Giving Thanks for Being in Brasil

I've lived away from the US during Thanksgiving before, and it's funny how the rest of the world goes on it's way without the hustle/bustle of Thanksgiving...you know what I mean, travel, food, dinner, family, traffic, delayed flights, etc. etc.

I did get a couple of Happy Thanksgiving's from Brasilians, or mostly Ex-Patriots either from the US or Europe. But just in a fleeting way. There's no sentiment around the holiday. None of the emotions that "Thanksgiving" brings to most Americans.

Which makes me think a bit about cultural differences and how they drive our thoughts and actions. I'm sure there are millions of people so happy today in the US, being with family and friends. And on the other hand, there are probably millions of people miserable today...dreading the time with family, the travel, the "conformity" of the holiday. It would be interesting to see how many suicides are committed around this holiday. I mentioned yesterday the woman that was doing the cruise to ESCAPE Thanksgiving and the sad memories it would bring her.

Yet it's all because of a man-made "hoiliday" designed to give thanks for everything. Thankfully, it's about the LAST holiday that hasn't become completely commercialized.

Makes me think how much cultural barriers have been created that limit the human race from really getting to the core of humanity--that is knowing and loving each other, for no other reason than we are "family".

I believe it's a wise and better man/woman that is capable of stepping outside of his "culturally imprinted" thoughts and actions, and look at the world/mankind without the shroud of culture, nationalism, race, religion, sect, class, neighborhood, or clique.

I think the best way to do that is to step outside one's "comfort culture" and experience others as they are, within their world.

Once you do this, the world becomes more simple and understandable. It's easier to see a Brother/Sister, than a stranger, enemy, infidel, threat, liberal/conservative, good-for-nothing or even a cock-eyed son-of-a-buckin'-son-of-a buck :) .

On this day, I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to do that in Brasil.

Oh, and I'm also very thankful for my great family, friends and life.

I KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND I SAW WHAT YOU WROTE

I think I've mentioned before that I LOVE the comments you write. If anyone can tell me how to respond to them individually, without writing something to the entire world, I'd like to know.

I'm happy to welcome JULIE...Hi Julie. I don't know you, but I read your comment last night...just a stranger passing through my blog. Thanks for you comment and welcome back anytime.

SOAP OPERAS THAT WORK

I might have mentioned that Brasil has had a long tradition of soap operas. But they are a bit different than those in the US.

In the US, they are broadcast mid morning to early afternoon. They are a continuing story that could go on for 30+ years or more.

In Brasil, they are a nightly affair, and the story line only lasts for about 3-6 months, and then it ends. And a new one starts up. Each night, you can walk down the streets and hear the familiar music of the soap coming from most apartments.

It is a very CULTURAL phenomenom, and one that is GOING STRONG--where in the US, Soaps are dying.

As I close off, I'll say one more time to all...Happy Thanksgiving!

Penny For Your Thoughts, $2.50 for that Post-It

Funny how you take things for granted. I've started writing down words / verbs I need to learn on little flash cards. But until now, didn't have a rubber band or clip to keep them together...I just stuff them in my pants pocket and PRAY that when I pull them out, they don't go flying all over the floor, bus...you get my point.

So I go to an office supply store (don't think Staples or something like that--those don't exist here. It's just a Mom & Pop type store). I ask for a clip...you know the clips that come in different sizes to hold different thickness of paper.

The sales clerk leads me to the back of the sore where he shows me exactly what I want.

"HOW MUCH?", I ask. He says, "How many do you want?" Well, I'm learning new words, but not THAT many, so I'm thinking, well one box should do. He then shows me that you don't buy the clips in the box, you buy them Individually...price is based on the clip size. (Remember the discussion about SPF gets more expensive as the number goes ups...are we onto a trend here?) My average sized clip cost me about 60 cents per clip. HIGH DEMAND ITEM, I guess.

I then looked at Post It notes. Each little pack of ONE (in the US, they usually come in packs of 4-6 packs wrapped in cellephane...well, here they sell them in individual packs of one. And they are expensive--each costs about $2.50.

So, I now know that there is a reason that EVERY TIME I have to clean out, or straighten up, my desk, I have the HARDEST time throwing out CLIPS of any kind or Post It notes.

It's just an innate need to save those items and I now know why.

DRUNK ON THE HIGH SEAS

A friend from Germany and I were on our way to the beach when a huge rainstorm hit. We sought refuge in the Copacabana Palace, poolside (see the picture...a beautiful hotel right on the beach). Within 5 minutes of being there, this older woman came by, bedazzled in diamonds and precious gems, and while taking a drag of her cigarette, turned on her heals as she heard us speaking English. Before we could say much, she'd sat at our table and weaved her way into our conversation.

Come to find out, she's from NYC/CT/FL, and on a stop over in Rio until her cruise takes off to Buenos Aries. I asked why she decided to do that...and she said she was trying to get away from Thanksgiving.

"In what way?", I asked. Come to find out, she divulged her life story (she's actually very interesting and charming), her husband, father and mother all passed away this past year. She couldn't bear staying in Florida and thinking about it.

