: Certainly noticed the difference in driving habits between the hired drivers and taxi drivers!  And now that Mr. DRL drives like a Brazilian, new shocks are needed for his vehicle!  Something to do with flying off speed bumps....

Engaged Couple Friends: It was hard to get an impression, because of the language difference. They certainly don't go out of their way to communicate with you. It really is true that they have absolutely no self-consciousness when it comes to their beach-wear! That speaks a little to the overall bravado of the people. But, the people in the stores and the vendors on the beach for the most part weren't pushy, while I had expected they would be for some reason.

My Dad: I feel sorry for the poor, lots of poverty.  They were not overly courteous on the streets, cutting you off, etc.

Babymoon part II

I had promised to write up my stay in Florianopolis/Santa Caterina awhile back, finally I am getting to it!

First of all, I would just like to say that if you have a week to do a sidetrip from Rio, I highly recommend this Buenos Aires/Florianopolis combo that we did. We felt as though we'd "travelled" ie) explored a new city, and "vacationed" - relaxing in Floripa, all in one week.  A full week of doing either would be "too much" in my opinion, so this was fantastic.

I was a bit confused when we started booking our trip - were we going to Florianopolis, Santa Caterina, or Floripa? All three... SC is the state, Florianopolis is the main city on the island, Floripa is the nickname. I had at some point made notes to visit all three - recommended by different people - so it was nice to kill three birds with one stone ;)

We flew into Florianopolis at night, and really did not experience any of the city as we immediately headed out to our Pousada. It was about a R$100 cab ride from the airport.  In hindsight, renting a car from the airport would have been a better option for us, but I will get to that later...

We stayed at the Pousada da Vigia on the north end of the island.  We were absolutely THRILLED with the service we received there, and with our accomodations. They were sooo great. Even let me order off the kids menu :)

In our room.

We enjoyed our resort SO MUCH. It was small, just 10 rooms, a governor's mansion converted into a hotel. Below is the view from our room.

The restaurant was overlooking the ocean and we enjoyed all of our dinners there listening to chill music (a lot of Sade) and the crash of the waves.   How could you help but relax?

We spent many afternoons on this patio (above) listening to the waves, reading, playing scrabble, enjoying lunch...

The water was so peaceful, clear and calm - great for floating.

Each day at 12:30, the peace and tranquility of Lagoinha beach, where we were staying, was temporarily disrupted by "the pirate boat" - which we figured was either inhabited by 

a) the severely, permanently intoxicated or 

b) actual pirates threatening passengers to "walk the plank" if they didn't keep up with their dance moves, or 

c) a hypnotist show. 

Either way, those pirates had everyone moving!

 On Saturday we decided to venture out and do a scuba/snorkel tour of Arvoredo Island,  a nature reserve located off the north coast of the island of Santa Caterina.  Obviously Mr. DRL did the diving, I stuck to snorkeling.  I was a bit nervous about him diving as it had been 2 years since his last dive but was very relieved when one of the dive masters spoke perfect English.  All he really needed was a 5 minute refresher but as we often say, there are certain things where you can't afford to have misunderstandings with language barriers! It was muito tranquilo.

The boat ride out to the island was about an hour.

After the scuba trip we spent some time "in town" at Canasvieiras beach, but quickly realized we were not missing much back at our isolated little spot... but enjoyed lunch there nevertheless.

It seemed we parked right in front of the beach's "geriatric" ward... looked around for the senior's center but couldn't see it:
  A storm seemed to be rolling in but it blew over quickly. Made for some great shots though!

After lunch, we embarked on another adventure that is deserving of another separate blog post. I am not yet sure how that story ends though as I am still dealing with some of the repurcussions today, so I will save it (nothing too bad just a company we were dealing with, etc.). I don't want to ruin the tranquility of this post so I will keep it separate.

We enjoyed every moment in Florianopolis, we realize we did not see much of what the island is all about, being up in our little isolated corner, but for our purposes we didn't mind. We read, spent time together, named our baby, walked the beach, swam, ate, and soaked up every moment. It was the most relaxing few days we'd had in quite a while!

Organic Produce Delivered in Rio

I have not used this service for organic grocery delivery myself, but have seen the trucks around lately - Sitio-Moinho - click here to be directed to the web site, which looks quite good. I think I will have to try this out...

DRL's Pregnancy Guide: Food - Part 3

Rio has been a wonderful place to be pregnant. Plenty of places to walk and swim, and I've been over the legal benefits and general bow-down attitude towards the "gestantes"... it's been great.

It's also been a optimum place to have a healthy pregnancy - here are a few Rio treats that have contributed to my well-being, if you are prego, pay attention.

