Cultural Differences

Conversation had today with a colleague (Brazilian):
Him: “Mollie, do you mind if I turn the lights on?” (During lunch they turn off some of the lights in our office to save energy…or people sleep AT THEIR DESK.)
Me: “No, please turn them on.” (I HATE that they turn the lights off….)
Him: “Oh, I thought maybe you wanted to….what’s that word in English….sonecka?”
Me: “Oh, you mean a NAP”?
Him: “Yes, I thought maybe you wanted to take a nap.”
Me: “Um, no.” (Like the thought to sleep at my desk EVER would cross my mind!!!!)


The moral of the story: In some cultures, it is appropriate to use your 1 hour lunch break to sleep at your desk. And it’s ok to turn off the lights.


Sometimes, I am just TOO American…

Trip to the Beach...Florianopolis; Viagaem a praia - Floripa!

A few weeks ago I needed to get out of town and to the ocean/beach! Now, the ocean is about 700km or roughly a 8 to 10 hour drive away from Horizontina. It was the end of summer and I wanted to hit one of my favorite places during the low season (temporada baixa). I did a search on Tripadvisor.com for a little pousada or bed/breakfast and found one with a good rate. Checked flights from Porto Alegre to Floripa and found a decent rate. I decided to book it and I did. It was Monday and I was leaving that same Friday...nothing like last minute trips!! I tried to get some friends to go, but no one was as crazy as I was to travel 8 or 10 hours for just 2 days. So, I decided to go alone! No worries...I'm a seasoned traveller.

I hitched a ride with some friends Friday afternoon after work and made it to Porto Alegre around 11 pm. Caught my flight at midnight and was at the beach by 1:30 am! Went to my pousada and the next morning around 10 am, I was on the beach.

Here are some photos of Praia do Santinho and a few other beaches I visited on the island. I really enjoyed my time there to just relax, do what I want and re-charge my batteries.

Abraco,
Mollie

Praia do Santinho

Praia da Mole (sounds like Mollie)

A small hike I took above the beach

Lagoa or lake. The ocean is on one side and the lagoon on the other. 

Carnival in Horizontina

Carnival in Brazil is a very, very big event. The whole country closes down for 4 days. Even shops/restaurants are closed for the big feriado. From Friday until Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), don't expect any work to get done or be able to contact people or businesses by phone. Everyone is on vacation. It's kind of annoying, especially since all of Brazil is on vacation, except for Horizontina. I had to work today, but the rest of the country had a day off. What benefit is there with this ex-pat stuff anyway?!!

Here are some pictures from Carnival (12 Feb) in Horizontina. It's a big street party with some presentations by the different carnival groups (sororities & fraternities). They compete for money on best dance, best costume and best all around. 

    Nedge, Mollie, Cris and Carmen

One of the male carnival groups. They are in skirts.

Katia from my team. She is dressed up like a gladiator and participated in one of the female carnival groups. Her group won first place.

Katia's carnival group getting ready for their performance. Their name is Enkblatas. No idea what it means....

Me and my friend, Cristiano. He's a really great friend!

One of the carnival groups. They had drums, fireworks and a lot of adult beverages....too much, in fact. It was entertaining!!

Brazilian Weddings...Casamentos Brasileiros

I went to my 3rd Brazilian wedding this  past weekend. It was in a town called Sorocaba, which is in Sao Paulo state...only a mere 20 hours by bus --EACH WAY!

My first real friend in Brazil, Marcio, got married to this sweet and kind Brazilian woman. They are moving to the USA soon and I wanted to help them celebrate their special day! Well, not only did I travel 20 hours each way by bus, but I did it with total strangers. Of course, by the end of the trip, they were my new friends, but at the beginning, I didn't know any of them!

First, I almost got on the wrong bus. We were to meet in  front of city hall at 7 pm on Friday night. I arrived at 6:45. There was a bus, so I stood in line to get my name checked off a list. None of the people looked like they were going to a wedding and gearing up for a long bus ride, then I realized the bus was going to Paraguay!!

