Yesterday we experienced firsthand “Brazilian time”. Our relocation agent had arranged for the Internet and Phone service provider to install whatever they needed to in the house. So we arrived at 11.45 having been told that "the phone company will be there between 12 noon and 6 pm." We brought with us 2 cushions to sit on, a packed lunch and various things to read. Well, we stayed until 6.10 and of course no one showed up. Mentioning it to some people that we had supper with last evening they said that it was “normal” for no one to show up and just to reschedule so that we can wait in all day again.
Whilst I was in the house though, I thought I would go around and do a “snagging” list. The house we chose is two years old but has never been lived in. As a consequence it was very dirty and dusty and has never really been finished off.
We chose it because of the location in terms of proximity to Steve’s office, has a small garden for the dog and has an aircraft hangar for a garage. This is really important because the house is about half the size of the house in the United States, and, with the exception of the dining room table, we are bringing ALL our furniture with us. Clearly it is not all going to fit so a lot of it is going to have to be stored in the garage. Either that or Marcelo is going to have the best equipped driver’s room in the entire neighbourhood.
But back to the snagging list. The easy stuff is getting rid of the rubbish that the decorators left, cleaning the place up and polishing the floors. That said, if they start to sand the stone floors the dust is going to be immense.
The more difficult things will be re-hanging the front door so that it actually fits, finding the keys that are missing and finding the locks for the spare keys. We also have sinks that leak, sinks that are blocked, and no water pressure in the hot tap in the kitchen. Our hot water heating is solar and try as I might, I have yet to master the mechanics of it. One day it is scalding and the next day it is tepid.
I will also need to find a plumber to install the tiniest dishwasher that you have ever seen that cost nearly $ 900 and will just about fit 6 cups and a few knives and forks. And before you ask “why bother?” the answer is that I have to have something for the maid’s day off. Now that my nails are beginning to grow again, I don’t want to lose them.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday January 28th 2010
I made a few observations yesterday that made me think hmmmmmm okay. We were driving into the center of the city on a 4 lane highway which, as usual for that time of day, was very busy and the traffic was going at a pretty slow pace. On the other side of the road was equally heavy traffic, but coming towards us were several motorbikes with red lights flashing and the cars in front of them were pulling over to let the motor cycles come through. About 100 yards or so behind them were another group of several motor cycles doing exactly the same thing and behind them a third group. They were clearly making an empty lane.
There then followed several black cars with blacked out windows and behind them an ambulance. Now, Marcelo started talking away in rapid fire Portuguese, trying to tell us what was going on. Of course we had absolutely no clue. We couldn’t decide whether it was normal for ambulances to be escorted by out-riders like this or whether there was someone really important in the ambulance. I guess I will have to try and find out. But given that I am tending to avoid Portuguese TV I am not sure that I will.
Now, the purpose of this trip, was in fact to take Steve to the local airport for a flight to Brasilia and we were hitting fairly heavy traffic. As I have mentioned before, the Merricks are always early for everything so this trip to the airport had been planned with at least 30 – 40 minutes cushion time just in case. We hadn’t told Marcelo of this extra time so all he knew was that “Sir Steve” was going to catch a flight and it was his job to make sure that he did.
Now, you know sometimes when a police car comes up behind you and decides it wants to pass and gives you the fright of your life by putting on the siren for a second or two. Well, when we hit some particularly bad traffic, Marcelo bent down slightly and hit his “magic button”. I’m not sure who was more taken aback, the car in front or me in the back seat.
It turns out that our car is fitted with some sort of police siren!
All I need now is a red flashing light.
There then followed several black cars with blacked out windows and behind them an ambulance. Now, Marcelo started talking away in rapid fire Portuguese, trying to tell us what was going on. Of course we had absolutely no clue. We couldn’t decide whether it was normal for ambulances to be escorted by out-riders like this or whether there was someone really important in the ambulance. I guess I will have to try and find out. But given that I am tending to avoid Portuguese TV I am not sure that I will.
Now, the purpose of this trip, was in fact to take Steve to the local airport for a flight to Brasilia and we were hitting fairly heavy traffic. As I have mentioned before, the Merricks are always early for everything so this trip to the airport had been planned with at least 30 – 40 minutes cushion time just in case. We hadn’t told Marcelo of this extra time so all he knew was that “Sir Steve” was going to catch a flight and it was his job to make sure that he did.
Now, you know sometimes when a police car comes up behind you and decides it wants to pass and gives you the fright of your life by putting on the siren for a second or two. Well, when we hit some particularly bad traffic, Marcelo bent down slightly and hit his “magic button”. I’m not sure who was more taken aback, the car in front or me in the back seat.
It turns out that our car is fitted with some sort of police siren!
All I need now is a red flashing light.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday January 27, 2010
I have decided that the Brazilians are a very happy bunch of people, very tolerant and very sociable. Any excuse to have a celebration or a party and they will do so.
Take yesterday afternoon for example. There was a spectacular thunderstorm which resulted in the inevitable flash flooding. As a consequence, once the rush hour started, the roads around the hotel turned into car parks. This is a very common occurrence. In fact, most days from what I can gather, the roads turn into car parks.
Today was a bit worse because of the flooding but next week it will be worse still as the children go back to school after their summer holidays.
But coming back to my initial observation. Outside the hotel is a spectacular bridge. If you Google, "pictures of Sao Paulo city bridge", I can guarantee that this bridge will appear. I marvel at the feat of engineering and although I only did physics for a very short time at high school, the phrase of “equal and opposite pressures” definitely applies.
This bridge, and I have no idea of its name, spans the river in two directions so you have one "A" frame structure supporting two roads carrying traffic north and southbound. I think it is spectacular and at night when it is lit up, even more so.
Well, yesterday, with the traffic at a standstill, people just got out of their cars and started talking to one another. It all looked immensely good humoured. One truck sat there for 45 minutes before moving and the driver just chatted to everyone around him.
Several people decided that they had had enough and simply turned their cars around. Now, given that the traffic is supposed to go only in one direction, this in itself is no mean feat, but the other drivers just pulled over a little bit, enough to let the return drivers through. Even the police just stood by and watch this happen.
So, I hope that when my turn comes to be stuck in such a traffic jam – and I am sure that I will - that my Portuguese will be good enough to join in the fun.
Take yesterday afternoon for example. There was a spectacular thunderstorm which resulted in the inevitable flash flooding. As a consequence, once the rush hour started, the roads around the hotel turned into car parks. This is a very common occurrence. In fact, most days from what I can gather, the roads turn into car parks.
Today was a bit worse because of the flooding but next week it will be worse still as the children go back to school after their summer holidays.
But coming back to my initial observation. Outside the hotel is a spectacular bridge. If you Google, "pictures of Sao Paulo city bridge", I can guarantee that this bridge will appear. I marvel at the feat of engineering and although I only did physics for a very short time at high school, the phrase of “equal and opposite pressures” definitely applies.
This bridge, and I have no idea of its name, spans the river in two directions so you have one "A" frame structure supporting two roads carrying traffic north and southbound. I think it is spectacular and at night when it is lit up, even more so.
Well, yesterday, with the traffic at a standstill, people just got out of their cars and started talking to one another. It all looked immensely good humoured. One truck sat there for 45 minutes before moving and the driver just chatted to everyone around him.
Several people decided that they had had enough and simply turned their cars around. Now, given that the traffic is supposed to go only in one direction, this in itself is no mean feat, but the other drivers just pulled over a little bit, enough to let the return drivers through. Even the police just stood by and watch this happen.
So, I hope that when my turn comes to be stuck in such a traffic jam – and I am sure that I will - that my Portuguese will be good enough to join in the fun.
Tuesday January 26th, 2010
When Steve and I started dating, twenty something years ago, he was in the Royal Navy. In fact he was in the submarine service in HMS Oberon. No jokes please about fairies.
This submarine was what they called a “diesel dog”. It was small, cramped and had a limited supply of water. Neither clothes nor anything else could be washed. In all it was a pretty a disgusting environment and no self respecting woman would ever serve on such a boat.
One thing that amused me greatly was the fact that the submariners couldn’t exercise whilst on board. Although they had the capability of replenishing the air for normal use, that capability didn’t extend to extra oxygen that would be consumed if everyone was breathing rapidly as a result of exercise.
So the submariners had an expression along the lines that “if you want to exercise, go and lie down until the urge to exercise goes way”.
I have followed this mantra fairly rigidly over the years and find that it works very well for me. Walking the dog is about all I do these days. I have tried endless exercise classes but I am always the one three steps behind everyone else, crashing into the person next to me going left as I am going right.
Over the years, walking the dog I have come across some strange sights but none as strange as this morning. In the woods in France there was a man who would hide in the trees and practice tai-chi. I am not sure who gave whom the biggest fright, me, Tessie or this elderly man.
Similarly, in Princeton there was an Asian family that would do something similar but hidden in the bushes of a housing development. They were clearly trying to maintain their privacy whilst doing their exercises
Well, this morning we walked in a small-ish park fairly close to where we are going to be living. In the middle of the park were three middle aged women. Hard to tell precisely how old they were, because they looked as though they had been lifted and separated on numerous occasions. With them were three rather hunky young men, leaning over them whilst they lay on the ground twisting and contorting their bodies into all sorts of shapes. I felt in agony just watching them. There was absolutely no pretence about privacy. There were plenty of less public areas in the park had they chosen to find them. No, they wanted the world to see what they were up to and believe me it looked very painful.
I thought back to the mantra that has sustained me all these years. Time to go and lie down.