1) ACAI. Of course. Nutrient-dense, refreshing, high in antioxidants, fiber and protein. Also, did you know that eating acai helps your body absorb omega fatty acids?

2) COCONUT WATER. Refreshing when you are dehydrated, comforting when nauseous... and incredibly beneficial if you suffer from swelling.

3) PICANHA. Let's face it, many pregnant women suffer from low iron.  Eat red meat with something rich in Vitamin C to absorb more iron.

4) YOGGI. Frozen yogurt was definitely a favorite treat...

5) FRUIT JUICES. When you can't drink anything more "fun" it sure is nice to be drinking the best juice ever (and watching it be made right in front of your eyes) - available in more flavours than you will find time to try.

Closer to the end of pregnancy I heard about the benefits of the following items:

6) PINEAPPLE and EGGPLANT. Both plentiful and delicious here, in fact I have never eaten so much eggplant as I have since living here in Rio - it is often featured as appetizers/couverts in restaurants. According to a number of sources on the internet, eating these two items can help bring on labour...

7) WATERMELON. Seems to be amazing year-round. I read recently that Halle Berry swore by eating it after she gave birth, as it helped her shed excess water retained. I mean, she was Halle Berry to start with, but I figure this is worth a shot.

Why We Were Late for the Wedding

Alternate title: why you should always make your exits while driving in Brazil. (Well, to be fair, anywhere, but this was quite an extreme case and it happened in Brazil, so...)

The wedding we attended recently was held in a community we were unfamiliar with, north of Barra. As Mr. DRL had enjoyed a glass of wine when we went out for a quick pre-wedding salad & appetizer, and Rio has a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving, I drove. He is also a much better navigator than me, so this worked well. Well, for me anyway.

As is often the case, the turnoff we were supposed to take was not as clearly marked as we expected, and so we missed it. We immediately realized it and looked for a "returno" - of course there were none in sight. We soon approached a tunnel, and realized it was 2 km long. At this point Mr. DRL was getting agitated as he was the navigator. I was still finding the situation quite funny (yes, partially because for once it was not my fault!).  We came to the end of the tunnel and still there was no returno. But there was a toll booth.  Which we of course had to go through. Twice. (Once on the way through, then again on the way back once we had finally located a returno...)

Again, to reiterate - catching your exit can be VERY important! Especially if you want to avoid hitting a long tunnel and toll booth twice!!! Both times unnecessarily...

Don't forget your JAMMIES

I thought I had done a pretty good job of bringing everything I'd need for my baby's arrival that would be difficult to find here/expensive from North America. But I must have morphed into a mom from the second I got pregnant, as the baby has more sleepers than it will probably get the opportunity to wear, whereas I realized I was lacking in the "PJ's to bring to the hospital" department.  (i.e. camera-okay, good coverage, yet possible to nurse in).

So I went shopping. Brazilians must not be big on the pajama thing as the pickings are slim, and expensive. Being the fantastic deal finder that I am, I did finally manage to find a couple of semi-cute, reasonable things, but it was very time consuming. Most women's pajamas that I found in Rio were about R$150, which is about US$75.  Just not quite what I am used to paying, especially for something that I don't feel is good quality. 

I also have been unable to locate nursing tank tops. Oh the poor men who read this blog...

So don't forget to pack your jammies, kids! You don't want to buy any here!

Temperature Regulation

Since moving to Brazil, finding ways to regulate my temperature/the temperature in my apartment has been a bit tricky. Being from Canada we're used to setting the thermostat at a reasonable temperature for the 8 or so months of winter, cracking a window after losing a layer if it gets too warm, turning on the gas fireplace after adding a layer if it is too cold.   Easy peasy.

Here there are no thermostats for our AC units which are dispersed throughout the apartment, which we manually turn on and off, we deal with humidity, it's pretty much a crapshoot as to how long to run each one to get that perfect temperature. Not that I know what exactly that temperature is, and it would be different based on who you asked, at out place, being that I am pregnant, which has completely changed my sense of temperature (Mr. DRL froze last night under layers of covers while I was comfy under just a sheet, directly in front of the AC. His exact comment this morning was that clearly I am ready to "return to Canada and sleep outside with the bears any time now"... very funny).

One more quick point to make before I move onto the actual point of this temperature related post - something that really surprised me: cooling an apartment in Brazil = much more expensive than heating a house in Canada. Just sayin' - we have had some UGLY electrical bills. Yes, I realize having air conditioning is a privilege. But believe me this blog might have a very different "slant" if I hadn't had AC over the past few months...       

