Shopping, Rio style.

I've mentioned my fondness for street venders before. In particular, I have talked about how much I enjoy sitting on the beach and having the "drive by" salesmen stop in asking if I would like new earrings, a dress, a popsicle, a sandwiche, a beer, a beach ball...sometimes I fall asleep with the cantar of their advertising ringing in my head.
Last weekend we were at our favorite beach in Rio, Grumari, with Francesca and Sophie, enjoying the slightly overcast, breezy beautiful day.

When this guy showed up.The sales tactics of the beach venders are phenomenal. This guy started unpacking and refolding his loot about 15 feet from our chairs. He was methodical and careful and flamboyant in the way he removed a dress or skirt or conga from the bag, shook it in the air to wipe out any wrinkles beginning to appear, and then carefully refolded or rehung the garment slowly before moving on to the next piece. He's no dumby. There was endless feet of open beach space where he would have had plenty of room but no audience. It was a silent sales pitch. And it worked.The red caught her eye, she beckoned him over, she tried the dress on (right there on the beach), "Please Mom! It's only R$25,00." It looked so cute; I couldn't resist. And note: the white sunglasses on top of her head in this picture were purchased ON the beach, the DAY BEFORE! A fresh suntan, a dip in the ocean, and shopping all in one stop. What more could a girl ask for?

What's for dinner....solved!
There were many guesses for this little game I decided to play with my blog readers. I am sure you have all been checking back often to learn the answer to the question: What's for dinner? Some guesses were a bit strange, but I am here today to release you from your incessant wonder. If you remember, this is what it starts out as:

One anonymous commenter thought it might be:

Yet another guessed:

And still another thought maybe:

I'm really surprised nobody guessed:

since I often say Joe likes to eat Filet Meow from the street vendors. However, there was a more realistic (really, where do you think we live, dog? horse? MONKEY? come on. Brazil is a third world country, but the people are not uncivilized) guess of:

But, in the end it is merely the:

Good 'ol BEEF. This cut is Picanha, which we talk about frequently as being our favorite cut of meat here. I never thought I could be a person who actually craves meat, but after having picanha, I do!

This is what it looks like part way through the cooking process with quite a bit all ready shaved off and eaten. For those of you who guessed it to be the same meat used in gyros, you were correct in the manner in which it is cooked. You slow cook the picanha over hot coals and shave pieces off to eat as you go. Similar to what they do with lamb used in gyros.When cooked at home, it becomes a social process meal. It is not a sit down meal. We typically hang out on the veranda and munch as it cooks. Now this blog idea was born out of the comments made by Joe and my sister Dana when she was visiting, and we cooked a picanha at home. They too had their opinion of what the meat looks like when it is raw and first placed over the coals. I have to say that I am happy to know that none of my readers guessed what they thought it looks like! At the same time, I am a little nervous about both of their perspectives.

So what is picanha, exactly? You might ask since it is not a cut of beef regularly available in the US. Here is a diagram showing which part of the cow picanha comes from. And for those of you ultra-curious about how it tastes after this little culinary lesson, visit Fogo de Chao Churrascaria in Mpls, a Brazilian style barbeque. They have it available there. http://www.fogodechao.com/ There is a growing number of Brazilian Churrascarias in the states now. I think it is a a reflection of the popularization of Brazilian culture in the states. Porcao is another chain throughout the states, including New York, Miami, and Houston for those of you outside of Mpls.

Another random, yet fun, activity to try at: http://www.blogthings.com/whatpunctuationmarkareyouquiz/


This was my answer:

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice.(But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!)

You excel in: Leadership positions

You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

Sierra and Joe just finished the "test" too; Joe is a exclamation point, and Sierra is a comma.

Talent Show 2008

Sierra's singing debut!!!

Because I like to hear people scream: Si-er-A, Si-er-A, Si-er-A!

Because I want to show off my talents and

Because my friends are in it.

These are the three reasons Sierra gave for wanting to participate in the Lower School Talent Show at EARJ. I would have to say these are all three very understandable reasons.

She had one hour to get ready. Looking anxious.She mingled with her friends before the show.The stage was set.

The band was prepared and well rehearsed and need I say TALENTED!!

The kids celebrated a great show with everyone on stage dancing for the finale. I have been attempting, literally all night, to upload the video of Sierra singing, but it's not going. I think the file is a little to big for blogger. I'll get it here as soon as I can though.