This submarine was what they called a “diesel dog”. It was small, cramped and had a limited supply of water. Neither clothes nor anything else could be washed. In all it was a pretty a disgusting environment and no self respecting woman would ever serve on such a boat.
One thing that amused me greatly was the fact that the submariners couldn’t exercise whilst on board. Although they had the capability of replenishing the air for normal use, that capability didn’t extend to extra oxygen that would be consumed if everyone was breathing rapidly as a result of exercise.
So the submariners had an expression along the lines that “if you want to exercise, go and lie down until the urge to exercise goes way”.
I have followed this mantra fairly rigidly over the years and find that it works very well for me. Walking the dog is about all I do these days. I have tried endless exercise classes but I am always the one three steps behind everyone else, crashing into the person next to me going left as I am going right.
Over the years, walking the dog I have come across some strange sights but none as strange as this morning. In the woods in France there was a man who would hide in the trees and practice tai-chi. I am not sure who gave whom the biggest fright, me, Tessie or this elderly man.
Similarly, in Princeton there was an Asian family that would do something similar but hidden in the bushes of a housing development. They were clearly trying to maintain their privacy whilst doing their exercises
Well, this morning we walked in a small-ish park fairly close to where we are going to be living. In the middle of the park were three middle aged women. Hard to tell precisely how old they were, because they looked as though they had been lifted and separated on numerous occasions. With them were three rather hunky young men, leaning over them whilst they lay on the ground twisting and contorting their bodies into all sorts of shapes. I felt in agony just watching them. There was absolutely no pretence about privacy. There were plenty of less public areas in the park had they chosen to find them. No, they wanted the world to see what they were up to and believe me it looked very painful.
I thought back to the mantra that has sustained me all these years. Time to go and lie down.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday January 25th 2010
Yesterday I saw Marcelo's gun for the first. Up until now all I had seen was a bulge hanging over his waistband but today I saw it for real.
Today is a holiday in Sao Paulo and Steve decided that he is having withdrawal symptoms from not playing golf and booked a game at a local course. Trouble is, we still have no visas and so no bank accounts and no local credit cards. Therefore everything has to be done in cash. So today we had to drive to an ATM to get the aforementioned cash.
In normal, ie "safe" places of the world you line up at the ATM, wait your turn and take out what ever cash you need. I have done it here a couple of times and been surprised to see armed guards hovering in the vicinity. Bullet proof vests and machine guns slung not so casually over an arm. Today, being a weekend, there were no guards, so thank you BMS we have Marcelo.
Steve went into the foyer of the bank and Marcelo followed standing outside, eyes everywhere, muscles bulging and shirt lifted over his belt to let everyone know what he was carrying. Quite scary really but this is the way life is going to be and we just have to get on with it. I sat in the bullet proof car and all was well.
We are trying out all the local parks and after the bank drove to a new one. Being a Sunday on a holiday weekend, the world and his wife were out to play. Now this is where Marcelo really comes into his own. There were no parking spaces to be had, so we were dropped of at the entrance to the park. An hour and a half later, as we wandered back to the entrance, Marcelo had found the absolutely optimum place to park, right by the entrance. After about 3 miles of walking in the heat, Tessie was so thrilled to get into the air conditioned car. Needless to say, so were we.
Our last stop of the day was to supermarket. By now it had started to rain. There are two types of rain in Brazil. The drizzle that is reminiscent of the UK and the heavy tropical downpours more associated with this part of the world.
Again Marcelo came into his own, dropping us right by the entrance so as not to get wet. When we came out, he literally backed the car into the supermarket entrance. Even the shoppers turned around in disbelief. Another couple of feet and he would have knocked over the display.
Thank you Marcelo.
Today is a holiday in Sao Paulo and Steve decided that he is having withdrawal symptoms from not playing golf and booked a game at a local course. Trouble is, we still have no visas and so no bank accounts and no local credit cards. Therefore everything has to be done in cash. So today we had to drive to an ATM to get the aforementioned cash.
In normal, ie "safe" places of the world you line up at the ATM, wait your turn and take out what ever cash you need. I have done it here a couple of times and been surprised to see armed guards hovering in the vicinity. Bullet proof vests and machine guns slung not so casually over an arm. Today, being a weekend, there were no guards, so thank you BMS we have Marcelo.
Steve went into the foyer of the bank and Marcelo followed standing outside, eyes everywhere, muscles bulging and shirt lifted over his belt to let everyone know what he was carrying. Quite scary really but this is the way life is going to be and we just have to get on with it. I sat in the bullet proof car and all was well.
We are trying out all the local parks and after the bank drove to a new one. Being a Sunday on a holiday weekend, the world and his wife were out to play. Now this is where Marcelo really comes into his own. There were no parking spaces to be had, so we were dropped of at the entrance to the park. An hour and a half later, as we wandered back to the entrance, Marcelo had found the absolutely optimum place to park, right by the entrance. After about 3 miles of walking in the heat, Tessie was so thrilled to get into the air conditioned car. Needless to say, so were we.
Our last stop of the day was to supermarket. By now it had started to rain. There are two types of rain in Brazil. The drizzle that is reminiscent of the UK and the heavy tropical downpours more associated with this part of the world.
Again Marcelo came into his own, dropping us right by the entrance so as not to get wet. When we came out, he literally backed the car into the supermarket entrance. Even the shoppers turned around in disbelief. Another couple of feet and he would have knocked over the display.
Thank you Marcelo.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday 24th January, 2010
Last night we went out to dinner again. Not sure that my waistline is going to cope with all of these dinners but the scales in the hotel are broken so I guess that I have at least 2 months until the containers arrive and I see the conclusive evidence that I have gained weight.
Anyway, last night in the restaurant, when I went to the bathroom, I noticed that on the doors, there was nothing as boring as Homen (men) and Mulher (women) denoting men and women. Instead they had Flip Flops nailed to the doors. Large blue ones for the men and smaller pink ones for the Ladies. I wouldn't have thought anything of it except that it made me think that the previous evening, in a different restaurant, it had been a pair of stilettos for the ladies and men's shoes for the men.
I then started to think about bathrooms in other countries we have lived in. In the Philippines, they are called Comfort Rooms. If you look around for a sign, chances are it will say CR rather than WC.
In Istanbul we regularly used to go to the SwissHotel for Sunday brunch. A visit to the bathrooms at the SwissHotel was an event in itself. The SwissHotel was ( and maybe still is ) owned by the Japanese and we all know how the Japanese love gadgets. Well, the bathrooms in the SwissHotel were an institution in their own right. Would you like a heated seat, spray, jet or mist of tepid , cool or hot water. And why not have a massage at the same time? No wonder there was always a queue.
Sweden as you can imagine was sterile and functional. A list of do's and don'ts and probably the threat of a fine if you got it wrong.
France, well, we all know the stories of holes in the ground. They have changed over the years to the more respectable, more comfortable style, but a hole in the ground would confront you just when you were most desperate and there were no alternatives.
So I look forward to seeing how many other pairs of shoes I can find in Sao Paulo. Who knows, I might even try them on for size.
Anyway, last night in the restaurant, when I went to the bathroom, I noticed that on the doors, there was nothing as boring as Homen (men) and Mulher (women) denoting men and women. Instead they had Flip Flops nailed to the doors. Large blue ones for the men and smaller pink ones for the Ladies. I wouldn't have thought anything of it except that it made me think that the previous evening, in a different restaurant, it had been a pair of stilettos for the ladies and men's shoes for the men.
I then started to think about bathrooms in other countries we have lived in. In the Philippines, they are called Comfort Rooms. If you look around for a sign, chances are it will say CR rather than WC.
In Istanbul we regularly used to go to the SwissHotel for Sunday brunch. A visit to the bathrooms at the SwissHotel was an event in itself. The SwissHotel was ( and maybe still is ) owned by the Japanese and we all know how the Japanese love gadgets. Well, the bathrooms in the SwissHotel were an institution in their own right. Would you like a heated seat, spray, jet or mist of tepid , cool or hot water. And why not have a massage at the same time? No wonder there was always a queue.
Sweden as you can imagine was sterile and functional. A list of do's and don'ts and probably the threat of a fine if you got it wrong.
France, well, we all know the stories of holes in the ground. They have changed over the years to the more respectable, more comfortable style, but a hole in the ground would confront you just when you were most desperate and there were no alternatives.
So I look forward to seeing how many other pairs of shoes I can find in Sao Paulo. Who knows, I might even try them on for size.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Saturday Janaury 23 2010
Last night we went out to dinner with some people that we had never met. This couple knew a guy in the States that Steve knew, and on hearing that we were headed for Sao Paulo, he had put us in touch with each other.
Forget the 6 degrees of separation. In Princeton there is little more than half a degree of separation and you can barely turn around and sneeze without the entire town knowing about it.
With a population of somewhere around 20 million, I think Sao Paulo will be a little more annonymous.
But I can't tell you the number of times, that in this wacky lifestyle of living all over the world, we run into people that know people that we know.
Sometimes it is even more direct that that.
We have some dear friends in Princeton and one night about 2 years after we had come back to live there for the second time, we were having dinner with them .(We had also invited an Australian family that we had never met. We make a habit of inviting strangers to our house but that is a story for another day)
Annabelle was talking about her best girlfriend in the UK who had lived in Australia and the name sounded very familiar. I asked if the friend had a twin brother called Richard and low and behold - she did.
It turns out that Annabelle and I had a whole slew of mutual friends in London. She had moved in the sister's circle and I had moved in the brother's. We had attended the same parties and I think even a wedding but never formally met.
Fast forward 25 or so years and we lived within 5 miles of one another, sent our children to the same school and vacationed with them.