So, she found a way around it..around the Horn of South America, that is.

I hope she has a good cruise, the seas are calm, and she always finds an ash tray and a drink to calm her nerves.

A REAL TURKEY

At lunch, in a pay by kilo restaurant, I realized that tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US. I'd almost forgotten. To everyone there I love, YOU WILL BE MISSED. You're missed anyway, but I just might forget the day as here, it means NOTHING.

Carbon Two-Stepping

I had another one of those days...not really a lot of value got done.

But I did find another three our four gyms where I can get 1-2 days of free workouts. So far, I've only paid $30 for about a month and a half of work out...That's darn CHEAP, if you ask me. :)

But gonna join a gym this next month for sure. I think I've narrowed it down to two or three. (ALL WITH A/C).

A BIG COUNTRY WITH A CONSCIENCIOUS CARBON FOOTPRINT

So, one of the more interesting things about Brasil is they are VERY conciencous about not wasting energy. Before it sounds way too altruistic, let me explain. Energy is VERY expensive here. Even though they are a huge energy supplier to the world, it's costly for the consumer here.

So, they've come up with innovative ways to save on Electricity. For example, in our foyer leading into our apartment, there are three overhad lights...these lights are motion sensitive, so they only turn on when they sense motion. As you walk down the hall, it feels like you're in an MTV music video. AND, even better, the one going into the side door hardly every turns on on time, so half the time I'm fumbling for my keys in the dark.

Today I walked into a mini mall and realized that the escalators are also motion sensitive...once you step on it, they turn on...interesting, right? And you see this type of energy convervation in many other ways.

One of my roomie is FANATICAL about not leaving the lights or overhead fans on--to the point I'm starting to get a bit annoyed.

Anyway, small steps to a greener world, but I'm sure it's really just to save money.

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS

Thankfully, the weather hasn't been TOO hot these past couple of days. So it makes the unbearable bearable. :)

BRASILIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL/SOCCER

Check out this link to some guys playing Beach Volleyball...it's AMAZING.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSBrv8-gcH0

OK, I'm falling asleep here.

Chuvou ontem a noite.

And Your Bill Comes To...

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the heat...even the Brasilians have started to complain. :)

My skin from yesterday is slightly reddish in color today--I've been called a SHRIMP by more than one person. :) No Sun today...laying low.

SHAKE, RATTLE & HELLO

Last night my American friend here for the Olympic bid invited to a club um in the Botanical Garden section of the city...sort of a dance/club thing. So I went. Other than being just like any other club in the US, it has an interesting financial twist to it. Kind of like when you're on a cruise.

When you enter, they charge you R$30, but you don't exchange money. They give you a card, and then throughout the night, if you want a drink, soda, water, candy, food, whatever, you just add it to your "bill".

Easy enough, right? But I'm sure some people get surprised when they go to leave and all those expenses are FORCED onto their wallet. :)

Sticker Shock, after you've driven off the LOT.

BRAS-ODDITIES

1. Variable Pricing. Not only can one retail chain have different prices for an identical item from store to store, but I saw something today that was really interesting. I was shopping for SPF 50+, and each SPF has a different price. Ranging from $13 to $39 Reais depending on the SPF. Interesting, right?

2. Paper Napkins apparently are like GOLD. At Subway, you get one napkin, wrapped in a wrapper...and NO MORE. :) Most restaurants are like that.

TRY THIS ON FOR HYPOCRACY

Meet a young guy a the beach the other day. As we talked, you know me, I had to delve into his life...one question after another. He's Gay. Told his parents about two years ago. His Father later admitted he'd had Same Sex relations before he married (his parents are divorced and each with a different mate now). His Mother still can't accept it...telling him he'll go to hell for this for sure.

Here's the kicker--and this really made me laugh out loud (LOL for you Mom). Both his parents are living with their mates without marrying, and his Father is a Pastor of an Evangelical Church. HA HA

Now THAT'S the Pot calling the Kettle black, if I ever heard of one.

BOOK EM DANNO

Booked my flight to Falls de Igazu--one of the seven NATURAL wonders of the world. Can anyone name the other six? I'm guessing...

Grand Canyon

Yellowstone

Not sure....

I'm excited to see them...I'll tell you all about it as I'm there or get back on the 6th of December.

I believe this will be the first week in a long time that Brasil hasn't had a holiday of some sort. Ironic that this is Thanksgiving week in the US.

Choveu duas vezes ontem a noite.

Lazy BLAZING days of Summer

Even with 50 SPF, I seem to get some kind of a burn...and that's staying the bulk of the time UNDER an umbrella. So I've begun to limit my sun exposure. I like the beach, but not that much...I'm going at later hours, and I'm trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.

It's not worth it otherwise.

MISSION REUNION

Hopefully I'm able to get A/C in the room this week. If not, well, I'm gonna have to move...I don't see another way around it.

I ran into anther guy that had served a Mormon Mission last night. Just by chance, we happened to mention that we'd both served missions. Him up north, and me in Sao Paulo. Small world right. We are going to try and have dinner and talk about old mission stories.

We're both in the same situation now--years away from the mission, so to speak, but living here in Rio just the same.