Part One in the series on Socialized Medicine in Brazil. My friend Jill (http://brennekids.blogspot.com/) recently watched Sicko and dedicated a blog entry to share her reaction/frustrations with the health care system in the United States.
As part of her reflection, she included a very nice video from YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxLag-EXiZk) highlighting the current, utopian-like state of Norway (where there is socialized medicine, among other socialist characteristics benefitting the general public).
As a result, several of my blogger friends and I have been wondering what is the answer to the current state of American health care. Many of my American friends, living stateside, give the impression that they might think socialized medicine is the answer to our problems. Many others continuously scratch their heads, wondering what the answers may be. As a bonafide resident of Brazil for nearly two years, I have a few experiential comments to make regarding socialized medicine in an effort to find what my opinion on the topic actually is. To attempt to illustrate this, I will collect various points about Brazil's system with photos to demonstrate what is happening here.
Is simply saying; "socialized healthcare is the answer" what we're looking for in the US?
Concern number 1: Reality of available care. The building at the top of this photo is called "Ponta da Saude" Health Point. It is one of the many public clinics found throughout the city to serve the general population of 11.5 million. It is mainly a shot clinic for vaccinations or allergy shots, but it is also what Americans know as a walk-in clinic to serve minor injuries or illness. Although there is a bus stop in the middle of the photo, the dozens of people surrounding the bus stop are not waiting for bus transportation. They are waiting in line to enter the clinic--at 6:45 a.m.--which will open at 8 a.m. This is the typical scene at all of the clinics. Now I know I would not choose to wait in a line like this for an allergy shot every couple of weeks; I get irritated when my doctors are 10 minutes late for my appointment time and force me to sit in the dreary, germ infested waiting rooms.
The fact that people have to wait in a line like this definitely deters me from promoting socialized medicine, and this is the minor side of the waiting. People typically wait for treatment for serious illness months--but that will be my next topic in this series.

Cat Nap....
What else to do in Rio when it's rainy and chilly (70 degrees is chilly here, trust me!)

What's for dinner?

You tell me what you think this looks like, and I'll post a finished, ready to eat picture later.

Babies holding babies....

My child, the caregiver. Sometimes I watch Sierra with the children of our friends and think, "AHH, how sweet. She's so good with kids. Reminds me of me when I was young. I love babies. I was good with babies, and babies loved me too." Other times I look at her and think, "Caregiver! Be careful. Watch out. The caretaker personality is painful sometimes."

But you can't help but smile when you look at this picture of her and 6month old Stella at a restaurant. Sierra to the rescue. Holding Stella while her mom and dad enjoyed their dinner. Sierra enjoying every moment of playing "big sister".

Hands
There's something about pictures of the hands or feet of a parent and their child that just melts my heart.

Name Tag...
Leah (see link to the right, I can't do that intext live link thing and don't feel like figuring it out yet) tagged me on her blog for the latest Meme. I haven't played for awhile, and my answer can be relatively short given the rules. I decided to play along.

(1) You must post the rules on your blog before you answer the questions. (2) You need to list one fact about yourself using each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name use your maiden name instead. (3) When you are finished with your answers, you tag one person for each letter of your name.

Lea (pronounced Lee, but spelled LeA)

L--Leader. This is so true. I tend to dominate the direction. I give directions all day long. I tell Sierra what to do often, and I have been caught "leading" Joe in the direction I want. I have to say I have always had a difficult time following directions. I do much better when I'm the one giving them. But on a positive note: I have held several leadership roles in my career as well. And I was a team captain on a couple of teams in high school.
E--Ecclectic. My taste in almost every category is limitless. I love a variety of music, literature, styles, people, places, activities. I can hardly ever say my "favorite" anything because I love it all, depending on the time and my mood.
A--Anal. My friends used to not want to visit my house because it was too clean and made them realize they needed to clean their own homes. I do obsess about things having their place and being in their place. This drives Joe crazy sometimes. I have relaxed a bit since becoming a mother, but I still get pretty anal over the direction the toilet paper is on the dispenser or the water bottle in the refrigerator being full.

Who to tag? Rachel? Gina? um....Pioneer Woman? (Let's find out if she ever reads MY blog!)

Sierra Voltou!!!! (Sierra Returned!!!)

Sierra and her classmates returned from their week long retreat yesterday afternoon full of smiles and stories. The kids were full of energy as they came off the buses, ready to see Moms and Dads. We sat for a while at one of the kiosks at the Lagoa with one of Sierra's friends and her mom, talking about all the experiences the girls had throughout the week. It was like a debate between Sierra and Luisa to see who would be able to tell the story faster than the other. Both of them were so excited and giggly.
Sierra's first request: I Want Picanha!!!
I should have known she would come home hungry and ready for a big meal of Brazilian picanha. After the Lagoa, Joe, Sierra and I, along with our friend Suzanne, ventured into Gavea where we enjoyed one of our favorite meals here. During dinner, Sierra continued to tell stories of the week's adventures. At the same time, she started to fade. She was exhausted!
Coming home, I was anxious to look inside her suitcase to see how well she was able to rearrange her things for the travels home. We asked her during dinner what she had done with her wet clothes. Her reply, "I'm not sure. I don't remember."
This is what her suitcase looked like Sunday night:I thought for sure it would be nothing like this when it returned Friday evening. However....This is what I saw when I opened it.And those wet clothes she "couldn't remember" doing anything with are all neatly in the plastic bags, protected, on top! The little stinker!
She's was ready for some serious snuggle time with Mom last night. So, Joe forfeited his side of the bed to her, and she and I laid together, talking for about an hour and a half before falling to sleep. She was a mixture of emotions: happy to see me, sad to have had to say good bye to the counselors at the camp, and re-living a not so happy friend moment from the week. There were tears and giggles and smiles and sighs. It was a good time for Mom and Daughter to spend together. This morning when she woke, I opened my eyes to her face within inches of mine, and through her sparkling eyes she said, "Mom, I am so happy to be home again with you!"
AHHHH, my baby!