Needless to say, everyone at supper was in mild disbelief when we descended into girly gossip of what had happened to all of the mutual friends in the intervening years.
So the moral of this tale is be nice to everyone because you never know when, in a future life, someone turns around and says " oh yes I know her". I would like that commment to be followed by something positive. such as "lovely girl"
Forget the 6 degrees of separation. In Princeton there is little more than half a degree of separation and you can barely turn around and sneeze without the entire town knowing about it.
With a population of somewhere around 20 million, I think Sao Paulo will be a little more annonymous.
But I can't tell you the number of times, that in this wacky lifestyle of living all over the world, we run into people that know people that we know.
Sometimes it is even more direct that that.
We have some dear friends in Princeton and one night about 2 years after we had come back to live there for the second time, we were having dinner with them .(We had also invited an Australian family that we had never met. We make a habit of inviting strangers to our house but that is a story for another day)
Annabelle was talking about her best girlfriend in the UK who had lived in Australia and the name sounded very familiar. I asked if the friend had a twin brother called Richard and low and behold - she did.
It turns out that Annabelle and I had a whole slew of mutual friends in London. She had moved in the sister's circle and I had moved in the brother's. We had attended the same parties and I think even a wedding but never formally met.
Fast forward 25 or so years and we lived within 5 miles of one another, sent our children to the same school and vacationed with them.
Needless to say, everyone at supper was in mild disbelief when we descended into girly gossip of what had happened to all of the mutual friends in the intervening years.
So the moral of this tale is be nice to everyone because you never know when, in a future life, someone turns around and says " oh yes I know her". I would like that commment to be followed by something positive. such as "lovely girl"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday January 22nd 2010
I have been following the news about the earthquake in Haiti and my heart goes out to the victims there. I don't think that anyone can see the pictures of what is happening and not be moved.
On August 17th, 1999 at 3 o'clock in the morning an earthquake hit Izmir in Turkey which registered 7.6 on the Richter scale.
Let's put that into perspective. The earthquake that hit Haiti has been registered at 7.00 which is the equivalent of 32 megatonnes. The eathquake that hit Izmir was 7.5 which is the equivalent of 178 megatonnes. Five and a half times as much. But what made them both so devastating was that they struck in very populated areas and because so many people were affected.
I know because I was living in Istanbul at the time.
Charles was 7 at the time and had crawled into bed beside me as Steve was away in the United States on business. The first I knew was when I was awakened by the wardrobe door banging. I knew immediately what was going on. I had experienced a very minor quake in Cebu Philippines in 1996 but nothing compared to Istanbul. I looked out of the window and saw that swathes of the city were in darkness as the power was cut for fear of explosions.
We were living on the 2nd floor of an 8 storey apartment block and all I could think was that there were 6 storeys above me and the thought of it potentially coming down on top of us. I rushed to get Emma - then 4 years old and we hurried outside into the open air. It was cold even though it was summer but better to be cold than crushed under piles of rubble.
I looked around for somewhere to go with the children. I went to the swimming pool area but it was so wet and the pool water was down by about 4 feet. Confused, I thought for a minute and then realised that the sway of the ground had caused the water to swish from one end of the pool to the other and the pool to empty. Imagine the effect of sitting in a bath tub and moving very fast from one end to the other.
So we returned to the apartment complex and sat on the outdoor benches, waiting for the aftershocks to subside and for someone to tell us that it was safe to go inside again.
Now we experienced a surealistic sight. Remember that it was 3 o'clock in the morning and I had rushed out in nightclothes and thought of nothing to bring except the children. About half an hour later, one of my neighbours exited the apartment complex, cell phone in one hand, cigarette in the other, fully clothed, handbag and full make up. This woman had decided that she couldn't possibly leave a swaying building without clothes and make up. Go figure.
Nobody knows how many people died that night in Turkey and I suspect that no one will really know how many people are victims in Haiti. But everytime I hear about an earthquake somewhere in the world I offer up a silent prayer of thanks.
On August 17th, 1999 at 3 o'clock in the morning an earthquake hit Izmir in Turkey which registered 7.6 on the Richter scale.
Let's put that into perspective. The earthquake that hit Haiti has been registered at 7.00 which is the equivalent of 32 megatonnes. The eathquake that hit Izmir was 7.5 which is the equivalent of 178 megatonnes. Five and a half times as much. But what made them both so devastating was that they struck in very populated areas and because so many people were affected.
I know because I was living in Istanbul at the time.
Charles was 7 at the time and had crawled into bed beside me as Steve was away in the United States on business. The first I knew was when I was awakened by the wardrobe door banging. I knew immediately what was going on. I had experienced a very minor quake in Cebu Philippines in 1996 but nothing compared to Istanbul. I looked out of the window and saw that swathes of the city were in darkness as the power was cut for fear of explosions.
We were living on the 2nd floor of an 8 storey apartment block and all I could think was that there were 6 storeys above me and the thought of it potentially coming down on top of us. I rushed to get Emma - then 4 years old and we hurried outside into the open air. It was cold even though it was summer but better to be cold than crushed under piles of rubble.
I looked around for somewhere to go with the children. I went to the swimming pool area but it was so wet and the pool water was down by about 4 feet. Confused, I thought for a minute and then realised that the sway of the ground had caused the water to swish from one end of the pool to the other and the pool to empty. Imagine the effect of sitting in a bath tub and moving very fast from one end to the other.
So we returned to the apartment complex and sat on the outdoor benches, waiting for the aftershocks to subside and for someone to tell us that it was safe to go inside again.
Now we experienced a surealistic sight. Remember that it was 3 o'clock in the morning and I had rushed out in nightclothes and thought of nothing to bring except the children. About half an hour later, one of my neighbours exited the apartment complex, cell phone in one hand, cigarette in the other, fully clothed, handbag and full make up. This woman had decided that she couldn't possibly leave a swaying building without clothes and make up. Go figure.
Nobody knows how many people died that night in Turkey and I suspect that no one will really know how many people are victims in Haiti. But everytime I hear about an earthquake somewhere in the world I offer up a silent prayer of thanks.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday January 21st
Steve has an expression - there is Brazilian time and there is "BMS Time." (for the uninitiated, BMS stands for Bristol Myers Squibb which is the company that he works for).
BMS time is "on time" and it is really important to understand the difference between the two. We have arranged to meet some people for supper on Friday evening and had to clarify whether we were talking real time or Brazilian time. The difference can be an hour or two - give and take.
I have come to the conclusion that time is a matter of how hot the country. Colder climes have a greater adherence to punctuality than warmer climes and it is totally understandable. In Sweden you had to have winter tires on your car by the beginning of November. Failure resulted in a big fine. Why ? Because by November 2nd there may be the mother of all snow storms and the last thing the Swedish authorities wanted was accidents caused by unprepared motorists.
Manila on the other hand was very laid back. What didn't get done today could be done tomorrow.
The reason that this is so important to me is two fold.
Firstly I am a very punctual sort of person. I get stressed if I am late for something and more often than not, am early. I can't tell you the number of times we have gone out to dinner and sat in the car until the appropriate time because we are always early. Mind you, having lived in London, the traffic can be so bad that a 20 minute journey can take upwards of two hours round the M25 or the North Circular, as anyone living there will attest.
But secondly, I should have received the keys to the house today. Now for anyone who had lived for any period of time in a hotel will know, this is really important. The novelty of five star living wears off very quickly when you have run out of room service menus. So today was definitely Brazilian time.
Last night we had a major thunderstorm, so this morning there was localised flooding and Marcelo was late. It had taken him 1 and a half hours to drive 5 miles. He was clearly very upset and apologetic. But it make think - how long before we give in and have to go with Brazilian time?
BMS time is "on time" and it is really important to understand the difference between the two. We have arranged to meet some people for supper on Friday evening and had to clarify whether we were talking real time or Brazilian time. The difference can be an hour or two - give and take.
I have come to the conclusion that time is a matter of how hot the country. Colder climes have a greater adherence to punctuality than warmer climes and it is totally understandable. In Sweden you had to have winter tires on your car by the beginning of November. Failure resulted in a big fine. Why ? Because by November 2nd there may be the mother of all snow storms and the last thing the Swedish authorities wanted was accidents caused by unprepared motorists.
Manila on the other hand was very laid back. What didn't get done today could be done tomorrow.
The reason that this is so important to me is two fold.
Firstly I am a very punctual sort of person. I get stressed if I am late for something and more often than not, am early. I can't tell you the number of times we have gone out to dinner and sat in the car until the appropriate time because we are always early. Mind you, having lived in London, the traffic can be so bad that a 20 minute journey can take upwards of two hours round the M25 or the North Circular, as anyone living there will attest.
But secondly, I should have received the keys to the house today. Now for anyone who had lived for any period of time in a hotel will know, this is really important. The novelty of five star living wears off very quickly when you have run out of room service menus. So today was definitely Brazilian time.
Last night we had a major thunderstorm, so this morning there was localised flooding and Marcelo was late. It had taken him 1 and a half hours to drive 5 miles. He was clearly very upset and apologetic. But it make think - how long before we give in and have to go with Brazilian time?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday January 20th
It is difficult in a hotel with the dog but she is getting into a routine and I am sure that she is happier here than she would be in a kennel. She is currently sitting by the door so that I couldn't possibly go out without falling over her. Smart dog.
On Sunday we took her to the Sao Paulo equivlaent of Central Park. It is called Parque Ibirapuera and was quite an experience.
For starters, this is Brazilian Fashion Week and the event is being held in one of the pavillions there. There were some serious fashion victims trying to look cool but in reality just looking a bit idiotic and out of place compared to the casualness of everyone else.
