7 Tips for Foreigners Visiting Colatina

I'm the type of person that likes to do my research.  During my pregnancy, I read tons of books, blogs, etc. about every aspect of pregnancy, labor, and being a new parent.  Before moving to Brazil, I tried to gather as much information as possible about the region, the culture, and way of life here.  Still, there are many things you can't learn from a book or the Internet; you just have to figure it out for yourself through good, old fashioned experience.  Along those lines, here are 7 Tips for Foreigners Visiting Colatina.

1. Watch your feet. There really aren’t sidewalks here so you’ll be doing a lot of walking in the street.  Potholes and cracks abound.  Some homes and businesses do have sidewalks out front--but beware!--although the ground level may look uniform, it can drop or rise by as much as a foot without warning.  Texting while walking is discouraged for your own safety.

2. Ignore man’s best friend.  Stray dogs and cats are all over the place.  Many have some kind of infirmity that makes them seem extra pitiful and in need of your love and attention.  As hard as it may be, try not to make eye contact, pet them, or [God forbid] give them food, or you will have a new best friend for life following you home.  We saw the saddest kitten on a walk around our neighborhood one day--it was very skinny and had a broken paw.  When we got back to our building, it was waiting outside [we had first seen it a block away from our house and weren’t sure how it knew where we lived].

3. Leave your personal space bubble at home. Brazilians are generally very warm people and greetings/farewells involve handshakes, hugs, and, for women, kisses on both cheeks.  If you don’t like touching other people, either don’t come to Brazil, or pretend you are sick during your visit. 

4. Get ready to eat.  There is a saying, “food is love.”  Well, in Brazil, we love food.  Lunch is typically our largest meal of the day.  There are few excuses for not eating.  My mother-in-law will prod lovingly until I go in for seconds.

5. There will be meat.  Hand in hand with the last tip, be prepared for meat aplenty.  I’m sure there are Brazilian vegetarians and vegans, but I don’t know any.  Barbecues, or churrascos, are meat-centric events complete with steak, sausage, and sometimes even chicken hearts [a delicacy].

6. Limit action to early morning or early evening.  It doesn’t take long for the sun to heat up the ground and all the buildings.  All the while, it’s beating down from above.  If you want to get in a run or even a leisurely stroll, best to do it first thing when you wake up or after the sun goes down.  Otherwise you’re at risk for drowning in your own sweat.

7. Pack a sweatshirt.  I was shocked the first time the temperature dipped low enough for me to feel cold.  I’m from New England where we take pride in our ability to survive arctic winters and snow up to your knees.  No way did I think I’d ever have goosebumps in this country.  Sure you’re in shorts and flip-flops 99.9% of the time.  But once you get used to the 85+ degree temperatures, when the temp dips down to 64, you’ll thank your lucky stars you brought a hoodie, a pair of skinny jeans, and some socks.

All images via Pixabay.

Giving Thanks in Brazil

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays.  I have so many wonderful memories of family celebrations: visiting with aunts, uncles, and cousins, stuffing myself with amazing food, and of course, the pies, people, the pies! I’m so happy that Hubby and I decided to do a mini celebration here in Brazil.  Especially now that we have Little Man, holiday traditions feel even more important to me, and I want us to create our own family traditions that incorporate both American and Brazilian culture.  

We decided to invite Hubby's brothers, sister-in-law, and our friends/neighbors to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with us.  Dinner took place at 7:30 p.m. because, of course, no one here had the day off from work.  Our menu included roast turkey and gravy, green beans, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.  We made everything from scratch and it was delicious--especially Hubby's homemade gravy.  Most of our guests had never had much "American" food before, let alone Thanksgiving fare.  I got to give a mini-vocabulary lesson, teaching them the names of the dishes.

I didn't plan for this to say "American" at the top...

Good friends and good food.

