I have a friend in the States, well actually several friends all over the place, who think I was mad to move to this country. Why give up my very gentile, suburban lifestyle in the States for the concrete jungle that is Sao Paulo. Throw in the pollution, language, traffic jams, cultural differences, and security issues, not to mention the separation from the children and I’m sure that my friends thought I was totally off my rocker.
So far, everything has been manageable. I have a really great group of friends, a house that is close enough to the office that means Steve’s commute is very easy and of course I have Marcelo. The children come often enough and I travel often enough to see them, that we are all pleased to see each other when we do meet up. They are both in great places and it fills my heart with happiness when in answer to the question “how are you?” the answer is generally “Fine.” I have found enough bridge, have started flower arranging (how middle aged and middle class can one get?) and am struggling to keep the weight off with all the lunches and dinners that I have.
As I type this, Charles and Steve are both home, dinner is in the oven and a glass of wine is going down very nicely thank you.
But this week there was yet another security incident that brought home the reality and the proximity of the dangers of living here. So far, everything I have heard about has been “somewhere else”. This week however, there was an incident right on my door step. In fact, it was at the other end of my street.
It seems that a gang of armed robbers decided to rob a house, and, having neatly parked their car, waved their guns, including a rifle and entered a house. Two residents inside the house were tied up and, I guess, the robbers set about their task. Fortunately, someone saw what was happening and alerted the police so by the time the robbers were making their get-away, the police were waiting. I’m not sure if they waited until the robbers were in the car before shooting or whether the police shot them as they were exiting the house, but in any event, a fire-fight took place, the window of the car was shot out and one of the robbers took a direct hit.
The other robbers it seems managed to escape. Give me a clue how that happened? According to Marcelo - who it has to be said was beside himself with the details - the police will be able to trace the rest of the gang by the license plate of the car they abandoned.
Now, it turns out that at the point at which this had literally just happened, a friend was driving down the exact road where this incident was taking place. At that time, the robber on the ground was still alive, but according to my friend, he really didn’t have long to live. She is a nurse, and in good British style - or maybe a moment of temporary insanity, was all set to stop and see if she could give any assistance to the man on the ground. Good thing she thought better of it – the man on the ground wasn’t going to live and getting involved with the Sao Paulo police is probably not a good idea. She turned the car around and headed off in the opposite direction pretty quickly.
Yesterday evening, a student at the local university had just started walking back towards his car when he was approached by a robber who wanted, I guess, wallet, watch, credit cards etc... The student, who was walking with another guy, didn’t hand them over and by all accounts started to protest. For his troubles, he was shot in the head, and, not surprisingly, he died. It turns out that there is a general feeling that security at this university is a bit lax to say the least, to the point that the father of the dead student had bought him a bullet proof car.
Just think about that, a student being bought a car by a parent is nothing new, but a bullet proof car – well that is something different. The bullet proofing alone costs around US$ 18000.00. Trust me I know as we have just had a new car which I am happy to say is bullet proof. I guess in the end it didn’t do Felipe any good.
So, more vigilance, more places on the list of where not to go to, and another prayer that we are never in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Whatever they are paying us, it really isn’t enough.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Security nightmare 3
I had a Portuguese lesson this morning at 9 o’clock, but for various boring reasons I was early. Such are the inconveniences of sharing a car and driver. I had arrived thirty five minutes early and was reading a “Hello” magazine (well maybe looking at the pictures as it was in Portuguese), when she came in, about half an hour early. She is usually about 5 minutes early, but never half an hour.
My initial reaction that she had the time wrong – strange because I always have the lesson at 9.am on Tuesdays, but it turns out that she had to take the bus – hence her early arrival.
I wondered why she took the bus – and then the story emerged.
It turns out that last Friday, during the day, her husband was using her car and was driving along a main road, in front of the local shopping centre about 2 miles from my house. (I regularly go to this shopping centre as it is the closest place for Starbucks Coffee.) He had stopped for the traffic lights when someone tapped on his window asking for “help”.
The next minute, someone had appeared at the passenger window with a gun and with that, they, hopped in the car and instructed the husband to go into the shopping centre. Armed with his credit cards and pin numbers, one of the robbers then proceeded to spend several thousand Reais (R$) whilst my teacher’s husband was held “hostage” in the car.
They then drove to another shopping centre and an ATM machine and basically the robbers spent everything they could up to the limit of all the cards. This is called a “lightening kidnapping” here in Brazil.
The bad news is that my Portuguese teacher and her husband are now several thousand R$ out of pocket and the car was stolen so they now don’t have any transport – hence the bus ride to my lesson. In addition, the insurance companies, it seems, are very wary of claims purporting to be from people who have had their cars stolen in this manner and want to wait at least 30 days to see if it actually turns up, before paying out.
The good news is that my teacher’s husband was shaken but unharmed in the process. They could so easily have just pulled the trigger and she would now be a widow. A friend of ours has a secretary whose close family member was not so lucky. Two gunmen jumped into his car and shot him. The gunmen then rode around with an injured passenger, and instead of letting him go and get treatment, they let him bleed to death.
