Adventures of a care package from the States

There are few pleasures as joyful as getting a care package from a friend or family member filled with the stuff you want, really want, or the stuff that’s simply impossible to find where you currently are. Sometimes it is just the idea of a care package that soothes the soul. Oh, a box filled with your favorite things…

It is often the case for many an expat here in Brazil that the emotionally comforting box also promises to save you a bundle of money. Getting any sort of electronics, baby items, specialty bath items, or even some simple kitchen zip lock bags can mean cost savings easily into the hundreds of $Reais over having to purchase them locally.

But – as any expat in Brazil will tell you: care packages are more easily dreamt of than realized. Finding an ally in the States to pack it and make a trip to the post office; paying the crazy expensive shipping fees; passing through customs without being slapped with ridiculous import taxes; or even just seeing a fully realized delivery in an understandable length of time -- believe me, there are bumps in the road in the life of a care package.

Several months ago my beloved iPod Shuffle bit the dust. Luiz had encouraged me to buy a backup Shuffle when we were in Florida last May, but I foolishly ignored his good advice. My iPod is a daily companion while riding busses, standing/sitting in lines, or just going for a walk in the evening. Losing my best electronic friend was motivation enough to try and scare up a care package from the States.

Locally I could buy a replacement 4g Mp3 player (Sandisk) for about R$225 on Mercado Livre, Brazil’s eBay, plus shipping. The same item at Amazon.com goes for $R84, with free shipping within the US. Buying an actual iPod down here would just be stupid expensive… I don’t have a cell phone (by choice), so obviously I cannot use my phone to play Mp3 or Mp4 files.

So I figured I would bundle up some other items Luiz and I would like and leverage it all into a value-filled box of practical and “treat” items. A true care package.

Here’s the story. (Heads up – this is a rather long post. But it is a good one.)

[Note: values in this post are listed in Brazlian reais, not US dollars. I earn and spend reais, so dollar values are really irrelevant. All things considered, residents of the US can just think in terms of dollars and get a feel for the relative costs – i.e. shit is expensive, plus salaries are lower. Unless you earn dollars and are spending in reais, making a currency conversion is misleading. For the record, values here are based on a 1:2.4 exchange rate from dollars to reais.]

In September 2013 I casually inserted an off topic request into a Face Book msg with a dear friend in the States. Actual msgs.:

Me: “Hey - another topic - my iPod died. I went to look at replacements and saw one - super cheapo Chinese-made thing for R$90. Then I looked on Amazon.com and they sell the exact same thing for R$12.”

Unsuspecting friend: “No shit! Really?”

Me: “Any chance I can buy what I want and ship it to you and have you drop it in the mail to me? I could also pull together a short grocery store list. LOL.” Electronics here are shit and STILL stupid expensive.”

Unsuspecting friend: “Sure no problem.”

Me: “Sorry to put you out so much, but there are some shortcomings to being here that get you to lean on family and friends for relief. Thanks.”

Unsuspecting friend: “Happy to help. I love you.”

Hook set.

Feeling only mildly guilty for roping a dear friend into what I knew was going to be more than what she bargained for I went online to shop for a few items and had them shipped to her house. She really does love Luiz and I and she really does have a super huge generous heart. I had my fingers crossed this would go as smoothly as possible. But I had my doubts.

Those of us who live here and have traveled back to the States for a visit know the immediate popularity you receive when others learn of your vacation plans. Phone calls, emails and msgs stream in with lists of items people either casually ask you to bring back for them or quite brashly insist won’t be any trouble for you to buy and bring back on their behalf. This is the kind of favor you agree to do only once. You quickly learn that being a mule for others desperate for a bottle of maple syrup or a new notebook computer is ALWAYS more trouble than it is worth. Transporting things is a favor reserved for those on your short list.

But just putting a box in the mail… simple, right?

Let me see if I can shrink this 4+ month saga into a few paragraphs. Yep. You read that right. 4+ months.

Like I said, not long after my friend agreed to help out I went online and bought an Mp3 player plus five rainbow hot air balloon wind spinners. Luiz brought one of these wind catchers back in May and uses it to grab attention at his flowers booth in the park on the weekends. EVERY weekend people ask him if it is for sale. While it costs R$36 online in the US, he can easily sell it for R$110 here in the park. These would be re-sale items to help pay for the box.

