Floods in Brazil

I just wanted to let everyone know that the floods in Brazil are not near where I live. They are in Santa Catarina state, which is a really nice state that shares the beaches and the mountains. It is very sad all of the flooding and reminds me of the floods we had in the midwest in 2008. 

Keep all the people who are suffering in your thoughts!

Um abraco,

Mollie

Doces da Natal - Baking Christmas Cookies

Today I hosted a "doces da natal" or sweet things of Christmas. I invited some Americans and  Brazilian girls over to my house and made some traditional holiday cookies. Each person brought some cookies or a recipe and we made it at my house. There were about 12 or 13 of us! It was so cool to exchange cultures and sweets! It was really hot! About 85 degrees! I played some of my favorite Christmas music and decorated with my holiday decor. 

It was so neat to share a little bit of American culture with the Brazilians. I made sugar cookies and we decorated them. They only saw the cookies in movies and it was so neat to see how excited they were to see these cookies for real!!! 

Here are some photos!

Um abraco.....Mollie

Brazil in Spring...When It's Thanksgiving in the US

Ola from Brazil!

Right now it is late spring our primavera here in Brazil. It is becoming warm. For example, the past 5 days have been around 85 degrees! Hot enough for pool weather!! I have air conditioning in my bedroom, but not the rest of the house. I am probably going to buy a few ceiling fans and have those installed before the weekend, since the forecast is for 90 degree weather! YIKES!!! There are also a lot of bugs...mosquitos and other bugs that I cannot even recognize. Somehow, they all manage to find their way into my house. So far, I haven't had anything too freaky....

This week is Thanksgiving. But, it's not a Brazilian holiday since it's an American holiday. Even though I work for an American company. It doesn't matter! The only good thing about working on Thursday and Friday is that I won't get any emails from colleagues in the US! Ha, ha. 

To celebrate Thanksgiving, I am hosting a traditional Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at my house on Sunday for all the American ex-pats. With babies, there are approximately 13 of us!  We made up a menu of foods we like and foods we can find ingredients for here in Brazil. We won't be having any cranberries, but I managed to import a can of pumpkin pie filling! MMM.....It should be fun and I am VERY thankful to have such a wonderful support network here in Brazil and abroad. THANK YOU FRIENDS AND FAMILY!! I love you!!!

So, right now I miss the following:

-Talking with people about their Thanksgiving plans

-My friends - The Girls, Russ/Deb, Hogues, Vonda & the Silvis girls, Keith, Yudith, Julie Ann, Krystal, ...and many more

-My family...the holidays just aren't the same without your family, like Grandmas & funny Uncle Jim (not that I actually have an uncle Jim)

-Looking forward to 4 days off work! :-(

-All the post Thanksgiving sales!!!!!! 

But, I will be ok and I'll be seeing my family soon at Christmas. For now, I'll have to share Thanksgiving with some new friends/family and try to create a little bit of America here in Brazil. 

Lots of love....Um abraco!

Mollie

A Few Pics from Japan with my Aunt Jean

Me at a tea ceremony. I am sitting on the floor. 

Gold leaf shrine in Kyoto.  Lovely!

Japanese schoolgirls in uniform. 

Women in South Korean Market Playing Cards

Traditional Japanese Meal  - SUSHI! SO PRETTY! 

My Aunt & a Geisha Girl

Famous Shrine & Traditional Performance

New Places With Old Names

You know you've been living in a place for a while when there is that place everyone knows, like "Hy-Vee at the Crown Center" or the "old mexican restaurant" but then it becomes a hot, new night club or a library. But, EVERYONE still calls it by a combination of its old name and location. 

I guess I've been living in Horizontina for awhile now because there was this place called a fruiteira that I went to a few times that closed and became a clothing store. A fruiteira is basically like a place that only sells fruits and vegetables, kind of like a farmer's market. I went to this one place that was next to the video rental store and a barber. I went there on like a Wednesday and by Friday, it was closed! How weird!!!

Anyway, there is another place that sells fruits/veggies in town, so now I am going there. I can get awesome mangos, papaya, oranges for juice, fresh peaches, and a variety of other things. It's awesome!!!!! 

Um abraco,

Mollie

Taking A Vacation

Hello!


I am writing this blog from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. I arrived this morning!!


I will be taking a vacation to Japan over the next few weeks. I probably won't be blogging until the end of the month. I am going with my Aunt (sister of my mother) and it should be fun. Then I will be in Moline for a few days for one of my best friend's wedding!


I'm sure you'll have withdrawal from not reading my blog, but I promise to have good stuff when I return!!!


Um abraço,
Mollie

Some Things Are Cheap....And Others Are Not

Today was in interesting day lesson on "how much do things cost in Brazil?". 

A few weeks ago, I had wireless DSL internet installed in my house. I had a cable modem in the US, but that doesn't even exist here. I went to the local "Best Buy" and asked them to set it up for me in my house. They quoted me a price for the modem, router and installation of about R$325 or $171 US dollars. Ok, that's kind of steep, but I'll just do it and be done with it instead of having to find someone in the US to buy that stuff for me and bring it here. 

They installed it about 2 weeks ago, but I hadn't paid yet. Totally normal here in Horizontina to buy something and pay...whenever.  I went to the store to pay today after my Portuguese class because they are only open until 6 pm and I can rarely leave work at that time. I went in and guess what??? The price was R$492, or at today's exchange rate $258 US dollars! I guess they quoted me some other modem that is slower, but they brought a fast modem to my house and installed that one. Fine, I decided, I'll just pay it. UGH!! 

Then tonight I went and got my nails done (manicure). She painted them and even did a cute decoration on them. That only cost me R$8...or about $4.50! 

So, I guess it all evens out in the end....

Um abraco,

Mollie