they waited until 7:45 am to start blowing the horn...

I'm actually pretty surprised: the noise for the Brazil-North Korea game didn't start until 7:45 am. Someone is blowing a whistle and then there are a few horns. We're going to meet up with some folks from the orchestra at a bar. Sebastian wants to go out and buy a horn, and Dora wants to transform her white tee shirt into a Brazilian Flag. Go Brazil!

Dia Dos Namorados and the Wedding

Today is "valentine's day" or Day of the Enamored. According to wikipedia... "This day was chosen probably because it is the day before the Festa junina (Saint Anthony's day), known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend." It was pretty quite around town, but maybe that was because of the cold weather. It's been windy and in the 60s, which doesn't sound so bad, but you have to keep in mind that no one has heat here, and most folks even keep their windows open all the time. So it gets a little chilly, especially at night. We had the opportunity to attend our daughter's teacher's wedding tonight, and it was very fun. Not as different from an American wedding as I expected, but a fun way to celebrate a day of love. Though I must say that I've never heard the theme from 2001 Space Odyssey nor Pomp and Circumstance Hopefully we'll put up some pictures soon!

I don't think I knew what the World Cup was before I moved to Brazil...

I have to admit it. I really don't follow sports at all. And 6 months ago, if asked about the World Cup, I probably would have said "the thing you win for hockey?" But a craze has hit Brazil: there are green and yellow streamers everywhere, cars with flags, green and yellow jewelry, and horns. Lots of horns. The funny thing is that the first game in which Brazil is playing isn't until Tuesday! My Tuesday English student asked if we could reschedule so she could watch the game (she is not a soccer fan; she only watches the World Cup games). And I've been told that if I need to go anywhere that night, I should give myself an extra hour, because after the game is over traffic will be crazy. If Brazil wins, the streets will be impassable, and if Brazil doesn't win...well that won't happen! The kids' school will be showing the game in the school auditorium (i.e. who can try to study during the fun!), and I've been told that all stores and services (except maybe the bus) will shut down. I'm actually pretty excited to watch the game--I still know almost nothing, but who can help but get caught up in all the excitement!

Corn ice cream

Matt and I got a few hours together yesterday, and we went to a local Sorveteria (ice cream store--I still have a hard time calling ice cream sorvete. Just doesn't feel right to me). I was hoping for several exotic flavors, but they only had Milho Verde, or Corn Ice Cream. Of course I had to try it, and I must say it was very good! I'm looking forward to trying avocado ice cream, and some of the many new fruits we've heard of here.

We are going to our first Brazilian wedding tomorrow! Bea's teacher is getting married, and so we have been spending lots of time getting ready. Weddings here are BIG events, and so heels, long dresses, and painted nails are all in store. We also had a successful venture buying a gift online for the bride and groom. They had a registry, we were able to find it (of course, after trying every possible combination of last and middle names possible!), find a nice gift and have it delivered for only for $4.50 R (that's about $2.50 with the current exchange rate). And it arrived! The next day. Maybe we should hire the shipping department at Lojas Americanos to take care of some of our other problems that are taking forever to get resolved--like getting my credit card, fixing the ignitor on the oven, getting the broken window in the bathroom fixed...

Ecological Park, Belo Horizonte

Matt has started his 9 days of Folga. I thought this just meant vacation, but I think there is something more to it, but I'm not complaining--this is one of the big reasons we decided to move here; a good job with LOTS of days off! The kids have a four day weekend because of the Corpus Christi holiday. We were thinking about heading out of town (apparently MANY people leave BH, because it is very quite here now!) but we didn't get our act together. I think it was a good thing that we didn't leave, because we've been able to hang out with some new friends, and just relax at home. On Thursday, we went to the Ecological Park of Pampulha and had a practically perfect day! We took the bus to Shopping del Rey, our friend Corinne and her son came and picked us up, and then we went had a picnic at the park. The area used to be a landfill, but a few years ago it was made into a park. It has tons of nice grass, an area for playing soccer and flying kites, several small ponds, a Japanese Memorial (there are a significant number of Japanese Brazilians in Minas), a playground with swings (Dora was VERY happy about this), and nice walking paths. It was a beautiful cool day, good company, good food and a great time. We also got our first view of a Capybara, which Matt thought looked like big R.O.U.S's.

Firetruck spotted

I have an English student that lives my the Fire Station in Savassi, and on one occasion I was walking by and happened to peek in through a door. I saw a HUGE, beautiful swimming pool and a couple of people swimming. The next time I walked by the fire station, I heard a brass band practicing. At Dora's birthday party, I asked our Brazilian friends about the fire station, and told them what I had encountered. They said that the Bombeiro's swimming pool is one of the best places for kids to learn how to swim. And they said that yes indeed, the fire fighter's have a band. Apparently they have to have something to keep them busy. You see, almost everything here is built out of concrete block, so there are rarely any fires of significance. And I thought about it, and I've seen ambulances, police cars, but I hadn't seen any firetrucks. Until Thursday! Matt and I went to Patio Savassi to recharge his lunch card (the orchestra provides a lunch card, but he has to go to a little machine that can be found in rather random locations to recharge it to make sure it has the total credit on it). While walking there, I heard a strange siren, and turned and saw this:

the day after

We had a little dinner party for Dora's 9th birthday last night, and although it was a bit crazy at times, it went well. We had 6 adults and 6 kids--I made lasagna and chocolate cake, and threw together a tomato-bacon-parmesan bruschetta at the last minute. Bea had an upset tummy, and had a few diarrhea incidents, one of Dora's friends made a special meal request that involved a little more time in the kitchen, we didn't have enough plates for everyone, and there was lot of running around and screaming (the kids, not Matt and I), but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It was fun to host people, and to get to know some other parents from Dora's school, and to hear about their experiences. Both families had lived in the US, so it was encouraging to hear about their experience living abroad, and what they think about Belo Horizonte and moving back. Hearing stories from other people helps me so much, and makes me realize that they experiences we have, and the things I encounter are just part of the living overseas experience. It helps remind me that I'm not just crazy, but that everything is different, and I don't know the rules, and that's okay.

One of Dora's friends spent the night last night, so we had waffles for breakfast, and now everyone is playing in that post-birthday party/day kind of way, where they are a bit tired, a bit loopy and just happy. I'm looking forward to a lazy day at home with my family.