caipirissima

The Return: Hey Canadian! Part I

2009-03-20T21:35:00.013-03:00

When I lived in Brazil, I had a varied group of friends, one of whom was Seu Leonildo, the elderly gentleman who manned the back entrance to my building. Seu Leonildo worked every second night from 7pm to 7am, opening and closing the garage door to the building every time someone came home or left. Prior to becoming the night doorman, he had worked for the building's property management company, in the accounting office. However, as pension plans in Brazil are notorious for being insufficient to allow a subsistence-based retirement, he took up his doorman duties post retirement in order to make ends meet and help his two daughters through their education. All-nighters are tough at any age. They are particularly tough when one has already reached an age when one should be at home enjoying a quiet life with one's family. In addition to having to work the graveyard shift, Seu Leonildo also had to commute back and forth to his home in Vitória de Santo Antão, a smallish city approximately 55km inland from Recife, a journey which took hours by bus each way.

Seu Leonildo was friendly with us right off the bat, a facilitating factor, I think was the fact that one of his daughter's names was also Karen. It was a instant conversation starting. Over the months, Seu Leonildo, along with some of the other doorman and women became my local confidants. They would tell me the news of the building and always keep a look out for me. They were some of the hardest to say goodbye to when I left. Old Leonildo, especially. The night before I left, he hugged me tight and hiccuped and sobbed his way through his goodbye. I was sure that he would pass out from a lack of oxygen. I wasn't sure if we would meet again.

Fast-forward to February 2009: The Return. In among the required and anticipated visits is a late night stop in at my old building. We call ahead to make sure that it is one of Seu Leonildo's nights and are surprised when one of the younger doormen is stationed at the backgate. He recognises me, smiles and we chat for a moment. He says that Leonildo now works the front door, a much better gig as far fewer people come in and out the front door than the back door. There is also a couch in the entrance lobby, but I'll leave it at that. We go around to the front, only to be greeted by a tearful Seu Leonildo who has been alerted by the backdoor guy. He lets us in and we hug and talk for ten minutes. He spends most of the time telling us that we must come visit him in Vitória and stay for one, two, three or even seven days with him and his family. Seeing that we are already more than half way through our twelve days in Recife, with a full schedule still ahead, we know that we cannot accept such an invitation. It is a important one though and we agree that we will go up for one day. We exchange phone numbers and promise to call and plan our trip inland....

The Return: The Rules are Different in Brazil

2009-03-17T22:58:00.006-03:00

In Brazil, the rules surrounding a lot of things are different: relationships, notions of time, how to get things done, respectable topics of conversation, clothing, how much beer is too much, how much sun is too much. In sum, lots! One activity that also has a different set of rules is the fact that one can scuba dive without any kind of certification or training. Really! It's called Baptism, and it involves 40 minutes in the pool learning to use the equipment and emergency procedures followed by a full-fledged dive! Well ... when in Rome, I say!

So during our two weeks in Recife, we made plans to go diving with one of our dive-mad friends. Since I left Brazil in 2007, Flávio had become a certified instructor. So it was easy. He could do the 40 minutes in the pool and then we could all head out for two dives (also in rule flexibility, Mark did his PADI theory course in Canada but never managed to complete the test dives due to allergies to neoprene.... In Brazil ... no problem, but I digress!).

First stop: the pool. Not bad, this whole thing seems easy enough:

Second stop: 24 meters under! Still not so bad, except for my poor ears!

Okay, I admit, I was a little nervous about the whole prospect. I mean, dive courses must exist for reasons other than just to employ people and make money. But Flávio convinced me that all was well, and indeed, it was. Quite enjoyable in fact. No turtles or sharks were spotted, but in among all the colourful fish was a ginormous manta ray that was quite worrisome. Being a nervous Nelly, I kept my distance. It all makes for a good story though!

The Return: Last-Minute Luck

2009-03-16T21:50:00.002-03:00

When I left Brazil a year and a half ago, everyone wanted to know when I would be back to visit. Not knowing exactly when I would get a chance to return, I picked Carnaval 2009 as a date that seemed as good as any. Far enough away that we will have had time to miss each other, but not too long that we will have all forgotten.

By mid-January 2009, we still hadn't done anything to action this plan (except for a clever heads-up vacation request for two weeks in February, made in June 2008 when we were asked to put our summer vacation requests into "the system"). By January 15th we hadn't moved on anything and I figured that the Plan was as good as gone. What were the chances of getting any kind of reasonable price on a ticket to Recife for lead up to Carnaval, bought a mere three weeks ahead of time?

Just to satisfy our lack of options, we hopped on expedia and did a quick ticket search. We entered our locations and dates, the timer twisted and turned, twist and turned, and we were informed that our round trip ticket from Ottawa to Recife and back - via three days in Rio no less - would cost a grand whopping total of $980 each - taxes in! Just to put this in perspective - I just bought a ticket for a trip to Saskatoon in April, and it cost EXACTLY the same price! Yup, a three hour trip to Saskatoon or a 17-hour trip to Recife and Rio.... Also in comparison, while I was living there, we never even managed to get a ticket to Sao Paulo for that price, let alone Recife (another three hours away) and Rio. It was too good to miss. We hopped on email and the phone, confirmed that all our friends would be around, verified that we could have the time off, and, after a grand total of 24 hours of contemplation, booked the tickets, clickety-click.

That was it, the grand adventure of The Return was about to begin!!

The Return: Prologue

2009-03-15T23:06:00.001-03:00

When I came home from Brazil a year and a half ago, I promised myself that my blog would not become one of those my life was so much better when I lived in [fill in country's name here] blogs. We've all seen the type, so nostalgic about the past that one isn't able to live in the present. And frankly, while there are a lot of things that I miss about Brazil (the people, the food, the music, the tremendous sense of culture and folklore, the commitment of the grassroots to bringing about change), there is a basket-full of things that I don't (the violence, the lack of personal security and extreme inequity between rich and poor to name a few). But yes, regardless of this promise, I feel that I need to post a story or two about ...

... The Return ...

A Story in I'm Not Sure How Many Parts, but at Least a Few

Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment

February 28, 2009: The Day I Quite Possibly Became an Adult

2009-02-28T23:12:00.003-03:00

Well, after years of trying to hold on to my youth, it's possible that today was the day that I officially became an adult: I spent the exact equivalent of a mortgage payment on a vacuum cleaner. Yes! A vacuum cleaner. A small, circular canister on wheels with a hose that sucks up cat hair, dirt, dust and other rather disgusting particles from one's floors. A mortgage payment! On a vacuum cleaner! And no, it isn't gold-plated. Nor does it scoot itself around the house picking up after the cats (although apparently this does actually exist). It still needs to be led around and pointed in the general direction of the cat hair. To be fair, it does bear an uncanny resemblance to some kind of space machine or satellite which is about to launch itself into orbit. I've been thinking of calling NASA to see if they are missing any pieces of equipment, or, if not, if they like a new one!

No, but seriously folks. We threw the economic crisis to the wind yesterday (Obama said to, really he did) and bought a new Dyson vacuum cleaner. Boy is this thing powerful. Spent the day vacuuming all the floors (well, okay, Mark vacuumed, I cleaned the cat boxes and made the meals). Overall, we were impressed (with its power) and disgusted (by what had apparently been living in our carpets all this time - the canister is clear, so there's no hiding the grossness of it all).

A solid day of good clean fun. Again, all for the ~~low~~ price of one mortgage payment. I'm thinking of putting it in my will!

Saudade

2008-11-20T20:04:00.001-03:00

Ever had nostalgia triggered by something that was never actually a part of your life?

Case in point: I'm in the middle of rural Mozambique, visiting a health training centre. It is early evening and I am spending a couple of hours working on my computer in one of the classrooms. At 6:30pm, the students, freshly laundered from their day in training and looking spiffy (one was in a cocktail dress while another was in plaid pyjamas!), traipse in and turn on the television. On tap are two Brazilian telenovelas - or soap operas - back to back, draped in as much Brazilian telenovelaness as possible. Let's just put this out in the open right away: during the three years that I lived in Brazil, I watched maybe five partial telenovela episodes. That's like 1.67 episodes per year. But here I am, in rural Mozambique with a bunch of Mozambican kids (well, young adults, I guess) riveted by the B-level drama playing out in front of me. And there I was, feeling highly nostalgic about something that I basically ignored while I had the chance!

Typo or Freudian Slip?

2008-11-17T20:08:00.000-03:00

Last week, I wrote an email to a couple of colleagues informing them that I was just completing a document that I had been writing, but that due to my departure for the internetless wilds of Mozambique, I would have to delegate my final two pending documents to another colleague. When I reread my email upon my return to the land of the internet, I realised that it had gone something like this: In any case, that's what I was hoping to do and I lose my internest connection at 6am tomorrow.

Hmmmmm ... was that supposed to be my internet connection or my interest connection?? Let's just say that we have been preparing these documents for a loooooong time....

How to Eat a Mango in 15 Easy Steps¹

2008-11-16T04:35:00.001-03:00

A Guide for Small Children

1. Get stripped down to your skivvies.
2. Get a partially pealed child-sized mango from your mom.
3. Use your chubby little fingers to further peel it.
4. Lick the juice off of your fingers as you peel.
5. Start sucking on the pulp of the mango.
6. Get mango pulp all over your face.
7. Peel more skin and suck more pulp.
8. Wipe your juicy hands on your distended belly.
9. Drop the mango in the sand.
10. Pick it up and keep sucking on it.
11. Try to catch the drips as they run down your chin.
12. Shake your hands in the air to try and clean them off.
13. Get carried away by your mom and get hosed off.
14. Put your clothes back on.
15. Grin!

¹ Inspired from a day spent in rural Inhambane

This Ain't Kansas Anymore

2008-11-15T14:49:00.001-03:00

Yup, I'm feeling like I'm in Africa these days! These huts are the mainstay of rural Mozambique. A sight I loved was while driving through a Maputo shantytown/informal settlement: nestled in amongst the jumble of hastily constructed concrete and very square one-room houses, was one of these round huts with a thatched roof. I loved it! Someone who needed tradition more than anything else. Next time I pass, I'll try to get a photo.

A Welcome to Mozambique Nosebleed

2008-11-09T17:09:00.005-03:00

Thirty-six hours after leaving home on Friday, I arrived in Maputo, Mozambique and was welcomed with a nosebleed! Yes, while waiting for my luggage to come off the conveyor belt at the airport, my nose started to unsurreptitiously bleed! I was caught totally by surprise since in all my travels - and long-haul flights are the main reason why my carbon footprint is not in the saintlier than the saints category - I've never gotten a nosebleed from changes in air pressure. Fortunately two women standing next to me were extraordinary speedy in whipping out all kinds of tissues and clean wipes so that I could take care of myself without having to worry about hauling all my carry on luggage around trying to find the washroom while bleeding from the nose. In any case, things quickly got better, my nose acclimatised to its new environment, my bag arrived, my visa was procured and someone from the office picked me up. We headed to the hotel and all was well!