As promised, I sent my friend a short list of items to pick up at the grocery store, plus, as is generally the case, I added a few additional items that would require an extra trip to a housewares store on our behalf. Oops- I was acting like the others I have so little patience for. But I repeated time and again that my friend could say no to anything and that I would be grateful to get just the basics. And there was no time rush. Of course my dear friend was happy to tack more errands onto her personal favor for me. The monster had begun to grow its second head.

Before long I was occupying space in my friend’s garage as the pile of items grew. First in the pile were the items from Amazon.com., then the stuff from the grocery store.

I was hoping the things from the discount housewares store would be fun to shop for (keeping Luiz’s smiling face in mind). We did, in fact, have fun with this. Well, I certainly had fun. I hope the feeling was mutual. It became clear to me that my friend and her partner were embarking on a multi-stop errand morning. They were messaging me photos of fun stuff from various stores along their journey. I was giving the thumbs up or down. It was a virtual shopping adventure at Sam’s Club, HomeGoods and elsewhere from the comfort of my home office. My fingers were crossed that they were not too quickly tiring of the whole affair. I certainly had fun.

The pile in the garage (and another head) grew. Once everything was in hand it was ready to be shipped.

Reality check: none of this was “on the way” in the course of my friends’ lives. Making time to accomplish the shopping, the packing, the shipping… That time had to be carved out from an already hectic and tiring weekly routine. That pile in the garage was not going to get to Brazil on its own. There needed to be packing material, shipping tape, boxes (we decided to go with two smaller boxes over one large one to try and avoid unwanted attention from the Brazilian Customs office), and ultimately time standing in line at the post office. The monster continued to grow heads.

For my part, my emails and FB messages oozed with happy talk and words of thanks and encouragement. As the weeks went by I knew my friend was feeling pressure to get these boxes in the mail and harbored a growing desire to get that damn monkey off her back. I assured her there was no rush. I suggested she forget about the whole thing until after the holidays when life would calm down a bit and the lines at the post office would return to their normal slow-moving selves. Keep breathing. Don’t go sour on me.

As my friend would come to discover, there is a bit of a trick to packing a box for international shipping. To save space it is best to remove extraneous packaging from the original items. Shipping costs are calculated by weight AND size. Protect fragile items. Evenly distribute weight among the boxes.

You could write a book on the tips and tricks for getting your box shipped without drama through Customs. Everyone has their favorite method – or wants to learn yours. Gringos here can tag a hundred replies to a post on Face Book trying to help out a fellow care package dreamer. Do this, don’t do that…

Here’s what we did.

The main issues are postage and avoiding import taxes.

It seems like I've heard stories from all over the spectrum regarding shipping. Some folks swear by UPS for a promised delivery, even though it may cost a little more. UPS is supposed to handle the package right to your door, but I've heard tales of it being plopped into the Brazilian postal service for the final bit. If this is so, it trumps any “strategy” to avoid a grumpy Correio (Brazilian postal service) worker who never really attempts a delivery but just fills out paperwork documenting three attempts to no avail and then sends your package back to the sender.

Some folks swear by Brazil’s postal service, citing international comparisons that place their level of service well above average. So for them going with the US Postal Service who then hands things off to Correio is a fine choice.

Everyone, it seems, has a horror story. Folks talk of waiting months for a completed delivery. Many folks speak of pieces of postage and packages alike disappearing into thin air (the common assumption is that they are snatched up by workers along the way, for whatever reason).

For me, actual cost trumps real or imagined tales of woe. I go with the US Postal Service.

Then there is the concern over if and/or how much the package(s) will be taxed by the Brazilian Customs office for the contents therein. Scary tales of ridiculous taxes assessed on boxes of used clothing and such abound. How do they discern what is in the package? Mostly you tell them by whatever is written on the required Customs Declaration form that gets affixed to the outside of the box. The form requests a “detailed description of contents” and their value. Plus they guesstimate further value if you have paid for extended insurance coverage. And many times if a tax is assessed they will include the cost of shipping when totaling the to-be-taxed value (go figure…). The tax is 60% of the value of most items.

Generally speaking, shipping veterans encourage you to be more general in your description and to try and keep declared values below US$50 to avoid drawing the attention of the tax man. So for example, we chose descriptions like: “kitchen ingredients” and “party decorations” to generally describe most of the items being shipped. If particular items fail to make the inventory, well, sometimes innocent mistakes can happen.

