Ahhh! Finally a Place for Me

I finally found it! After almost a month of walking past unidentifiable buffet lunches, mall food courts and road side stands that would challenge the most relaxed health codes, I've found my place. Part of the name actually translates to 'Bread Boutique' I think. I can hear all of the anti-carb warriors shrieking all the way down here. Sorry, I'm a nutrition professional who is pro-carbs, even the white ones (it is preservatives that I don't like).

This place is perfect for light lunches, pastries, breads and most importantly a good cup of coffee. The atmosphere could use a little warming up, but it will do. Now I just have to keep from wearing the place out. A good cappuccino for about US$1.75. Oh, I'll be wearing the place out!

Welcome to the Time Warp

As I walk past the coconut stand at the park, I can't help but think - what is up with this place? There, a rough looking guy stands with his machete ready to chop off the top of a coconut, insert a straw and present you with a delicious água de coco. By the way, this is known to have cardiac properties. (The coconut water, not the act of watching the guy with the machete.) We learned about that in Jamaica. I need to research some more about it.



So this is the part that feels like a time warp. In addition, there are the starved horses that pull carts along the streets as their owners collect and sort through trash near the dumpsters. Oh and when I say starved, I mean starved. It is one thing to compare them to the muscular visions of beauty that are KY thoroughbreds, but these horses look worse than those they find at abandoned homes on an episode of Animal Cops. My heart breaks every time I see them. When I see all this, it feels like I've jumped back in time to some strange early civilization.

What is more strange is that this is oddly mixed with ultra modern experiences. Just yesterday I enjoyed an espresso at a little cafe that would pass for any NYC coffee shop, even Starbucks. Then I stopped by a little boutique that sold only customized bean bags chairs - puffs. It was right across the street from a modern little furniture store. Also, did I mention that on the other side of the park there is another coconut stand that uses a machine that drains and cools the coconut water before putting it in a glass? So again I say, what is up with this place?

I'm so used to the culture of 'out with the old and in with the new.' We get rid of things as soon as the new, supposedly more effective, version is introduced. The new is in and you don't see the old anymore. This is the most true with electronics. I'm practically embarrassed to workout with my old ipod shuffle now that the new one is out.

Don't get me wrong, preserving the old fashioned or antique is worthwhile in our society. I've just never experienced a place where the two exist together simultaneously. Having the new - a machine for coconut water, trash trucks collecting at night, didn't replace the existence of the old - cutting off the top of a coconut or horse pulled carts. They both exist at the same time and seem to be perfectly acceptable. It feels so strange. Although I'll try the coconut water, I do have to say, Thank you God for the little modern coffee shop. I need that little piece of the new!

Here we go...

After much debate and discussion my husband and I made the decision to undertake a major life change and to leap further out of our comfort zone than most would ever dream. The offer came early last year. My husband's employer presented us with the opportunity to move abroad for a 2 year assignment.

We had always been open to the possibility. We are both in our late 20s, no kids and love to travel. We've always had a passion for experiencing other cultures. What better way than to live in one for a while. Well, when the idea came up, visions of Europe danced in my head. Imagine my surprise when the offer was for us to move to Brazil. Wow, what a difference.

To make a long story short, we broke the news to our parents, sold our house and cars, and I quit my job in health education outreach to undertake this adventure. So after an agonizing good bye to our families and our beloved pug, here we are in Maringá, Brazil missing what we've left behind, but excited for what lay ahead.

Maringá is a town of about 300K, inland in the state of Paraná. I'm a blonde American who knows very little Portuguese (right now) in a land of dark-haired Brazilians who are not at all accustomed to seeing visitors. I definitely stand out. We aren't talking a tourist destination like Rio here, this couldn't be more different.

I've always had a very open mind about embracing other cultures and a great deal of understanding of other ways of life, but at this point I have to admit I'm struggling. This blog is an account of my experiences. Perhaps you will find my daily encounters as entertaining as some of my friends do. I've had lots of advice leading me to the idea that I need to blog these adventures.

I also should explain that I don't want these encounters to come across as though I feel one ethnicity or culture is superior in any way to another. These are simply my reactions to situations I find myself in based on the experiences I've had in my life. So here we go - on to the adventures of Blondie in Brazil.