Now, to me, the most important part of Thanksgiving is the pie.  Back home, we had a running joke for many years with my Dad's family, "Is it pie o'clock yet?"  We were always waiting for that magical time the same way some people look forward to five o'clock so they can start drinking. Initially, I thought of making traditional pumpkin pie.  But in order to make one we’d need to buy a bunch of supplies and ingredients that would cost a silly amount of money for a single pie.  So then, I decided to make an traditional and delicious Brazilian dessert with an American/Thanksgiving twist: Pumpkin Pudim de Leite.  Pudim de Leite is a dessert dish made with a Brazilian favorite--condensed milk.  For anyone who has never eaten it before, I would describe it as sort of like flan but less eggy, more of a custardy pudding.  It has the same basic caramel sauce on top, but Pudim de Leite is ridiculously creamy and delicious.  It love making this dish because it is really versatile and it’s easy to experiment with new flavors and additions.  Hubby, for instance, loves coconut, and adds a little coconut extract and powdered coconut to the basic pudim recipe.  

Anyway, I got all the ingredients, found a recipe to base my dish off of, and took pictures of the whole process, step by step, to share with you all.  This is the last photo I took, just as the pudim went into the oven for a nice water bath.

There are no additional pictures because the pudim was an epic, epic fail.  Nearest I can figure, the small amount of pumpkin I added to the recipe created too much moisture and the darn thing just wouldn't firm up all the way.  It was actually really, really delicious, it just looked like crap [literally].  Obviously, I couldn't serve it to my guests.  I was thankful I decided to make it ahead of time so there was still time to make something else.  

This time, I decided to go with something a little more reliable and foolproof.  In the end I made an apple pie, but more of a dutch apple pie.  You can't go wrong with something that's basically made entirely of butter and sugar, if you ask me.  I totally forgot to snap a picture of it before our guests dug in, but here is a photo from and link back to the recipe I used:

Recipe here

My pie came out looking more or less like the recipe photo.  It was really tasty; everyone seemed to like it and some asked to bring extra home with them [always a good sign].  

Of course the holiday made me miss my family and home.  New England got hit with a bit snowstorm the night before Thanksgiving and seeing the photos made me miss the snow and cold [never thought that would be possible].  We ate dinner on our veranda; it was about 80 degrees with a nice refreshing breeze.  I am very thankful for the family and friends who came to our house yesterday and made it a really happy, enjoyable time.

I hope you all had wonderful celebrations too! 

Life Lessons: Gratitude

Image via Pixabay

Leaving the States was by far the most difficult thing I have done in my life thus far [and I birthed a baby, people!]  That being said, being forced out of my comfort zone really has put a lot of things into perspective for me.  Since Thanksgiving is this week, it seems only fitting that I chat with you all about gratitude.

Living in another country, especially one that is still “developing,” is stressful.  I don’t live in Rio which is what I think most people imagine when they first think of Brazil.  Not every person in Brazil is living in a high rise luxury apartment in a sexy beach community.  In fact, most people in Rio aren’t even living that lifestyle.  I blame Hollywood.  Anyway, the city I live in is much smaller.  My neighborhood is predominantly made up of unfinished construction projects.  My city is one of the hottest in the state, a dry, baking heat for the better part of the daylight hours.  It doesn’t look, smell, or feel anything like home.  

After three months here, I am still struggling daily with the differences and often wishing I were home where things make sense to me.  This sometimes gets me feeling down.  In those moments, it is usually my husband who reminds me of all of the things that we have to be grateful for, which helps me to pack away my frustrations at least for a little while.  We are tremendously blessed to have a son who is both extremely happy and 100% healthy.  We have a roof over our heads and food on our table.  We have wonderful family and friends who love and support us.  We have each other.  And that’s really all you need.

When I get stuck inside my head and I’m in a really negative space, I try to start listing the things I am grateful for.  There is less space for the negativity and uncertainty when I fill it up with gratitude.  Even if you aren’t where you want to be this exact moment, professionally, romantically, or even spatially, try to remember all the things you have to be grateful for, and know that when the time is right, the rest will all work itself out too.

Celebrate your successes!

When you are starting from scratch in a brand new place, even the smallest successes can have a huge impact on your confidence and frame of mind.  You can be having a totally awful, overwhelming day, and then you answer correctly when a random person on the street asks you what time it is.  I would like to take some time each week to acknowledge my "gold star" moments, no matter how miniscule.

• Went into the pharmacy on the corner and purchased diapers for Little Man all by myself! Made polite chit chat with the staff.
• Had an awesome time at a barbecue at our friends' house!  Practiced some Portuguese and socialized.

Baby steps people!

