Changes - Part 1

Changes

It goes without saying that a move like the one we’ve made will bring a lot of changes: new continent, country, culture; new foods, styles, people; new language, friends, driving habits…the list goes on and on.  We’ve been here one month, and though things are definitely getting easier, we are constantly adjusting to the changes we are facing.  I’ve written about some of these in previous entries, driving, traffic, adjusting to the heat and humidity without air conditioning, buying groceries, and hiring a maid. 

A big change for us is going from living in a house to life in an apartment.  We are fortunate to be situated in a beautiful condominium complex, with a lot of open green space, soccer courts, tennis courts, swimming pools, and gyms, among other “perks”.  The complex is surrounded by walls and electric wires (that line the tops of the walls) and is completely gated, with 24-hour security EVERYWHERE!  Inside the walls of the complex, known as Casa Grande, we feel completely safe.  We are constantly being watched – in the garages, elevators, common areas – by the doormen and security guards.  Now that we are used to the idea that there are always eyes on us, it is comforting to know that we really don’t have to worry about our safety here.  I joked one day that there was always someone at the front desk, monitoring who was coming in and out of the building, while the back door remains open and unguarded, and wondered how that was monitored.  One day, coming back from the pool to grab some snacks for the boys, I got my answer.  I followed the condo’s rule of using the back (aka “service entrance”) when in swimming attire – I was also wearing a ball-cap and sunglasses.  Once on the service elevator, by myself, I was confused and surprised when I heard a voice coming from the wall, “Alo, alo, quem e?” – which translates into, “Hello, hello, who are you?”!  I hadn’t realized the guard was watching me via the security camera in the elevator, and he didn’t recognize me because of the hat and glasses.  Once I told him who I was, and my apartment number, he thanked me and I was allowed to continue on my way!  The same happened to my friend, when her daughter fell in the garage – she was greeted by a voice coming from “somewhere out there”, asking her if the little girl was hurt, as the guard had seen her fall via the cameras in the garage.  I seem to always be humming the old song, “I always feel like somebody’s watching me…” – and it’s true!

  Along with the benefits of living in a complex like this (i.e. no yard work, little maintenance), we also have the disadvantages of sharing the space with others.  It’s hard for the kids to understand that they can’t be as loud as they want, since we have neighbors to our left, above, and below us.  Yes, that means they cannot kick and bounce the soccer ball around the apartment, or chase each other around the house as they are accustomed.  Another disadvantage is the elevator situation.  Luckily, our elevators move quite fast, but in a building with 32 floors, plus 3 subterranean garage levels, you can find yourself waiting for several minutes.  For those of us who are used to just running out the door at the last minute, this can be a challenge.  We’re learning to leave at least 5 minutes earlier than needed, allowing time for the elevator, as well as the time it takes to make our way out of the garage, and to creep slowly over the cobblestone road to the entrance of the complex.

Cooking in Brazil is another change I’ve had to face.  By no means am I a gourmet chef, but I enjoy sitting down together as a family to a meal I’ve prepared – and it’s even sweeter when the boys actually eat what I’ve cooked.  I feel like I know my way around a kitchen pretty well, but during my first few weeks here, I felt completely lost in this one.  I miss my kitchen in our old house, where I had everything I needed within arms’ reach.  To begin with, I still don’t have all of my cooking utensils, so I’ve had to use what little I brought in the suitcases, and have borrowed a few things from a friend.  Add that to the fact that many ingredients that I’m used to using are hard to find, or just very different (or too expensive), and I’ve found myself wanting to just give up and go out for dinner more often than not.  Since our budget would not allow for nightly meals at a restaurant, I’ve had to make do and improvise with what I have on hand.  I’ve had some successes, and some minor flops, but they’ve all been learning experiences.

One evening, Matt decided to help by getting dinner started while I ran over to a neighbor’s to borrow something.  I gave him the recipe I wanted to try, chicken with capers in a cream sauce, and pointed out the main ingredients.  Once back from my neighbor’s, I offered to jump in and take over, but he declined, stating that he was “in a groove”.  “Great!” I said, and let him have the kitchen while I showered.  With the delicious smell of dinner wafting through the apartment, I helped set the table, and took a peek at the sauce.  It didn’t quite look like what I was expecting, given that the name of the dish included the words, “cream sauce”, and it didn’t appear to be very creamy.  When I asked how much cream he’d used, he replied, “I threw in the whole block”!  “Block?”, I asked, quite confused, and opened the fridge to find a whole container (i.e. bottle) of cream still sitting on the shelf.  Yikes, I thought, as I realized he’d used a whole block of butter instead of the cream the recipe required!  In the end, though more of a butter sauce, than a cream sauce, the dinner turned out ok – I figured that since butter really starts off as cream anyway, it wasn’t too far off base.

One of our favorite dinners back in the States was Taco Night - cheap, easy, and everyone loves it!  Not the case, here.  Taco kits are ridiculously expensive, since they are an imported item – where at home you can feed a family of 4 tacos for $10, in Brazil the same meal can cost upward of $30.  Cheddar cheese is hard to find, and costs a fortune when you can come across it.  Sour cream doesn’t even exist here – and I still didn’t have the recipe to make my own.  So, imagine tacos without tortillas or shells, and no cheddar cheese or sour cream.  I had decided to splurge on a small packet of Taco Seasoning, figuring I could divide it into 2 uses, therefore justifying the cost.  For tortillas, I substituted wheat wraps, and I used mozzarella that I sliced very thinly and painstakingly pried apart, layer by layer.  We couldn’t really find a substitute for sour cream, so my friend let me have some ranch dressing she had found.  I prepared everything and held my breath as I placed everything on the table.  Until now, most of what I’ve prepared has been met with, “This doesn’t taste the same as at home” by the boys, so I was ready for the complaints to begin.  Much to my surprise, the kids gobbled them up and asked for seconds!  It may not have been the standard fare for Taco Night, nevertheless, it was a success!