This is what I saw when I entered my house last night after work! A shiny brand spankin new creater of heavenly, sweet HOT water. The irony that is sat in the middle of the cold tile kitchen floor while I screamed in the cold tile shower was a little hard to swallow, but the thoughts of what I knew today would bring helped me be strong. Those thoughts helped me to rub a little hard, creating warm friction, as I lathered my goose-bumps under the frigid spray of the shower. Because I knew today would involve--finally--a warm, or hot if I preferred, cleansing.
And this is Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude. (Poor Joe.) He arrived shortly after 11:30 this morning (definitely pushing that 9-noon scheduled window) and remained in the apartment until almost 1:45. The joy, the excitement, the anticipation Joe felt was bubbling over as he headed toward the bathroom for the first warm shower in the house in a week. On the way to endulge, he passed through the kitchen only to find--a puddle of water! The brand spankin new water heating machine was LEAKING!
Quick, think fast, who do I call? Where's the number? Oh, no! Sir-at-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude is going to be on the other side of Rio in 30 minutes if I don't act fast. If Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude makes it to the other side of the city before I call him back it could be FRIDAY before he returns and Friday before we have hot water. HELP!!!
Call #1: to the technician number provided on the business card from the store. Who answers: the answering service for all technicians. The response: Please hold. FIFTEEN minutes laters: Joe hangs up.
Call #2: SUZANNE, our trusty friend and helpful translator in times of crisis, a.k.a. NOW!
Thankfully, Suzanne was able to reach the technician operator, communicate our need, and get Sir-ate-a-lot-of-beans-last-night water heater installer technician dude back to our apartment to finish the job. (This really isn't that big of a feit for Suzanne since she is Brazilian and Portuguese happens to be her first language, but it is pretty impressive to us non-fluent Portuguese speaking wannabes.)
AND AT LAST.................I have just ended the most magnificent shower I have had in what feels like ages but in fact is only one week.

Thanksgiving in Brazil 2007


We work on Thanksgiving here. To improvise, Joe and another friend of ours, Liana, decided to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for our group of friends Friday evening. The house filled with the smell of roasting turkey, the site of gathering friends and their children, and the sound of holiday cheer. The food was incredible. Joe and Liana really outdid themselves. I think they had a good time together too. I joked with Liana Friday evening about the fact that she and Joe had spent more time together this week in preparation than with their spouses, and I think I mentioned that Alvaro (her husband) and I might be spending some time at the beach together this weekend to even things out.

Here are Joe and Liana in the kitchen preparing.

Here they are again, Joe tending to the mashed potatoes on the stove.

In traditional Thanksgiving fashion, we all overendulged by filling our plates too full the first time and going back for seconds and I think most of us tried each variety of pie--pecan and sweet potato despite the fact that we had no more room in our tummies. Nonetheless, it was a fabulous way to spend the holiday, even a day late.

The Year of the Cold Shower, Part 2

How many days does it take to deliver a hot water heater? In Brazil, 3 to deliver + 1 to install. Yes, you read correctly. I ventured to Amoedo (Brazilian Home Depot) yesterday after work and before our Thanksgiving celebration with friends (we worked Thursday, wait this topic is for another post coming later today complete with pictures of the festivities, so I'll stay on topic) to buy a new hot water heater, a.k.a. boiler.
I picked out and bought and 80 liter hot water heater/boiler. The technician was scheduled to come by the apartment this morning to investigate the situation OR to determine the correct "kit" needed for installation. The water heater will be delivered on Monday morning, and the technician will return Tuesday morning to complete the process by installing. I don't know about you, but I find it interesting that the technician can't come the same day as the delivery. It's just not the way it works here though.
Until then, cold showers. Man, am I looking forward to Tuesday afternoon. I think I'll make plans to camp out in the shower for at least 45 minutes testing the new unit, enjoying the warm water on my back, shaving my legs twice or three times and thoroughly conditioning my hair...ahh the thoughts of it are heavenly. Nothing like wishing away the weekend.
The length of time required for the completion of this transaction is typical here. It seems that things take twice as long to complete as they typically do in the states. Part of this is because jobs are created for people by compartmentalizing responsibilities. It would make sense to me that the person responsible for delivering the water heater would also be responsible for installing, but that is not the case. They are two different entities. The store is able to employ one or two men responsible for delivery and several others who are exclusively technicians. In a city of 14 million, jobs are scarce. I tend to complain about these situations requiring patience (I felt the same way in August when it took 2 weeks to re-hook up my gas--the beginning of the cold shower saga). Don't let me fool you though. See the fact that nothing is fast and no one is in a hurry is actually a really nice way to live. If you're late, no problem. If it comes tomorrow, no worries. If it doesn't arrive, it will tomorrow, no sweat. It really does reduce stress.
And although I am trying to remind myself of this, all I can do is scream: I want a hot shower TODAYYY!!!
And when all is complete and the new water heater is up and running, I'll be sure to post a photo of the shiny new addition to our household. And don't worry, I won't include any shower pictures during our first night with hot water again. This is a family friendly blog site.