My teacher was quite understandably upset by the whole event. Which made me think how lucky I am to have not only a bullet proof car but also an armed bodyguard.
This week there have been several visitors to my husband’s office from the United States. For several weeks now, Marcelo has been training a number of other drivers, not only as a relief for him but also for weeks such as this when multiple drivers and cars are needed. The security and logistics making sure that these people have the protection that they need, whilst being at the right place at the right time has, I’m sure, caused a few headaches.
For me, the inconvenience of arriving half an hour early for my Portuguese lesson is absolutely a price worth paying. Remind me not to grumble next time.
My initial reaction that she had the time wrong – strange because I always have the lesson at 9.am on Tuesdays, but it turns out that she had to take the bus – hence her early arrival.
I wondered why she took the bus – and then the story emerged.
It turns out that last Friday, during the day, her husband was using her car and was driving along a main road, in front of the local shopping centre about 2 miles from my house. (I regularly go to this shopping centre as it is the closest place for Starbucks Coffee.) He had stopped for the traffic lights when someone tapped on his window asking for “help”.
The next minute, someone had appeared at the passenger window with a gun and with that, they, hopped in the car and instructed the husband to go into the shopping centre. Armed with his credit cards and pin numbers, one of the robbers then proceeded to spend several thousand Reais (R$) whilst my teacher’s husband was held “hostage” in the car.
They then drove to another shopping centre and an ATM machine and basically the robbers spent everything they could up to the limit of all the cards. This is called a “lightening kidnapping” here in Brazil.
The bad news is that my Portuguese teacher and her husband are now several thousand R$ out of pocket and the car was stolen so they now don’t have any transport – hence the bus ride to my lesson. In addition, the insurance companies, it seems, are very wary of claims purporting to be from people who have had their cars stolen in this manner and want to wait at least 30 days to see if it actually turns up, before paying out.
The good news is that my teacher’s husband was shaken but unharmed in the process. They could so easily have just pulled the trigger and she would now be a widow. A friend of ours has a secretary whose close family member was not so lucky. Two gunmen jumped into his car and shot him. The gunmen then rode around with an injured passenger, and instead of letting him go and get treatment, they let him bleed to death.
My teacher was quite understandably upset by the whole event. Which made me think how lucky I am to have not only a bullet proof car but also an armed bodyguard.
This week there have been several visitors to my husband’s office from the United States. For several weeks now, Marcelo has been training a number of other drivers, not only as a relief for him but also for weeks such as this when multiple drivers and cars are needed. The security and logistics making sure that these people have the protection that they need, whilst being at the right place at the right time has, I’m sure, caused a few headaches.
For me, the inconvenience of arriving half an hour early for my Portuguese lesson is absolutely a price worth paying. Remind me not to grumble next time.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Royal Wedding
There are some things that we Brits do really well. When it comes to pageantry we are surely the world leaders, and so is knowing how to have a party. Put the two together and the result is absolutely amazing.
Several months ago, when the Royal Wedding was announced, a few of us here in Sao Paulo decided to get together to watch it. A friend here has the technology to not only get the BBC but also to be able to record it, so the idea was hatched that we would drink champagne, have fun and critique the event.
Then, more people heard about the idea, and so it began to snowball. The guest list grew and another friend, who as it turns out wasn’t even in Brazil for the great day, had the idea of turning it into a fundraiser for one of our favourite local charities.
The party now began to get some serious traction. The guest list grew and grew. Tables would have to be hired, then crockery, glasses and silverware. What about flowers, banners, flags and bunting? Everyone contributed. Maids, drivers and bodyguards were drafted to help and all of a sudden, it was the hottest ticket in town.
The charity we were supporting is called ACER. (Check out www.acerbrasil.org.br).
In English, it is the Association for Children at Risk, and is run by a fabulous English guy here. The aim of the charity is to help families by promoting dignity, good health and hygiene. They help in the region of 3,000 people and their reach is expanding all the time. In a country where there is little in the way of Government support, this sort of charity is absolutely indispensible.
Twice a year they hold bazaars, and the families can buy very inexpensive household items that have been donated. Some of the basic essentials of life that we take for granted, such as towels and blankets, cooking pots and plates, are for many families, out of reach because of the high cost of living here. Enabling people to buy these items promotes all of the above aims. They enhance their dignity because they are buying items themselves (rather than just receiving charitable hand outs) and thereby have the sense that they are providing for their families. Something simple such as each family member having their own towel promotes the dual aims of health and hygiene. And, for children that often have to sleep in the same bed as their siblings, to have their own personal sheet or blanket is an absolute necessity.
So, the idea was born that everyone coming to the wedding party would bring a wedding gift of a donation to the bazaar. In the end, we had a room full of pots and pans, sheets and blankets, children’s toys and clothes. It truly was amazing.