We divided all our items into two boxes so that a smaller value could be declared for each. Shipping costs would go up, but if import taxes were avoided then we would save in the end. General inventories were made and the value of each was kept well below US$50.

As an extra bit of “strategy” to avoid a randomly tired or irritated Customs worker who might be therefore choosing to be especially stern or strict in the execution of their duties, we prominently taped a number of pictures of Jesus, the cross, and some common prayers to most of the surfaces of the boxes. I listen to countless people go on about Jesus, Mary and the Father around here, why not work that to our advantage? Kinda like the survivors on The Walking Dead smearing rotting flesh all over themselves to avoid being seen by the “walker” zombies. Make our packages invisible.

Around the last week of January my by now weary dear friend found her way to the post office to wait in line and finally peel that monkey, now entering adolescence, off her back. At this point we had done all we could to make this whole care package folie à deux a good experience and avoid it turning into a super expensive shipping and tax adventure gone wrong. Everything was in Jesus’ hands, if you will. Note: the postal worker in the States looked at our piously adorned boxes and asked if they were being shipped to a missionary. My friend bit her lip and said “No, we just want the Lord to look after them along the way.” With that the packages were sent. Done. Multi-headed monster slain. (Thank you!!)

To wrap this part up… the shipping time was actually quite surprising. Once they were dropped off at the post office they were dispatched to a sorting facility in another city. The online tracking details reveal that it took 4 days for them to pass through that facility and be sent to Brazil. Seven days later they passed through a sorting facility in Brazil, clearing Customs. The very next day they were both delivered to our door by noon. Just 12 days! Record time.

Plus, there were NO TAXES applied to our care packages. Whoo hoo!! Big score. Thank you Jesus!

Now – to run the math. Was this whole rigamarole worth it? The willingness on the part of our dear friend and her partner to help us out was simply priceless. That value cannot be put into the equation. But I can give you a general idea about content values and overall expenses.

Our total shipping costs were R$396 (about US$165). That seems like a high bar to get over to recoup a savings on items shipped. But don’t forget, we are talking about Brazil. Shit is expensive here.

The money we saved over just three items: the Mp3 player, a single 120 count bottle of 1,500 mg glucosamine dietary supplement caplets, and a collection of 12 boutique bath soaps MORE than paid for the shipping. The Mp3 player was R$141 cheaper in the States. The supplements were an unbelievable R$304 cheaper. And the soaps were about R$125 cheaper. Everything else was gravy. And a valuable gravy at that.

Opening the care package was like Christmas in February. In addition to things already mentioned there was stuff for Luiz’s flower design activities, Thai curries for me in the kitchen, other beloved spices and extracts, and more. Yeah!

All in all it is a process worth doing, if only once. But be careful. And hope for some luck. If we had been hit with import taxes this whole tale would have had a sour ending. Be creative. Buy a Christian wall calendar and use the images… hahaha.

If you are a dear friend back in the country of origin of your good buddy abroad – have a heart. Be patient with us. We really, really appreciate the extra effort it requires to make a care package happen. And if you are coming for a visit, consider bringing an extra piece of luggage – care package express.

Living in Brazil vs. the USA - a meditation

Having just returned from three weeks in the United States I am settling back into the local reality of living here in Niterói. Why is it that I prefer living in Brazil over the luxury and convenience of the States?

It was nice to come back to the neighborhood park brimming with families taking good advantage of a sunny Sunday. My first visit to the nearby supermarket included the cashier smiling and asking me about how nice it must have been to visit my family. Luiz and I have been passing out smiles to friends with the little two dollar Florida key chain souvenirs we brought back for just that purpose. Call me old fashion but I enjoy seeing the whites of my neighbors’ eyes.

Traveling to the States for the first time in 5.5 years – wow, what an experience in contrasts. Everything is so big in the United States, bigger than I remember. The cars, parking lots, restaurant portion sizes, grocery stores, homes, and of course the shopping malls are so super-sized.

Visiting family and friends definitely stirred up things I miss about the United Sates, but I was also reminded of the reasons I have always felt good about relocating. The differences between living here and there were definitely in stark relief during this trip.