Okay so here is my point - this baby I keep talking about (who will make an appearance in a couple more weeks according to the radiologist this morning, and already weighs over 7 lbs!) will also need a regular temperature.  Not overheating or over ACing my baby is a major concern. We do have a portable dehumidifier that we plan to run in the baby's room from time to time (this has been recommended to prevent mold), and there is an AC unit in the room as well. But how will we know if it is too warm or too cool for what the baby would prefer? I was starting to really wonder... do we put a thermometer in the baby's room? How will we check it if it's dark in there? Then I find out room temperature is connected to SIDS! Yikes!

Enter this great invention - the Growbag egg and sleep system.  The egg is a digital thermometer nightlight that turns different colors in different temperatures.  If it's yellow, you are in the safe zone. It turns more blue or red if it is too cool or warm. Click here for more info.

There are also a wide variety of clothing options that keep babies cool in heat, etc. Thank goodness!

Reading Rio's News in English

The Gringo Times is one way to read news about Rio in English. They even have an RSS feed you can set up (also available for this site, folks!)...

I also read online news in Portuguese but then usually take advantage of Google Translate on my toolbar to make sense of it all.  Helps a lot!

Dengue Fever in Brazil

Just as a sidenote, most of my guests who have visited travel doctors back home were advised to get Yellow Fever vaccinations to visit Rio, something that is NOT actually required!

It's Dengue season again - Expat American Living in Brazil has a travel alert/update on the situation - check it out here.

Luckily Rio is not yet affected.  Thank goodness for me because pregnant women's oxygen-rich blood is apparently a magnet for mosquitoes!

Consolidating Telephones... every expat's dream.

A number of American friends use Vonage to talk to people back home. It allows them to have a US number, so that friends and family can dial a local number and get them here in RIo.  Great concept!

Skype has a similar service where you can pay an annual rate to have a phone number based in one of 20 countries (Skype currently offers this system in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Romania, UK, Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, the US, Chile, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Poland and Switzerland). Unfortunately for us, as you may have noticed, Canada is not on the list. Click here for more details.

Despite the fact that we don't have a "skype number" - we still use skype a lot to talk to people back home. I must say it's great to see the faces of our loved ones, though we do experience a high number of dropped calls with Skype. We also have a landline here. And now, three cell phones between the two of us. Neither of us has bothered to learn to setup our voicemail box on our cells since we've been here. We also still have a phone line in our house in Canada, granted my sister uses it. Since it's still somewhat connected to us, I do have an email alert set up for the voicemail box, I receive an MP3 of each one. Come on, really, how many does one person need?

Enter Google Voice, which was unveiled last week.

What does Google Voice do?

• unifies your phone numbers (you can have just one number for the rest of your life!)
• transcribes voice mail messages
• blocks telemarketers
• eliminates need to check multiple answering machines (home, cell, office, etc.)
• allows you to organize text messages like emails
• Saves you money:
  
  • cheap international calls
  • free conference calling

No word on when it will be available to the masses but I am willing to bet that the expats will be early adopters of this new technology!

Some Books to Consider

These books were a Christmas gift from some good friends and they have sure come in handy! 

The first is a guide to restaurants in Rio.  Danusia Barbara Guia 2009 - can be purchased at Livraria da Travessa or Senac, among other places.

The second is a guide to Hotels & Restaurants throughout Brasil. Circuito Elegante - comes in very handy for Baby Moon Planning (haha much better than a travel agent - see post from yesterday!)

 

Watching TV Online While Living Abroad

Can be tricky...
my trick is using iTunes.

But a lot of people are frustrated about not being able to use sites like ABC.com and FOX.com or NHL games on CBC or TSN.... to watch shows online when using an IP address outside of the US or Canada.  Also there are a lot of Canadians who would like to be able to watch the shows on US networks who are unable.

Solution?  Use this! UltraSurf blocks your IP address, so you can use these sites and watch your shows from anywhere in the world.  Note: we have not figured out a way to make this work with my mac, as it works only with Explorer, which is not ideal for viewing video, and I don't have on my mac.  But it works great with PC's!

On Travelling to Brazil

Canadian site Canoe.com published a report on some of Brazil's hot spots such as Santa Catarina (...where I think we are now going on our "baby moon" after a stop in Buenos Aires), Salvador, etc. Check it out here!

In airlines news...
US Airways wants to start flying to Brazil - check it out here.  They currently do not fly to any South American destinations.  We like more options. Options are good.

No word on whether Continental has gotten the green flag to extend its direct Rio-Houston/Houston-Rio route it currently operates a couple of days per week.  It really does make a huge difference in my opinion, not having to stop in Sao Paulo.  They would like to extend it, beginning June 1.

