Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Mother, Grandma & Friend.  I love you.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. The details of living in Brasil or probably any foreign country you can be depressing at times. It is a great life if you choose to focus on the big picture.

Super Starter

Today I pulled something in my neck.  Ouch!  I can barely turn it to the right.  A normal day, but had to run to the bank after we picked Ben up from school.  On hot days, if I run the car too long it won’t start.  This is a problem when I have to run to the bank and then go anywhere else after that.  No drive troughs in Brasil as far as I have seen, so I have learned how to park.  I have to walk a bit longer but I park on a hill so that my car will roll and I can then put it in second gear, let off the clutch and away we go.  I am an absolute pro now at starting a car in second. 

Anyway, on my way home from the grocery store I called Rodrigo and he told me that we were going to have family stay the night.  I called him to see if he wanted me to bring him lunch but after the news, I went straight home and started cleaning.  I organized, did laundry, cleaned, made salsa & cooked dinner for hours.  No, this isn’t the first time but it was worse today because I had a kink in my neck.   By the time I hit school I was exhausted.  Well, at least chores are done and house is clean…but for how long?

I say “Kind of funny” a lot and sometimes it makes me wonder if I try too hard to find the humor in all of these situations. 

Baratas

The other night we took our friends to our favorite neighborhood Launches place.  While we were sitting there we were becoming surrounded by cockroaches “Baratas” coming in from her neighbor’s house.    It was disgusting, I was jumping around screaming.  At one point one ran over my foot.   This was the first time I had ever seen so many at one time and I could tell the lunch lady was super embarrassed.  Oh well, it was kind of funny and she mentions it every time I see her.