As any expat blogger knows from experience, it is difficult to make comparisons between countries, available consumer goods, lifestyles, cultures, daily life, etc. without getting into hot water with readers on either side of the comparison, US American or Brazilian. Forgive me if I take us into this territory, if only to refocus our attention.

Let me keep it personal. Any effort to compile typical (and predictable) lists for comparison will only result in obvious results. Yeah, yeah, I know – you can buy a better, cheaper coffee machine in the United States. Drivers there are generally more considerate of pedestrians. And US politicians are more adept at concealing their corrupt activities (or should I say there is more willful ignorance among the voting public in this regard). Big deal. But how do I feel during an average day, living in either place?

Brazil often brings out the best in me. It has to. After all, the coffee makers are for shit.

I suppose the back story here is rather important and speaks volumes to my personal experience and conclusions. Luiz and I are living a bit outside the hustle and making-ends-meet struggle of so many in Brazil. We are not raising children, nor are we buying our first home. One thing we share as soul mates is our focus on relationships and experiences over material things. We are quite happy to construct a lifestyle that allows us to live without a car or the need to eat out several times a week. I think we are a bit older than most fellow expat bloggers I follow here in Brazil. In many ways we are in a later chapter in our lives, having left 60 hour work weeks and early-adopting impulses behind. We choose to seek out the calm in life, even if (especially if) it means toning down the endless choices and oft entertaining cacophony of the fast lane. Do I miss the ‘good old days’? Maybe, sometimes. But I could not have imagined or fully realized the quality of life possible living so close to the ground without the culture shift.

Living here in Brazil we choose to join with so many Brazilians in our insistence on seeing the glass half full.

The absence of hot water at the bathroom tap, fresh corn tortillas or cheap, powerful electronics may call on us to compromise but it has not soured our experience in our new home. Sure, visiting the States reminded me of the possibility of a pedestrian-safe urban life, but I missed the convenience of local bus service taking you anywhere you need to go.

Money is a pain in the ass. Earning money in the States is much easier than earning it here in Brazil. To make things more challenging, these days the cost of living in Brazil has skyrocketed. Money greases the skids of an otherwise difficult daily life. But money distorts experience. Luiz and I have the privilege of no longer suffering for every coin. Our long term planning and life choices have brought modest relief in this regard. But there is no escaping the fact that when left on automatic – life is easier, and filled with more stuff, in the States.

But who wants to live on automatic?

I guess this post is not so much about how the United Sates and Brazil compare economically or in terms of creature comforts, but rather it is about the focus and choices we as expats have made to thrive in our new adopted home.

Luiz and I choose to feel the love, dance to a new rhythm and celebrate new friendships. It was definitely fun to go shopping in Florida for a new sport coat, sneakers and dress slacks, but here in Niterói I will quite certainly wear through five pair of flip flops before even breaking in my new wardrobe.

Voting in the USA election from Brazil

Last time around, in 2008, we spent US$80 to have our absentee ballots from Polk County, Florida sent by DHL. OUCH! I then took them to the USA Consulate General in Rio to have them returned - not wanting to go anywhere near the DHL office!

We´re getting a little wiser as time goes by.

This time around I requested email ballots from the Polk County election board, which were dispatched within a couple of days. And again I will take them to the USA Consulate General in Rio where they will be returned via their daily mail pouch to the States -- free of charge (via the Citizen Services office).

The ballot comes with an envelope cover page that provides free postage. So once the mail pouch makes it back to Wash. DC, they just drop it into the regular postal service and it makes its way back to the Polk County election office.

This time around it will only cost me bus fare to submit both mine and Luiz´s ballots.

Since we are registered voters in Florida - our votes to re-elect President Obama are crucial.

Expats can get more information about voting from abroad at http://travel.state.gov/travel/living/overseas_voting/overseas_voting_4754.html

Amazing and historic speach by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on LGBT rights - wow!

Amazing - increduible - historic - and unbelieveable comments by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in front of the United Nations. We are making progress!

Listen to these remarks!

An interview with me at BlogExpat

Many of you have read this all before... but the folks over at BlogExpat wanted to hear my story - so here's the interview just published today.

Remembering 9-11

I have already ranted on Facebook about my impatience with those who want to create a big drama on this 10 year anniversay.