I saw some people then with pillows, blankets, and big suitcases and I figured that was my group. I went over and introduced myself (in Portuguese remember!) and made some new friends. It was nice to travel with them and they were so kind and friendly! It took us 19 hours by bus to get to Sorocaba and arrived Saturday afternoon there.

It was really pretty to see the countryside between Horizontina (Rio Grande do Sul state) and Sao Paulo state. I crossed into three different states during this trip. In Parana state and Sao Paulo state, there are hundreds of miles of banana plantations! I had never seen so many banana trees in my life! It was spectacular!

The wedding itself was so fun! Brazilian weddings are predictably unpredictable!! They ALWAYS start late and end late! And there is always a lot of food and drink (all free!!). That is about the only predictable part! The rest is always a surprise for me and so different than American weddings. I truly must say that they are a ton of fun and so beautiful!!!

The bus ride home was 21 hours! We ran out of oil in the bus during the trip, drove through some major rainstorms and I listened to almost all the songs on my i-Pod! But, it was an adventure and something I will always remember!!!

Here are photos of the wedding.....

Abraco,
Mollie

Centerpieces

Wedding Cake

Cake topper. She is pedaling and he is holding a Chimmaron!

Let the party begin! New friends!

Me and Enio - One of my first friends in Brazil!         

New friends, Sandra and Liliana - niece & sister of my friend, Enio

Feliz Natal...Merry Christmas

Here are some photos from my family/friend time in San Diego for Christmas. It was so wonderful to see my family and friends....What a great time!!

I had my fill of Starbucks, Mexican food, Shopping malls, big SUV's, and my mom's cookies (yummy...but ate one too many...)! And....got to watch 2 Charger games!!!! Ahh!! Gotta love time with the family and Christmas morning in PJ's, too....

Making our traditional Christmas cookies
My Grandma!

Yummy Spanish wine we enjoyed on Christmas
Note the Charger jersey!!!
Stuffed Spinach & Ricotta Shells - Homemade by me!

Back on Red/White/Blue Soil!

I landed about 1 hour ago back in good ol' USA!!! I am so happy to be here, even if it is Houston (ok, sorry to my Houston friends)! The airport is so big, organized and I bounded off the airplane full of happiness! I think the US Customs officer was a little thrown off at my cheeriness at 5:30 in the morning. Thankfully I didn't get sent to secondary inspection. Ha ha.

The airport is full of good smells...coffee, fried foods, and other smells that are "American" smells. I have the final leg of my journey shortly to San Diego! I cannot wait to land and see my family and my city...and enjoy those smells and moments.

Um GRANDE abraco!
Mollie

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, summer is in full force here. It's getting warm, the days are longer with sunlight until almost 9 pm, the  swimming pool opened, and, of course, I am fighting the never ending Battle of the Baratas. What is a barata you ask?? Well, it's a cockroach. Yup, a big, black, cockroach.

Because Horizontina is in the countryside and surrounded by a lot of forested area, you cannot avoid these buggers (no pun intended). They started showing up, uninvited, about 3 weeks ago. One here.....one there....so I got angry and put out these Roach Motels. They also have had some encounters with my Havaiana flip flop and let me tell you - I have a mean flip flop WHACK! So far, there has only been one that missed the flip flop flap. However, we had a re-match 2 nights later when I caught him ON TOP of the  Roach Motel. Let's just say, " he checked in, but never checked out".

Now, you might think that I have a dirty house, trash littered about, or something like that. NOPE! I have a nearly spotless house because I have someone who helps me take care of it three times per week. It is just something that you cannot avoid here and EVERY Brazilian has them in their homes in Horizontina. It's gross, but a fact of life here.

Last summer, I was SO freaked out by them and it would physically upset me when I saw them because I was so revolted by them. I found them in my bathroom, my bedroom, the kitchen, the living room. It's not like there are hundreds, but there are 1 to 2 at a time and THAT IS ENOUGH for me. I was fearful of them last year. What a difference a season makes! Now, I see them, RUN for the closest Havaiana and TAKE NO PRISONERS.

I just caught another one scurrying about the floor, a good 6 feet from the Roach Motel. I don't know how to advertise that this casa has NO VACANCIES! Oh well....WHACK! Another one bites the dust....

Um abraco,
Mollie