Tomorrow morning, I am off again, seven hours up the coast to the rural town of Massinga in the province of Inhambane. It's definitely off the grid....

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

2008-11-05T20:36:00.005-03:00

No, I'm not getting married! I'm planning a reading list that will hopefully carry me through 40+ hours of flying, not including airport transfer times, during a three week trip to Mozambique which starts on Friday. I'm hoping that four books will be enough, but if not, the Johannesburg airport has a terrific library filled with regional fiction and non-fiction that is not easily attainable outside of Africa, so I *should* be okay. So, without further ado ...

The List:

Something Old: I've been reading my Portuguese copy of A Mulher que Escreveu a Biblia, or The Women who Wrote the Bible by Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar for quite some time now. The writing isn't difficult, but somehow the comparative ease of reading something in English keeps getting in the way and attracting me to other books. I'm determined to finish this one on this trip. Scliar is the author whose relatively unknown outside of Brazil book Max and the Cats was the "inspiration" for Yann Martel's Life of Pi which then went on to win the 2002 Man Booker award and much fame....

Something New: I picked up a copy of The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón at a book sale at work last week. Being described as “Gabriel Garcia Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show” by the New York Times Book Review was enough for me to pick this one up.

Something Borrowed: Back in August I borrowed a copy of The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working from friend Ysa. Written by Canadian Robert Calderisi, the book is an undiplomatic and frank look at why he thinks foreign aid in Africa often hasn't ended up making a difference. Fortunately, he labels Mozambique as one of the few countries that is doing the things right and should be on the donors' list for assistance, so I won't need to get myself in too much of a moral quagmire.

Something Blue: The last book on my list is The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. It's blue both because of the blue swash on the cover and because I suspect that there will also be some pretty blue moments in the text, like, oh, the twenty-seven years that Mandela spent in prison....

Overall, I think that I have a balanced list. Some fiction, some non-fiction. Some to relax with, and others to reflect upon.

May the reading begin!

Snow!

2008-10-28T23:05:00.002-03:00

Take that Google!

Turns out that Google doesn't know everything after all! The day after Google pinpointed the fact that summer had turned to fall, the temperature immediately plunged and the leaves turned fiery reds and yellows and start to tumble en masse from the neighbourhood trees.

So it was to my incredible glee that I saw that our early transition to winter - yes, winter, it's snowing out there - went unannounced by Google. Their ability to announce that would have made me right nervous.... (but not surprised).

On the downside, it means that fall only lasted a month. We haven't even finished raking!!

What Were They Thinking?

2008-10-27T22:42:00.006-03:00

Thing No. 68

Okay, so it's happened to all of us. You move into a new place and you slowly (or quickly!) end up discovering a lot of things that i) weren't immediately apparent pre-signing on the dotted line; and ii) make you shake your head and think "whatever was it that they were thinking?"

Well, just this week, more than a year after moving into Chez Nous, I discovered Thing No. 68: Tucked away on a small section of wall in the downstairs hallway is one of the unique-est picture hanging instruments that I have ever seen. And I do mean ever. There on the wall, neatly painted the same white as said wall, is an upside down flat thumbtack that has been glued onto the wall with its needle part sticking out offering itself as a picture nail! I'se just can't believe it!

Of course, rather than dig it out and use a regular picture nail or hook, I had to try it out. So far, so good, the picture holds. Who knows, maybe this time, they were actually on to something....

The Kitchen Chairs of my Childhood Can Now be Found in a Funky Retro-Café

2008-10-25T11:58:00.006-03:00

Growing up, we ate all of our meals around the kitchen table. We had a big eat-in kitchen with a round melamine table which had four matching chairs. Being the fifth family member, however, my chair was the desk chair from the desk in the playroom, but I digress.... My parents had bought the set in the sixties when they married and moved into their first apartment. Yes, we were the epitome of coolness back then!

Sometime in the late nineties, the round melamine table was replaced with an even older drop-leaf antique table. The chairs, however, remained. When I moved to Ottawa in '98, I dragged the table out of the basement and brought it with me. It has been with me ever since and currently resides in the centre of my eat-in kitchen.

The chairs, on the other hand, kicked around the new old kitchen table for a while, until that table made its way into the livingroom (leaves down), to fill in the gap where the piano - which had been moved to my brother's place - had resided. Another new old kitchen table - and chairs - were acquired for the kitchen. The old chairs ended up in the basement, tableless and alone.

Just under four years ago, the chairs were again given a new life. This time with a young family that had recently immigrated to Montreal and were setting up their first Canadian home. Currently in their forty-somethingth year, the chairs and table now live 8km from each other across the Ottawa river. Just the other day, we were wondering how long the chairs would/could last....

... Enter the newest and hippest café in my quickly gentrifying neighbourhood; Raw Sugar. After months (and months) of speculation, Raw Sugar finally opened its doors two weeks ago. A bit of a cross between Café Santropol in Montreal and Leave it to Beaver, Raw Sugar offers an eclectic mix of 50s and 60s tables, chairs and furnishings. Nothing matches and everything matches. Massive Formica tables are surrounded by a hodge-podge of retro kitchen chairs, including I might add, the Kitchen Chairs of My Childhood, nestled in among the orange vinyl and purple velour.

Who knew? And suddenly, we are once again the epitome of cool!

Life in the Rat Race

2008-10-21T22:10:00.003-03:00

Yup, that's me! :-(

Happy Fall

2008-09-22T22:40:00.004-03:00

Oh woe is me! Google owns my mind.

Turns out that today is the first day of fall. You'd think that the frigid nighttime temperatures (think 1°C) would be enough for me to realise the official changing of the seasons. But no, it took my opening of Google this morning to realise that fall was no longer a vague possibility, but that indeed, it was well and nigh upon us.

Does Google own your mind too? Oh, and Happy Fall!

I went to New York. I went to IKEA

2008-09-10T20:06:00.006-03:00

During the last week of August, we took a little road trip to upstate New York and then New York City. Ah, New York City. Bright Lights, Big City. So many things to do. So many places to go. So many shops to browse. So much art to take in. With only 3 1/2 days there, we needed to be focused and diligent. There was no time for dilly-dallying. So on the first morning we were there, we went to IKEA. Yes, IKEA. Really!

You see, this past June a new IKEA opened in Brooklyn. In order to encourage Manhattan-based customers to head there instead of the Jersey location, IKEA has commissioned a free NY Water Taxi route from South Street Seaport (Pier 11) to IKEA and back. Turns out it passes the same touristy destinations - Statue of Liberty, the New York City Waterfalls, New York Skyline - as some of the paying Circle Line tours. How could we refuse? A free harbour cruise + an order of IKEA's famous hot dogs and cinnamon buns! Life just doesn't get any better...

Remember Night Court?

2008-08-21T22:33:00.003-03:00

Yes, yes, Night Court of 1980s NBC television fame. Harry, Bull and the gang? Am I dating myself here?

A few weeks ago, my sister, cousins and I were playing Taboo and the word at hand was whisper. My sister, the tabooer, cleverly blurts out "George Michael sings of careless these." A perfect clue, followed by a perfect silence. Yes, silence! The tabooees stared straight ahead not even able to hazard a guess. Complete and utter silence. I couldn't believe it and, being on the opposing team, wasn't able to say a thing... But I digress, back to Night Court.

Last Friday, as part of Central Canada Exhibition (colloquially known as the Ottawa SuperEx, Harry Anderson was town for one of his signature magic shows. How could we refuse? We hustled off post-work and got in line to buy tickets for the ... not sold out show? How could this be? Judge Harry Stone was in town and Ottawa was at home sitting in their livingrooms? Granted, we had experienced a downpour of biblical proportions (welcome to Summer 2008), only an hour before, but still. I was a little bit disappointed with the turn out. The show was good - a tad on the shortish side and interspersed with other performance magicians - but hey, Harry was in fine form and I met 1980s sitcom icon (it was a rater intimate affair and meeting was entirely possible)! How cool is that?

Not my Lifetime!

2008-08-18T20:05:00.002-03:00

At least I hope not....

Last July, I purchased 45 bottles of cachaça and imported them back to Canada. It was deemed a "lifetime" supply by most. You'll never finish them, they said. Are you crazy? others surmised. I began to doubt myself and my exaggerated purchase.

Well ... one short year later, we are down to thirty bottles. Yes, 30 bottles - meaning that we consumed fifteen bottles or 11,250 mL of cachaça over the past eleven months (the bottles arrived mid-September with my air shipment). Granted, we did not consume these fifteen bottles all by our lonesome, but that's a 33% stock consumption in less than a year.

Key events that led to stock depletion: First Annual Caipis & The Commons Caipirinha Party (Oct. 2007); First Annual Carnaval Party (Feb. 2008); First Annual Sao Joao Welcome to Summer BBQ (June 2008); and the Cousines Cottage Weekend 2008 (Aug. 2008). Lots of first annuals, but hey, it's my first year back. It was bound to happen. In-between caipirinhas were also not unheard of. In terms of limes, somewhere around 165 limes sacrificed their lives over the past year to our caipirinha efforts.

It's been good year, but you can see why I am hoping that it is not a lifetime supply!!

New Look - New Life

2008-08-14T22:50:00.003-03:00

Okay, I am the first to admit it, I've been ignoring poor 'ol caipirissima since I got back from Brazil almost a year ago. It's not that I don't have a million little blog posts percolating in my mind, it's just that somehow they never make their way onto the blog, or remain forever half written and saved as draft. So sad. Well, NO MORE! I say. I have a new header which inspires me to breathe new life into caipirissima: musings from life ... in Ottawa?

Stay tuned!

Lusoadventures in Africa

2008-05-25T23:04:00.006-03:00

As it turns out, the lusoblood coursing through my veins is pretty strong stuff, perhaps even as strong as a Brazilian cafezinho. Strong, sweet and possibly necessary for existence. After a wee few months back from Brazil (okay, it's been seven months and I *still* haven't changed my blog header, but who's counting, really?), I decided to make the massive jump from Latin America to Africa. Lusophone Africa - so same colonisers - but Africa nonetheless. After fifteen years of everything south of the Rio Grande, I've followed my Portuguese connections to sub-saharan Africa, and more specifically to Mozambique. Am still based in Canada - just altering my travel plans for the next few years!