Speaking of Continental, in December my husband was flying through Houston, when a snowstorm hit, then was sitting on a plane for more than 4 hours befire the flight was finally cancelled... lovely!  Here's some redemption - Continental now has a new policy that allows passengers to get off a plane that has been grounded for more than 3 hours...  Still not a great situation but then at least you have an alternative!

Anyway!
If you are looking for some smoking deals to get yourself down to Brazil, there are many to be had... check out Kayak.com.  My alert this morning gave me the following deals (flights to Rio):

Like from ...

Miami: $673+     Feb 22 - Mar 25
Toronto: $833+   Mar 15 - 21
London: $724+   Feb 23 - Mar 16
Seattle: $838+   Mar 31 - Apr 14
NYC:     $755+    Apr 7 - 14
Houston $785     Deals to be had in March, April, May & June
LA:        $724+    Mar 14 - 28
Vancouver: $763+   Deals to be had in Feb, March & April
Calgary: $767+    Mar 7 - 18 - Deals in April as well!

The LIST

So I've put up a first edition of "The LIST" - the good, the bad & the ugly - what is expensive in Rio, what is hard to find, what is impossible to find? Brought to you by a group of Rio's expat wives - thanks for the collaboration, ladies! If anyone has items to add, please drop me a line!

Acquisitions

My husband and I spent the weekend getting reacquainted after almost 4 months straight of visitors.  It was nice.  On Sunday we went out to Barra to pick up a few things and have lunch.  We hit a couple of new stores we hadn't been to before, including Etna (located across from Via Parque) and Casa e Construcao (located @ Via Parque).

Anyway, this is a bit of a follow up to some previous posts... especially the SCREEN post - yes indeed I did find little screen kits. At Casa e Construcao...  I'm not saying they're pretty, but in the event of a dengue outbreak, I'll be glad we have them! Our visitors have been giving me a hard time since September about getting a stepladder for our kitchen. We have very very tall cupboards and I've been standing on rickety stools to reach the top shelves. I know, I know....

We also looked for a dehumidifier but had no luck! I'll check out the allergy shop in Leblon and see what they have...

Splendid Splendia

I've been using this site Splendia to find hotel rooms for my guests and for myself over Christmas. It features unique, boutique style "Luxury and Character hotels" from all over the world and is a central bookings system.  The rates are also quite good!!!!

What I like best about it is that the site only uses a selection of pre-screened hotels, and it allows you to enter in your dates and where you'd like to go and then it shows you what is available.

A word of warning : if you are booking in a hurry, skip the destinations that only allow you to send an "inquiry" to the hotel rather than ones which allow you to book immediately.  In my experience this saves you a lot of run around.

There are a good selection of hotels in Rio & Buzios on the site - check it out!  I highly recommend booking this way for people who don't speak Portuguese as it is possible to do it all in English.

Speaking of Activities...

Something my dad has asked about doing (he plans to visit next month) is going FISHING in Rio.  On the way home, Continental's in-flight magazine featured a piece about fishing in Rio - did you know that there is a great "fish to angler" ratio here and more than 200 species of fish? The article mentioned this web site, of a local guide: waderson.com which has boat tours for fishing, etc.

Mail

I frequently mention how many things in Brazil seem to be either black or white, without a "medium" setting, no middle of the road option.  Mail is no exception.

The other day, I went to mail a card to a friend back home and would like to send it quasi-express.  In Canada we have about 4 different express type options, ranging from overnighting to a 2-3 day option, with an accompanying price range.  Not in Brazil.  My options were regular mail for R$1.50 or about a week-ish for $R50.00.  That's it.   No R$15-ish option?  Nope.

I have found that there is not a lot of consistency in how long mail takes to reach North America either, we have had luck with postcards & letters reaching home in under 2 weeks and also experienced it taking more than a month... so who knows how well the "express" option would really work anyway.

Needless to say I did not express it, next time in that situation I think I'd just fedex, not sure what the rates are on that but I will look into it...

Voting

Elections galore - here in Rio the municipal elections are taking place, so now Rio's streets are crammed with billboards with photos of candidates, their names, professions, slogans and ID numbers... yes ID numbers. Riogringa wrote about this topic as well recently - each candidate has a number which voters must memorize when they go to the polls.  My guess is that the purpose of this extra loophole is to make voting accessible to the illiterate?  But this is just my good faith that every bit of red tape in Brazil has its purpose and begins with good intentions...

The tactics candidates use to garner attention here are questionable, in my opinion.  It is not uncommon to see trucks drive down the beaches with photos of candidates across the side of them blasting speeches being made by the candidates scratchily. In other words, annoying.  Would you vote for someone who annoys you before they are even in office? 

