Haiti touches Brazil

It has been truly heart wrenching to watch the news regarding the disaster in Haiti. And here in Brazil people have been watching with interest in particular because the Brazilian people have been providing a disproportionately large number of so-called peacekeeping forces on the ground over the past few years in Haiti through the United Nations.

Given the similarities between some of the shanty towns in Haiti and those here in Brazil, the “officials” have declared (rightly) that we have a bit of experience to bring to bare (unfortunately).

So there were an unusually high number of our people there – and as such an unusually high number or Brazilians have been killed in the disaster.

I have nothing to add to the commentary, but I would hope that the following piece recorded after the Katrina disaster in New Orleans keeps us focused on what we can help make happen in Haiti moving forward.

A profile of Luiz and I online

There’s a terrific new blog on the scene, DEEP BRAZIL. It’s a more in depth look at Brazil than my more personal musings. As its author notes it goes “Way beyond Carnaval.” I’ve enjoyed it from the start.

Early on Regina (the producer of the blog) solicited ideas for content. I spoke up and suggested taking a look at the quality of life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folks in Brazil.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva

You know what they say: “Be careful what you wish for.” Regina thought it might be fun and relevant to her readers to profile Luiz and I, our relationship and our immigration story. So we collaborated on an interview and that article now appears on her blog.

Follow this link to get the full story.

Thanks for including us Regina.

Big Brother Brasil

Big Brother Brasil has just begun its tenth season. It’s a very popular program, especially in our household. So popular, in fact, that Luiz actually sent in a completed book-length application questionnaire and a 5 minute video audition.

He’s so cute. Luiz has been secretly (and not so secretly) wanting to be a participant in this nationally televised reality show for a long time. When it came time to apply for the most recent season he pulled in a few favors to strategize with others who have applied in the past and to shoot the video with our friend Fabrinho who owns a photography/video studio.

Not one to stress in silence, Luiz spent the past several months chatting up our friends that he was an applicant. “I’m just putting it out there,” he would say. We both learned long ago that closed mouths don’t get fed. (Shout out to Craig.)


Well, there are two gay men among the 15 participants of Big Brother 10, but unfortunately neither of them is our Luiz. Sigh. One is a flamboyant and cute baby-gay (20 years old) and the other is a 44 year old gentleman who is a make-up artist by day, drag queen by night (and that would be 120 years old in gay years!)

Globo (the TV network) doesn’t know just how big a mistake they have made by not selecting Luiz. He is ideal for such a stint on television. Lord knows he could keep a microphone busy. Perfect for 24-hour TV. And I was looking forward to having him out of the house for three months!

But seriously, the real story is how nice it is to be engaged in the pop-culture of our new home. While some might not think too highly of reality TV (I get that), we are enjoying feeling the cultural vibe and being participants.

Cross your fingers for BBB 11.

You know you are in Brazil when

You know you are in Brazil when the bill for your internet service arrives in the mail today and the due date is (wait for it…) TODAY. If you are late even a moment, there will be a penalty.

This is not an uncommon occurrence. When the mail service was spotty late last year we would get some bills AFTER the due date – and yes, we were responsible for late fees. It was our responsibility to call the company and ask what we owed and to pay it, before the passing of the due date.

For my Portuguese class at the federal university I waited more than two months to finally get a bill. I was told the internal billing and payment processing system at the university was experiencing problems. It was not possible for me to pay prior to being issued a statement. When I finally got the statement from my instructor, the bill was due three days later. Carving out the time to wait in line at the bank to make the payment (no, you cannot just put a check in the mail – in fact it is against the law to send money/a check through the mail) I paid one day after the due date and was charged interest on the unpaid/late balance.

It can be a little ridiculous. (OK, maybe a lot ridiculous.)

Everything is the consumers’ responsibility.

Oh – how about this one? Luiz went to return a Christmas gift from a major clothing store (it was a personal appointment calendar). It turned out that he could have exchanged it for an item of the same value only until Christmas day (since past.) Then for the next week he could exchange it for 80% of its original value, then after the first of the year, just 60% of its original value. The store never loses.

Retail returns of things like cell phones are allowed only in the first 72 hours. After that you must deal with the manufacturer. The retailer passes you along…

Now believe me, we are grateful for the privilege of simply paying our bills on time, arranging for many to be paid via automatic deduction, and to pay some via the internet. Plus, we have sufficient funds in the bank to avoid all of the ridiculous and exorbitant banking fees charged regular folks here in Brazil.

My post is not meant to be a whine or a complaint. But I do think it is worth commenting on the high cost of just trying to engage with businesses. It seems we must anticipate occasionally paying a penalty just for the privilege of spending our money.

(Oh - and you should hear Luiz on the phone gettin' all American with the customer service rep. They don't have a chance. And he usually saves us a ton of money!)

Our New Years in Boa Esperança

While I thought it better not to disclose our secret hideaway waterfall resort-ish spot, it seems we have been found out.

There are few places where you can get pounded by the waters of a serene yet turbulent waterfall, and fewer places where that privilege is accompanied by table service bringing you cold beer.

But by the looks of the crowd over the New Year’s weekend – I guess the secret is out.

Our favorite spot in Boa Esperança is at the São José waterfall. This weekend we spent a full day making a BBQ and keeping cool in the waters.

And many others had the

same idea.

It’s a beautiful spot. As frequent flyers - everyone knows our name. We are unofficial locals in a very rural and stunning location.

Viva Brazil!

Group effort in the country

How many adults does it take to erect a portable awning?

I’m certainly not the first to say that nothing in Brazil is easy. Everything is more difficult than you think it should be. How about arranging for a little extra shade and shelter from the rain, for example?



When we moved here Luiz and I brought with us an “EZ Up” style awning (pictured above) that goes from in-the-bag closed to fully up and shading in about one minute. Four people, grab a corner, pull out, click it in place. Done.



Ah, but this is Brazil. As a group we bought a portable awning for the house in Boa Esperança. Perfect idea for growing the space a bit. If only we could figure out how to put it together!



Five adults, two kids and a photographer.



The instructions got passed around until finally snatched up by the frustrated physicist among us. Leadership!



Just a few more finishing touches.




Nearly 30 minutes later…



I knew we could do it.

New Year's Eve in Rio - photos

Some 2 million people packed Copacabana Beach and Avenida Atlântica for the New Year's Eve celebration. While we were a world away up in the peaceful mountain village of Boa Esperança, I would be remiss if I did not at least link to some photos of the party in Rio.

See them here. Click on the 'slideshow' button to get things going.