life lately...
in...
out…
eat…
Week Two
This past week brought with it all. the. emotions. Thankfully, the workweek was short due to a national holiday and by Friday night we were once again in awe of the opportunity before us.
The Notables:
My first solo grocery run with the kids, via Uber. I have no shame in saying that ice cream was definitely used to bribe encourage good behavior :) And it seems that all adorable old ladies also do their grocery shopping first thing in the morning… I can’t count how many times I had to say “Eu não fala Portuguese” while trying to gratefully accept what I assumed to be admiration of my beautiful children :)
We now have a car. Our first family outing was to Wal-Mart (lame, I know). Greg handled the crazy traffic and my loud, knee-jerk warnings like a champ. The police managed to find us only once as we were trying to make a U-turn (which we thought was legal but was apparently not). Thankfully they waved us on after we moved through the intersection, but their point was made and resulted in our first (Brazilian) family precedent: no U-turns. Going forward, if Google Maps tries to convince us otherwise, we will happily make 3 right turns to avoid it.
So, yes… Wal-Mart. Since our arrival, we’ve been searching for an umbrella stroller (which sadly doesn’t seem to be a thing here). Greg’s co-worker mentioned that Wal-Mart might have one though... That spark of hope, combined with the fact that my hair dryer decided to die, determined the destination of our first family outing (in the car). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was Brazilian in all but its name. Because space is in short supply, this Wal-Mart has levels. And because people don’t just buy a basket’s worth of items at Wal-Mart, the store has inclined, moving sidewalks made to lock your cart in place so it won’t roll over you while making your way to Level 2! Also, price checks are performed by roller skate-clad employees who speed back and forth between the check out line and the item in question :)
Saturday brought our first truly Brazilian restaurant experience. The unhurried, lingering kind that leaves you wondering which meal you actually came to eat. The building wove beautifully through pre-existing trees and featured a literal tree house AND playroom for kids to enjoy… thus making unhurried, lingering parents possible. We met friends Vera, Vlad, and daughter Sofia for lunch at 1 pm. At 2:15 the idea of ordering food entered the conversation. And for the next several hours, London passed from lap to lap as the adults took turns perusing a sumptuous buffet of local cuisine, Cora and Sofia having joined a flock of kids roaming happily through the restaurant. There we lingered. unrushed by schedules. fully present with these, our first friends. until 5:30 pm. It was lovely.
And our Sunday followed suit… church. a stroll to the padaria (bakery). a stop at the local park. If this becomes our Sunday rhythm, I will relish each and every one of them.