In this case I am reposting a video I first saw on  Luasol's Nova Capitulo de Minha Vida blog.

Thank you Jane.

Remember to Love.

Missing US Gay Culture

I miss talkin’ trash, gay style. Throwin’ some shade; spillin’ some tea; workin’ my chicken neck (which I learned in high school in Detroit).

It’s not for everyone, but, Jonny McGovern is a gay comedian who produces a LONG podcast that is totally US gay, southern California/New York style.  Very fun when you are cooking all afternoon.

If you are not hip to gay/lesbian- speak and want to be a voyeur, check it out.

Go to iTunes and search for Gay Pimpin’ with Jonny McGovern.

Love you Jonny!

Oh my sweet Detroit - what happened?

There is a word in Portuguese that is often mentioned as one without a real equivalent in English: “saudade.” It essentially means longing, or homesickness, or emotional wishing-for, missing.

Sorry to say, I rarely, rarely have saudade for the United States. Sure, I miss my friends, but the country itself? – not so much. Even when Brazil drives me crazy with its high prices, under-educated populace and corrupt elected officials, I still do not pine for the days of living in the United States.

But at times my heart aches for the folks living in places I used to haunt. In this case I am referring to Detroit. I was born in Detroit. I went to school in Detroit (well, a block or two from the border of the City). My first real girlfriend (yes, I had a girlfriend) lived in Detroit. I loved Detroit.

But nowadays I’m sad for Detroit. It has fallen so far. I have saudade for how things used to be.

When my extended family lived in or near Detroit it was the heyday of the auto industry. The Big Three, we would say (GM, Chrysler, Ford). Almost everybody’s parent worked for the auto industry, or some other job supporting the industry. My grandmother used to joke that if she had a dollar for every slice of pie she served to auto workers in the diner she spent her working life in, she would be a millionaire.

But now things are different. Most of that is gone.

My brother and his wife moved to a cute little historic block in Detroit some time ago, bought an old Victorian house and refurbished it (Dan did a fantastic job!). They were one of the star homes on the neighborhood Christmas walking tour. But they saw the writing on the wall, sold the house, and moved to the country.

Now Detroit lays feral – or mostly so. Good luck my friends in Detroit. I know you are all rooting for success.

For a real taste of Detroit today – go take a look at the Sweet Juniper blog.

Keeping things real in the USA

Even though I maintain a blog in Brazil, I keep an eye (albeit wearied) on the politics in the USA. In that regard, let’s take a look at the lie that is the Republican’s idea that they are economic conservatives and Democrats are the party of spending. (Barf.)

Just a simple graphic reminder.

 The Conservatives/Republicans have a communication machine that feeds ideas into the general public’s mind – but they are lying, based on the facts.
My cardiologist is so happy I live here. If I had to confront this felony of truth and/or stupidity on the TV every day – I would not be as tranquil as I insist on being…

Good luck my US American friends (and I also vote).

USA upset at the Women's World Cup

Wow - did you see this? I must admit my loyalties were split when the US matched up against Brazil. Then it turned into a fantastic victory for the women of the USA team.

Watch this... and who said US guys don't get excited about women's sports?



And here is an interview with player Ali Krieger discussing the win.

Book Review: Sing You Home

This was my first Jodi Picoult novel. I recently watched a segment of an Ellen DeGeneres show where she interviewed Ms. Picoult and discussed this book.  The subject matter is dear to my heart so I took the bait.  I’m glad I did.  This was a thoroughly enjoyable read (and at times it provided a compelling excuse to avoid my translation work).

Picoult has a beautiful use of language and I enjoyed the rather female point of view she put on the page.

Rather than try and write my own review let me just say I recommend this book and have included below paraphrased excerpts of a March 15, 2011 review by Susan Salter Reynolds published in the Los Angeles Times.  I will also include it in my list of books available for lending at the Expat Lending Library.

Oh, and I should mention that the book comes with a CD that includes original tracks that reflect the mood and emotion of Zoe, the main character (and music therapist), as she winds her way through the story.  Cute touch. Music by Ellen Wilber; lyrics by Jodi Picoult; all songs are performed by Ellen Wilber.

Here are bits from the review:

Picoult is known for her ability to shed light on the issues affecting domestic life in America. She picks an issue — in the case of Sing You Home, same-sex couples and the emotional and legal issues surrounding fertility procedures — and explores it from several perspectives, including legal, medical, religious, political. She complicates already complicated dilemmas in her plots.