Year 2 in Brazil, The Year of the Cold Shower

Tuesday morning we woke in relaxed manner since it was a Brazilian holiday, and there was no school/work for the day. We sauntered into the kitchen to find a small puddle of water near the washing machine and the hot water heater. The question: Was it from the washing machine or the hot water heater. The answer: The hot water heater.

It seems this decrepit old device has some mild corrosion (mild used lightly here), which caused the leak that was progressively flooding our kitchen by the minute. Joe commenced to fixing the problem, which would involve removing the existing, crumbling pipe, saudering a new piece and reconnecting.

Now, if we had the typical American garage overflowing with tools, this would not have been as big a problem. But we don't. If it had been a regular Tuesday, the hardware stores would have been open, and we could have purchased the assumed needed materials, but it wasn't. Instead, we made due, attempted to fix the problem with what we had, and ended the day with cold showers. While running in and out of the building in search of various materials, Joe spoke to one of the doormen who said all the required materials/tools are right here in the building, and he could use them--the next day. We swallowed the fact that it would be a night of cold showers based on the element of expecting all to be fixed the very next day.

So, Joe awoke Wednesday to wait for the arrival of the doorman and his trusty toolbox, determined to fix this stubborn unit. Around 4 p.m., the man with the tools arrived only to tell Joe that he wouldn't lend him the tools. We could pay him to fix it, but he would not let Joe use his tools. Talk about a territorial issues with tools. In turn, Joe ventured to the nearest hardware store to buy what he needed. When he returned, he got right to work. The thought of a nice warm shower was clear in my head.

I heard banging and pounding and grunting. I peered around the corner to find the washing machine doubling as a step ladder. I was thinking there must be progress with all this racket. More pounding, a little cursing, and the clank of a tool hitting the tile floor beneath the water heater. Next thing I know, Joe appears from around the corner, sweat glistening on his brow line, perplexity written all over his face.

It turns out, with each crank, shimmy, tap tap tap, the pipe on the water heater did nothing but crumble more and more and deeper and deeper into the tank, which is also corroding and crumbling and on its last leg. In the end...day 2 in the cold shower.

The spirit of Mr. Fixit was not diminished. He woke again this morning with a new aim and a new hardware store in his sights. He had a revelation sometime in the night, and he was determined to fix this broken down, outlived, needs to be retired hot water heater. So he set out right after Sierra and I left for school.

Sometime between 7 and 11 this morning, he was forced to face the truth, accept the facts, and holster his hammer. The old water heater was going to the grave whether Joe liked it or not. With every turn, tap, and manuever the tank and pipes continued to disintigrate. He called our trusty HR lady at school a.k.a. Vania (she handles the housing things for all us expats here) and asked her to contact the landlady about replacing the unit.

The current status: unresolved, torn apart, non-functioning hot water heater littered with tools and stuff decorates the back corner of the kitchen approaching the laundry area of our apartment. The email has been sent to "Elaine" requesting replacement; we wait, psuedo-patiently, her reply. We have been given directive to buy a new hot water heater Saturday whether or not we hear back from "Elaine" (going rate, with installation, roughly $R950 or $500). Cash up front by us, hopefully reimbursement over the next 3 months through deduction in rent once approved by landlady. Until then...another cold shower night.

And likely another tomorrow and hopefully warm shower on Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday afternoon, last minute adventure

Look at this tree! It's beautiful. It's just a tree, but it is really beautiful. In theory, all pictures in this post can be enlarged by double clicking on them.
(I hope theory holds out.)





Ring, Ring...
Liana: "Hey Sara. What're you guys up to?"
Me: "Well, thinking about the beach."
Liana: "Yeah, well Alvaro and I are watching the clouds roll in and we were thinking about going to the zoo."
Me: "There's a zoo in Rio?"
The clouds in fact rolled in, the breeze picked up, and there is a zoo in Rio.
Although this is part of the main entrance to the zoo, it was actually the last picture I took today. We seem to do things in reverse order often, so it's actually fitting to take a picture of Joe and Sierra walking into the zoo while on the way to the car to leave.








