3 & 1/2 Hour Paint Job

Today I went to a new beauty salon, one that I have been to before in my neighborhood.  Gabi had her nails done and I had my feet and nails done.  Just a mere 3 and a half hours later we went home.  The kids were good for the first 2 hours and then hell broke loose.  Gabi was rocking in a chair about to tip it over and the lady had my foot in her lap so I could do nothing but give the devil stare, which by the way apparently means nothing to my 3 year old.  I am not sure when parents actually start to say this but “when did I lose the control”?  When I left I said "Thank you & Sorry".

My fault, I normally wouldn’t have stayed to get my nails done but it was a time crunch because Rodrigo’s sister’s wedding tomorrow.  By the time I got home I was exhausted but had a nice time at the Salon this time, plenty of people to talk to and I really tried to communicate. A quick swim and a pizza later, the kids are in bed and we are waiting for the big day and celebration tomorrow. 

The Hair Cut

It doesn’t matter if you are a woman in Brasil or America, women go to the beauty salon not only for a haircut; we go to chat about our lives.  Let’s just say that a great hair stylist also minors in psychology. 

So, I found a place to go that is close, big enough to take credit cards and the possibility of becoming a familiar place.  However, it seems that every time I go there I experience less people talking with me.  This time they seemed scared to even have a conversation and the woman who was cutting my hair, talked over me in a conversation with another woman and just kept cutting the same piece of hair for 5 minutes while talking.  Then she grabbed my bangs and did one cut, she just pulled them up and cut them straight across.  My bangs are quite a bit more complicated than that because I trimmed them myself a couple of months ago and they are horrible.  She would have seen those if she paid a bit of attention to my hair, but she didn’t because I was a waste of time.  When she was done she had someone else blow it dry looked at me and touched my shoulders and said “beautiful”.  I thought it’s done?  My god woman, I haven’t had a hair cut in months, it had to be more complicated than that.  But I said nothing, well I tried to talk and everyone was looking at me because she was talking so loud, that it just became so uncomfortable I said “ta bom” which means “Ok”. 

Maybe it is my fault, I should have looked up some beauty terms before going but I thought I could wing it.  I had the same situation at Ben’s school the other day too.  What we were talking about I thought would be easy for me to communicate (Food) but sometimes I can’t get a point across to save myself from a burning building.  God, the little things in life can be so frustrating. 

I was walking home thinking of this blog & really happy that I had 20 minutes to cool down, by the time I got home it was ok again.  Unless someone knows a bit of English or a willingness to chat with me, it can be a very uncomfortable situation.  Busy people and Foreigners mix like water and oil. 

String

It’s kite flying weather.  Everyone is out flying them.  It is fun to do, but dangerous for people on Motorcycles.  My husband has to put up this little antenna that was put there to catch kite string while he is riding.  A number of times Motorcyclists have been seriously injured or killed by kite string cutting their neck.  Well, yesterday I was driving home from picking Ben up from school and I ran into a kite string.  Well I thought it was just the string but by the time I got home...I had the whole kite hanging off the back of my car and a 100 yards of string. 

Ok, side note.  2 minutes before I ran over the kite string, I just asked myself “now where am I going to buy string for stringing popcorn to decorate the tree”, then not a second later I had a wad a string in my hand.  Funny huh?  Then when I got to my house, a kid came around the corner and grabbed the kite and went into the house next to mine… no smile…nothing.  I said “sua” which I think meant “yours”, maybe he was pissed that I drove away with his kite, but I thought thank god I was in a car cuz that little shit could have killed someone and then I thought “String”!!!!!

Secret Santa

So, I did just that.  I started to work towards saving xmas.  We woke up and bought some Red & Green paper to make paper chains with, wrote letters to Santa, and shared some time dancing and singing to xmas music.  The kids were happy and I was fulfilled.  Then we were taken by surprise as someone special gave us a Christmas tree and a big bag full of beautiful decorations for us to build our Christmas tradition.   I must have skipped all of the way home to the kids holding the bag and box.  When I showed the kids we immediately dug through the sack as if Santa left it on the floor Christmas morning.  There were Lights, bulbs, angels, bows, and a wreath to decorate our home with.  Thanks to you our Secret Santa, it is going to be the best Brazilian Christmas and by the way, the tree is Perfect!

Brazilian Xmas Checklist 2011

Xmas tree

1 stream of lights around window

Cookies & carrots for Santa

Xmas presents for Kids

Make gifts for the family

String Popcorn for the tree

Letters to Santa

Buy Zooey Deschanel’s Xmas Album

Start New Traditions & Teach the old ones

Limit the reality to their precious Age.  Don’t let them grow up too fast.

-I was writing this tonight just as a list to remind myself to make this xmas special. Time flies here in Brasil and if I don’t, like every other holiday, it will go by unnoticed. This used to be the most special time for me growing up and I hope I can share this feeling with my kids.  Christmas, it’s the feeling of wonder and surprise, seeing snow on the ground, the music and the lights around town. 
As an adult, I grew away from the craziness that surrounded xmas.  I was disheartened by the buying, the worry, and the consumption.   Then living in Brasil, I felt so distant from my world & confused by cultural ideals that at many times when I didn’t know what to do… I did nothing. 
Children only see life through the world that we show them and the innocents that we allow them to hold.  I guess my xmas wish this year is to allow myself to see life through the eyes of a child again all year long.  I am so blessed to be a mother.