Picoult works hard to keep her characters from being straw men and women. The closer she gets to real life, real people, real problems, the better the novel. In a country as polarized as ours, for a Democrat as active as Picoult (who gives a lot of money to various causes and institutions) it's not always easy to make, say, the anti-abortion activist, the anti-gay-marriage minister or the school board bureaucrat banning books into sympathetic characters. But the writer must try. For without the insight into the motives and convictions of characters on both sides of an issue, the novel will fall flat.

When the novel opens, Zoe and Max have just had yet another miscarriage. The cost of in vitro fertilization has used up their savings (they are not wealthy), and the emotional strain of Zoe's determination and desire to force her body into motherhood has finally overwhelmed Max, who struggles with alcoholism and low self-esteem.

They divorce. Max goes to live with his wealthy brother Reid and sister-in-law Liddy, devout Christians and members of an evangelical church who are struggling with their inability to conceive. Max has a revelation one drunken night and joins the church. Zoe, a music therapist in schools and hospitals, falls in love with a guidance counselor at one of the schools — a woman named Vanessa.

Vanessa has been in the open about her sexuality since high school; Zoe has never had a sexual relationship with a woman. She just loves Vanessa. They marry but have to cross state lines (from Rhode Island to Massachusetts) to do so. When the subject of children comes up, Zoe remembers that there are three frozen embryos unspoken for in the wake of the divorce. She asks Max for permission to use them, but he's persuaded by his church's pastor (who, with his congregation, believes homosexuality to be a depraved lifestyle choice) to deny her request and offer the embryos to Reid and Liddy.

What a plot! Zoe, Max and Vanessa are thrown into decisions and situations for which they are utterly unprepared. Picoult's supporting characters — Zoe's New Age mother, a suicidal teenager Zoe treats each week, the church pastor and the lawyer who represents Zoe and Vanessa in the courtroom drama at the novel's end — are equally unforgettable, though we do not travel as far into their psyches as the author takes us into her main characters.

It's not the happy endings that keep her readers coming back, for she does not always provide them; it's the possibility that humans can be kind, even when they don't get exactly what they want.

I’m looking forward to reading Picoult’s novel My Sister’s Keeper.

Who owns you?

At first I just posted this to my Facebook. But the more I listened to it the more I wanted everyone to hear it.

I think it is good if we are critically thinking participants in our democracy. (That's not controvercial, right?)

School us Sr. George Carlin.

Some things ARE the same in Brazil and the US

Not my cake.  Photo from the scrumptious food blog "Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice"
http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2010/05/carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html

You know how you think: “I’ll make the cake for our birthday party.  It will save us some money.  Bakery cakes can be so expensive.” At least, that’s what I think (unless there is a COSTCO nearby).

Well, I just ran the numbers.  I’m making a regular 9”x 13” pan cake that I will flip over and slice in two across the middle to make two layers, and then frost.  Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Check this out.

Flour:                               R$2.00

Butter:                                 5.60
Carrots:                                3.00
Eggs:                                       .80
Pineapple:                           3.50
Brown sugar:                      1.50
Milk:                                       .60
Cream Cheese:                20.00
Yogurt:                                1.20
Confectioners' sugar:        4.00
Etc.:                                      1.00

That comes to R$43.20, give or take, plus my time (and love for my guests).  So I guess the thought still applies here in Niterói – even if the cream cheese is R$20.

Stay tuned for the recipe and some pics.

Book Review: Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

This sort of book is not typically my cup of tea: lengthy (400 pages of text, 75 pages of notes), detailed and graphically horrifying biography of a WWII war hero. But I heard an interview with the author, perhaps on Fresh Air, and clicked over to Amazon.com and ordered a used copy from an associate seller.  I was not disappointed.

The story is of Louie Zamperini, a southern California juvenile delinquent turned track star that participated in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. He was then later a member of the US air force in WWII, and subsequently shot down over the Pacific. He then survived adrift for over a month with a couple buddies in a rubber raft (complete with shark attacks) until he was caught by the Japanese forces and held as a POW.  After surviving more than two years of severe brutality in several POW camps Japan surrendered and Zamperini was freed.