Popcorn anyone? Caramel or Butter? Check out the popcorn machine attached to the bicycle. Now this is what I call a traveling salesman.






Sierra posed for several pictures--as usual. I think the monkey in the cage behind her could have cooperated better. He has to be used to having his picture taken. He should be well practiced. He should never take a bad picture. Maybe he was just tired of all the shutterfly today. Poor monkey.




Sierra and I posed for a photo-op with the elephant in the background. This elephant knows how to cooperate with passersby snapping countless pictures. Several times he actually appeared to strike a pose. To our right, the left side of the picture, you can see our friend Alvaro and his son Nicolas having their picture taken too. Liana's arm/hand are the very left edge of the picture. The six of us walked the entire grounds of the zoo today, enjoying all the caged animals. It was the perfect way to spend a cooler cloudy day in Rio.

Family Dinner and Gratitude

We reinstated a family practice tonight--dinner together around the TABLE. I know, seems trivial, but in all honesty we have been slacking. In recent weeks, we have taken to eating dinner in three different locations: Sierra in front of the television, me in front of the computer and Joe standing in the kitchen. I don't really know how we let this happen, but we did. Thankfully, last night we all put our foot down. Enough is enough. And tonight...

The table was set, dinner was placed on the table, grace was said, and conversation ensued. After dinner, we three remained around the table with one another for an additional 30 minutes--no background noise from the television or music playing from the computer--just each other.

My stomache is now sore, not from overeating but from laughing, and my heart is warm with the joy that my family brings me simply from being near them. For that simple and seemingly obvious reminder, I am grateful.

Life gets busy. We all get tired. We have so many responsibilities and distractions. It's important to remember what is important--the people we love.

I copied this from my friend Leah's blogsite (click on the link at the right; I'm not good at that automatic link in the text thing yet) and thought it would be fun. If you don't want to know this much about me, go ahead and close your browser. I totally understand.

1. I was born in MN
2. I am a mom
3. I am addicted coffee
4. I don't drink dark colored liquor. It makes me ill.
5. My high school graduating class had a total of 165 students
6. I earned my BA and MAEd from the same university 11 years apart.
7. I've been married for 4 months
8. I've walked 60 miles in 3 days to raise awareness to breast cancer
9. I love the sun
10. I try to hide the gray hair on my head by parting on the left side
11. I am allergic to penicillan
12. I love not having a car right now
13. I may eat more cheese than the average person
14. I love the smell of lilacs
15. I prefer red wine over white
16. I prefer to eat raw vegetables to cooked vegetables
17. I only cut my hair once in the past 16 months
18. My first concert was to see Lynard Skynard
19. I love teaching middle school
20. I take a taxi to work every day
21. Both of my parents are cancer survivors
22. I don't care for politics
23. I would wear flip flops to work if they were considered professional attire
24. I am addicted to Chuzzle on MSN games
25. I avoid confrontations
26. I go to mass almost every Sunday
27. I have one brother and one sister
28. I have been told that I'm trustworthy
29. I'm sensitive
30. I know how to drive a stick shift
31. I want to go hang gliding
32. I take classes just to know more
33. I prefer white Christmas lights over any other color
34. At my house, Santa still exists
35. 2007 will be the second year in my life working on Thanksgiving day
36. My life is a vacation
37. I am right handed
38. I love to watch the sun set
39. I love my MN Beezatches
40. I do not really like domesticated animals
41. I have never gotten a flu shot
42. I don't take a daily vitamin
43. I like to be barefoot in clean, thick grass
44. I don't do my hair--really, I leave the house most days with it still wet from the shower
45. I don't like to go to the movie theater
46. I love to go out to eat
47. I really miss Mexican food
48. I've toilet-papered houses before
49. I worked campus security in college
50. My first car was an '83 Ford Escort
51. My master's thesis won an award
52. I like to study for the sake of learning something new
53. I don't like riding with tax drivers who don't know how to shift
54. I don't like feet, not even my own
55. I love the smell of fresh cut grass
56. One of my all time favorite colleagues has the same name as me
57. I played volleyball and softball in high school and I was a boy's basketball cheerleader
58. I can still remember some of the cheers
59. I like my job
60. I haven't received a speeding ticket since I was 16
61. I would like to live on a boat one day
62. I get annoyed with people who don't turn off their cell phone in professinal meetings
63. I like to dance in the living room with Sierra
64. I think sleeping babies are one of life's most precious sights
65. I wish all people would be nice
66. I never received a minor consumption ticket
67. I check my bank accounts online almost daily
68. I love post it notes
69. I don't like to plan anything
70. I got married on the fourth of July
71. I miss having a flower garden
72. I love having my teeth cleaned
73. I would like to move into a penthouse apartment with a pool
74. I go to the beach almost every weekend
75. I want to visit Greece
76. I have never been a patient in an ambulance
77. I was a nanny in college and I am still friends with the family
78. I think television is a waste of time
79. I read all the time
80. I love the sound of rain on the windows
81. I will turn 35 in 2 months and I'm a little freaked out about it
82. I love love love email
83. I'm very territorial about my computer
84. I walk almost every where I go
85. I like hip hop music
86. I wish I could have a conversation over coffee with Maya Angelou
87. I want to publish a book one day
88. My daughter is almost a decade old
89. I love to sing karaoke
90. I don't know how to bite my nails
91. I wish I had better posture
92. I am addicted to the blog world--especially Pioneer Woman
93. I have a husband who handles all of the household duties
94. I am an American living in Brazil
95. I love sleeping naked
96. I wish my Portuguese was fluent
97. I don't like conflict
98. I love taking pictures of Sierra
99. I consider myself well organized
100. I love chopps at the local boteca (beers at the local joint)
101. I miss my sister