In Brazil, people actually vote.  I know! (In Canada this is definitely not the case.  Voter turnout in the most recent election was just under 65%.  Sad.) In Brazil, eligible voters must vote or else they stand to lose privileges such as access to passports.  As much as this seems controlling I think it's better than a 65% voter turnout. From the info I found one the net the rate is similar in the US as well.

Back home we are also faced with elections in Canada & the US.  One thing I don't think most Americans realize is how closely the rest of the world watches their elections. I am watching both the Canadian & American campaigns with interest (but admit the American campaign interests me more. Especially the past week or so.  Have you seen this letter that was written by someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992? interesting to say the least.)

I am not the only Canadian who finds the US elections intriguing - facebook statuses of Canadian friends are frequently comments about the US election, and a running joke amongst friends of mine is that we remind each other that sadly no matter how closely we follow the American political situation (closer than some Americans do, surely), we still don't get a vote...

I expect the Canadian election to get interesting for me at about the same time as the new season of the Rick Mercer Report kicks off (he is Canada's answer to Jon Stewart). I don't think the show is slated to start until the end of September which is convenient timing for Harper to call the election... I don't think Mercer is much of a fan of his.

In Canada, tomorrow Prime Minister Harper is expected to call an election, to take place October 14th.

If you are a Canadian living overseas and wish to vote in the expected upcoming federal election, click on this link.

If you are an American living abroad, Gwyneth Paltrow among others from www.votefromabroad.org
have a message for you - that you can vote, (and that they will be voting for Obama), in this video which features a shoutout to Canada (and that it is in fact NOT part of the US) and Rio de Janeiro, where one of the featured will be voting from.

Click here to watch the video.

Cost of Living Comparisons

Here is a tool from one of my readers for calculating the differences in cost of living while abroad: http://www.xpatulator.com/ in case you are interested...

Magazines & Volun-tourism

Oh how I have missed English magazines. Yes they are available in Brazil ,if you have nothing better to spend R$30 on!  So I don't buy them often in Brazil. 

One of the magazines I purchased recently featured a fantastic spread on volun-tourism, where "do good while having a good time" abroad. There are a variety of causes to support including the environment, children's issues, health & wellness, etc.

For more information check out these links:
www.elevatedestinations.com
www.globeaware.org
www.universalgiving.org
www.voluntourism.org

Jobs in Brazil?

Just found this job posting online for a Senior Relationship Manager to be located in Brazil...

Tide Info

In case you are curious about information about when the tides are high/low in Rio, check it out here.

Flights to Brazil

Hooray it looks like we must be getting some better flights soon!! (Currently there are not any direct flights to and from Rio - they all have Sao Paulo stopovers).

While most carriers around the world are decreasing flight schedules and routes with rising fuel prices, there will be an "up to 50% increase" in passenger flights between the US and Brazil, thanks to a new air services agreement, to meet increasing demands. 

The previous agreement only allowed only four airlines (from the US: American, Delta, United, Sao Paulo) from each country to operate these routes - now, which will now no longer be applicable. The agreement can also increase the number of weekly flights between the two countries from 105 to 154 by Oct. 2010.

Cultural Crossings

Check out Cultural Crossing - a site dedicated to building cross cultural community and understanding.  Sections on everything from how to greet others in a foreign culture to how to negotiate.

Another Tool for Learning Brazilian Portuguese

Can you tell I've been stalking some other "Brazil Blogs" and those of other foreigners living abroad? This handy dandy blog is kept by a fellow named Adam who has taken up residence in Brazil , and has some amazing tips on learning Brazilian Portugese - here is the link to an excellent post on tricky words and verbs in Portuguese.  FYI there are several versions of verbs such as think, live, change, invite, know, spoil, etc..... this post helps!

Gringoes.com

A site I used frequently when researching Brazil and our big move was Gringoes - chock full of information directly from two key sources: expats who have moved to Brazil, and Brazilians themselves.  Content is updated frequently and is colorful and honest.  Features "Ask a Brazilian" which covers everything from exposed electrical wires in showers to the function of the police in Brazil to why Halls candies are consumed in Brazil.  Another favorite for me is the section where they feature the experiences of foreigners moving here. 

Worth a look!

Currently Reading...

a fantastic book.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking into doing a stint as an expat slash foreigner working abroad.  It's called "As the Romans Do" by Alan Epstein, it's about an American family who relocates to Rome.  I haven't been to Rome but after reading this book (well, two thirds of it so far, to be accurate), I am struck by the number of similarities to Rio.  Such as the cafe culture, the way laundry is done, children are treated, meals are eaten, meetings are held...  So, basically I think it would be a good read for someone moving here!  Or for anyone for that matter, as it is very well written.