All that to say that I am just back from my first trip to Mozambique. It was a quick one - with time spent exclusively in the far south, in Maputo, the capital and a few, um, beaches down the coast towards South Africa.

Hmmmmmm ... some competition for those Brazilian beaches. I did miss the itinerant vendors though. What do you mean, I have to actually get my own beer?

Maputo, from across the bay

The Maputo Elephant Reserve (unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop): No bikes, no motorcycles, no skidoos??

All in a Day's Work: paved roads run out pretty quickly here!

caipirissima is....

2008-04-16T22:28:00.003-03:00

... wondering where the time has gone!

It's a long story, but somehow it turns out that I am heading to Mozambique for two weeks this Friday (um, yes, like the day after next!) via two days in Amsterdam, to boot. How did this happen? I think that really it all commenced close to a decade ago when I started learning Portuguese and discovered that it was one cool language. After my years in Brazil, I suspect that I really had little control in the matter! All that to say that this will be my first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa after fifteen years + two degrees focused on Latin America. I also just bought a brand spanking new digital SLR - so there should be stories and photos to follow either during or after the trip!

até pronto!

Subversion

2008-03-20T22:49:00.003-03:00

I'm rather subversive and strange little things make me laugh.

When I was heading to Honduras a few weeks back, I flew through Toronto where I had to preclear American customs (I was flying through Miami). Technically once you have precleared customs you are on American soil. So ... I had to snicker when the older couple ahead of me pushed their baggage through customs on a trolley sporting a rather bright ¡Que viva Cuba! advertisement on its back.

Heh heh heh heh.

Ah, Tegus

2008-03-11T20:22:00.004-03:00

I'm back from two weeks in Tegucigalpa, the bustling capital of Honduras. What can I say? It's the only place I've even been to where Christ has only a slight hierarchy over Coca-cola....

Click on the photo for the full effect!

Te-where?

2008-02-27T22:09:00.000-03:00

Tegucigalpa!

Yup, that's where I currently am!

Have Dog, Will Travel

2008-02-17T12:44:00.004-03:00

Went skating on the canal again yesterday. The conditions were much better than last time and I managed to complete the run all the way to the Hartwell Locks and back (12km). It was a picture perfect day with the sun shining gloriously throughout the daylight hours.

Speaking of picture perfect, I wonder what this little guy was thinking?

See You in the Spring!

2008-02-16T18:21:00.005-03:00

Ha!

These were taken on the fifteen minute walk between the canal and home. I wonder how many (temporarily?) abandoned bikes there are citywide....

Forays into Brazilian Baking - Part I

2008-02-11T22:51:00.004-03:00

I have discovered that there is a reason why I am a bureaucrat and not, oh, say a caterer specialising in Brazilian sweets....

It all started a few weeks ago, when we began preparing for our Carnaval Bash. My goal was to serve a totally Brazilian menu. I started trolling my cookbooks and the internet several weeks in advance and within a few days, the menu was set: brigadeiro (cannot believe that wikipedia has an English entry for this totally Brazilian chocolate/condensed milk chocolate ball), beijinhos (whoa - wiki has this coconut ball sweet listed as well!), docinhos de uva (take that wiki - I have something that you don't with these pastry covered grapes), bolo de macaxeira (cassava cake) and an eggplant and pepper salad being the show stealers. May the preparations begin!

Docinhos de Uva
First we tried to make the docinhos de uva. A simple recipe, found in abundance on the net. There are only five ingredients -

1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 Tablespoons powdered milk
1 teaspoon butter
grapes
crysalised sugar (preferably green!)

- and four steps -

1. Mix the condensed milk, powdered milk and butter in a pan and place on low heat until the mixture comes to a low boil and starts to lift off the bottom of the pan when stirred. Stir constantly.
2. Remove from the heat, let cool.
3. Once cool, shape the mixture into small balls and then wrap around each grape.
4. Roll in the crystalised sugar and place in individual mini pastry cups.

- Pretty easy eh? Claro! -- provided you read the recipe properly! Our main error was adding, well, a 1/2 pound of sugar to the condensed milk concoction, when in fact we were actually supposed to roll the balls in the sugar at the end of the process. We all know that Brazilians have sweet teeth - but really, it was too much sugar! Opa! Somehow, though, people still seemed to really like them, so I imagine that were they to be made properly next time, they would be truly wonderful.

Next stop: Bolo de Macaxeira....

Long Time, No Skate

2008-02-10T23:41:00.000-03:00

Four years, to be precise!

Taking advantage of the fact that i) despite being in full winter mode since mid-November, the city finally managed to get the Rideau Canal flooded and groomed for skating by late January (hurray!); ii) I had a couple hour lull in Saturday's schedule; and iii) it wasn't human-popsicle inducing weather, I finally managed to lace up my skates and head to the canal for an 8km spin. Turns out that much of Ottawa had the same brilliant idea! Despite the crowds, though, I had a good run from Laurier to the Bank Street Bridge and back. I would have gone further, but the conditions between Bank & Bronson were appropriately labelled "poor". After a few metres battling the bumps, ruts and faults, I decided to cut my losses and turn back.

Overall, it was a snowy but good introduction back to the Rideau skating routine. Amazingly enough, my muscles aren't even too sore today!

Happy Carnaval!

2008-02-04T22:03:00.000-03:00

It's Carnaval 2008. Except instead of shaking it down in Olinda and Recife as I did for the past two years, this year's rendition was spent in Ottawa, bracing myself against the ice & snow. In order to not let Carnaval pass by totally unnoticed, we did organise a small costumes & caipirinhas party for Saturday night. Let's just say that many many limes sacrificed their round green lives for the occasion (fortunately, we recently discovered that the Chinese grocers around the corner sell limes for half the price of our local super market. And as we all know, half price = twice as many limes!). In addition, the small-fortune investment that I made in Carnaval masks also paid off, as everyone who came to the do was able to adorn themselves with a bit of holiday glitter. Still, it was a bit of a culture shock:

How Brazil Celebrates Carnaval: Dancing in the Streets!

How Ottawa Celebrates Carnaval: Massive Ice Sculptures during Winterlude!

Okay, I do admit that the ice sculptures are pretty cool! It's just that its hard to dance if you are a frozen popsicle!

Does this mean that I am spending too much money?

2008-01-19T23:16:00.000-03:00

Okay, so we all get offers for new credit cards in the mail which purport to offer higher limits, lower interest, more airmiles, better benefits, longer life, better meals out, etc. etc. etc. Usually this come from companies other than those we already deal with....

So, imagine my surprise when my current credit card company sent me an invitation to sign up for an Aerogold business credit card! Yes, BUSINESS. A massive limit, nine additional cards, and extra points for this that and the other thing. Mmmmmm. Extra points.

It was all very tempting. However, when I started to read the acceptance certificate, I discovered that I actually did have to have a registered business and had to fill in things like my Revenue Canada registration number, the what percentage of the business I owned, what the businesses gross annual sales/revenue were, how many employees I had, and on and on and on. So why did I get this? Whatever could have made them think that I was a business, It was then that it dawned on me. Could it be that I spend too much money? As much as, oh, say, a small entreprise?

Now I Have Seen it All

2008-01-13T21:24:00.000-03:00

Humour me; I'm just back from a country that encourages the use of neither baby strollers nor take out coffee. While I was aware that both trendy baby culture and trendy coffee culture soared to all time highs while I was away (can they get any higher?), I thought that I had seen it all. But no, in a marriage of both, I recently stumbled across (in the Glebe¹, no less) the new must-have accessory for one's baby stroller - a clip-on coffee cup holder! A quick internet searched showed that the holder is being sold for approximately $25. You'd think that after paying somewhere in the vicinity of a grand for the übertrendy bugaboo, they'd just throw in the holder....

In any case, apologies to any bugaboo or bugaboo coffee cup holder owners, as I said, I've been away....

¹ Trendy Ottawa neighbourhood

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour's Furnace Man

2008-01-03T17:18:00.000-03:00

First of all, it's currently 2.8°C / 37°F in our pantry. That's another 1.1°C less than two weeks ago. Three more degrees to go before we can officially make ice cubes.

Second of all, given the first point, is it so bad to covet one's neighbour's furnace man? I can't imagine so.

We finally broke down this morning - after waking up to a whopping 12.8°C / 55°F house - and called a furnace man (from this point on, known as Our Furnace Man). The Furnace People said that they were currently booking appointments for next Monday (today being Thursday). When it was mentioned that it was less than 13°C in the house, they said that they would have someone there before 1pm. Hurray for insistence!

A short while later, I noticed a repair-looking van parked outside our house. Oh joy! Oh glee! Our Furnace Man was early. I headed downstairs to open the door only to see Not Our Furnace Man enter the house across the street, tool belt and supplies neatly in tow. How could this be? How could they tease us so? Maybe we were next on the list? I could only hope.

Fortunately after staring out the window trying to will our neighbour's Furnace Man to come our way, a second Furnace Man Van drove up and indeed, this time, he was ours. Hurray! In the end, Our Furnace Man ended up staying close to an hour, tweaked a few knobs and left as soon as heat started flooding through the house. Something about low gas pressure. Two hundred bucks well spent, in my mind.

Death by Meat ... In Toronto!!

2008-01-02T12:58:00.000-03:00

After three years of eating meat, more meat and other more meat in Brazil, I figured that my iron levels would be just fine, thank you very much. Not so. Months of ~~over~~consumption apparently had no to negative effects on my iron levels. Four months since hitting Canadian soil, it was time to try again ...

DEATH BY MEAT AO CANADENSE

Driving down the Danforth on the way back from Christmas Eve lunch at my uncle's place we noticed a restaurant called the Red Violin. Being a odd-sounding name (makes me think of the Canadian movie more than anything else), we took a closer look only to discover that it was in fact a Brazilian Churrascaria - a.k.a Death by Meat - right there smack in the middle of Greek Toronto (gotta love it!). Plans would have to be made. Fortunately, one of my cousin's had had the same idea and after comparing schedules, we managed to arrange for our night out. So, without further ado, here is caipirissima's official out-of-five-stars rating of the Red Violin, a little piece of Brazil in the Canadian cold.

Caipirinhas -  ½
I have to admit, the Red Violin's caipis were this hotspot's weakest point. Not enough lime or cachaça. Plus they use Pitu, which is okay if you are on the beach in Recife, but not so much if you are paying $9 a pop in TO.

Salad Bar -  ½
The Salad Bar, on the other hand, was terrific. The selection was more than adequate (20+ options or something similar) and included quail eggs (I've never seen these outside of Brazil), sushi (a must is authenticity is at stake), mango salad, shrimp, mussels, smoked salmon (also a must), buffalo mozzarella, ten different kinds of salads and even farofa (toasted maniac flour - a northeastern staple). All extremely Brazilian. All very yummy.