Little Girls and Dentists...

About a month ago, Sierra developed a bump on her top gums, above the canine tooth and under the lip. The bump looked like a kanker sore. It went away. A week later, the bump came back--bigger and this time with a little white bump on the big red bump. I told her to "floss extra. Maybe there is a piece of food stuck in your gums." She did that and rinsed with warm salt water. The bump when away. A week later, the bump came back--bigger than the second time and this time with two white puss bumps instead of one. I told her to floss and brush and rinse more! The bump went away. (are you seeing the pattern here?) Well, weekend before last, the bump came back AGAIN and this time, we called the dentist. It turns out that the tooth, which thankfully was a baby tooth, had decay above the existing filling. The infection had become so significant that it was visible from the exterior of the gumline. The dentist x-rayed the tooth, prescribed antibiotic for the infection, and last night Sierra had her tooth pulled. As you can probably see from the photo, she did not enjoy this visit to the dentist. Because of the nature of the extraction she needed novacain both in the gumline and the roof of her mouth. Have you ever had novacain in the roof of your mouth? It is painful. At 9 years old, this is only the second time Sierra has had novacain, and despite numorous warnings from the dentist and her dad, she chewed a little on that top lip. Hence the fat lip in the picture. Well, we slept together last night--me, Sierra and a bag of ice for the lip.

Before falling to sleep, in classic mom fashion, I kindly asked, "Honey, are you going to argue with me about brushing and flossing your teeth any more?" She replied, through tears, "no." "Are you going to sing happy birthday to yourself twice each time you brush to make sure you brush well enough?" She replied, pathetically, "Uh huh." I am happy to report she is feeling better today. She stayed home from school, as her mouth was quite sore this morning, and she didn't sleep well last night. And she has dined on ice cream and yogurt all day.

I will cherish this picture and share it frequently if necessary as a reminder of the importance of brushing and flossing thoroughly every day from now on. Please feel free to use it to motivate your own children if you feel necessary.

Praia Grumari!

We spent yesterday afternoon at a little beach outside of the city called Grumari beach. The scenary was breathtaking. There are mountains lining the seaside, small islands off the beach, and fewer people lining the sands. The water is calmer too, which meant more time in the water for me and Sierra.Here's a shot of Sierra with the mountains behind her. Apparently there is talk of building an apartment or hotel on this mountain side. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it remains undeveloped. The entire area was calm and peaceful and noise free.
Here I am enjoying a cold refreshment while playing fresco ball with Sierra, ocean and islands in the background.
This was what I could see when I laid down to relax in the sun for a few minutes. Sierra spent some time styling Joe's hair into a very punky do!Check out the view behind Joe and I in this picture!!

After the beach, we went to this great seafood restaurant for Shrimp Moqueca. Here's a picture. It is served with white rice and farofa. And SUPER yummy!!!Sierra and I took a series of pictures at the table before and during dinner. This is the endearing Mommy-Daughter one. The others are pretty goofy. Here's one of the shots from the car between the beach and the restaurant. Sometimes the sights here give me chills and bring tears to my eyes. The majesty.