Cheap Flights to Brazil!

Coming to Rio?

From Miami:

$683+	Aug 2008	18 Aug - 10 Sep	search
$675+	Sep 2008	17 Sep - 1 Oct	search
$683+	Oct 2008	27 Oct - 3 Nov	search
$675+	Nov 2008	22 - 28 Nov	search

From Toronto:

$1065+	Sep 2008	2 - 16 Sep	search
$1085+	Oct 2008	20 - 27 Oct	search

From London:

$1075+	Sep 2008	9 - 30 Sep	search
$1075+	Oct 2008	1 - 9 Oct	search
$1078+	Nov 2008	22 Nov - 5 Dec	search

From Seattle:

$1082+	Aug 2008	11 - 18 Aug	search
$1113+	Sep 2008	12 - 21 Sep	search
$1075+	Oct 2008	14 Oct - 12 Nov	search
$1066+	Nov 2008	5 Nov - 4 Feb	search

From New York:

$667+	Aug 2008	24 Aug - 24 Sep	search
$675+	Sep 2008	30 Sep - 17 Dec	search
$667+	Oct 2008	5 - 19 Oct	search
$667+	Nov 2008	9 - 13 Nov	search

From LA:

$859+	Feb 2009	16 - 24 Feb	search
$899+	Mar 2009	9 - 17 Mar	search

From Vancouver:

$1083+

Aug 2008

18 - 24 Aug

search

Asian Food Anyone?

Finding specific groceries and cooking ingredients in Rio de Janeiro can be difficult at times.  In fact, the way I cook has completely changed since arriving here.  In some ways we eat much healthier, with the amazing fresh fruit and vegetables available.

I had pretty much given up on the idea of making my own thai here - which at home I make quite frequently - but then I heard about Mercearia Mei-Jo Ltda, which is a grocery store in Flamengo (Praia de Botafogo) specializing in Asian foods.  If you are looking for Thai, Japanese or Chinese food ingredients here in Rio, this is the place to go! Hooray!!

Rua Marques de Abrantes, 219.   Telephone: 2551-3051

No Mofo's in Brazil

I would just like to let you all know that my home is mofo - free, you won't find any here, thanks to these little devices, the Anti Mofo.  Love the name.  Can't you tell?

Basically these are little dehumidifier things that you can stick in drawers, cupboards, etc. where moisture collects.

The Moment

I often write about how being in Rio reminds a person that the moment at hand is all that really matters.
Whether you are in Rio, or anywhere, I think it's important to be reminded of this - and to start your day off right no matter where you are.

I subscribe to this email service called "Insight of the Day" from Awareness Strategies - it's free and helps me start my day off on the "right foot" - for an example here is today's Insight of the Day:

"Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment."
Sidney Poitier

From "Gringoes"

Gringoes is a site I used quite frequently before moving here - it has a ton of firsthand info from people who have moved here themselves.  Today I noticed an article geared towards the finance industry - suggesting those who have lost their wall street jobs could consider moving to Sao Paulo... click here for the article.

Ants Begone

Handy dandy little tip from the Canarioca... ANT BLOCKS - made by kaplas, Formigastop, producto extraordinaire, available at Multicoisas, which by the way is a GEM of a little store with locations all over Brazil, for all the little things a house needs. 

I bought two and have scarcely seen an ant since.  I like the idea of using something other than chemicals in my house to keep the bugs away.

As a side note my mother just about had a heart attack when I told her about the windows-welded-open-but-we-don't-have-screens situation and she claims she will bring me some screens when she visits next winter...

The Things That Don't Change

Having been here almost three months, my husband and I often marvel at how much we have changed since we arrived.  We have learned so much! We have grown much closer.  Back home we were the type of couple who "does their own thing" a lot, we have always looked at it in a positive way, allowing one another the freedom to take advantage of opportunities that come up.  So over the years we've been together, we have frequently been apart, sometimes for months at a time.  Also, our social lives were often separate as my husband's work schedule is insane, and I am not one to sit at home and wait for him to come home!

Here, it's been different.  Without an existing network of friends & family, we rely on one another more than ever.  Even for getting little things done around the house, I frequently phone him as his assistant is involved with our house setup as well.  So our lives are integrated in a way they never have been before.  We each have far less independence from one another, but in our case it is probably a good thing being that we were so overly independent before.  I think for some people - depending on the relationship- this situation could probably be stifling.