The park itself was absolutley crowded. No parking spaces anywhere which luckily for us wasn't a problem - thank you Marcelo.
The lovely thing about the park is that everyone can do anything with tolerance for all. There were cycle paths which the cyclists pretty much kept to. Kids bladed and skate boarded and no one seemed to mind as they weaved in and out. Dogs were everywhere so Tessie had a great day but people really did clean up after their dogs and the place was spotless. Bins were everywhere and people used them.
How different in attitude people in different countries have for children and animals. In France we took Tessie everywhere, restaurants, buses you name it she went. I remember when she was a puppy and we had friends to stay, we took them on a "red bus tour" of the city. She sat patiently on my lap for a couple of hours and when we disembarked, we crossed the Champ's Elysee. Tessie decided that she had to pee right in the middle of the 6 lane road. When we started to cross, the traffic was stopped for pedestrians but by the time she had finished the lights had turned and the traffic was coming towards us. To a car, they all stopped for us so that she could finish and we could get safely to the other side. 6 lanes of traffic waiting for a dog. I can't imagine that happening anywhere else in the world.
So we are trying out all the parks in the area to find one that is near the house and suitable.
Yesterday, when I went out with Tessie, Marcelo proudly told me that he had found a park, very close to the house that was brand new and so wasn't on a map. We found it and Marcelo was so proud of himself for coming up with a perfect solution to my dog walking problem.
Only one issue with the park - dogs not allowed. Obviously not run by normal people.
Oh well, back to Parque Iburapuera it is.
On Sunday we took her to the Sao Paulo equivlaent of Central Park. It is called Parque Ibirapuera and was quite an experience.
For starters, this is Brazilian Fashion Week and the event is being held in one of the pavillions there. There were some serious fashion victims trying to look cool but in reality just looking a bit idiotic and out of place compared to the casualness of everyone else.
The park itself was absolutley crowded. No parking spaces anywhere which luckily for us wasn't a problem - thank you Marcelo.
The lovely thing about the park is that everyone can do anything with tolerance for all. There were cycle paths which the cyclists pretty much kept to. Kids bladed and skate boarded and no one seemed to mind as they weaved in and out. Dogs were everywhere so Tessie had a great day but people really did clean up after their dogs and the place was spotless. Bins were everywhere and people used them.
How different in attitude people in different countries have for children and animals. In France we took Tessie everywhere, restaurants, buses you name it she went. I remember when she was a puppy and we had friends to stay, we took them on a "red bus tour" of the city. She sat patiently on my lap for a couple of hours and when we disembarked, we crossed the Champ's Elysee. Tessie decided that she had to pee right in the middle of the 6 lane road. When we started to cross, the traffic was stopped for pedestrians but by the time she had finished the lights had turned and the traffic was coming towards us. To a car, they all stopped for us so that she could finish and we could get safely to the other side. 6 lanes of traffic waiting for a dog. I can't imagine that happening anywhere else in the world.
So we are trying out all the parks in the area to find one that is near the house and suitable.
Yesterday, when I went out with Tessie, Marcelo proudly told me that he had found a park, very close to the house that was brand new and so wasn't on a map. We found it and Marcelo was so proud of himself for coming up with a perfect solution to my dog walking problem.
Only one issue with the park - dogs not allowed. Obviously not run by normal people.
Oh well, back to Parque Iburapuera it is.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday January 19th 2010
My dog-walking friend Sarah once said to me, "there are two types of people in this world - normal people and those who don't like dogs."
Tessie is my fox terrier. She should be a cat really as she has certainly had more than one life. In fact she is probably approaching nine lives by now.
She won the equivalent of the dog - lottery when we picked her out of a litter of two back in July of 2003. We were living in France at the time, in a house with a big fenced garden and a huge wood of several hundred acres within walking distance. We walked every day and life for a dog couldn't get much better.
Then came the day that we were relocated to the United States. Tessie went on ahead whilst we all went to Canada for visas. She arrived safely and I was pleased to hear that she was being "home kennelled" - a much nicer environment for her.
Except that she clearly needed to go and find her family because on the third day she escaped. It was Labor day in the United States and so everything and everyone that could help were closed.
She was home alone in New York.
The frantic handlers were going door to door with hand bills offering $1000 reward for her and in spite of their best efforts nightfall came and she was no-where to be seen. Of course by now we were frantic but couldn't do a thing as we had no visas to enter the USA.
The following morning we arrived at the offices of our lawyers in Toronto and explained the situation. Visas normally take about 30 hours but we pleaded with him to expedite them that day. His first comment on hearing the news was, "I smell a lawsuit", as only a lawyer can.
Visas were issued later that day, clearly by an Embassy staffer who loved dogs and appreciated the situation. We were on a flight to Philadelphia that evening.
After 28 hours Tessie was found. She had made it to the house of an elderly lady who we understand went to the local store to buy dog food and saw the notice pinned up. Did she think "dog vs. $ 1000?" Or was she a dog lover who knew how much this pooch would be missed. I guess I will never know but I am eternally grateful to her for ringing the number on the notice.
Now Tessie is here with us in Sao Paulo. She had a long flight but seems none the worse for it. I have to say that hotel living with a dog is pretty tedious and we are constantly up and down in lifts. People that live in apartments with dogs must truly love them.
But coming back to my opening quote from Sarah. When we heard that we would have to spend several days in a hotel waiting for the house to be ready, we were originally booked into the Hyatt. But, they don't allow dogs so we had to find an alternative.
So thank you Hilton Hotels. How enlightened you are , or maybe it is just that you are run by "normal people".
Tessie is my fox terrier. She should be a cat really as she has certainly had more than one life. In fact she is probably approaching nine lives by now.
She won the equivalent of the dog - lottery when we picked her out of a litter of two back in July of 2003. We were living in France at the time, in a house with a big fenced garden and a huge wood of several hundred acres within walking distance. We walked every day and life for a dog couldn't get much better.
Then came the day that we were relocated to the United States. Tessie went on ahead whilst we all went to Canada for visas. She arrived safely and I was pleased to hear that she was being "home kennelled" - a much nicer environment for her.
Except that she clearly needed to go and find her family because on the third day she escaped. It was Labor day in the United States and so everything and everyone that could help were closed.
She was home alone in New York.
The frantic handlers were going door to door with hand bills offering $1000 reward for her and in spite of their best efforts nightfall came and she was no-where to be seen. Of course by now we were frantic but couldn't do a thing as we had no visas to enter the USA.
The following morning we arrived at the offices of our lawyers in Toronto and explained the situation. Visas normally take about 30 hours but we pleaded with him to expedite them that day. His first comment on hearing the news was, "I smell a lawsuit", as only a lawyer can.
Visas were issued later that day, clearly by an Embassy staffer who loved dogs and appreciated the situation. We were on a flight to Philadelphia that evening.
After 28 hours Tessie was found. She had made it to the house of an elderly lady who we understand went to the local store to buy dog food and saw the notice pinned up. Did she think "dog vs. $ 1000?" Or was she a dog lover who knew how much this pooch would be missed. I guess I will never know but I am eternally grateful to her for ringing the number on the notice.
Now Tessie is here with us in Sao Paulo. She had a long flight but seems none the worse for it. I have to say that hotel living with a dog is pretty tedious and we are constantly up and down in lifts. People that live in apartments with dogs must truly love them.
But coming back to my opening quote from Sarah. When we heard that we would have to spend several days in a hotel waiting for the house to be ready, we were originally booked into the Hyatt. But, they don't allow dogs so we had to find an alternative.
So thank you Hilton Hotels. How enlightened you are , or maybe it is just that you are run by "normal people".
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday January 18th
Buried somewhere in my shipment there is an old school report of Steve's with a comment from his French teacher along the lines, "Stephen's accent is excruciating".
Well, let me tell you that his attempt at Portugese is not much better, but at least he is trying. He gets up early most working days and starts with 1 and a half hours of Portugese lessons. I resume mine next week. But for the moment there is a lot of arm waving, nodding and puzzled looks.
We have had several attempts at learning languages over the years.
In the Philippines, most people, and even those with relatively little education spoke English. But here is a funny thing. When ever you spoke to a maid, driver or shop assistant etc, they automatically replied "Yes Ma'am." We learned the hard way that, "yes ma'am," translates as " I may have heard you but I have absolutely no idea what you are actually saying." So in the Philippines everything you said had to be followed up to ensure that it had been understood and actually happened.
Turkish was very difficult and I soon leaned that the educated classes spoke really good English so it was just a question of communicating with the cleaner. More arm waving, pointing and nodding ensued. A pile of ironing and an ironing board gave a fairly good idea of what was required.
In Sweden, again I gave up, not just because the Swedes learn English almost from birth, but mainly because they make a funny sound that English speakers have great difficulty in replicating. It involves putting your tongue behind your lower front teeth, curling your tongue and whistling through the gap. Try as I might, I never mastered this sound and given that you need it to say the number 7 and my phone number consisted of at least 4 "7's" I figured I was never going to do it and may as well give up.
France was much easier, not least because I have 6 years of high school French under my belt. Even so, communicating with the plumber or the gardener requires a whole different vocabulary than tourist French.
Even in American, there is American English and UK English. To begin with I resisted the American version but quickly realised that we really are "two countries separated by a common language". When I was pulled over for speeding and the traffic cop asked for my driver's license (which I had left in the trunk,) I immediately said, "it's in the boot". He looked at me as if I was mad but then smiled and said how "he was a sucker for an English accent." Needless to say, he let me off the ticket.
