Thursday, January 27

Back Home

I have been back to Canada for a week now and I have just now gotten over my trip. The Rio-Calgary flight in itself is quite a good flight and the layover in Houston is painless. I did have to go through one of those TSA machines that everyone was up in arms about. I have nothing to hide so bring it on!
As per usual, the press has moved on and stories of the terrible floods in Brazil are no longer front page worthy, here in Canada or in Brazil. The devastation will take years o clean up and cost millions of dollars. Donations can still me made through the Red Cross. One of the areas affected manufactures machinery for car parts for Brazil and is also a big centre for textiles. Even more reason to buy things from Brazil. Lives were lost, lets not let the livelihood of the people be lost....
The weather here has been warm as we are in the midst of a major Chinook (my poor boyfriend suffers from migraines when the Chinook roars through here) and of course the weather in Rio has gotten hotter and sunnier since we came home. 40+C is not fun and nobody can enjoy that heat, so they are i side their air conditioned homes. Here people are stuck inside when it is -30C, so really what is the difference?
I am glad to be back in Canada. Dont get me wrong, I love Brasil, but to live day to day and work, Canada is much better. Brazil is a great place to visit, but to live and work there, it is an exercise in patience and bureaucracy.
I would love to work for a company that is based in Calgary, yet has offices in Rio that I would need to go to once in a while to work. I am job hunting right now!

Saturday, January 15

Floods in Brazil....

With a heavy heart I write this post. Heavy rains have caused major destruction in the mountains outside of Rio de Janeiro. I was just in this area a few weeks ago(see Tropical Alps post)and that same highway has been washed away.

The rain caused the headwaters of the rivers to swell to capacity and mixed with the urban sprawl, caused whole mountainsides to come crashing down. The worst towns affected are Nova Friburgo and Teresopolis.

For those of you in Brazil, the Pao de Acucar supermarket is accepting donations of clothes and bed linens. Also there is an urgent call for blood donations.

For my foreign readers, I ask that you contact your local Red Cross to find out how you can help with donations.

Here is a report from CNN

Sunday, January 9

My Love/Hate Relationship with Brazil

Before I begin, I want to be clear that I am not anti-Brazil, I just want to share the good and the bad in an honest way.
What I love about Brazil:
The weather. Its warm and warmer(at least in Rio de Janeiro)

The fresh fruit and juice. There is nothing more glorious than a truly ripe mango or papaya. The juice bars scattered around the city serving up such delicious juices such as acai, fruta de conde, pineapple juice with mint leaves...the list goes on!!

The warmth of the people. Brazilians are known to be very friendly and hospitable. I will even go as far as to say extremely generous, especially the people who are not rolling in dough. They are also very baby friendly as I witnessed on my outing with Mrs DRL and the Canadoca the other day

The nature. Rio is home to more than 400 climbing routes and Jeep tours drive tourists through the Tijuca National Forest, the largest urban national park in the world. Hangliding from the mountains in San Conrado is a must and should be part of any itinerary in Rio. The beaches are wonderful(if you avoid the weekend crowds). You can sit on your beach chair and have beer and caipirinhas brought right to you, can't do that in Canada!!

The music. I just found out that the best music store in Rio, Modern Sound, has closed its doors, but there are great musicians from Brazil such as Seu Jorge, Rita Ribeiro and Zeca Baleiro who play all over the country.

What I hate about Brazil.
Corruption. I know corruption exists everywhere, but in Brazil it is so in your face. It starts with the police officer trying to shake you down for a 'çase of beer', to the rich kids that literally get away with murder because daddy is buddies with a judge. I hate to see the crooked politicians talking about what they are going to do to change the lifestyle for the people and in the end they have their hands in the pockets of the developers and do nothing for the people. Also the fact that people with a criminal record can run for office!!!. With the World Cup and the Olympics coming soon, I believe that there will be a lot of pocket lining. But when I talk to my Brazilian friends, they are so complacent about this reality. "What can we do?", they say. Uhhh!! Hello!!??? This is a democracy and your taxes are paying their exorbitant salaries, so its your right to see the books!! Seriously!

Food prices. Bananas are more expensive in Rio than they are in Calgary. Explain that one to me please!! Yogurt, cheese, milk..All more expensive than in Canada. Last time I checked, they raise dairy cows here! Restaurants have become insanely expensive!!!

Litter on the streets. This makes me crazy when I am driving and people throw trash out the windows of the bus and their Mercedes Benz! Every summer when it rains, the gutters get clogged with plastic bottles, which cause the streets to flood. There are garbage cans on every corner! The beaches look like a war zone on Sunday evenings after everyone has left and left their garbage on the beach! Oh yes one more thing. If you have a dog, pick up after it and don't take it to the beach. But Carioca's still take their pit bulls and Labradors to the busy beaches, knowing that it is illegal..

The music. Love samba! Hate the funk coming out of the favelas. The lyrics(if you want to call it that) are absolutely degrading to women, calling them dogs etc. and the music is not music, its cause for Motrin Extra strength!! It glorifies violence and gangs and is just an ear sore!!And yes I call a slum a favela, even though it is considered politically incorrect nowadays. It is supposed to be called a ' çommunity in need'.

I hate that my electric bill is through the roof to 'subsidize'the electricity that the 'çommunities in need' use to power their air conditioners 24/7. Also known as 'gatos', electricity is stolen from the electric company.

I hate that there is such a disparity between the haves and the have nots.
Brazilian Soap operas. They helped me learn the language in the beginning when I first moved here, but the messages they send to the general population are wrong. Maids and thieves always seem to be portrayed by black or mullatto actors. They don't show healthy relationships between people. Way too much drama.

Tom Jobim said it best, "New York is great, but it is shitty. Rio de Janeiro is shitty, but its great."

Sunday, January 2

Happy New Year!!

It's been a while since I last posted. Being without an internet connection does make things a bit difficult. Blogging on an iPhone is no fun either..

Well its Day 2 of 2011! Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?

New Year's Eve was wonderful and Saint Peter kept the rain away. It always seems to threaten to rain on New Year's Eve in Rio, but miraculously it didn't.
I went to the beach in Barra and saw the beautiful fireworks that were being shot from the roof of the Windsor Hotel. The show outlasted all of the other fireworks spectacles on that beach. It also helped that we had a space set out for us on the beach with food and champagne. People were in white, which is a tradition in Brazil for New Year's as it symbolizes peace and purity. Lately, people have added silver, gold(to represent money), red(passion) and so on and so on. My maxi dress had all of the above colours so hopefully I will receive lots of money and passion this year.
I would love to have posted some photos but I don't have the USB cable that is specific for my camera...(Grrrrr!!!!)

I was to spend New Year's in Buzios but the weather wasn't cooperating and the town was getting insanely crowded by mid week. If I was staying at Casas Brancas, then yes, the weather would not have been an issue.
Note to all of my followers, AVOID Buzios during Brazilian holidays and long weekends. Two hour traffic jams to get to the centre from Geriba beach, beaches so crowded that you can barely move. Sorry, but this princess is out!!

Rio de Janeiro is actually pleasant for New Year's as everyone has left town. Traffic jams are inexistent. Maybe next year I will do NYE on Copacabana Beach, but this princess needs her infrastructure!!

HAPPY 2011 FOR ALL!!