When embarking on this "whole new life" in Brazil we thought a lot about things in our lives that we wanted to change once we arrived.  Moving can be a good time to rid ourselves of bad habits, but without a plan and conscious effort, it just doesn't happen. We convince ourselves that we are leaving any unpleasantness in our lives behind by moving, and this is simply not true.  We have exactly the same amount of power over any unpleasantness no matter where we are, it just depends on how we choose to handle it.  (Although a break from some unpleasant individuals is always welcomed and kind of just magically happens when you move to Brazil!)

Even though our surroundings have changed and therefore changed us to some degree, we still need to work hard to break big bad habits...

Case in point:

• My husband still works way too much
• I still don't work out as much as I'd like to (but would it ever be enough?)
• The "moment of clarity" in terms of what my purpose is career-wise just hasn't quite happened yet...
• Despite that my sense of gratitude is more developed than ever, I still find myself complaining and obsessing about things that do not really matter...
• If you think that moving away to a foreign country will make people back home who did not appreciate you before appreciate you more, well, I hope you have another reason for moving than just that one because otherwise you might be very disappointed.

I have no idea if this topic (what changes and what doesn't) is covered within it, but there is a book to prepare you and your relationship for the process of moving, it's called A Moveable Marriage, and although I have not read it myself (I found out about it after me and my marriage moved), it comes highly recommended.

   

Moving is stressful, I think tools are helpful.

Furniture Shopping in Rio de Janeiro

Buying furniture for your home in Rio can be a real run-around if you don't know where to go. 
Fortunately for you, I just went through this all and am happy to share some of my favorite finds and best bets.  I plan on launching a full page on this topic along with full reviews of stores, but in the meantime here is a starting point for you.

Barra is probably the best place to start, where you will find:

Casa Shopping
Higher-end stuff, great restaurants and a bunch of ideas. Located very close to Barra Shopping. Some stores with less expensive furnishings include Celine and Guimar.

Casa Show
Located on the main drag in Barra, less high-end stuff, more "down to business" but a lot of stuff overall.

Wal-Mart
Not great for furniture but there are cleaning supplies, kitchen stuff, BBQ supplies, etc.

Leroy Merlin
All the hardware/garden stuff you could want.  Located beside Casa Shopping. Leroy Merlin, Avenida Ayrton Senna, 2000, Barra, 3987-7100

Rio Design and Barra Gardens also have stores with home stuff, not so much furniture as decorative.  There is also a Rio Design in Leblon.

Copacabana
I was pleasantly surprised at how many great spots there were in Copacabana.  Mostly along Barata Ribeiro, check out stores such as Adorno (70) and a bunch of bed shops, further down there are a couple of antique places too.
Along Nosso Senhora de Copacabana also find Mosaic.

Tok & Stok
Located in Botafogo, Copacabana and Barra, good for all those little household things you will need...

Centro
Although they are few and far between, I was able to find two great furniture stores in Centro, one is called Studio Carioca and it is located about two blocks from Avenida Rio Branco on Buenos Aires. I am still trying to track the other one down so I can return there, and will include it on the "page" when I get it together.

Jardim Botanico
Fernando Jaeger is a beautiful store.  If you don't speak Portuguese, there is a lovely girl named Milena who works there who speaks perfect English.
Although it is all custom stuff, it is really not that expensive. There is also a neat little home accessory store around the corner. (It's on a one-way, just turn right and it's right there).

Curtains, etc.
I am still looking for a few "ready-made" curtains as I can't justify doing custom ones throughout a home we won't live in for long.  There are some great spots in Leblon, however, try Art & Pano on the main drag in Leblon. If anyone knows where I can buy some great ready-made curtains let me know.

Cost of furnishings:
We managed to furnish an about-200-square-meter apartment (about 2,000 square feet) for about $25,000 US.  So we were budgeting pretty hard but I am pretty happy with how it's looking (photos coming soon).

Portuguese 101 in the furniture department:

Furniture: Moveis
Delivery: Integra
Window: Janela
Bed: Cama
Couch/Sofa: Sofa
Chair: Cadeira
Closet: Armarios
Plate: Prato
Pillow: Almofada or Travessero
Curtains: Cortina

Cheap Flights to Brazil!

Coming to Rio?