The Meat - 
The meat, I have to say, was pretty decent. There weren't as many cuts as in Brazil, but I guess this is to be expected. The cuts they did have - picanha included - were mouth watering and tasty. Thumbs up on the meat.

Dessert -  ½
Bonus points for innovation and taste! A twist on the theme, dessert was slices of sugared and spit grilled pineapple. A novel idea! Apparently pineapple helps you digest as well. Considering how much meat we ate, this news was welcome.

Service & Ambiance -  ½
The service and ambiance were good and were definitely modelled after the more upscale Sao Paulo churrascarias and not the family fun farm ones near my place in Recife. The waiters did a good job slicing the meat off the swords despite the fact that they were not actually Brazilian (oh, and the owner is Argentinean ... ?!?). On the strange side, was the No Meat Until You Have Completely Finished Your Salad rule. We think that that one could have been blurred a bit. And, in true Brazilian fashion, it didn't really matter whether your meat card was switched to "Yes Please" or "No Thank You", the juicy stuff just kept on coming (we like that though!). There is live music and dancing Thursdays through Saturday, but as we were there on a Sunday, we can't report back on it).

Price -  ½
A tad pricey at $50 for the buffet (drinks extra) - although considering the amount of specialty ingredients we consumed, maybe not actually that outrageous.

Overall Rating - 
A solid four stars. Would I go back? A definite yes.

Thanks H & J for being up to the task! It was just like you had managed to visit us in Brazil!

Até a próxima!

... and the City of Ottawa Did Not Clean

2007-12-21T19:34:00.000-03:00

Five days after the big fall, our street still looks like this!

Keeps us in good shape though....

Environment Canada Did Not Lie

2007-12-16T18:02:00.001-03:00

Well, it turns out that Environment Canada's predication of Major Snow was right on the bat...

This is downtown Ottawa (corner Bank & Laurier) seven shopping days before Christmas....

Snowed In

2007-12-16T18:01:00.000-03:00

Poor Felix. Any more snow and he'll be totally cut off from the outside world.

This ain't Recife anymore!

Bits 'n Bobs

2007-12-15T22:04:00.000-03:00

Remember the pantry that was 5ºC? That's 41ºF. Well ... today it has slipped a few notches to 3.9ºC. I realise that this only represents a 1.1ºC difference, but when you're hovering that close to zero, this is major stuff. We've trying to decide whether or not to unplug our fridge for the winter as the pantry is cooler. That or else we'll start storing our white wine in the pantry and red in the fridge.....

We went to a craft fair today and bought a catnip carpet for Felix. Needless to say, he attacked the bag the minute we got home and we pretty much haven't seen him since.

I have given in and joined facebook. When my sister started to have to act as my facebook social secretary, I knew that it was time to give in. What intrigues my most about facebook is the word verfications needed to do anything. Vanderbilt went. Where did Vanderbilt go? Nostalgia goes. Where does it go? 20 Humber. 20 Humber what? It's like these half finished sentences, and of course the cat in me really wants to know the rest of the sentence! Not like here where the word verifications are complete nonsense....

Feeling Vrtuous

2007-12-10T23:40:00.000-03:00

No, I did not forget the 'i' in virtuous! Seeing that we live on the edge of Ottawa's downtown core and can walk or take the bus to most things, we decided that a car was not something that we absolutely needed to go about our daily routine. We did, however, decide that occasional shopping trips to IKEA (waaaaay in the suburbs) or weekend skiing jaunts to Gatineau Park were a necessity. Enter Vrtucar.

Vrtucar is a car-sharing network in Ottawa that gives you access to a fleet of cars that are parked/stationed in and around downtown. There is a one-time refundable membership fee of $500, and then members pay a small monthly fee ($20 in our case), an hourly rate for car rental ($2.50 - $3.00 an hour) and a kilometre rate (something like $0.35/km). That's it. That's all. No insurance (they have group insurance). No gas (unless you need to fill it up, in which case the total you paid for gas is deducted from your monthly bill, plus $1.50 for your troubles). No repairs. No maintenance. No changing the oil or winter tires. No hassle! Cars are booked online, and there is almost always something available for when you want it. We've been signed for a month and so far, so good!

Car sharing networks are popping up all over Canada and the States including in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa/Gatineau, Toronto, Kitchener, Vancouver, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago.

And this is why I am feeling particularly vrtuous these days!

Tchotchkes of the World - UNITE!

2007-12-04T00:37:00.000-03:00

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. A trinket here, a piece of folk art there, supporting a local artesan on the street. A bric-à-brac during a site visit, an empty wall or nook in my massive Brazilian apartment....

But now that my entire shipment has arrived from Brazil, and my all stuff is assemble in a few rooms, I am wondering what the heck I am going to with the exponential number of tchotchkes that I seem to have acquired during my three years in Brazil. I certainly wasn't tchotchkeless prior to Brazil, but the numbers seem to have multiplied at a rather surprising rate. Right now, the majority of the tchotchkes are in a holding pattern on our inherited diningroom bookshelf (yes, a diningroom bookshelf). I'm just hoping that while waiting for final dispatch they don't decide to band together and overthrow the landlords....

Two confessions and an explanation:
1. The pic is small as I am kind of embarrassed.
2. The pic doesn't actually represent all the tchotchke's. Some have already been dispatched.....
3. The two lower shelves were already warped - this, at the very least, cannot be blamed on the tchotchkes.

TCHOTCHKES OF THE WORLD ... UNITE!

2 Cold 2 Blog

2007-12-02T22:03:00.000-03:00

Is it just me, or is it mind numbingly cold out there?

So much for the whole it's late October and 22ºC thing. We just passed late November and it's, well, frankly, minus 22 degrees. My official hibernation period will be starting ... NOW!

I know, I know, all you people out there are thinking "Buck up, it is Canada after all". Well, to all you naysayers, let me just explain with a small example. You see, we have a pantry that is off of our kitchen which is kind of like a walk-in closet. It also has a window to the outdoors in it. Well for the past few weeks, we have been calling the pantry the Root Cellar, due to its ability to keep cool. However, as the temperatures outside began to fall further and further, I started wondering just how cold the pantry could/would/did get. Well, tonight I dug out a thermometre and discovered that the pantry - aka the root cellar - is a BALMY 5ºC! Yes - this is correct; a part of my house which is neither the outdoor shed nor the garage which we actually don't have is in the single digits. S-I-N-G-L-E D-I-G-I-T-S.

Please don't tell me that my sensitivity to this is just because I have been in Brazil for the past few years!

p.s.: My trip to New Brunswick was good. I love seeing Brazilians meet snow and/or winter for the first time. I think that they must have taken more than a thousand photos between the dozen of them. Of course, that was the + 8ºC kind of winter. I can't imagine if it had been this week!

p.p.s: New York was also terrific (except when I got a terrible cold at the end which has taken three weeks to take its leave, but I digress). One highlight was perusing the rows and rows of fabric stores in the Garment District. Man - there is crazy wild fabric out that makes Carnaval in Brazil seem tame! Highly recommended!

Fun●ness!

2007-11-05T22:37:00.000-03:00

♪ I'm leaving, on a jet plane ♫

Travel isn't as fast & frequent as it was when I lived in Brazil, but I do have two fun trips coming up.

Trip #1: A three day business trip to Fredericton, New Brunswick. Happiness #1a is getting to see Fredericton while Happiness #1b is getting to see some of my old contacts from Recife. Approximately three weeks back in Canada, trying to wrap my mind about the fact that I would no longer be professionally involved with Brazil, the Brazil peeps at work tracked me down and asked if I could lend-a-hand until Christmas. Could I???? The answer was an easy yes - and here I am a month later, not quite going to Brazil, but at least going to "kill my nostagia"¹ by visiting my Brazil peeps who will be in Fredericton for a workshop.

Trip #2: A girls' long weekend in New York City! Hurry! Lots of happinesses about this one as well. No definite schedule - just a plane ticket in hand.

All Aboard!

¹ matar saudade

Boooooooooooooo

2007-11-04T23:02:00.000-03:00

Can you tell that:

a) Last week was my first hallowe'en in three years; and
b) For the six years prior, I lived in an apartment?

Just to be clear - we didn't go waaaay out like the folks that decorate their houses beyond recognition, with orange flashing lights, flying ghosts and moaning skeletons that pop out of their lawns. But ... we did have a little bit of fun with the dressmakers mannequin that I picked up at the Antrim Flea Market (the ex Stittsville Fair) a few weeks back....

Mhawhahahahahaha

It's late October. It's 22 degrees.

2007-10-21T22:59:00.000-03:00

Where are we again?

To celebrate the incredibly warm weather today, we headed out for a bit of a walk on the Ottawa River Pathway. While a lot of the leaves have already fallen, the sights are still pretty spectacular - I have to admit, the autumn colours are one of the things that I missed most about not being in Canada these last three years.

I was a little jealous of these guys 'cause I thought that maybe they were gathering together so that they could head to Brazil for the winter, but it turns out that they only head to the south of the States. I'm not so jealous anymore!

Gato Felix Canadensis

2007-10-20T20:45:00.000-03:00

I didn't take any pictures at the Caipis & The Commons Party last Tuesday, so instead, here is a picture of Felix helping us unpack. It's an even switch, I'd say!

45 Bottles of Cachaça on the Wall

2007-10-18T21:51:00.000-03:00

45 bottles of cachaça.
Take some down.
Pass 'em around.
42 bottles of cachaça on the wall.

Well, we've had our first caipirinha party since my air shipment - loaded down with my massive cachaça haul - arrived a month ago. I have to admit, it was a little nerdy. Being capital city dwellers, we tend to get excited/antsy about things like the Speech from the Throne. Essentially the Speech from the Throne is the speech with which the Government opens new sessions of parliament. It outlines the administration's priorities for the coming year and gets voted on.... If the vote fails, the government falls. You can see where this is going right? Needless to say, this year's speech promised to be much more dramatic than usual and we thought that the only to get through would be a few rounds of strong, but oh-so-smooth, caipirinhas. Hence the birth of the First Annual Caipis & The Commons Party.

I am happy to report though that in true mixing business with pleasure fashion, the Caipis & The Commons Party was a roaring success. I admit that I had been somewhat doubtful as it did sound rather nerdy indeed. But low and behold - turns out it was exactly what this little 'ol town needed! We are now on the look out for the next caipi-drinking excuse!

Et tu, Ottawa?