So think of me next week as I wrestle with Portugese. Not the prettiest language there is, but for now very practical.
Obrigada
Well, let me tell you that his attempt at Portugese is not much better, but at least he is trying. He gets up early most working days and starts with 1 and a half hours of Portugese lessons. I resume mine next week. But for the moment there is a lot of arm waving, nodding and puzzled looks.
We have had several attempts at learning languages over the years.
In the Philippines, most people, and even those with relatively little education spoke English. But here is a funny thing. When ever you spoke to a maid, driver or shop assistant etc, they automatically replied "Yes Ma'am." We learned the hard way that, "yes ma'am," translates as " I may have heard you but I have absolutely no idea what you are actually saying." So in the Philippines everything you said had to be followed up to ensure that it had been understood and actually happened.
Turkish was very difficult and I soon leaned that the educated classes spoke really good English so it was just a question of communicating with the cleaner. More arm waving, pointing and nodding ensued. A pile of ironing and an ironing board gave a fairly good idea of what was required.
In Sweden, again I gave up, not just because the Swedes learn English almost from birth, but mainly because they make a funny sound that English speakers have great difficulty in replicating. It involves putting your tongue behind your lower front teeth, curling your tongue and whistling through the gap. Try as I might, I never mastered this sound and given that you need it to say the number 7 and my phone number consisted of at least 4 "7's" I figured I was never going to do it and may as well give up.
France was much easier, not least because I have 6 years of high school French under my belt. Even so, communicating with the plumber or the gardener requires a whole different vocabulary than tourist French.
Even in American, there is American English and UK English. To begin with I resisted the American version but quickly realised that we really are "two countries separated by a common language". When I was pulled over for speeding and the traffic cop asked for my driver's license (which I had left in the trunk,) I immediately said, "it's in the boot". He looked at me as if I was mad but then smiled and said how "he was a sucker for an English accent." Needless to say, he let me off the ticket.
So think of me next week as I wrestle with Portugese. Not the prettiest language there is, but for now very practical.
Obrigada
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday January 17th 2010
In Sao Paulo as in Manila we have a driver. Here it is a question of security as much as anything but I am very grateful not to have to face Sao Paulo traffic.
In Manila it was
a. because hiring a driver is very inexpensive and
b. because there is never anywhere to park and
c. because the traffic is also horrendous.
In Manila our driver was called Arnel. He was a very slippery so and so and knew all the tricks. We were completely greeen when we arrived in 1996 and the novelty of having a driver was not lost on us. We had just left the UK where such things are unheard of and we were totally oblivious to the goings on that drivers get up to.
Arnel lasted about a year before we finally fired him and here is a sample of the sort of things that he got up to.
I was never with him when he put gasoline in the car. It was always full and I just handed over 500 pesos and he always gave me a reciept. It was only when we had our new driver Joseph that I discovered that it was physically impossible to get 500 pesos worth of gas into the car. Arnel was clearly pocketing the difference.
In Manila, as I mentioned, the traffic was so bad that the government introduced measures to keep your car off the road for one day a week. It all depended upon the last number on your license plate. Stupid move really because everyone had more than one car. Our "alternate" car was kept at the office and used by a pool of people whenever they needed it. We suspected, but never proved that Arnel was telling the office guards that "Sir needed the other car for the weekend/evening" - whatever. What we suspected was that
a. he was using it to drive himself home from work or
b. he had set himself up as a taxi using the alternate car.
A couple of times we saw the alternate car in places it shouldn't have been. Could we ever prove anything ? - unlikely - but it was his downfall and I suspect that he regretted losing his very lucrative job.
So Marcelo watch out - I am not so green these days.
In Manila it was
a. because hiring a driver is very inexpensive and
b. because there is never anywhere to park and
c. because the traffic is also horrendous.
In Manila our driver was called Arnel. He was a very slippery so and so and knew all the tricks. We were completely greeen when we arrived in 1996 and the novelty of having a driver was not lost on us. We had just left the UK where such things are unheard of and we were totally oblivious to the goings on that drivers get up to.
Arnel lasted about a year before we finally fired him and here is a sample of the sort of things that he got up to.
I was never with him when he put gasoline in the car. It was always full and I just handed over 500 pesos and he always gave me a reciept. It was only when we had our new driver Joseph that I discovered that it was physically impossible to get 500 pesos worth of gas into the car. Arnel was clearly pocketing the difference.
In Manila, as I mentioned, the traffic was so bad that the government introduced measures to keep your car off the road for one day a week. It all depended upon the last number on your license plate. Stupid move really because everyone had more than one car. Our "alternate" car was kept at the office and used by a pool of people whenever they needed it. We suspected, but never proved that Arnel was telling the office guards that "Sir needed the other car for the weekend/evening" - whatever. What we suspected was that
a. he was using it to drive himself home from work or
b. he had set himself up as a taxi using the alternate car.
A couple of times we saw the alternate car in places it shouldn't have been. Could we ever prove anything ? - unlikely - but it was his downfall and I suspect that he regretted losing his very lucrative job.
So Marcelo watch out - I am not so green these days.
Saturday January 16th 2010
Morumbi is a district of Sao Paulo, quite close to the hotel that we are staying in. There is a large-ish shopping mall nearby. Not large by United States standards but large for Sao Paulo where land is at a premium and buildings go up rather than out.
It seems that wandering aimlessly around shopping malls is a family past-time at the weekend in Sao Paulo. There are a few of what I would call "chain stores", the sort of thing that you would find in any shopping center, but by far the largest number are the independent boutique type stores, the sort where the assistants pounce on you the minute you wander through the door. Clearly they are paid on commission which may be quite tricky because from what I can gather, people do not actually buy anything. After a couple of hours wandering around ourselves, all I managed to spend was $ 9.00 buying 25 tea bags - sticker shock continues. By comparison, 80 tea bags in a US grocery store cost around $ 4.00
Now, given that the GDP of Brazil is around $ 8000 per capita and the United States is $ 38,000 how on earth do the average people of Brazil actually afford to shop at "Shopping Morumbi?" Well, clearly they do not. No shopping bags is a bit of a gaveaway.
That said, the food court was fairly full so clearly Brazilians love to eat.
Here is another observation of Brazilians. Their shape is completely different to us Northern Hemisphere dwellers. Steve tried on several jackets and they were all too long in the arms and tight around the middle. The last thing I would say is that Steve is over weight but we could not find anything to fit. Then I tried to buy sneakers and I had the choice of 2 pairs and one of those were men's shoes. Clearly Brazilians have little feet.
Next time I come to the United States I think an empty suitcase is in order.
It seems that wandering aimlessly around shopping malls is a family past-time at the weekend in Sao Paulo. There are a few of what I would call "chain stores", the sort of thing that you would find in any shopping center, but by far the largest number are the independent boutique type stores, the sort where the assistants pounce on you the minute you wander through the door. Clearly they are paid on commission which may be quite tricky because from what I can gather, people do not actually buy anything. After a couple of hours wandering around ourselves, all I managed to spend was $ 9.00 buying 25 tea bags - sticker shock continues. By comparison, 80 tea bags in a US grocery store cost around $ 4.00
Now, given that the GDP of Brazil is around $ 8000 per capita and the United States is $ 38,000 how on earth do the average people of Brazil actually afford to shop at "Shopping Morumbi?" Well, clearly they do not. No shopping bags is a bit of a gaveaway.
That said, the food court was fairly full so clearly Brazilians love to eat.
Here is another observation of Brazilians. Their shape is completely different to us Northern Hemisphere dwellers. Steve tried on several jackets and they were all too long in the arms and tight around the middle. The last thing I would say is that Steve is over weight but we could not find anything to fit. Then I tried to buy sneakers and I had the choice of 2 pairs and one of those were men's shoes. Clearly Brazilians have little feet.
Next time I come to the United States I think an empty suitcase is in order.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday Janaury 15th 2010
Today I had my first real experience of exactly how expensive this place is. Last night we went out for dinner to the food court at the shopping mall underneath the hotel. It was a reasonable looking restaurant - lots of meat - fabulous salad bar which I am noticing is almost the norm in every restaurant. But, for a shopping mall dinner the cost was nearly US$ 200. That comprised steak ( me) boar ( Steve ) a few veggies , aforementioned salad bar and a bottle of Brazillian wine. Yikes, how much would it be in a fancy restaurant?
Then this morning the first of my laundry came back - one suit of Steve's dry cleaned and four undershirts for a total of US$ 60. Clearly the princess is going to have to do something about that.
So this morning I went off to the supermarket and bought laundry powder. It is amazing how a jacuzzi tub can double for a washing machine. Not sure what the maid thought about me leaning over the bath tub watching laundry going around. Hopefully I won't have to do much of this . It really doesn't go with the princess image. As I have said before, "Whatever they are paying you it isn't enough"
Then this morning the first of my laundry came back - one suit of Steve's dry cleaned and four undershirts for a total of US$ 60. Clearly the princess is going to have to do something about that.
So this morning I went off to the supermarket and bought laundry powder. It is amazing how a jacuzzi tub can double for a washing machine. Not sure what the maid thought about me leaning over the bath tub watching laundry going around. Hopefully I won't have to do much of this . It really doesn't go with the princess image. As I have said before, "Whatever they are paying you it isn't enough"
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday January 14th
Today is my first full day in Sao Paulo and it is raining. How dare it! It is still 80 degrees but from what I can gather, I am going have to get used to this as during the summer months it is a regular occurance. No wonder the place is so lush and green
But here is a funny thing. You know how in Disneyworld/land, the minute it rains, vendors pop out of no-where with bright yellow ponchoes with Mickey Mouse cartoons all over them? Well here they pop out with white towels. On every street corner we drove down today, there were vendors selling towels. I have no idea why they are selling them, maybe it is for the car or maybe for the person. Marcelo's English is about as good as my Portugese so no chance of asking him but I have never seen anything like it.
