Julie's Top 10: "Things I'm Missing About Brazil"

I didn't even bother to check my posts to see where I left off so many, many weeks ago when life got out of control and blogging abruptly stopped. The chaos of moving out, visa documentation, social engagements, and selling vehicles seems so long ago. We made it, one whispered prayer at a time, through that transition and are slowly slipping into the serendipity of summer.

When we were still in Brazil, I had great hopes of writing about the Top Ten things I would miss about Brazil while away for a year. It didn't happen. However, now that we've been stateside for almost two months, the charms of Brazil are that much clearer as we adjust to life in Texas.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, and skipping over the obvious things like friends and family who I miss dearly. . .

"The Top 10 Things I'm Missing about Brazil"

1. Special lines at the grocery store, and just about anywhere else, for the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and women with small children. We've even been moved up to the front of the line when checking in at the airport because we had small children. Gotta love it!

2. Incredible variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in stores but especially at the street market on Thursdays. Beautiful mangoes, pineapple, papaya, star fruit, kiwis, and so much more . . . I'm not even a fruit lover, but what I wouldn't give for a big, juicy mango right now. The mangoes in Brazil make the ones here look the size of grapes. I also buy all my chicken at the street market; it is so tender and the woman who sells it will cut it any way I like.

3. Full service gas stations. You cannot pump your own gas in Brazil. Sit back and relax while they pump the gas, wash your windows, and check your oil and water. Really nice.

4. The friendly people. Brazilians are so warm and friendly. They'll start talking with you anytime, anywhere. They'll even keep talking to you after they realize that you're a foreigner who's totally clueless about everything they're saying. They'll also offer you all kinds of advice about your children whether you want it or not. I find it endearing. They really care. (To be fair, Texans are really friendly, too.)

5. Food. Brazilian food is so comforting and hearty. All the food, even Brazilian fast food, tastes fresh and home-cooked. Brazil is famous for its steakhouses (like Fogo de Chao). The meat is incredible! The cattle are pasture-fed, and the beef is amazingly tender and affordable. We have the privilege of eating beef tenderloin at home regularly. Our butcher sells it at an amazing price! I don't foresee any filet mignon in our near future this year in the States. Even so, I always check the price at the supermarket as I pass by. Who knows?

Also, food related . . . I'll miss raw milk delivered to our door every week by friends who have family in the dairy business, and sharing 10-gallon buckets of honey with friends so we get it at half price. (Miss you, Fernie!)

6. I will miss the feeling that life is going fast and slow all at the same time. Sao Paulo is a gigantic city where everything is loud, bustling, and frenetic, but life moves slowly; there's still the laid back air you'd expect of Latin countries. Always time--time to talk, time for a cafezinho (little cup of coffee) . . . .

7. Celebrating the World Cup in a country that LOVES soccer, I mean, football. I'm not really a sports enthusiast, but when the U.S. comes back from a two-goal deficit to tie up a game in the second half, and one goes screaming over to her sister's house next door to give high fives and do a little celebration dance only to find her sister sleeping on the couch with a talk show on in the background, one realizes she's not in Brazil anymore. Brazilians would NEVER sleep while their team is battling it out on the field. N-E-V-E-R! (In my sister's defense she has a newborn, so sleep takes precedence over soccer.)

8. I do not miss Sao Paulo traffic, but I do miss the motorists. Paulistanos know how to drive in heavy traffic. They understand when you need to get over, and they accommodate. They don't blindly stare ahead or speed up so you can't get over. They also understand that if you turn on your blinker, it means you're coming over. The gentleman in Houston who nearly got run off the road the other day clearly did not understand any of this. He looked straight ahead as if to say "If I pretend not to see you, you can't come over," sped up, and nearly got his big, white pick-up crunched by our big, white SUV. Then, he gesticulated and honked while he passed us. Way too intense! Brazilians, on the whole, are much more courteous drivers. (Of course, we couldn't have possibly been in the wrong!)

9. I miss hearing Portuguese--not the way I speak it, but the way it's meant to be spoken. I miss the workout my brain gets when I have to speak it or understand it. I'm not looking forward to returning after a year of very little Portuguese. It's gonna be scary!

10. And, I cannot tell a lie, I miss Valdelice, our maid. We're all wrinkled and covered in dust here. Enough said.

Coming soon . . . "Top 10 Things I'm Loving about the States"