Other than that, it was a pretty casual day here...not much happened, which at times is good.

I have some goals for the coming week: 1. A/C 2. Visit at least two cool areas in the area. 3. Determine if I can swing a trip to Buenes Aires in the next 30 days, and 4. Get a Portuguese Professor.

Vicki suggested I try to get a charity thing going. Actually, I have been looking into that for some time, but with limited Portuguese skills, and the fact I'm on a Tourist Visa, well, it's not as easy as it sounds...but I'm still looking.

Droppings and Drop & Roll

I took most of the day and David and I went to the little section of the city called Santa Teresa. ( I'll post oics if I can find it and the acqueduct the trolley passes over.) It's up in the hills just out of the city center. And once you're up there, you realize why these colonial mansions were build on very step, winding roads...It's like 10-15 degrees cooler and has a very pleasant breeze...during hot summer days. Some of the old colonial mansions REALLY are beautiful. If I had enough money, I'd love to buy one and fix it up. Wow, really beautiful.

One way to ascend up into this hilly suburb is on a very old and rickety trolley car-that goes surprisingly fast. But when we got to the trolley loading area, all the seats were taken on the open air trolley, so we opted to hold on the from the sides. Now, this is something that would NEVER be allowed in the US, with their ambulance chasing attornies, but Brasil is not like that, so on the side we stood, hanging on for dear life. And it was our dear lives we almost lost a couple of times. You see, this trolley passes precariously close to POLES, POSTS, FENCES, CARS, TRUCKS...sometimes I was only inches away from being swiped, but thankfully, we made it all in one piece--and loved the thrill of the ride.

Going back down the hill, I missed hopping on the side and David had to jump off to stay with me (as the trolley was moving). He landed well, but then lost his balance and fell HARD on the cobblestone path. Not to worry, he got up and with nothing hurt or cut, proceeded on our way. He took it much better than I would have. David returns to the US in several days and I'm gonna miss him. He's one of those guys that love the adventure of life...and I'm sure he'll have many in life.

THE WOLRD AS YOUR TOILET

Brasilians have much less of a hangup about urinating in public. If you make it through a day without seeing at least one taxi driver pulled over on the side of the road relieving himself, or people doing so on the sides of buildings, at bus stops, etc., you're doing pretty well.

In fact, what pertains to Humans must also pertain to dogs...because they don't do a very good job of picking up after their pets.

Yesterday, I passed a woman walking a dog.

Just as I passed, the dog stopped and well, did his deed. I looked at the woman, and didn't see a doggie clean up bag anywhere on her. Sure enough, she let the dog finish and then proceeded to walk away.

For some reason, all the days of side-stepping "CRAP" kind of boiled to the surface. I stopped, and waited for her to pass me. As She approached, I said, "Mame, are you gonna clean that up?" She looked at me, then sheepishly looked down and kept walking. Not one to let it LIE, so to speak, I followed up with, "It's your responsibility to clean up after your dog, not your dog's". She couldn't pass me quick enough...and be on her way.

The good news is...as I walked by the SPOT where the little gift had been left, it was gone today. So if she did it, or the shop keeper, I don't know.

But I think she got the message.

DOWN ON SUBWAY

I did it. Tonight I couldn't think of any place to eat so I ended up doing what I did a LOT in NYC--and went to Subway and got a Tuna sandwich.

I think it will be my last. They get 90- percent Right, but it's that 10 percent well that kind of ruins it for you.

Not bad, just not SUBWAY FRESH if you know what I mean.

Yeah, no more of those til I return to the states...I should have NOT gone for the fish.

Never go for the fish...that's the moral of the story.

Living in a Piece of Art

This county has almost as many holidays as the Jewish Community does in NYC. It's amazing...today was another holiday. I would say every week except for maybe one...that's about 7 since I've been here has had AT LEAST one day as a holiday. It's amazing to me...Today's was something to do with the end of slavery and some black man's risen ghost...or something like that.

But regardless of what is was...the BEACHES WERE PACKED.

And it was HOT.

DOCTOR, DOCTOR

I talked to a dermatologist today and she said that there really IS value with certain skin types to use those higher SPF sunscreens...like 70 or so. And all this time I'd thought it was just a marketing ploy.

But I'm going to the store tomorrow to buy some. I can't protect myself enough from this sun--it's DIRECT and HOT.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

By tomorrow morning, my traveling roommate will return and consequently, my days of chilled rest by his A/C are over. :)

To be honest, it's kind of bugging me, this no A/C in my rook. I've asked, and they seem to be working on it. Apparently someone from the building has to come check out the electricity capacity...and since today as a holiday, well, the excuses keep coming.

I'm giving them til the end of the month...

PRETTY, PRETTY PICTURES

Well, I've said it many times, but the stone sidewalks through the city are just a piece of work under every strep. Look at that picture above...it's amazing, really. I love walking along the pier promenade, and seeing the art.

It's an art form that is lost in other parts of the world.

Speaking of pictures, I saw New Moon tonight...better than the last, but I need a good Vampire fight to make it a good movie and this one had none of that.

Oh well...NEXT