When we were in Istanbul, vendors popped out with umbrellas. Now that would be useful. In Manila, no-one popped out with anything because the rain was usually so torrential that by the time you had stopped to buy something you would be soaked through. In England it rains all the time so you always have an umbrella. In Israel I don't think it ever rained and in Sweden it was so cold most of the time that the rain was in fact snow.
So, my task is to find out what on earth white towels - white I ask you - are for. When I find out I will let you know.
But here is a funny thing. You know how in Disneyworld/land, the minute it rains, vendors pop out of no-where with bright yellow ponchoes with Mickey Mouse cartoons all over them? Well here they pop out with white towels. On every street corner we drove down today, there were vendors selling towels. I have no idea why they are selling them, maybe it is for the car or maybe for the person. Marcelo's English is about as good as my Portugese so no chance of asking him but I have never seen anything like it.
When we were in Istanbul, vendors popped out with umbrellas. Now that would be useful. In Manila, no-one popped out with anything because the rain was usually so torrential that by the time you had stopped to buy something you would be soaked through. In England it rains all the time so you always have an umbrella. In Israel I don't think it ever rained and in Sweden it was so cold most of the time that the rain was in fact snow.
So, my task is to find out what on earth white towels - white I ask you - are for. When I find out I will let you know.
Wednesday January 13th 2010
Clearly Brazil is not ready for me. When I arrived at the airport there were no carts for the luggage in thebaggage hall! What is a girl to do? Two large suitcases, wheelie briefcase , handbag, coat & sweater (certainly not needed) cannot be carried.
Fortunately there is a Duty Free shopping area in the baggage hall and on the basis that you absolutely have to stock up with goodies, they had supermarket style shopping carts. Not the same as luggage carts but better than nothing.
Other people seemed to have the same idea as me, but I must have been the trail blazer because as I tried to walk out, so a possee of security guys were clearly trying to tell me that I couldn't take the cart beyond the baggage area.
Well, as none of them spoke English and my Portuguese is limited to hello and thank you at this stage, we just talked over one another, getting louder all the time. Needless to say, they blinked first and gave up. Maybe it had something to do with the dozen or so other people coming behind me with shopping carts ladened with bags.
But as I came into the arrivals area, Marcelo my new best friend and driver was there to take charge and one look from him sent everyone out of the way.
Let me describe Marcelo. Probably around 5'7" with muscles that you wouldn't want to argue with and built like a bull terrier. He doesn't have the earpiece thingy but clearly has everything else. I wouldn't like to meet him on a dark night.
So, I very happily let him transfer said luggage to a regular cart and then he followed me out of arrivals hall and to the car park. I felt a bit like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman where she comes back into the hotel carrying nothing more than a handbag with the bell boy following on behind weighed down with bags.
Now, the only question is am I a princess or duchess?
Fortunately there is a Duty Free shopping area in the baggage hall and on the basis that you absolutely have to stock up with goodies, they had supermarket style shopping carts. Not the same as luggage carts but better than nothing.
Other people seemed to have the same idea as me, but I must have been the trail blazer because as I tried to walk out, so a possee of security guys were clearly trying to tell me that I couldn't take the cart beyond the baggage area.
Well, as none of them spoke English and my Portuguese is limited to hello and thank you at this stage, we just talked over one another, getting louder all the time. Needless to say, they blinked first and gave up. Maybe it had something to do with the dozen or so other people coming behind me with shopping carts ladened with bags.
But as I came into the arrivals area, Marcelo my new best friend and driver was there to take charge and one look from him sent everyone out of the way.
Let me describe Marcelo. Probably around 5'7" with muscles that you wouldn't want to argue with and built like a bull terrier. He doesn't have the earpiece thingy but clearly has everything else. I wouldn't like to meet him on a dark night.
So, I very happily let him transfer said luggage to a regular cart and then he followed me out of arrivals hall and to the car park. I felt a bit like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman where she comes back into the hotel carrying nothing more than a handbag with the bell boy following on behind weighed down with bags.
Now, the only question is am I a princess or duchess?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday - Wednesday January 12 -13 2010
Travelling business class is not quite the best way to travel. I can think of better but it is not bad and certainly better than going coach, especially for a ten hour flight.
Sitting beside me was a nice young guy who I can only descride as a "business class virgin". He was travelling on business and clearly someone else was picking up the tab. He kept playing with the seat adjustments, had trouble getting the TV screen out of its special place and when the stewardess gave him his goody bag he was like a kid at Christmas. He watched me replace shoes with flight socks, copied as I got the tray out and generally watched what I was doing before trying it himself.
I remember my first business class experience, nearly 14 years ago. It was a 17 hour trip from London to Manila and we were on our look see visit before moving to the Philippines. Steve had done it several times before and considered himself an old hand, but I was so excited. Now, flying is tedious at the best of times and with everything going on with security in the world, it has long since lost its attraction.
But seeing this guy last night made me remeber the excitement of foreign travel. Part of me also felt like a mother hen and with no children to look after, this guy fulfilled my need to take charge of something.
So thank you annonymous young man. I hope your stay in Sao Paulo goes well and remember what I told you about not keeping your wallet in your back pocket.
Sitting beside me was a nice young guy who I can only descride as a "business class virgin". He was travelling on business and clearly someone else was picking up the tab. He kept playing with the seat adjustments, had trouble getting the TV screen out of its special place and when the stewardess gave him his goody bag he was like a kid at Christmas. He watched me replace shoes with flight socks, copied as I got the tray out and generally watched what I was doing before trying it himself.
I remember my first business class experience, nearly 14 years ago. It was a 17 hour trip from London to Manila and we were on our look see visit before moving to the Philippines. Steve had done it several times before and considered himself an old hand, but I was so excited. Now, flying is tedious at the best of times and with everything going on with security in the world, it has long since lost its attraction.
But seeing this guy last night made me remeber the excitement of foreign travel. Part of me also felt like a mother hen and with no children to look after, this guy fulfilled my need to take charge of something.
So thank you annonymous young man. I hope your stay in Sao Paulo goes well and remember what I told you about not keeping your wallet in your back pocket.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tueday January 12th 2010
Well, I had difficulty thinking that this day would ever come around, but here I am sitting in the departure lounge waiting to get onto the flight to Sao Paul.
Today was fabulous and I had the most amazing send off with a lot of my bridge buddies. Some were unable to come which was such a shame but the one's that did, more than made up for it. I managed to hold it together without blubbing whilst I was with them, but now in the annonimity of the departure lounge, I started reading the goodbye card that they had all signed and I have to say that it is moments like this that make one feel truly blessed to have such good friends.
I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with each and every one and hope that when I get to Sao Paulo I will be able to find more fun people to play with. Oh better dash - tme to board the plane
Today was fabulous and I had the most amazing send off with a lot of my bridge buddies. Some were unable to come which was such a shame but the one's that did, more than made up for it. I managed to hold it together without blubbing whilst I was with them, but now in the annonimity of the departure lounge, I started reading the goodbye card that they had all signed and I have to say that it is moments like this that make one feel truly blessed to have such good friends.
I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with each and every one and hope that when I get to Sao Paulo I will be able to find more fun people to play with. Oh better dash - tme to board the plane
Friday, January 8, 2010
Sunday January 10th
The last three days have been a boring slog of cleaning, painting and more cleaning. Who wants to read a blog about that? Not me so I won't go further
We are staying at the Nassau Inn in Princeton. Their slogan ought to be "We don't try hard because we don't have to." They are situated in the middle of Princeton. It is absolutely prime real estate and they have the monopoly for anyone wanting to stay in town. After all who wants to stay in one of those anonymous hotels chains on the busy Route 1 corridor. Here we can stay in a building that is historically listed, and slap bang in the middle of Princeton. We can walk everywhere and parking included in our daily rate. It sounds idyllic but anyone that has ever stayed here will tell you that the nick name of the "Nausea Inn" is given for a reason. I'm just trying to decide whether to waste my energy and fill in the "customer survey" but I probably won't . As I said , they have a monopoly and so have no need to change.
It reminds me of when we lived in France. We were therefrom February 2003 until August 2004. 18 months is about all we manage in any one place so it will be interesting to see how long we stay in Sao Paulo.
Anyway, the children went to the British International School of Paris. We have had experience of a variety of International schools when the children were younger. The British International School of Paris was very similar to a lot of the others but here is the thing about the similarity with the Nausea Inn - they had a monopoly. There were several international schools and American schools but only one "British" school. Some things were good - some bad. I was on the PTA for a while but it soon became very obvious that their attitude was that you can complain / suggest / encourage etc., all you like, but in the end they didn't have to change a thing because they knew that you would leave before they had to.
I wonder if they still serve "Friday Fish" -ugh
We are staying at the Nassau Inn in Princeton. Their slogan ought to be "We don't try hard because we don't have to." They are situated in the middle of Princeton. It is absolutely prime real estate and they have the monopoly for anyone wanting to stay in town. After all who wants to stay in one of those anonymous hotels chains on the busy Route 1 corridor. Here we can stay in a building that is historically listed, and slap bang in the middle of Princeton. We can walk everywhere and parking included in our daily rate. It sounds idyllic but anyone that has ever stayed here will tell you that the nick name of the "Nausea Inn" is given for a reason. I'm just trying to decide whether to waste my energy and fill in the "customer survey" but I probably won't . As I said , they have a monopoly and so have no need to change.