2007-10-15T21:27:00.000-03:00

There are a lot of things that I miss about Brazil; the music, the food, friends, the work, charming colonial architecture, the beaches and other natural paradises, eighties music blaring outside my house at 6am on Sunday mornings. Okay, maybe not that last one! But seriously, while there is much to miss about Brazil, there are other things that I do not miss; chronic violence, lack of personal security, bitter poverty, chronic violence, extreme income disparities and chronic violence. Did I mention the chronic violence?

One of the silver linings of returning to Canada (there were a few!) was that I would no longer have to be constantly looking over my shoulder, going through red lights as soon as the sun sets and calling my friends to let them know that I got home okay. Yes, clutching my bag would be a thing of the past! Keeping my cards & cash separate but a blurring memory. How fitting then, that as I was slowly waking up - a mere ONE DAY after arriving - and listening to the local news on the radio, I learned that not only had someone in Ottawa been stabbed but that it was less than a hundred metres from my new place! Stabbings are pretty rare news in Ottawa and always get reported with a certain level of shock and amazement. Perhaps the timing and location of this last one was to help ease my transition??

It's not TB

2007-10-14T19:42:00.000-03:00

As I suspected, I neither have, nor have been exposed to, TB. Good to know, I guess.

On the other hand, I did find out some rather surprising news as I round up the battery of post-return tests that I have been subject to. In turns out that after living in the land of beef and the land of sugar for three years, during which time I consumed more red meat and sugar than in my whole life combined, I discovered that I am borderline iron and blood sugar deficient! How is this possible? Either I could have actually been eating more meat and more cake while in Brazil or else my body is in shock to being back in Canada and not eating so much meat and sugar....

Who would have thunk?

TB or not TB?

2007-10-10T22:09:00.000-03:00

Okay, yes, I've been back from Honduras for over a week now.

And yes, I need to get my caipirissima - life back in Canada blogging habits under control. I agree that they are woefully woeful.

Skimming over several weeks of news, I have to say that my current activity consists of waiting to see if I have been exposed to tuberculosis in the past three years. I don't imagine that I have, but I do have to say that at one point my allergies (at least I think they were allergies) were causing me a certain amount of lung problems and I joked that it was time to finally get my tb checked out. I guess we shouldn't really joke about these sorts of things....

In any case, I got the mantoux test done yesterday and am resisting the urge to self-diagnose! There is a purple spot on my arm where the injection was made, but so far it seems smaller than the need-to-worry size indicated in the depository of all human knowledge (a.k.a. The Internet). On Friday, I will know for sure.

Brazduras?

2007-09-20T23:28:00.000-03:00

Or should that be Hondzil?

In an effort to facilitate my, um, successful readaption to all that is Canadian, I am up and off to Honduras on the weekend, for a week! Okay, the Honduras part isn't really all that shocking as my move back to Canada involved not just the loss of Brazil as "my" country, but also the gain of Honduras as "my new" country, but the timing has sure been quick ... I haven't even been here for a month! My clothes and suitcases are still lying on the floor (no joke).

On the fun side ... I will be stopping in Florida on the way down (as an aside, I think that I must be the only eastern Canadian who has never been to Florida before) to visit my Brazilian friend Andrea who is in turn visiting family in the States. When I left Brazil, I refused to say any goodbyes, insisting that sometime, somewhere, my friends and I would soon meet up. And although I knew that Andrea would be in the States during September, I wasn't sure if it would work out to see her so soon after leaving. It was only as I was physically booking my ticket that I twigged to the fact that Florida was indeed on the direct flight path to Central America and bingo! two minutes later a ticket was purchased! Now, if I could only manage to repack those bags of mine....

21 BOXES

2007-09-17T21:48:00.000-03:00

My air shipment was delivered this afternoon - hurrah! What a relief it was to receive it after only a month of being packed up. No, really, I am not being sarcastic! Considering that it took my air shipment three months to arrive/be liberated when I moved to Brazil, a month seems positively refreshing! So it's a bit like Christmas - opening lots of packages and not quite knowing what I will find inside. So far, so good. Nothing broken and not too much mould. Speaking of which, if any strange new mould forms suddenly appear and take over in this corner of North America, it's not my fault. Repeat, not my fault. Not my fault....

C-c-c-c-old

2007-09-16T22:41:00.000-03:00

I've always prided myself on my fundamental Canadianess and subsequently my ability to not only endure, but enjoy and look forward to, the cooler climes and downright frigid temperatures that tend to grace our fine land. Heck, I even came home during the winter three times during my years away. Good intentions aside, it turns out that I am now a weather wimp.

Take last week in the office. Everyone else is in late-summer type clothes, short sleeves, flowing skirts, sandals, etc. Not only am I wearing a sweater, but am also sitting at my desk wrapped up in a scarf and my jacket. I would have worn gloves had I had any. On the positive side, I think that I've managed to provide the quota of office entertainment for the week.

Then today, I was shuffling around the house in almost every piece of clothing that I own, wondering whether or not it is a bad thing to turn on the heat before even reaching October. When I realised that it was only 15º inside, the decision was made that indeed we would have to break the No Heat Before (Canadian) Thanksgiving rule which is normally the general practice.

I can't imagine what will happen when things actually start to cool off....

A MIRACLE!

2007-09-14T23:19:00.000-03:00

I received the most amazing phone call today at work - that my air shipment - packed up on August 10th - had arrived in Ottawa and was ready to be cleared from customs. Hurray! I think that all of my colleagues in cubicle-land (a whole transition in its own right) were party to my exclamation of joy!

As soon as I received the news, I ran out of the office, piles of documents in tow, to start the process of liberating my stuff. Although relatively painless as a process, I did learn a few things along the way....

First, even though I have been living away for three years (for the government, I might add), I am still subject to the Can$750 duty-free restriction for bringing new purchases into the country, just like any traveller who has popped over to the Dominican Republic or Europe for a week's vacation. In the case of having lived overseas, the limit applies to all purchases made within the LAST SIX MONTHS. As one can imagine, the last six months is when lots of purchases are made as the "oh no, I only have x weeks left to purchase all the things that I have been thinking about purchasing for the last three years" realisation kicks in. This, in addition to the purchases of normal daily living.... Needless to say, I ended up paying duty and taxes on some of my final Brazil purchases. Blech!

I also discovered that I could have saved gaggles of money by getting an official alcohol importation license from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Had I done that, I would have saved muchly on the massive amounts of cachaça that I brought home. Apparently anyone can get the license. Ah well, live and learn - I was just happy to have the thought of my stuff dangling before me.

Toilet Paper Goes in the Toilet and Other Tales of Readaption

2007-09-09T22:06:00.000-03:00

So far, so good...

Buying a house by fax, txt messaging and long distance bank drafts is a great way to reduce reintegration stress. 'Nuff said. Guest room open for visits soon enough!

Just because it is still dark, it doesn't mean that it isn't almost time to get up. In my east-facing Recife bedroom, daylight came early (circa 4:30 - 5:00am) - meaning that getting up was an activity only undertaken after several hours of daylight had already come and gone. Not so here in the Great Orange (leaves, not snow) North (yes, I realise that this will only get worse until the end of the year and that I ain't seen nothing yet). On the other hand ...

Just because it is still light, it doesn't mean that I have to stay at work any longer. Loooove daylight that extends beyond 5:30pm as it makes evenings much more fun. Early sunsets all year round in Recife meant never getting out of the office during daylight hours (yes, I also realise that this will change as we progress towards the solstice).

Living in Chinatown means eating lots of Chinese food. I've changed neighbourhoods and now live on the border of Chinatown. Result, by the time I had been back for a mere twelve days, I had already eaten Chinese food four times en resto and twice as leftovers and Vietnamese once. The local entrepreneurs seem quite pleased with my new presence in the neighbourhood.

Just because a person is walking down the street either alone or in a group of two doesn't mean that they intend to rob me. To celebrate my return to Canada, I bought a new wallet - one which holds ALL my cards, ALL at the same time. Who would have thunk?

And yes ...

Toilet paper goes in the toilet, a fact which I manage to remember ninety-something percent of the time....

Cheguei!

2007-09-02T21:08:00.000-03:00

I have arrived!

... and am even in one piece!

The last week or so is pretty much a blur. Following my late night arrival from Brasilia a week and a half ago, I spent my last days in Recife madly trying to clean, file, and see friends. There were even several cleaning sessions that finally had to be wrapped up at 2am.... My poor eyes just couldn't take it anymore. What got done, got done. For what didn't, well, hopefully I will be forgiven. :-)

Last Sunday, my last full day in Brazil, I had a terrific lunch at my friend Andrea's house and then final drinks with André and Sarah at California (the restaurant, not the state). Then Monday morning, everyone somehow managed to take the morning off work and showed up chez moi to mount the airport caravan express. Although I had thought that three cars to go to the airport would be a bit of overkill, it turned out that we actually fully used all three (Brazilian cars are small)! At the airport, we were met by Flavio who also managed to scive off from work. Felix safely examined and on board, we had one final caipirinha and then it was time to hit the Recife runway one last time. Strange to see my building looming on the horizon and know that it will be a while before seeing it again.

The travel was all fine, Felix was duly readmitted to his home and native land and three of my four bags arrived with me. Fortunately, Felix was one of the three! The fourth arrived the next day - although I am a little perplexed as to where it went, since I saw it in Toronto and personally put it back on the conveyor belt to Ottawa....

Now I am busy settling in, visiting friends & family, discovering my new neighbourhood (more on that later) and wondering how long my shipments will take to arrive (am hoping for pre-Christmas at the worst!). Work starts again next week.

More musing to follow as I unpack and organise my thoughts.

T minus 1

2007-08-26T23:47:00.000-03:00

Less than one, actually.

In under twelve hours I will head to the airport and things are finally starting to look like I am up and moving countries: Felix's documents are all in shape and duly photocopied; the bags are (mostly) packed; the office is clean (never thought that would happen!); the see-you-soons have been said; and the house, well, the house will be ready..... Just a few more hours and everything should be done - I can sleep on the plane right?

I Swear NO MORE CLUTTER

2007-08-25T19:48:00.000-03:00

It's Saturday night, a few minutes before eight. I'm in the office, frantically filing, cleaning, shredding, and dashing off manic emails which will surely come across as rather garbled to their poor, non-manic recipients. My current thought is wondering whether or not my successor would prefer a clean desk or clean files..... I am still at the point of trying to achieve both, but things are looking bad. Pretty soon the round file will be bulging at the edges. Why so much clutter? Why notes and scribbles from three years ago? I know that we have all been here before - but truly - this time I promise: No more clutter!

House looks the same....

T minus 3

2007-08-24T07:17:00.000-03:00

Since my last post, I have been to Serra Negra - in the mountains of the state of São Paulo, the Big City itself, Brasilia and back to Recife. Three days left 'till I'm off. Not sure where I can put in my request for the 36-hour days - my few remaining hours will be barely (to not) enough!