Comida [Food]: The Staples

I know a lot of people out there love food as much as I do.  One question I often get is, "What is the food like in Brazil?" In a word, delicious.  If you were not already aware, Brazilians are big fans of carbs.  This has been an adjustment as someone who has been on more than one diet in her lifetime and who came of age during the Atkins craze.  I remember the first time Hubby cooked for me when we started dating.  The menu included steak [I was a vegetarian at the time--oops], rice, beans, pasta, and salad.  I remember thinking, "Wait. Three carbs? In one meal?"  Yes.  Three carbs in one meal.  And this is a regular occurrence here.  I often rationalize this based upon the high protein content of beans.  But before I start raving about and sharing recipes for the specialty foods, desserts, and delicacies of this country, I think it's only proper that I start with the basics.  These are the foundation, the base, the staples, y'all.

1. Rice [arroz] - This is the grand-daddy of Brazilian cuisine.  Whenever it's time for me to prepare a meal, the first thing I do is start water boiling for rice.  Brazilians seem to have a secret technique that gives them individual grains of rice in the end.  I can only seem to make mushier rice that sticks together.  Fortunately, Hubby and I both like mushy rice.  

2. Beans [feijão] - We are a black beans household.  A lot of people here also do pinto beans, but I guess it depends on your region or what your mama made for you when you were growing up.  Back in the States we would usually get beans in the can because it was more convenient.  Buying dried beans is much cheaper and you dodge the BPA chemicals that can be found in the cans, but the preparation process is more involved.  It requires soaking, draining, soaking, and boiling.  Here we use dried beans relatively easily because we have a pressure cooker that cuts the prep time way down, and then you have beans for the entire week.

  

3. Salt [sal] - Salt is a biggie in this country.  When we have people over to eat, I always worry that they are silently judging the blandness of the food.  I use salt, I just don't taken it to the level that many Brazilians do.  I figure people can always add more on top if they like things a little saltier.

4. Salad [salada] - Pictured here are collard greens which are used a lot in cold salads.  Some people serve alface or lettuce, and that's exactly what it is--lettuce and some salt and vinegar.  Hubby and I usually opt for cabbage or dark, leafy greens like collards.  Mix in tomatoes, onions, and green pepper, add some oil, vinegar, and salt, and you've got yourself a simple salad.

5. Garlic [alho] - This ingredient permeates almost every dish made with the exception of sweets.  It's a good thing I'm a garlic lover.

6. Fine corn meal [fubá] - In our region, there is a lot of Italian influence and polenta is a very common side dish.  I use it to bread chicken on occasion, for making cornbread, and for thickening up a stew.

7. Oil [oléo] - Can't forget oil.  It goes in the rice and the beans. It fries meats and plantains. It dresses salads.  The cheapest we see at the grocery store is soybean oil--not my preference, but the almighty dollar wins for now.

8. Pressure cooker [panela de pressão] - This is now one of my favorite kitchen helpers!  It makes beans in a flash, and is great for cooking stews or yucca [a hard potato-like root vegetable].  These things can be dangerous and you need to know how to use them properly.  The first one we bought when we got here had a defective safety valve and beef stew came shooting out the top of the pan all the way up to the ceiling...I think the valve was defective, though I guess it could have been inexperience too...

So there you have it.  The staples of the Brazilian diet [in our region, at least].  Stay tuned for later posts when I share some of the more unique dishes served here in Brazil along with recipes.

Aventuras [Adventures]: Fazenda Clube Marilândia

This past weekend Hubby asked if I wanted to go to his uncle's "club."  I recently adopted a new credo: to say yes more often than I say no.  So we waited for the clouds to clear on Sunday morning, packed up Little Man and all his gear, and headed out to Fazenda Clube Marilândia.  We had never been, so Hubby's cousin rode along with us and served as our GPS.

Hubby and Little Man [who looks relatively unimpressed].

The clube is kind of the equivalent of of a country club in the States.  You have to be a member or know a member to get in.  Members pay a monthly fee and enjoy access to barbecue areas, a soccer field, snack shack, saunas, and a big old pool complete with a water slide.

Barbecue cabanas and trampoline [pula-pula]

Looking across the pool deck

It was a great way to spend the afternoon, laughing with friends and eating delicious grilled steak and pineapple.  Hubby faced off against his cousin in a game of ping-pong and, in my opinion, scored major points for playing while holding an infant.