From LA:

$859+	Sep 2008	27 Sep - 4 Oct	search
$986+	Oct 2008	7 - 21 Oct	search
$942+	Nov 2008	24 Nov - 5 Dec	search
$859+	Dec 2008	2 - 11 Dec	search
$859+	Jan 2009	22 Jan - 7 Feb	search
$859+	Feb 2009	17 - 25 Feb	search

From NYC:

$683+	Aug 2008	29 Aug - 7 Sep	search
$675+	Sep 2008	11 - 15 Sep	search
$667+	Oct 2008	26 Oct - 3 Nov	search
$675+	Nov 2008	28 Nov - 6 Dec	search

From Seattle:

$993+	Sep 2008	12 - 30 Sep	search
$944+	Oct 2008	6 - 21 Oct	search
$969+	Nov 2008	26 - 30 Nov	search
$961+	Dec 2008	3 - 10 Dec	search

From Atlanta:

$894+	Aug 2008	25 Aug - 11 Sep	search
$1068+	Sep 2008	29 Sep - 9 Oct	search
$854+	Oct 2008	28 Oct - 2 Dec	search
$1070+	Nov 2008	26 Nov - 2 Dec	search
$894+	Dec 2008	3 - 9 Dec	search

From Miami:

$675+	Aug 2008	21 - 27 Aug	search
$675+	Sep 2008	17 - 30 Sep	search
$675+	Oct 2008	15 - 26 Oct	search
$675+	Nov 2008	7 - 22 Nov	search

Manners in Brazil

What’s rude at home is apparently a-ok here (and in some cases vice versa)... we've already covered the "a-ok" hand symbol - considered rude here... 

Some of my other observations:

Things considered very rude in Brazil:

• Picking your teeth
• Touching food with your hands at any time
• Getting  "straight to the point" without warm-up chit-chat
• Dirty fingernails
• Eating in places not "designated" for eating
• Not lining up - I can't believe the order in which people line up to get on the BUS! So organized.
  

Things not considered rude in Brazil (in fact you see these things all the time):

• Picking your butt/nose/genatalia (the  Carioca  book calls it "testicular jiggling")
• Spitting on the street (I can’t tell you how many WOMEN I have seen do this, I am talking about little old ladies!)
• "Snortling" (the loud sound people make like sniffing but worse to clear the snot out of the back of their nose. Apparently not rude here)
• Being late
• Not calling if don't plan to show up for an appointment
• Frequent, long, public displays of affection
• Being direct when receiving services - even just how things are phrased - "I want" instead of "could I please have" etc.
• Not cleaning up after animals... if you catch my drift
  

Business/Cultural Differences and "Good to Know's"

• Avoid wearing green & yellow together as it's the color of the Brazilian flag?
• Purple flowers are used for funerals, so be careful in giving them as gifts
• Greetings (hello's and goodbye's) are much more lively

Other Differences:

• People are much "touchier" here, personal space does not really exist.  People stand very close to you on the street, when speaking to you, and are much more likely to touch your arm or back in conversation than in North America
• Friends and family are priority one.  I think we North Americans can learn from this!

Any additions in the comments section are appreciated as always!

 

 

Book: "How to Be A Carioca"

How to be a Carioca

I just picked this one up at the suggestion of a few of my classmates at the Portuguese school I'm attending.  It seems like the guide I wish I'd found before moving here!  Everything from beach etiquette to definitions which will make arrival in Rio go more smoothly. Cute with funny illustrations.  I found it to be a bit critical of the food in Rio though - there are some amazing restaurants here. (I really need to update that section of the site I am falling desperately behind!)

Book: "How to Say Anything in Portuguese"

How to Say Anything in Portuguese

Recommended to me by classmates, this book is helpful for the "what to say" and "what not to say" situations that come up, many hints and tricks for social graces.  Interlaced through the book are little stories, examples and explanations of Brazilian culture.  A must for those learning Portuguese.

TV

Until about 2 weeks ago I did not know how to operate our television set here.  Or, rather, I turned it on once, thought we only had 7 channels and didn't bother turning it on again until my husband wanted to watch a movie one night.  Turns out we have quite a few channels, many of them English.  Once in a while, after a long day of struggling to communicate in a foreign language, quick a blast of the tube is just what the doctor ordered. Which is weird for me because I never watch TV at home.

Now in case the few brazilian channels don't have the shows you want to watch, here are a few websites which allow you to watch your favorite shows streaming, online.  Many of them offer movies as well.  Not exactly legal I don't think, but it seems to work!

Where to watch TV shows streaming online for free:

MTV.com (works here in Brazil)
TV Links
SideReel
Surf The Channel
Veoh
FanPop

Holidays in Brazil (Feriados)

Today is a holiday in Rio de Janeiro state.  But not in Sao Paulo apparently... Although I will not make the mistake of trying to drive back to Rio on the last day of a long weekend again, for vacation planning purposes I was happy to get a hold of a calendar of Brazil's statutory holidays, hope this comes in handy for you as well.