Curitiba: Day Two

2007-08-14T09:28:00.000-03:00

Day two in Curitiba was spent taking the train between Curitiba - up in the mountains - and Morretes - down on the coast. The ride is a three hour descent through the Atlantic rainforest, precariously clinging to the sides of the mountain chain; at times the drop is so steep and so sudden, that you find nothing below as well as nothing to one side. The weather was overcast, so I think that the effect wasn't as dramatic as it could have been - maybe this is a good thing!

The Mountains of Paraná

The Devil's Throat

Not a Good Sign ...

Overturned frozen chicken delivery.

I'd rather not ask....

Morretes

Curitiba: Day One

2007-08-13T21:35:00.000-03:00

It struck me after two days: Curitiba is basically a slightly latinised version of Toronto: wide avenues, trees, a public transit system that works and that people use, a mix of houses and apartment buildings, and people walking around on the streets - even past dark....

One residential neighbourhood reminded me of Beaconsfield in Montréal; big houses, lawns (!), sidewalks, trees. Why Beaconsfield? Not sure - but it definitely reminded me of it over other Montréal suburbs.

Highlights of Day 1 include:

Street Fair - Bundled up for the cold!

Botanical Gardens

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum

The Wire Opera House - trés cool

Loooooove Curitiba

2007-08-12T21:55:00.001-03:00

The last few days are somewhat of a blur (my house was packed up into 55 boxes of varying sizes on Thursday and Friday), but somehow I managed to find myself in Curitiba - the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná - late last night. My first impressions are all good:

1. It was midnight and the cab that took me to my hotel stopped at all the red lights that we came across. This is unheard of anywhere else that I have been in Brazil.

2. People live in houses! Yes, houses. And you can see them from the street.

3. People walk on the street. Lots of them (people and streets).

4. It's cold! I'm all bundled up in a 3/4 length jacket and little hat and fluffy scarf that I *had* to buy at the local Sunday craft fair. Temp. last night was in the mid single digits.

5. Pierogi and borscht are traditional Paranense fair and have been for over a hundred years.

Past, Present & Future

2007-08-08T20:06:00.000-03:00

Yesterday: Transfered my car to new owner.

Today: Madly try to wrap up loose ends & prepare house for....

Tomorrow: Packers arrive.

Friday: Cut phone line. Thank goodness for cell phones.

Saturday: Head to Curitiba on vacation!

Full House!

2007-08-06T19:44:00.002-03:00

Last Friday was my "official" going away party ... now I understand why my apartment was so huge. Exactly for incomparable moments like this: almost everyone that I know altogether in one room.

Sad Morning

2007-08-01T18:57:00.000-03:00

This morning, I sat on the cold concrete floor of my parking garage, removed the license plates from car and sent them back to Brasilia from wence they came. It remains to be seen how either I, or the new owner of the car, will actually get the car to the transport department to get its new civilian plates, but until then, it'll sit, plateless and sad, in my garage.

Cachação

2007-07-29T13:46:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I bought thirty-six bottles of Sagatiba cachaça, thus bringing my current export potential to forty-five bottles. Some would call it a lifetime supply. Others would call it a darn good party. Either way, I'm not looking forward to paying the duty on all forty-five bottles in one shot (unfortunately exemption from import duties is not one of the job's perks!).

Why it Doesn't Necessarily Pay to be Too Organised

2007-07-28T13:26:00.000-03:00

Over the past year, I have been slowly repatriating my fall and winter clothes; every time that either I, or someone visiting me, returned to Canada, so went a pile of sweaters, long-sleeve tops, and scarves. Having only wore a light jacket exactly three times in Recife in the past two years, I applauded my forward thinking. Knowing that my shipment back to Canada will take a matter of months, I was pleased to know that I could already count on having the basics of fall waiting for me.

Fast forward ... southern Brazil ... August 2007.

Temperatures are currently below zero in the south and in the single digits in the southeast where I will be heading for my predeparture final fling. News footage from São Paulo shows everyone all bundled up in winter jackets and tuques. Ack! My jean jacket is looking seriously deficient for the days ahead! I did buy a new jacket last month though and, although it is more about style than warmth, it'll have to do! Being up here in the Northeast, I had forgotten that parts of Brazil do actually experience winter....

Uma Cesta de Pensamentos - A Basket of Thoughts

2007-07-27T20:29:00.000-03:00

Either today is a full moon or the driving skills of Recifenses have colletively deteriorated over the past day. I must have honked my horn more times today than in my whole time driving in Brazil combined. Knowing Recife, that's saying something!

As I was writing the date on a letter at work today, I realised I will be leaving Brazil in exactly one month.

A journalist that we hired to do some communications work for us was recently robbed at gunpoint on her way to meet with us at the office. She was stopped at a red light and surrounded by plently of other drivers. It was eleven in the morning at a major city intersection. Needless to say, my respect for amber and red lights has dropped exponentially since then.

I am going on a fun trip! I cashed in my remaining Brazilian airmiles and purchased first, a ticket to Curitiba in southern Brazil where I will spend three days; second, a connection to Campinas, a hoping off point to visiting a friend who lives on a coffee farm in Serra Negra, high in the mountains of the state of São Paulo near the border with Minas Gerais; and third, a bus ticket back to São Paulo, where I will meet with friends and drink an espresso under the giant fig tree at Figueira Rubaiyat. After my days in the big city, I will head to Brasilia for final meetings and goodbyes with colleagues and friends.

I sold my car (sniff, sniff) and am waiting for the paperwork to go through. For those who remember the fun I had trying to buy my car, it is just as much fun trying to get rid of it. I suspect that next Wednesday will be the last day that I will be able to drive before having to return the license plates.

The movers will come to my house in less than two weeks to pack up my stuff.

It'll be a busy four weeks!

Finalmente! A Cacaophone

2007-07-23T19:45:00.000-03:00

Two years ago, when we headed on our literary pilgrimage to Ilhéus, I was surprised to not find a version of Brazil's famous orelhões in the shape of a cacao pod. I am happy to report though, that during my most recent escapade to Salvador, we did find a cacaophone! It's like I managed to fill in a lost-lost puzzle piece!

I Swam with the Dolphins!

2007-07-22T21:45:00.000-03:00

First: I finally made it to Praia da Pipa, one of the items on my elusive To Do Before I Leave list.

Second: After six years of travelling and living in Brazil, a beach still managed to totally stun me as to its beauty. I would definitely classify within Brazil's top five to ten beaches.

Third: I swam with dolphins!

Really! It's true. One of the bays in Pipa - Praia dos Golfinhos (photo above) - is home to a school of dolphins - or golphins, as we started to call them. The dolphins play and swim really close to shore and seem to have no problem with us people floating about in their near vicinity. It was spectacular! While the dolphins obviously don't come right up and touch your nose, they do manage to get pretty close - maybe 5-8 metres away. A definite highlight!

Aside from the dolphins, Pipa is terrific. Totally relaxed beaches with little to no infrastructure; stunning cliffs as a backdrop; soft, fluffy sand; a light surf; and great food in the little town. In many ways it reminded me of Fernando de Noronha (minus the snorkling) x Porto de Galinhas x Tulum, Mexico.

Time and driving well spent!

Blubbernecking

2007-07-19T20:04:00.000-03:00

Two big pieces of news here in Recife yesterday. First, the horrific plane crash in São Paulo - which is to horrific to comment on [although as opposed to last September's crash in the Amazon, I do not think that we knew anyone on board] - and second, the enormous whale that beached itself, died and was hauled away by tractor trailors after causing hours and hours [something like 18 of them] of logistic complications and major blubbernecking¹ [of both vehicular and foot kind]. I have to admit, the blubber got the best of me as well and I couldn't resist a peek at our own Moby. Now the beach is really being cautioned against swimming as the whale blood will attrack the sharks even more than usual.

¹ Coined by friend Sarah

Air Canada versus The Cat: Round Three

2007-07-16T21:58:00.000-03:00

It turns out that there may be hope for Felix after all, as the ban on pets on international flights is being temporarily halted thanks to an intervention by the Canadian Transportation Agency. Now I only have two hopes. Hope # 1: That my Toronto - Ottawa flight is considered international as it is part of a broader international ticket; and Hope #2: That Felix manages to get on the TAM connector flight that I have booked from Recife to São Paulo. TAM can only provide an answer to this the day before I travel. YES, THE DAY BEFORE. How wonderful.

Saudade

2007-07-15T17:48:00.000-03:00

Yesterday, I launched myself into the crowds of people milling around at the eighth edition of Recife’s annual Fennearte – Feira Nacional de Negócios do Artesanato. While walking through the corridors admiring carved paintings from Olinda, clay dolls and domestic scenes from Caruaru, woodcuts from Bezerros, elaborate saints sculpted from clay from Tracunhaém and from wood from Piauí, and lace and embroidery from Ceará among the hundreds of stalls and products, it hit me: I had saudade. I haven’t even left Brazil yet, but yet I already missed it. I missed the creativity and imagination of the artists and artisans. I missed the inventiveness of a people who had been given little in life. I missed the simple - yet deeply symbolic - ideas behind a nation’s arts and crafts. I missed the whimsical. I missed the joy of celebration that one finds at every turn. I wanted to grasp it all in my hands and bring it home with me. I wanted to dance through the aisles to the clanging of a cowbell. I wanted to capture the moment and bottle it up, to be able to open it and breathe it in when needed.

As the hours wore on, the Fair filled up and became crowded and increasingly difficult to navigate; the feeling was lost. But as I left, my three – yes, in the end I did manage restraint – purchases tucked safely under my arm, I knew that the feeling had existed and that I had managed to bottle its essence, ready to release it whenever necessary.

Back. Tired. Satisfied.

2007-07-13T18:43:00.000-03:00

Finally back from my most recent escapade in Salvador. Although I must have clocked close to a hundred hours of OT during the space of twelve days, it was truly a fun & memorable experience. You can read the official version of it here. Pics 1 through 32 in the Photo Gallery are from Salvador.

Now if you will permit, I am off to sleep for the next forty-eight hours!

Daqui para Lá

2007-06-30T11:27:00.000-03:00

Just checking in to say:

1. I am off to Salvador for the next week and a half.

2. I will basically be incommunicado until I am back, but may try to post an update or two.

ciao!

Air Canada versus The Cat: Round Two

2007-06-28T21:59:00.000-03:00

Today was a Very Bad Day when it came to the Air Canada versus The Cat saga. It was so bad that I cannot even write about. But all is not lost, the kind woman who was the third person that I spoke to thought that I could possibly, just possibly get Felix all the way to Ottawa from Brazil. The first trick, unbeknowst to me however, is to get him to Toronto. AC only lets ONE pet per plane between Sao Paulo and Toronto, and yes, as lady luck would have it, that one spot was already booked for the day that I had chosen....

Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment. It's better than a telenovela!

Air Canada versus The Cat

2007-06-26T22:45:00.000-03:00

It pays to blog! Ever since I wrote this blog lamenting Air Canada's upcoming pet policy, I have been the happy recipient of a flurry of emails from People Who Can Not be Named to Protect the Innocent But Nevertheless Have Ins trying to help out with my cat travel predicament. The advice has been appreciated. Thank you! Here is the latest:

I measured Felix's cage, weighed them both and then ran to the office to fully book and confirm my ticket home, cat fully in tow. That was yesterday. Today since we had no answer or confirmation from Air Canada, we called back and learned that "it takes seven days to confirm whether the pet can travel or not". This seems like a local rule to me.... When we moved to Brazil, I called Air Canada, told them that I had a cat, and bingo!, he was officially on the fly list. So technically, we are in limbo until next Monday, but I am going to try to use the good 'ol Brazilian jeitinho if I don't have a confirmation by Thursday.

WHAT?????

2007-06-21T20:09:00.000-03:00

I am going into shock. This evening, just one mere day after reserving, but not purchasing, my ticket back to Canada, I innocently stumbled across this article in the Globe & Mail. Unfortunately since my reservation was preliminary I hadn't yet mentioned Felix....

Air Canada puts pets on no-fly list

Canadian Press
June 21, 2007 at 6:43 PM EDT

TORONTO — There's bad news for Air Canada travellers who want to bring their cherished pets along with them on the plane for their summer vacation. The airline says today that as of July 15th, Bowser and Muffy won't be allowed on its domestic passenger flights. And pending approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency, pets won't be accepted for flights to the U.S. or other international destinations. Dogs, cats and other pets will have to be shipped on cargo planes.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, says the airline is so full with bookings, it needs more room to carry baggage, so pets will have to go cargo. Last September 18th, there were howls of outrage from pet owners when Air Canada sent pets packing from the cabin to the cargo hold, but allergy sufferers were breathing sighs of relief.

Mr. Fitzpatrick says the new policy will not apply to guide dogs for the blind, and people who have already bought tickets will be allowed to bring along their pets. He says Air Canada can make the change to its domestic flights without the agency's approval, but needs approval from the agency to make the change for international flights.

Please recall that shock can be a life-threatening emergency. Happy Anniversary indeed.

Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary

2007-06-21T19:26:00.000-03:00

Happy Anniversary
Haaaaaaaaapy Anniversary
Happy happy happpy happy
Happy Anniversary
Happy happy happy happy
Haaaaaaaaapy Anniversary

Today I reached the milestone of 2922 days¹ with my current employer. Yes, it was June 21st, late last century when I first stepped through the door of the continued source of my biweekly pay cheque. Who would have thunk? Frankly, I don't think that I've ever stayed anywhere for 2922 days let alone a single employer! In honour of my loyalty, I am now the proud recipient of five extra days of holiday a year. Perhaps a trip to Fernando in celebration....?

¹ Eight years

Glee

2007-06-20T19:42:00.000-03:00

I have two reasons for glee today!

Reason for Glee #1. First, the newest version of Veja's The Best of Recife was launched this week. I bought it on my way home and could hardly contain myself as I jumped and bumped down the beach wondering which restaurants were in, which were out. Where's hot, and sadly, where's not. Who has closed and who has opened (the bar and restaurant scene in Recife is very fluid). I gave it a cursory read as soon as I got home, just to make sure that I continue to agree with the rankings. I'll unfortunately have to leave the profound analysis until the weekend. My mom suggestions that I should mention that I do not just eat well and visit exotic locations here in Brazil. Turns out I also work! Which incidently is why there are not so many blog entries these days.... Muito trabalho!

Reason for Glee #2: Second, I took Fitchee in to get his one year tuning at the Honda dealer. With Fitchee being a standard and all, and I, basically learning to drive standard on the way home from the dealer a year ago, I had all kinds of nightmares that Fitchee's transmission and the likes would be in complete disarry due to my lax driving habits. Turns out the Fitchee is in top notch shape. Hurray for Fitchee and by extension, his incredibly skillful driver!

I Knew It!

2007-06-18T22:29:00.000-03:00

Almost everyone in urban Brazil drinks bottled water, the standard being 20L garrafões that a legion of boys and men deliver on dilapidated bikes. The bottles range in price from R$1 - R$5. Yes folks, some of these 20L bottles of water cost CAN$0.50 and, at that price, I have to admit, I've always been slightly suspicious of their provenance. And now, I know that it is true - the other day as I was driving down Avenida Recife, I saw it with my own two eyes: a vendor was filling a garrafão straight from a common garden hose. Didn't even have the decency to do it behind his store!

A Night at the Beach

2007-06-17T17:53:00.000-03:00

Taking in Porto de Galinhas when Allison and Kevin were visiting. Rain. Wind. Meteors?

You Can Take the Girl Out of Québec...

2007-06-16T13:14:00.000-03:00

I'm back from another four-day stint in Salvador. As tends to happen after several trips in quick succession, I am beginning to develop my favourites there, including scrumptious Maria Mata Mouro in Pelourinho. Now, back at home, I find myself sorting through my wallet as I tend to do on occasion. One of the receipts made me laugh. It was from a home outfitting type store around the time that I had an onslaught of guests. Not quite having enough linens to accommodate seven people, I made an emergency trip to the mall to pick up a few extra bath and hand towels. Although I had meant it to be a quick trip, I ended up anguishing about which towels to buy, based on the store's erratic and somewhat eclectic selection. I finally settled on some fluffy white towels with a nice leafy pattern on the border. Just today while kcleaning out my wallet did I notice their official name as printed on the receipt: Toalha Banheiro Quebec.

You can take the girl out of Québec....

What Does it Mean?

2007-06-11T21:04:00.000-03:00

Okay, so a while back, I posted my What I Would Like to Accomplish in the Next Nine Months List. To recap, the list consisted of:

The A List

☺ Trekking to Serra da Capivara, an archeological site waaaaay in the interior of the state of Piaui;

☺ Relaxing at Praia da Pipa, a fabled beach in the state of Rio Grande do Norte;

☺ Snorkling in the waters of Fernando de Noronha again;

☺ Sipping one more espresso under the ginormous fig tree at Figueira Rubaiyat in Sao Paulo;

☺ Finally learning how to dance Frevo;

☺ Eating ridiculous amounts of macaxeira frita - fried manioc;

The B List

☺ Trekking through the Chapada Diamantina in the State of Bahia;

☺ Visiting Salvador one more time; and

☺ Dancing with the bumbas of Maranhao one more time.

So that was back in February. Since then, I have been to Salvador not once, not twice, but soon to be three times and eaten lots of manioc. Everything else remains fairly elusive until now. It's time to get serious! My nine months are now down to two and a half due to natural progression as well as a bit of timewarping. Ack!

Ark Building 101

2007-06-11T20:05:00.000-03:00

I am seriously considering signing up for Ark Building 101 down at the local technical college. I'm sure that it exists. With the amounts of torrential rains that are falling here, no doubt someone has already thought to put together a syllabus. If I don't post for a while, it's likely because I have floated away. Um, either that, or gone to Salvador [again!] for a few days where hopefully the precipitation situation isn't quite as extreme. Até!

Enough Already!

2007-06-10T22:22:00.000-03:00

Sometimes, just sometimes, when I don't poke around in my house very much, I tend to forget that I have mould problems. But then, sometimes, other times, most times, when I do poke around in the cupboards, closets, and back rooms, I discover things like this

.
.
.

These hats were perfectly fine three months ago....

And just to add to today's mouldy woes, I also discovered the nascent proliferation of mould spots on one of my framed prints - of Rue des Septs Voies in Paris - and am greatly disturbed. I keep trying remember what my mother said when she gave it to me, "Remember, the print is only worth about $8, the frame on the other hand ... is worth a small fortune. So if you ever tire of the print, keep the frame and change the print." Sadly, depending on how things advance, this may have to become the case. The challenge, of course is to find something in the eaxct same hues so that it matches the mats as well.

Five Signs that You've Adapted to Nordestina Life a Little Too Well

2007-06-08T19:13:00.000-03:00

5. Urban cows do not make you blink.
4. You've started calling everyone querida and amor.
3. You are not surprised that there are forty-two different ways of cooking manioc¹ and you love every single one of them.
2. You take road signalisation Very Liberally.

... and the number one sign that you've adapted to Nordestina life a little too well is ...

1. You tend to find 25°C "a little chilly".

¹ fried; boiled; puréed; floured, toasted and on its own (farofa); as tapioca pudding; as tapioca pancakes; as ice cream; baked into cakes, cookies, and breads; as meringues and no doubt thirty-one additional ways.

Nos. 31 and 32

2007-06-04T21:04:00.000-03:00

Possibly last, but DEFINITELY not least!

It was a sad day today as I packed off visitors no. 31 and 32 back to their home on the West Coast. Cousin Al and beau Kevin arrived last Monday for an action packed week of visiting, shopping, eating and ... well, more eating ... a big surprise to all who follow the blog! Particularly fun food moments included the Churrascaria (Meat Coma into the next morning was enjoyed by all), Olinda and the Oficina do Sabor (Shrimp in a Pumpkin), Queijo na Brasa (any country that specialises in fried cheese, must be all right), and manioc in its many many many forms (fifteen forms and counting). Safe flight guys. Thanks for visiting and see you soon!

I Just Bought a Fabulous Pair of Shoes

2007-05-26T11:02:00.000-03:00

How's that for as radical a shift as possible from my previous post? I realise that the change is a little shallow, reprenhensible really, but I am just so pleased and in fact, amazed, with my new shoes, that I couldn't resist writing about them.

Contrary to popular belief, it's actually not that easy to buy shoes in Brazil/Recife. The selection tends to oscillate between four-inch heels (platform or stiletto) and flipflops, with very little inbetween. About a month ago I saw a pair of shoes in Mr. Cat that caught my eye - brown leather, low heel, modern, high quality, well made. Could it be? Could I have found the coveted inbetween? I tried them on, but wasn't completely convinced, and ended up leaving them in the store. After a month of trying to find a suitable substitute, I decided to go back and buy a pair of the Mr. Cat's. Sadly, when I entered the store, they were no where to be seen. My conversation with the storegirl went something like this:

Me: Hi. I was here a couple of weeks ago and tried on a brown leather shoe with low heels, but I guess you must have sold out.
Salesgirl: Yes. I know exactly which pair you are talking about. It was a huge success. Everyone loved the low heel and comfortable design.
Me: [hamsters turning]
Salesgirl: We still have some, but we keep them in the back now. I'll bring one out for you to try on.
Me: [hamsters still turning]. Great.
Salesgirl: [comes back with two pairs of shoes, the original as well as a second, similar model] Okay, here they are.
Me: Hmmmmmm. I'm still not sure about the original model, but this second pair is amazing.
Salesgirl: Yes, it was selling so quickly, we decided to put it in the back room.
Me: ?
Salesgirl: It's such a great shoe. You know, for actually wearing. Like to work and stuff.
Me: Mmmmmmm. Yes, they seems to be. I'll take 'em.
Salesgirl: Terrific. I'm sure you'll love them just like everyone else.