A little friendly competition

Little Man enjoyed his first time splashing around in the pool with us--he absolutely loved it.  It made me wish we had a bathtub at home that he could splash around in every night.

Splish splash!

Because the day had started out overcast and there were still some threatening clouds in the sky, there were very few people there and it was basically our private club.  There were quite a few people there in our group, so I did more observing and listening than talking.  Following along and chiming in are still very difficult the larger the group is.  Hubby's little cousin takes English in school and she and her friends kept yelling "HELLO!" at me from across the pool.  

All in all, we had a great time.  Little Man had so much fun that he completely zonked out in the car on the way home.  It was nice to get some sunshine, eat good food, and have some social interaction.  I would definitely go back and get my chance to take a zip down the water slide.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

My Story: How Did I Get Here?

I met my husband through mutual friends in May 2009.  He was charming, with a warm smile and dark brown eyes, and offered to buy me my drink of choice [at that time in my life: Malibu and pineapple juice].  We went out on our first date a week later and have been together ever since.  Hubby and I were married in a small ceremony in October 2013 and welcomed our baby boy, Little Man, in February of the following year.

Hubby is a proud Brazilian, and we had talked hypothetically about moving to his home country since we first got together.  After our son was born, our circumstances were such that a temporary [albeit extended] stay in Brazil was possible.  I had already left a job in the legal field when Little Man came along.  Hubby gave his notice at his restaurant job.  We sold, donated, or threw away all of the belongings we had amassed over the course of our five years together and made the hellish trip from the States to Brazil in August 2014.  

I had done lots of research ahead of time on how to handle such a journey with an infant not quite 6 months old.  Fortunately, I was equipped with the ultimate secret weapon: breastfeeding.  We made it through the first domestic flight in the US without incident.  I purposefully booked an overnight flight for the 9 1/2 hour flight to Sao Paulo because Little Man mercifully sleeps well at night, only waking briefly to eat and passing right back out.  Again, we made it through the flight without incident.  [Note: though the baby slept like a rock, I was hit with a wave of intense anxiety about the magnitude of our decision and only slept for maybe 45 minutes the entire flight, and that’s being generous]  Once we arrived in Sao Paulo, more anxiety struck as I was smacked over the head by the experience of being in a country where I didn’t speak the language and had no idea where I was supposed to go or what I was supposed to do.  Luckily, because we had a baby, the airport staff were extremely helpful to us and whisked us through customs despite the fact that we had several boxes full of random odds and ends we had purchased for our home here.  With the exception of the nearest thing I’ve ever had to a legitimate panic attack in my life, I survived the Sao Paulo airport, and we boarded our final flight. 

It was apparent that our luck had run out almost immediately.  Poor Little Man hit the wall as we boarded the final flight and started screaming bloody murder.  It was one of my worst nightmares come to life: baby is screaming in public and even nursing won’t help while strangers stare.  I sobbed too until Little Man finally started nursing and fell asleep for the rest of the one hour flight.  Once we had landed, the other passengers began filing past and almost every single person stopped and said something sweet to Little Man.  

EDIT: I wanted to make it clear that through the entire trip, my wonderful Hubby was right there with his arm around me, holding my hand, and generally taking care of everything that needed to be taken care of.  We got through it together!

So, three months later and I am currently living in southeastern Brazil.  We live in a city, but in this country that is so different from my own, there are chickens roaming the streets and a donkey can be heard braying nearby at all hours of the day and night.  I curse roosters at 3:00 AM for crowing just as I am trying to soundlessly close the door to my son’s room after a late night feeding.  These first three months have been very difficult for me.  Culture shock and the situational depression that can accompany it are real, I can tell you firsthand.  However, I have started this blog so that I will have a place to share my experiences and pay homage to the vibrant beauty of this country. 

As a disclaimer, any comments I make about Brazil in this blog are intended only as observations.  I am not trying to compare Brazil to the United States.  They each have their own positive and negative attributes and neither is better or worse than the other.  

So, to family and friends reading to keep up with our escapades: Hello there! We miss you too!  To random people who have stumbled across this blog in a search for information about life in Brazil: Say hi and leave your comments and questions down below.