Time for Some Positive Thinking

I realize that most of my recent posts have had a bit of a negative tone. There was the variety, the weather and then travel. I thought it might be time to concentrate on some of the things that I actually like here, focus on some positive energy.

When thinking of things to mention, I quickly realized that it is the simple things that make me happy. I’ve always been like this. I can find so much joy in something simple like a special food or finding a sale and immediately my mood is brightened.

Here are a few things that I actually like about living in Maringá.

1. The fruit. I have probably quadrupled my antioxidant and vitamin C intake! Unfortunately, since fries are served with every single meal here and deep fried snacks are abundant (even though I exercise moderation) I am probably canceling out the benefits. Despite that, my body is getting nutrients it has never seen before. I drink pure açai juice and eat passion fruit. Even things that I could have back home like bananas, oranges and pineapple, taste much better here.

2. Capybara (Capivara in Portuguese). Have you seen these incredibly cool creatures? I never knew about them until I moved to Brazil. The best way to describe them is overgrown guinea pigs. They are nicknamed water pigs. I just love to look at them. To my knowledge there aren’t any in Maringá, but I’ve seen them in Curitiba and at a lake near the airport in São Paulo. Here’s a picture if you are wondering what they look like.

3. Agua con Gas. Water with gas, the bubbly. I first discovered this in Europe. Well, I guess not discovered, it exists the U.S., but it is expensive hardly anyone drinks it. In Brazil it is as inexpensive as plain bottled water and they serve it with lime. It has become my alternative to soft drinks, which I set out to eliminate from my diet once we moved here. I am close, I only have about one a week. I was on a 2-3 cans a day habit when I was at home so I really had a problem!

4. Trees. This is one of the most beautiful things about this city and truly makes it stand out from other cities I’ve visited in Brazil. I believe it was once noted as the city with the most trees per capita in Brazil, but has since fallen to second or third. Despite the face that we live right in the middle of downtown I am still able to look out our window and see trees. They line every street and overflow in every park. They are also great for shade in the unbearable heat!

5. Coffee. I’m not talking about the drink here, although Brazilian coffee is some pretty tasty stuff. I love seeing the coffee plants on the outskirts of town. Every time we take a trip I get to see the rows and rows of green plants with bright red berries. I buy my coffee at the feira and it is probably the freshest coffee I have ever woken up to.

I’ll stop there but there are other things. See what a little positive thinking will do. I’ve completely forgotten how frustrating it is that stores close for the weekend at 1:00pm on Saturday. Well, maybe not completely but almost.