And there you have it. The story of how these shoes do exist and are coveted. Entrepreneurs take note: there are riches to be made, but please, why are they hidden at the back of the store?

INTENSITY

2007-05-24T22:27:00.000-03:00

I wasn't really concerned until my colleague started with the questions.

Do you know where we are going?
Do you know who is taking us there?
Do you know who will be there?
Do you know what will happen once we get there?
Do you know what time we will be back?

The answers, of course, were all no, and it was then that I started to think that maybe I should be worried.

An unmarked white van picked us up at our hotel and swiftly carried us away through dark and winding streets to Caixa D'Agua, a lower-income neighbourhood in Salvador. The access road was high up on the side of one of the city's many hills and the van left us in front of a non-descript row of gritty houses. We scrambled down a steep and narrow alley and then up a staircase at the end to get to our final destination - a small room on the second floor of someone's house.

The intense heat of the room hit us as soon as we entered. The pounding of drums in the corner was rhythmic and hypnotising. Women dressed in white were dancing in what little space there was. Bodies were pressed together. We slipped into the crowd. People were chanting in Yoruba. A row of community elders were seated at the back of room, clearly not able to see a thing. As the crowd grew and swirled, I found myself pushed to the far corner of the room, mesmerised by the sounds, the movement, and the heat, split from my companions.

Slowly, more and more people started to enter the room through a small side door. People dressed as Orishas - Afro-Brazilian deities - started dancing. Chanting. Girating. Eyes clenched shut.

A low moan eminated beside me. I turned around and saw the girl standing next to me swaying to and fro, as if nauseous. She started to falter and collapse. As she straightened up, I could see that her eyes had rolled to the back of her head. She arched her back and let out a moan that turned into a long, low howl. A woman in white careful guided her into the back room.

The dancing continued. The drumming got louder and faster. More people squished into the room. The heat rose. All around me, women fell into trances. One. Two. Three. Four. Some were led away, bodies still convulsing. Others were calmed and brought back to the here and now. Two dancers collapsed on the floor and were ritually carried off by the rest of the group. My companions and I, scattered throughout the room, tried to make sense of eveything. We flicked our eyes at each other, hoping that we would understand our own strange sign language. It was like watching a video of which we alternately were, and then were not, a part.

Two hours later, we made our way to the door and slipped out, the fresh air of the outside world hitting our lungs like a bright white light. We were driven back to the hotel at which point we headed straight to the bar, unsure whether a smooth caipirinha would help us make sense of the intensity of what we had just witnessed.

Not So Good for Zee List

2007-05-13T20:52:00.000-03:00

I'm back with my feet on [in?] the sand after a whirlwind business trip, first to Jamaica - as my friend Dave says You guys sure pick nice places to have group hugs - and then to springy-by-the-time-I-left Ottawa. To all those whom I didn't manage to see [which, actually, is most of you], I apologise - it was literally a whirlwind. I meant to post some interim blogs, but when I had to choose between Thai food and blogging, the Thai food won everytime!

Two weeks outside of Brazil, of course, wasn't too useful when it comes to The List, but, then again, the chances that I would have actually done something exotic here in Brazil in the intervening weeks was slim in any case. And, in an extreme case of Be careful what you wish for, I am again off to Salvador with a quick stop in Brasilia on Wednesday.

Poor Felix. Will he forgive me?

♫ Happy Birthday ♪

2007-04-25T22:08:00.000-03:00

It's my sister Furley's birthday today.

You have to admit, it's a pretty good likeness!

Happy Birthday Furley!

A New Theme?

2007-04-23T20:09:00.000-03:00

I'm giving serious thought to starting a Now I've Seen it All sub-section for the blog. I was having lunch today at my usual lunch place and decided to indulge in some sushi. While I usually stick to the tried tested and true combos of salmon and tuna nigiri and fruit, veggie and fish-filled maki and california rolls, I decided to branch out and try the other creative varieties laid out before me. One variety in particular looked creative and innovative. I couldn't tell quite what it was, but it seemed like a plain rice maki (wrapped in the seaweed) with some kind of soya-y conconction globbed on top....

It was only when I got back to the table and started easting that I realised that it was a chocolate sushi! Yes, I had chosen a seaweed-rice-chocolate-sauce-and-sprinkles sushi! I do have to admit that the taste combination was a little bit odd....

Salvador

2007-04-22T18:42:00.000-03:00

Hurray! My three days in Salvador were fun and productive. Here are a few pics:

Elevador Lacerda:

Downtown Salvador is parked on a cliff and is divided between Cidade Alta - the High City - and Cidade Baixa - the Lower City. The Jesuits set up the first rudementary elevator system between the two in the early 1600s, while an electric version has been around since the days of Art Deco. Nowadays, the elevator transports approximately 50,000 people a day and costs R$0.05 [CAN$0.03] per ride. Having spent all my change moments earlier, my colleague generously lent me the dosh thus saving me from having to scale the cliff.

This photo taken from the top of the elevator looks like I had a fisheye lense on my camera. I think that the pier is actually curved though giving it a bit of an optical illusion.

More Phone Fun:

For sure, berimbau phones can only be found in Salvador! A berimbau is the single-string instrument used during capoeira - Brazilian martial arts fight/dance - rodas and is composed of a bow, single string and hollowed out gourd as the resonator. The name is an onomatopoeia - berimbau, berimbau, berimbau.

São Francisco Church:

Along with the Sao Francisco da Penitencia in Rio, a significant amount of the colony's gold also ended up in this church. No photos allowed from the inside, you'll have to go see it yourself!

Now I' ve Seen it All

2007-04-22T17:39:00.000-03:00

I used to think that talking on a cell phone, eating, drinking or listening to an mp3 player with earphones while driving were bad. Now I have added watching television while driving as even worse. Yes, one of our cab drivers in Salvador had a small portable television on the passenger seat and was giving us plot updates of the current soap while driving us down a curvy hill and mingling with traffic. We finally managed to persuade him to turn it off....

Off to the Shows

2007-04-21T17:19:00.000-03:00

I'm off to a Chico Buarque concert tonight. I was a little offended when the tickets went on sale a few months back, as they cost the equivalent of 1/2 of a montly minimum wage and were what I thought, rather pricey for Recife and clearly out of reach for most. After twirling with my conscience, I decided to go for it anyway since I would likely never again have the chance to see this quintessential Brazilian musician live. Turns out that more of Recife has R$160 to spend on a concert than I thought: two extra shows were added, making a total of five that Chico will play here this week.

Saudade

2007-04-20T22:07:00.000-03:00

I was cleaning out my email this week - those who know me will not be surprised that there are more than 5,000 emails languishing in my inbox - when I came across this one. It is too good not to share, and now that I have immortalised it, I can delete it! Enjoy!

You know you live(d) in Quebec if:

☺ Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May;
☺ You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time;
☺ You've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number [okay, this one sounds more like Brazil....];
☺ You measure distance in hours [totally true! Quebec City is 2½ hours from Montreal, Mont Tremblant 1¾; the Eastern Townships 1. I have no idea how far they are in kilometres!];
☺ You know several people who have hit a deer more than once;
☺ You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again;
☺ You can drive 120 kph through two feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching [with the best of them!];
☺ You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked;
☺ You carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them [we also know how to use tracks starting at age, oh, twelve....];
☺ You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit [no kidding! one year my costume didn't fit over a snowsuit and I ended up wearing it under my winter coat and then essentially flashing everyone when they opened the door];
☺ The speed limit on the highway is 100 kph -- you're going 130 and everybody is passing you [alternatively, this is also the case for ex-Montrealers who live in Ottawa racing along the 417 on a Friday night in order to get to Montreal as soon as possible];
☺ Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow [after driving on Brazilian roads for three years, I suspect that I will find Quebec's potholes a walk in the park!];
☺ You know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction [seriously! We have a season called Road Construction in Quebec];
☺ You find -6 degrees "a little chilly" [maybe even just "brisk"]; and last but not least,
☺ You actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Quebec friends & family.

Thanks to Deb for forwarding these to me way back when!

There will be a Rain Dance on Friday Night, Weather Permitting

2007-04-19T19:33:00.000-03:00

Well it seems as if winter has hit Recife in full force this week. It is grey, rainy, dreary, and windy. All day long. It's definitely not cold (28º - 32º), but the stores in the mall have all started displaying their winter lines - sweaters, leather jackets, scarves, toques. Who wears this stuff? Rain ≠ Cold. Rain = Dreary + Floods. We keep the air conditioners at the office extra low these days, just to add to the sensation!

For those who may have just purchased tickets to come visit me, fear not, I have requested a special dispensation for the weeks that you will be here....

Weirdness

2007-04-18T21:23:00.000-03:00

I can see my apartment building if I am sitting on the right side of a plane on the runway at Recife's airport.

Checking it Twice

2007-04-14T10:34:00.000-03:00

Ize off to check one more item off my list.

I have to be in Salvador for work next week and finally it has worked out that I can go a day early and aproveitar.

Até mais!

Fun with Firewater

2007-04-13T21:37:00.000-03:00

I have discovered two new yummy drink concoctions recently. I use the word discover in the same sense that the Europeans discovered the Americas.

Drink 1: Caipicitrus

A twist on the standard caipirinha. Place in a martini shaker: the pulp and seeds of one passion fruit; 1 shot firewater [cachaça, vodka, rum]; 2 shots orange juice, ice, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Shake. Definitely shake. The benefits of this over a traditional caipirinha is that one, you get a whole fruit serving included, and two, the orange juice cuts the acidity and means less sugar needs to be added. Win-win.

Drink 2: Mangolicious

A simple batido but without the super-caloric condensed milk that is usually used here. Place in blender: pulp of one mango; milk; ice; firewater. Blend. Pour. Drink. Kind of like a smoothy for adults. The benefits of this one are also clear I would imagine, one whole fruit and no sugar. Win-win.

I guess we could also get our fruit servings but just eating the fruit itself, but this way is much more fun, I am sure you agree!