Zamperini returns to California for the next chapter of his life, trying to emerge from the psychological wreckage created by his war experience.  He embarks on a long and heartbreaking journey to the bottom of the proverbial barrel, but then has a life changing experience that helps him climb back out.

Remarkably, later in life he manages to forgive his captors, including the one Japanese official who relentlessly targeted him with unspeakable and inhuman brutality.

Zamperini’s life, experiences, endurance, resilience and heroism is almost too incredible to be believed. This is a tale unlike most others.  It is well written and enthralling.

I will add it to my list of books at the Expat Lending Library online.  If you would like to check it out, just let me know.

That's surprising

Things about the United States that surprise my Brazilian friends:

- Hotels, even fancy ones, do not provide a fabulous, free, fresh breakfast (B&Bs yes, but hotels, no).

- You can get a perfectly good education in public schools.

- The bill collector can seize your home if you get sick and have mounting medical bills.

- Your parents will likely shoo you out of the house once you reach 18 years old.

- There are city law enforcement agents who actually issue traffic/parking violations, really.

- Chinese take-out costs about US$7.00 (and you can find it for less).

- Clothing stores sell XXXL T-shirts or sweatshirts.

- There are no dessert pizzas.

- Classes to learn English as a foreign language are often free.

- If you buy a twelve-pack of Coke it costs less than 12 individual cans.

- There are no vendors on the beach.

- Drivers yield for pedestrians, most of the time.

- Most restaurants close at 10:00 p.m. (except for the 24 hr variety that you generally do not want to eat in anyway).

- Meat cooked on the grill is not covered in salt, rather, a sloppy, spicy sauce.

- Your cell phone service does not cost more than your car payment.

What am I forgetting…

Brazil Supreme Court awards gay couples new rights

This article appeared this morning on the BBC website

6 May 2011                                                              

Brazil's Supreme Court has voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing same-sex couples the same legal rights as married heterosexuals.

The decision was approved by 10-0 with one abstention.

The ruling will give gay couples in "Stable Unions" the same financial and social rights enjoyed by those in heterosexual relationships.

The ruling makes Brazil one of very few South American nations, after Argentina and Uruguay, to allow gay unions with benefits similar to those afforded a heterosexual married couple.

"The freedom to pursue one's own sexuality is part of an individual's freedom of expression," said Justice Carlos Ayres Britto, the author of the ruling.

Gay activists welcomed the decision, saying it marked an "historic day" for the country.

"The degree of civilization of a country can be measured by the way people in a nation treat their homosexual community," Claudio Nascimento, head of Rio de Janeiro state's Gay, Lesbian and Transsexuals Committee said, according to O Globo.

From now on same sex couples will be able to register their civil partnerships with solicitors and public bodies, giving them proper inheritance and pension rights.

However, the landmark ruling stops short of recognizing gay marriage, which could involve public or religious ceremonies.

Brazil's Roman Catholic Church had argued against the decision to allow civil unions, saying the only union referred to within Brazil's constitution was that between a man and a woman.

But the country's recently elected President Dilma Roussef has made the issue one of her big social policy reforms.

Now if only our friends back in the States could see such progress.  I fear getting relief from the US Supreme Court is a much more distant reality, however. Sigh.

Additional info here.

Country comparisons, the macro version

 Comparing things in Brazil to things left behind in our country of origin is a favorite pastime for many expats, at least among the newbies.  I’ve found that these comparisons start out listing all the wonderful new things discovered in Brazil that were either not available in the States (or wherever) or are simply way better here (like varieties of bananas or singing at BBQs).

Over time the comparisons switch to the quality of consumer products, or maybe the lack of certain items here in Brazil.

If we don’t check ourselves, the comparisons can spiral out of control and turn into ugly, whiny, bitch sessions.

One of the first realizations expats need to come to, in my opinion, is: DON’T COMPARE.  It will only make you crazy, and probably not a lot of fun to be around. Just live locally and love it.

However – I’ve found this really cool website that ranks countries in terms of numerous points of comparison, like: population, health, crime, sports, wealth, etc.  So let’s have some fun.

