Normalcy

Sometimes it is hard to define what is really “normal”.  After a baby is born, couples adapt to a new kind of normal.  The same thing happens when you move somewhere new – especially a new country with a different language, new food, and customs.  When we moved to Brazil, the first few weeks were quite overwhelming, and it seemed like things just wouldn’t ever feel normal.  The days that I felt homesick, I realized, were moments when I longed for “normalcy” in my life.  However, over the past couple of weeks, I have felt the tides shift, and suddenly, we have hit a groove and things finally feel familiar, and, yes, normal.  Take this evening, for instance – Matt is out of town for work (something we have been used to for years), so I decided to take the boys out to see a movie.  That doesn’t sound like such a big deal, I know, but it was quite a remarkable evening.  After being here for only three months, I felt comfortable enough to go out by myself with them at night.  I drove to the mall, bought our tickets, let them eat McDonald’s for dinner, and then we watched a movie in English (with Portuguese subtitles, of course).  I actually forgot we were in Brazil for a while.  I also managed to get us home safely and with no wrong turns – it was great!!!     

I think a big part of us feeling more settled has to do with the fact that we finally have our things from home.  It is hard for me to believe that it has already been a month since my sister was here.  The week she left was a bit tough for me – I felt a little bit sad and homesick for a few days.  We also received news that same week that our sea shipment was going to be delayed due to a weight discrepancy of 30 percent.  Yes, that’s right, once our container arrived in the port it weighed 30% more than what the label on it stated.  The label had been placed in the U.S. – obviously a mistake had been made; as it turns out it was another container’s weight.  Of course, that sent up a huge red flag to the folks at Customs, and in addition to creating more paperwork and red tape, they proceeded to open every single box in our container.  After being told that our delivery would be delayed almost another month, we were furious; we made phone calls, sent emails and griped, moaned, and complained to everyone involved in our move.  As the old saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the oil – we became thorns in their sides, demanding them to move things along faster – and it worked!  Just 2 weeks after we heard of the mistake and delay, we finally received our belongings. 

 

Even though we have a furnished apartment, and we only brought a small amount of things from home, it is amazing how much more “at home” we feel having these items here.  The kids were so thrilled to get home from school and find their toy box with an arsenal of Nerf guns, and they couldn’t wait to climb onto the new bunk bed we bought before coming to Brazil.  Ian was also relieved and happy to find his beloved “Mr. Grey”, a stuffed dog he has had since he was born, perched on the side of the bunk bed awaiting his arrival.  Mr. Grey had accidentally gotten packed, and we weren’t sure if we would see him again – you can imagine my joy when I opened up a drawer and found him nestled inside, among several pairs of Ian’s jeans that were supposed to go to the hotel with us, but the movers had packed the whole chest before emptying the last drawer.  I was most excited to have the kids’ pictures and all of my kitchen stuff – I never thought I would be so happy to see my dishes, pots, and pans.  I think Matt was just happy that we finally received everything so he wouldn’t have to hear me complain about that anymore!

Another special treat for us was to receive our outdoor furniture for the balcony.  On the first Saturday after our things arrived, Matt and I sat on the balcony, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the sky change colors over the cityscape that is our view.  Alex and Ian both woke up early, as always, and joined us.  I found it adorable when Alex wrapped up in a blanket, climbed up into the rocking chair next to me and asked, “Is this going to be our new hangout?”  I think he was onto something – it is probably my new favorite place in the apartment – especially since I finally bought new plants and have my “garden” in place.  Later that day, we went back to the town of Embu and found a great little bistro table to go with some barstools we have – that evening we ate dinner (prepared by Ian) outside in our new “hangout”, looking at the lights and listening to the sounds of Sao Paulo.  Those are the moments in which I feel that I can really embrace this new country and city, and feel normal in my new home, sweet home.       

(If you'd like to take a peek at our new "home" click the link below to see pictures)

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=116320405884338150832&target=ALBUM&id=5603768412671295553&authkey=Gv1sRgCJfx8qj1iJP3Gg&feat=email