It reminds me of when we lived in France. We were therefrom February 2003 until August 2004. 18 months is about all we manage in any one place so it will be interesting to see how long we stay in Sao Paulo.
Anyway, the children went to the British International School of Paris. We have had experience of a variety of International schools when the children were younger. The British International School of Paris was very similar to a lot of the others but here is the thing about the similarity with the Nausea Inn - they had a monopoly. There were several international schools and American schools but only one "British" school. Some things were good - some bad. I was on the PTA for a while but it soon became very obvious that their attitude was that you can complain / suggest / encourage etc., all you like, but in the end they didn't have to change a thing because they knew that you would leave before they had to.
I wonder if they still serve "Friday Fish" -ugh
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thursday January 7th 2010
Today started at 6 am. I would like to say that I bounced out of bed but in reality I didn't. Last night we headed to our local bar at around 8 o clock to drop off a friend's coat and ended up staying until 11 pm. John - coat guy - is one of my bridge pupils. For the past year or so I have been teaching bridge to a couple of guys. (We started with 3 but one dropped out.) What happens is, we drink lots of wine, eat lots of food and play bridge. Steve had taken to calling it "four bottle bridge", because we usually get through four bottles of very decent claret. Pity about the bridge.
But back to the move. The packers didn't finish today. The trouble was that the truck wasn't big enough so although pretty much everything was packed they couldn't load it. So, now it is sitting in the garage and will be finished tomorrow.
The house is looking very sad. I thought I could get away with painting here and there but in reality there is a lot more to be done. Thank you Mohammed - my favourite painter in the whole wide world. He had never let me down and today was no exception. I called him yesterday and let a message to he effect that
a. there will be a lot more painting
and
b. with a day's notice , please come on Friday.
This morning there was a message on my answer phone and a very cheery Mohammed saying "no problem".
So my day was spent following the packers around and as each room was emptied I was going in with vacuum, cleaning products and rubbish bags. The result is that I have absolutely no nails left. Tomorrow I am off to the manicurist. Not sure there will be anything left to paint.
But back to the move. The packers didn't finish today. The trouble was that the truck wasn't big enough so although pretty much everything was packed they couldn't load it. So, now it is sitting in the garage and will be finished tomorrow.
The house is looking very sad. I thought I could get away with painting here and there but in reality there is a lot more to be done. Thank you Mohammed - my favourite painter in the whole wide world. He had never let me down and today was no exception. I called him yesterday and let a message to he effect that
a. there will be a lot more painting
and
b. with a day's notice , please come on Friday.
This morning there was a message on my answer phone and a very cheery Mohammed saying "no problem".
So my day was spent following the packers around and as each room was emptied I was going in with vacuum, cleaning products and rubbish bags. The result is that I have absolutely no nails left. Tomorrow I am off to the manicurist. Not sure there will be anything left to paint.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday January 6th 2010
You know how things always come in threes. Well, on Friday of last week, we noticed that the awning covering the deck was broken On Monday, the washing machine packed up which wasn't very helpful as I had masses of last minute washing to do. Then today the packers lent boxes against the garage door and when the cleaner came in to pick up some stuff, opened the garage door and it broke. Great I thought - that is the third thing so there won't be any more, and even better the garage door had simply come off its runners and between them, they were able to put it back on.
So there I was later on, minding my own business when the panic alarm went off. Now we have had a large red button by the side of the front door and I have always warned the children not to touch it. I actually thought it was disconnected as we had never paid to activate the burglar alarm. Now it turns out, the alarm was active all along and when one of the packers hit it with a box, all hell broke loose. I have never had a code to disarm the system. I thought about ringing the previous owners to see if they could remember their alarm number but after 4 and a half years thought they probably couldn't. We managed to take the cover off the alarm but no obvious battery or anything to disconnect. So Chris, the lead packer, who was the one to hit the button in the first place, pulled the fuse. Bliss - silence really is golden.
And for the good news, two bits. The first is that the removal co-ordinator thinks that the airfreight will be able to be sent sooner than we originally thought. Not sure why but clearly we don't have the same problem with visas that we do for the sea freight. The second and even better bit of news is that the packers should be finished a day early. Now that really is something. Here's the thing about international moves. Every piece of furniture has to be wrapped in paper - thick wads of paper to protect it in the container. Each piece of crockery and china is wrapped, again. in wads of paper. Boxes are lined with paper and glass is given a specially made wooden crate. It is really not the same as moving 5 miles up the road. So these guys have been fantastic and I give them credit for doing everything so quickly. Of course I take some of the credit for being organised but I think in all of the moves that we have done, we have never done it in 4 days.
Now let's just hope that we can move the painter, cleaners and carpet cleaners up by a day. Now that really will be something.
So there I was later on, minding my own business when the panic alarm went off. Now we have had a large red button by the side of the front door and I have always warned the children not to touch it. I actually thought it was disconnected as we had never paid to activate the burglar alarm. Now it turns out, the alarm was active all along and when one of the packers hit it with a box, all hell broke loose. I have never had a code to disarm the system. I thought about ringing the previous owners to see if they could remember their alarm number but after 4 and a half years thought they probably couldn't. We managed to take the cover off the alarm but no obvious battery or anything to disconnect. So Chris, the lead packer, who was the one to hit the button in the first place, pulled the fuse. Bliss - silence really is golden.
And for the good news, two bits. The first is that the removal co-ordinator thinks that the airfreight will be able to be sent sooner than we originally thought. Not sure why but clearly we don't have the same problem with visas that we do for the sea freight. The second and even better bit of news is that the packers should be finished a day early. Now that really is something. Here's the thing about international moves. Every piece of furniture has to be wrapped in paper - thick wads of paper to protect it in the container. Each piece of crockery and china is wrapped, again. in wads of paper. Boxes are lined with paper and glass is given a specially made wooden crate. It is really not the same as moving 5 miles up the road. So these guys have been fantastic and I give them credit for doing everything so quickly. Of course I take some of the credit for being organised but I think in all of the moves that we have done, we have never done it in 4 days.
Now let's just hope that we can move the painter, cleaners and carpet cleaners up by a day. Now that really will be something.
Tuesday January 5th 2010
Today 6 packers turned up and really started to blitz the place. One thing that has happened in this move that hasn't happened in previous moves, is that everyday, furniture has been moved out so by the end of the day, we can see real progress and space occuring. Usually the boxes are all pushed into the least inconvenient space and loaded into a container all in one go. This time is different.
Because the visa process in Brazil is so long and tortuous, the shippers won't actually ship the goods until the visa is in hand. It seems that you can't clear the goods until you have the visa and so if the shipment arrives and the necessary paperwork isn't in place then the goods sit on the dockside incurring demurrage charges and the longer it sits, the more chance there is of theft and damage. So here's the thing, I am leaving next week, the visa process is started but won't be finished until probably the beginning of February, which means that the goods won't be loaded and shipped until after then. Now add on a 24 day sea voyage and a clearance process of at least another week or maybe two. Realistically, that means that I won't be seeing anything in that container for about two months at the earliest.
Just think about that. Not having access to anything for over two months. It means that one of the main tasks of my organisation is to make sure that I have absolutely everything I need in the right place. Clothes - well that is easy - just go and buy some more, personal stuff a bit harder but usually manageable but papers! I can't imagine the IRS accepting the excuse, "I'm sorry I can't file my 2009 tax returns because the paperwork is stuck on a ship somewhere between here and Sao Paulo".
Because the visa process in Brazil is so long and tortuous, the shippers won't actually ship the goods until the visa is in hand. It seems that you can't clear the goods until you have the visa and so if the shipment arrives and the necessary paperwork isn't in place then the goods sit on the dockside incurring demurrage charges and the longer it sits, the more chance there is of theft and damage. So here's the thing, I am leaving next week, the visa process is started but won't be finished until probably the beginning of February, which means that the goods won't be loaded and shipped until after then. Now add on a 24 day sea voyage and a clearance process of at least another week or maybe two. Realistically, that means that I won't be seeing anything in that container for about two months at the earliest.
Just think about that. Not having access to anything for over two months. It means that one of the main tasks of my organisation is to make sure that I have absolutely everything I need in the right place. Clothes - well that is easy - just go and buy some more, personal stuff a bit harder but usually manageable but papers! I can't imagine the IRS accepting the excuse, "I'm sorry I can't file my 2009 tax returns because the paperwork is stuck on a ship somewhere between here and Sao Paulo".
Monday January 4th 2010
Today the move really started to happen. The packers arrived but with the temperature at about 20 degrees and freezing, they couldn't start their truck and were late. Not to worry - 5 days to pack should be enough.
Also today was the day that both children went back to school. Charles has been a day boy at The Pennington School for the past 5 and a bit years. It is a private prep school about 5 miles from where we live and for him it has been fabulous. He only has 5 months to go before he graduates so this will be great preparation for him to get ready for college. We, for which I mean I, had sorted everything out for him to take and Steve took him down but they weren't expecting him until later so everything was locked up. Not to worry, it is only a 10 minute drive . When they got back later, someone had at least pinned a note to his door with his name on and a picture of the Houses of Parliament. When they got inside, however, there was a bed, two desks and nothing else. I guess the other boys had made good use of the chairs, cabinets and other things. Not to worry, another trip home for extra bits remedied the situation. Spartan living, hmmm, now that will make him appreciate home comforts.
Charles is very interested in politics, especially the UK kind. He plans at some stage to study in the UK and work for the Conservative party. He is definitely his mother's son - I joined the Young Conservatives when I was about 17 years old and my first blood was canvassing for Margaret Thatcher in 1979.