Retail shrinkage (shop lifting) as % of sales, 2010.        Brazil:  1.64        USA: 1.5

Prevalence of adult obesity, 2010.       Brazil: male 8.9%, female 13.1%           USA: male 32.2%, female 35.5%

Greenest countries, most livable places, 2008.   Brazil ranks 40^th          USA ranks 23^rd

Prison population, per 100,000 people.          Brazil: 191         USA: 738

Price of a Big Mac in US$, 2010.          Brazil:  US$5.10          USA: US$3.73

Road traffic deaths, per 100,000 people, 2009.          Brazil: 18.3         USA: 13.9

Circumcised men (%), 2006.    Brazil: 7.4%      USA: >80%

Women in Parliament, 2011.    Brazil: 8.6%      USA: 16.8%

Diabetes prevalence, % of adult population, 2010.      Brazil: 6%       USA: 12.3%

World Cup football championships.  – OK, not fair…

You can find a lot of fun facts to know and tell at this website.

Why I blog

[Dove-tailing off of Rachel’s recent post.]

In the beginning I thought I would blog because it would save me from having to write 20 emails a week to my friends and family back in the States.  I could keep them informed without it being a big, laborious deal.

With a red face I am here to say that my friends and family did not care that much. I don’t get regular emails from folks “back home” who want to know how I am doing – it never happened. And when I sent them emails it was typically days or weeks before I heard back.  That’s just the fact of the matter.

Shame on me for thinking I would be a significant object of their attention – or a preoccupation, just because Luiz and I chose to leave town.  People’s lives are busy, things are complicated, they have a gazillion issues pressing to be priorities.  In general, we have not made the cut.

I don’t blame anyone.  We left them… How dare us to expect a primary place in their focus after we were gone? We had to grow up. We made our bed –and now we are sleeping in it. (Side note: I am SO GLAD we brought a quality mattress from the US!)

So why do I blog? I no longer do it for my family and friends. (Over the past three years I may have gotten one or two comments from family members.)

Blogging fills a social purpose. I have made online friends who also blog. Blogging gives me a chance to speak to the universe of potential readers in a way that may be helpful or amusing in some way. Blogging lets me think I have a voice in the world (no matter how miniscule). Blogging provides an English environment in which to spend time during an otherwise trying Portuguese-filled day. Blogging allows me to write – something I enjoy.

FaceBook has filled in for a lot of the daily chatter.  I connect with a lot of old friends there.  More so than via email.

But blogging has become a new adventure, a new platform, a fresh environment in which to make social connections.  This old dog has learned a new trick.

So far so good.  Thanks for being a part of this adventure.

President Obama in Rio de Janeiro

In front of the Theatro Municipal

The television is all Obama all the time. And everyone is smiling.  Growing crisis and ill-fated war in Libya aside, this post is about the people’s reaction to President Obama’s visit to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro.  The guy is a rock star.

The artist brought this as a gift to President Obama. The image shows Obama crying a tear of joy at the reality that a black man is president.

These guys in white worked up a song and dance routine to celebrate Barak Obama as an honorary Brazilian.

News reporters tripped over themselves to sing the praises of President Obama and they had no difficulty finding people on the street who were eager to express their excitement and pride in just being in the same city while the President and his family visited.

As a US American I consider myself pretty cynical and hardened against putting too much stock in a politician.  But when a black man can be president of the United States and he brings his family with two small girls to a poor community in Rio for a visit – Brazilians of African descent take note.  The pride, the excitement, the hope, the thrill of it all sent ripples of promise throughout the community.  It was very moving to watch.

Lots of security.

Luiz and I went to Cinelandia to watch President Obama’s speech from outside the recently restored (magnificently so) Theatro Municipal.  Much to our disappointment there were no jumbo-trons televising the speech to those of us standing in the square.  We did not even see his motorcade drop him off at the theater.  Oh well.  The crowd was fun and we, of course, spent the afternoon sitting  in an outdoor restaurant enjoying the warm sunshine and cold beer.  We watched the President’s speech on the televisions hung over the diners.

Watching the speach on the television.

"Obama generico" - an Obama look-a-like works the crowd.

It was a bit eerie to be on the streets of Rio with absolutely no traffic.  It was a ghost town.  We could even walk down the middle of the street. Very weird. And security forces were everywhere.

But the take away experience was one of pride. Brazilians were feeling proud and Luiz and I felt proud. It is amazing, the hope and promise President Obama inspires just by being who he is.

Making friends with the security guys.

Here is President Obama's speach in English.