Now, a couple of days before the event, the hostess had a phone call to ask whether she would be willing to allow the Brazilian press to come and film us having our party. More great publicity for the charity so of course the answer was “yes”.
As it turned out, the three main TV stations all sent crews and how they didn’t all fall over themselves and more to the point how we didn’t all fall over the wires, lights and cameras is a minor miracle.
They were interviewing everyone that could speak Portuguese - lucky escape there I thought. In fact, I heard that the TV crews were so keen to cover the wedding; they had telephoned the British Consulate to ask for the names of anyone in the British community that could speak really good Portuguese. They were contacting these people and asking them if they could turn up at 5 o’clock in the morning to interview people as the wedding was going out live from London. Everyone I spoke to gave an emphatic “No”. We all compared notes afterwards and at 5 o’clock in the morning we were in pajamas with a cup of tea and a box of hankies at the ready. TV crews were definitely not wanted.
The great day arrived and the house looked beautiful. Bunting was hanging everywhere and the champagne was on ice. Everyone was encouraged to dress as if to go to a wedding, and tiaras, hats and fascinators were the order of the day.
I have to say that it was a truly fabulous event, and against the backdrop of very happy occasion in London, everyone had a good time.
Even without realizing it, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also contributed to this charity. It seems that they received a Wedding gift of a unique piece of jewellery, crafted by a local Brazilian jeweler. In keeping with their wishes that charities benefit from their marriage, this piece has been donated to the ACER charity, and in October, when we hold our main fundraiser for the year, we will auction the brooch and the proceeds will be donated to ACER.
How fitting.
Several months ago, when the Royal Wedding was announced, a few of us here in Sao Paulo decided to get together to watch it. A friend here has the technology to not only get the BBC but also to be able to record it, so the idea was hatched that we would drink champagne, have fun and critique the event.
Then, more people heard about the idea, and so it began to snowball. The guest list grew and another friend, who as it turns out wasn’t even in Brazil for the great day, had the idea of turning it into a fundraiser for one of our favourite local charities.
The party now began to get some serious traction. The guest list grew and grew. Tables would have to be hired, then crockery, glasses and silverware. What about flowers, banners, flags and bunting? Everyone contributed. Maids, drivers and bodyguards were drafted to help and all of a sudden, it was the hottest ticket in town.
The charity we were supporting is called ACER. (Check out www.acerbrasil.org.br).
In English, it is the Association for Children at Risk, and is run by a fabulous English guy here. The aim of the charity is to help families by promoting dignity, good health and hygiene. They help in the region of 3,000 people and their reach is expanding all the time. In a country where there is little in the way of Government support, this sort of charity is absolutely indispensible.
Twice a year they hold bazaars, and the families can buy very inexpensive household items that have been donated. Some of the basic essentials of life that we take for granted, such as towels and blankets, cooking pots and plates, are for many families, out of reach because of the high cost of living here. Enabling people to buy these items promotes all of the above aims. They enhance their dignity because they are buying items themselves (rather than just receiving charitable hand outs) and thereby have the sense that they are providing for their families. Something simple such as each family member having their own towel promotes the dual aims of health and hygiene. And, for children that often have to sleep in the same bed as their siblings, to have their own personal sheet or blanket is an absolute necessity.
So, the idea was born that everyone coming to the wedding party would bring a wedding gift of a donation to the bazaar. In the end, we had a room full of pots and pans, sheets and blankets, children’s toys and clothes. It truly was amazing.
Now, a couple of days before the event, the hostess had a phone call to ask whether she would be willing to allow the Brazilian press to come and film us having our party. More great publicity for the charity so of course the answer was “yes”.
As it turned out, the three main TV stations all sent crews and how they didn’t all fall over themselves and more to the point how we didn’t all fall over the wires, lights and cameras is a minor miracle.
They were interviewing everyone that could speak Portuguese - lucky escape there I thought. In fact, I heard that the TV crews were so keen to cover the wedding; they had telephoned the British Consulate to ask for the names of anyone in the British community that could speak really good Portuguese. They were contacting these people and asking them if they could turn up at 5 o’clock in the morning to interview people as the wedding was going out live from London. Everyone I spoke to gave an emphatic “No”. We all compared notes afterwards and at 5 o’clock in the morning we were in pajamas with a cup of tea and a box of hankies at the ready. TV crews were definitely not wanted.
The great day arrived and the house looked beautiful. Bunting was hanging everywhere and the champagne was on ice. Everyone was encouraged to dress as if to go to a wedding, and tiaras, hats and fascinators were the order of the day.
I have to say that it was a truly fabulous event, and against the backdrop of very happy occasion in London, everyone had a good time.
Even without realizing it, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also contributed to this charity. It seems that they received a Wedding gift of a unique piece of jewellery, crafted by a local Brazilian jeweler. In keeping with their wishes that charities benefit from their marriage, this piece has been donated to the ACER charity, and in October, when we hold our main fundraiser for the year, we will auction the brooch and the proceeds will be donated to ACER.
How fitting.
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