Emma on the other hand is nothing like her brother. She goes to a "wacky" Quaker school just outside Philadelphia. Westtown is absolutely perfect for her and it is music to my ears when she says things such as " I can't wait to get back to school". I can't ever remember saying that in my day. Emma hates talking about politics but is very arty and immensely socially liberal.
I have to say that both schools are just perfect for each of my children and for that I am very very grateful
Also today was the day that both children went back to school. Charles has been a day boy at The Pennington School for the past 5 and a bit years. It is a private prep school about 5 miles from where we live and for him it has been fabulous. He only has 5 months to go before he graduates so this will be great preparation for him to get ready for college. We, for which I mean I, had sorted everything out for him to take and Steve took him down but they weren't expecting him until later so everything was locked up. Not to worry, it is only a 10 minute drive . When they got back later, someone had at least pinned a note to his door with his name on and a picture of the Houses of Parliament. When they got inside, however, there was a bed, two desks and nothing else. I guess the other boys had made good use of the chairs, cabinets and other things. Not to worry, another trip home for extra bits remedied the situation. Spartan living, hmmm, now that will make him appreciate home comforts.
Charles is very interested in politics, especially the UK kind. He plans at some stage to study in the UK and work for the Conservative party. He is definitely his mother's son - I joined the Young Conservatives when I was about 17 years old and my first blood was canvassing for Margaret Thatcher in 1979.
Emma on the other hand is nothing like her brother. She goes to a "wacky" Quaker school just outside Philadelphia. Westtown is absolutely perfect for her and it is music to my ears when she says things such as " I can't wait to get back to school". I can't ever remember saying that in my day. Emma hates talking about politics but is very arty and immensely socially liberal.
I have to say that both schools are just perfect for each of my children and for that I am very very grateful
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday January 3rd
Today I reached the peak of the stress levels but, funnily enough, it is all downhill from now on.
You know how it is when there are a million balls in the air and you wonder how you are going to catch them all. Then all of a sudden you turn around and you find that you have caught half of them and the other half are sailing gently down to the ground in a very ordered manner. Well , that was me today. This morning I thought that I was never going to be ready for the packers tomorrow and now here I am , early evening, dinner in the oven for the last time, calm, glass of wine at hand and everything more or less ready. Phew!
This afternoon was the English Speaking Union Christmas party. This morning I thought there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of me attending, but then by 2 o'clock I hit the shower, soaked under the spray for a while and was ready to face the world.
The ESU in Princeton is a bit of an institution and I have loved going to the lectures and being part of the organisation. They are a bunch of seriously interesting people of every conceivable walk of life. One minute one is talking to a preservation architect and the next a composer. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt very loved as everyone was saying how much they were going to miss me. That said, there is an ESU in Sao Paulo which I intend to join so I hope that I can transfer my membership.
Our new tenants also came round this afternoon to walk through the house and work out how everything works - did I mention that we are planning on renting out the house ?
They are dear friends of ours and another day I will tell you the funny story of how we met. It was a freaky moment but that is for another day.
For now, it is packing day tomorrow and tonight is the last night in our house before the 4 of us head off in different directions and to our different worlds.
You know how it is when there are a million balls in the air and you wonder how you are going to catch them all. Then all of a sudden you turn around and you find that you have caught half of them and the other half are sailing gently down to the ground in a very ordered manner. Well , that was me today. This morning I thought that I was never going to be ready for the packers tomorrow and now here I am , early evening, dinner in the oven for the last time, calm, glass of wine at hand and everything more or less ready. Phew!
This afternoon was the English Speaking Union Christmas party. This morning I thought there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of me attending, but then by 2 o'clock I hit the shower, soaked under the spray for a while and was ready to face the world.
The ESU in Princeton is a bit of an institution and I have loved going to the lectures and being part of the organisation. They are a bunch of seriously interesting people of every conceivable walk of life. One minute one is talking to a preservation architect and the next a composer. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt very loved as everyone was saying how much they were going to miss me. That said, there is an ESU in Sao Paulo which I intend to join so I hope that I can transfer my membership.
Our new tenants also came round this afternoon to walk through the house and work out how everything works - did I mention that we are planning on renting out the house ?
They are dear friends of ours and another day I will tell you the funny story of how we met. It was a freaky moment but that is for another day.
For now, it is packing day tomorrow and tonight is the last night in our house before the 4 of us head off in different directions and to our different worlds.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Saturday January 2nd 2010
Tonight I am exhausted. It is packing day minus 1 and there is still so much to do. It doesn't help that 4 of us plus dog are all doing different things. Charles - our 17 year old - is off to his boarding school on Monday morning. It will be his first experience of boarding and although he has had several months to get used to the idea, he is quite a "home" sort of guy and I think he is quite apprehensive. We had a quiet mother / son moment in the kitchen this evening which I felt was quite telling. We haven't had one of those for about 5 years.
On the other hand, Emma -our 14 year old - is off to her boarding school on Monday evening. She started in September and so considers herself an old hand by now. She doesn't have so much "stuff" to pack up as Charles, as a lot of it is at school already , but it is amazing how much junk a 14 year old girl can accumulate in 2 week's vacation. The landing looks as though the proverbial bomb has hit it, with bags, suitcases, ruck sacks etc absolutely everywhere. But, in two days it will all be gone and with it the children. Not sure how I feel - ask me again in two days.
Today was definitely a "what ever they are paying you isn't enough" sort of day. There hasn't been a minute that hasn't been filled with something going on. The children daren't look for a second as though they aren't busy otherwise I will find them a job. The washing machine hasn't stopped and the dog has been totally neglected apart from a quick walk with Steve this morning.
Talking about the dog, Tessie the Fox Terrier is 6 and a half years old. She was born in France and we bought her when we lived there. She had a very eventful journey from Paris to the USA and another day I will tell you all about it. But for now, she knows that there is something going on. She keeps positioning herself in exactly the right spot for us to fall over her. Fox Terriers are seriously clever dogs but very feisty. We don't call her the "Terriorist" or the "Tesseratersaurous" without good reason.
On the other hand, Emma -our 14 year old - is off to her boarding school on Monday evening. She started in September and so considers herself an old hand by now. She doesn't have so much "stuff" to pack up as Charles, as a lot of it is at school already , but it is amazing how much junk a 14 year old girl can accumulate in 2 week's vacation. The landing looks as though the proverbial bomb has hit it, with bags, suitcases, ruck sacks etc absolutely everywhere. But, in two days it will all be gone and with it the children. Not sure how I feel - ask me again in two days.
Today was definitely a "what ever they are paying you isn't enough" sort of day. There hasn't been a minute that hasn't been filled with something going on. The children daren't look for a second as though they aren't busy otherwise I will find them a job. The washing machine hasn't stopped and the dog has been totally neglected apart from a quick walk with Steve this morning.
Talking about the dog, Tessie the Fox Terrier is 6 and a half years old. She was born in France and we bought her when we lived there. She had a very eventful journey from Paris to the USA and another day I will tell you all about it. But for now, she knows that there is something going on. She keeps positioning herself in exactly the right spot for us to fall over her. Fox Terriers are seriously clever dogs but very feisty. We don't call her the "Terriorist" or the "Tesseratersaurous" without good reason.
Friday, January 1, 2010
January 1 2010
Today is New Year's Day - packing day minus 3.
Steve ( husband) has had a rush of blood to the head and decided to buy up half the local electronic store so that when we arrive in Sao Paulo we will be able to access real TV via the Internet in quadraphonic sound - wireless - remotely et al.
I, on the other hand have been sorting, packing and organising as well as shopping. There is no doubt that between us we are single handedly saving the US economy. I am dreading the credit card bills when they come in later this month.
Also on the agenda for today was to register Charles - our 17 year old for his college. He had applied early and been accepted to American University in Washington DC - yippee. That said, we spent about an hour and a half trying to pay them the registration fee, select accommodation and a meal plan. Note to American - your website is clearly not aimed at middle aged mothers wielding credit cards, By the end, Charles went off in a huff and I managed to select a meal plan that allows 200 meals for the Spring semester of 2010. Fine but he isn't starting until Fall. Oh well, another thing to add to the "to -do " list on Monday.
Emma - our 14 year old announced today that "she can't wait to get back to school". Clearly she is not planning on missing her parents at all. That said she was very happy to be taken shopping to stock up on make up, hair products and various miscellaneous items that she would normally but with her allowance. Clearly mothers wielding credit cards have their uses.
Steve ( husband) has had a rush of blood to the head and decided to buy up half the local electronic store so that when we arrive in Sao Paulo we will be able to access real TV via the Internet in quadraphonic sound - wireless - remotely et al.
I, on the other hand have been sorting, packing and organising as well as shopping. There is no doubt that between us we are single handedly saving the US economy. I am dreading the credit card bills when they come in later this month.
Also on the agenda for today was to register Charles - our 17 year old for his college. He had applied early and been accepted to American University in Washington DC - yippee. That said, we spent about an hour and a half trying to pay them the registration fee, select accommodation and a meal plan. Note to American - your website is clearly not aimed at middle aged mothers wielding credit cards, By the end, Charles went off in a huff and I managed to select a meal plan that allows 200 meals for the Spring semester of 2010. Fine but he isn't starting until Fall. Oh well, another thing to add to the "to -do " list on Monday.
Emma - our 14 year old announced today that "she can't wait to get back to school". Clearly she is not planning on missing her parents at all. That said she was very happy to be taken shopping to stock up on make up, hair products and various miscellaneous items that she would normally but with her allowance. Clearly mothers wielding credit cards have their uses.
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