Is the number of posts I've written on this blog since it all began in April 2005. On the positive side, blogging is something I've been able to keep up with relative consistency and that I truly enjoy. On the not-so-positive side, blogging has cannibalized my private, hand-written journaling.
I've tried several times over the past years to resuscitate my journal, but to no avail. So while blogging has made me think more about the writing process and put more effort (sometimes!) into the finished piece than when I was just writing for myself, it has also led me to abandon the kind of truthful pouring out of words that private writing permits. I realize it's possible to make posts private, or to restrict access, or to even not publish and simply leave as a draft, forever suspended in the list of posts on the control panel.
For me, however, that doesn't work. When I sit down at the computer to write, it is with my public-writer hat on. Paper and pen are for private, personal thoughts. Obviously I've shared very intimate things on the blog on several occasions over the past 3-odd years, but I realize that there are whole experiences and thoughts and events that transpired in that same period whose detail has been effectively lost because I didn't manage to journal them.
I suppose that's how it goes - habits evolve and change, entailing both things lost and things gained. I have nearly a perfect daily record of my life from age 15 to age 23, and for that I am incredibly grateful. I realize how unique it is, and I am slowly transcribing the words on unlined paper, formed with colored inks and decorated with stickers and pasted ticket stubs and ribbons and other memorabilia, to my computer. It's an on-again-off-again project, but I intend to get back to it soon. I don't want to lose that history.
In the meantime, I will keep blogging, continue with my public, open writing that has led me to meet so many incredible people. It captures a different side of me, of the experiences I have, and this too is very valuable. Only 5 more years and I'll match my journaling record!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
The Days Leading Up to the Wedding
I can't even begin to describe what it was like to have many of my closest friends, my family *and* most of Rico's friends and family all in the same place - especially since said place is my heart-home, the cidade maravilhosa, Rio de Janeiro.
Friends from different times and places in my life managed to make the trip, and it was such an amazing feeling to reconnect with people that I haven't seen in nearly 10 years in some cases. Even cooler was the fact that all of my friends got to meet each other, and meet Rico's friends - and everyone got along and hung out together, and are now in touch on Facebook and via email.
Having my friends in Rio was obviously quite special, but it wasn't out-of-this-world unlikely. Most of my friends are travelers, wanderers, people with a natural interest in and inclination to pursue new experiences. Having my entire family in Rio, however, was a totally different story. It was unprecedented. It was dreamlike. It was literally a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Some people in my family are quite international, several are multi-cultural and multi-lingual, and many enjoy traveling on a regular basis. Others (ahem, Dad) are decidedly content in the place they love in this world, enjoying that homebase for all it's worth, and only venturing out beyond a certain familiar and beloved radius when absolutely necessary. Others - like my Grammy - are reaching the end of the trans-continental travel line, at the point where the toll of long-haul travel is difficult to bear. Add that to the fact that Rio is a city with a terrible reputation, and that it is far away and expensive to reach, it was fabulous that everyone came together to show their love and support for me and Rico at our wedding.
They all made it. My friends. My mom (her husband, unfortunately, couldn't make it). My dad and his wife Laura (note that it was my dad's first time out of the US since he was in the army in the late 1960's, with the exception of a train trip through Mexico with my mom back when they were on their honeymoon in the 1970's). My uncle Hugh and aunt Michelle, and my cousins Jeff and Lauren. My Swiss/French/Mexican cousins AJ and Renaud. My aunt Cynthia and my cousin Libby. My 86-year-old Grammy, straight from Italy. Everyone came. It was special beyond words.
Here are some photos from the days leading up to the wedding.
Groomsman Mark and bridesmaid Gaby in Santa Teresa, at the Museu Castro Maia.
Bridesmaid (and fellow blogger) Jenna - unfortunately she got very sick just before the wedding and wasn't able to come. :( But she was there in spirit!
My gorgeous mama.
Family lunch at Porcão. Here I am with my aunt Michelle and my step-mom Laura. Aren't the women in my family radiant?
Me and my cousins Jeff and Lauren at the churrascaria. They are the best!
Hanging out with friends - both mine and Rico's - at the boteco Informal in Leblon.
The courtyard of the casa rosa after remodeling. We put in the mosaic floor (made of pedra portuguesa) with the same pattern as the Copacabana boardwalk. The background of the lion's head fountain is now a terra-cotta color instead of that hideous mauve.
Banana trees in the garden of the casa rosa.
Igreja Anglicana de São Paulo in Santa Teresa, where we got married. It's literally across the street from the casa rosa!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Also, I Need a Haircut
My mind these days is filled with these thoughts:
1. Photos. I want to get our professional wedding photos and our photo books. I want to be able to share these photos online. I want to create Flickr albums of our honeymoon photos from Vietnam with informative captions. I want to understand why Facebook will let me upload photos from my point-and-shoot Canon but not from my badass Nikon. I want to share images with friends and family, and I am frustrated by distance, technology and the general overwhelming nature of the task of photo organizing.
2. Must clean our house. It is a disorganized, cluttery mess at the moment. I admit I left the house in disarray when I went to Brasil in June, but it's been made worse by the fact that we've only managed to half unpack our suitcases and we don't have appropriate storage space. My desk is full of crap, my jewelry supplies are all over the place, clothes are piled on the floor. It's terrible, and I feel 100% incapable of doing anything else properly while my environment is in such a state of chaos. This weekend is all about cleaning. Organizing. Donating excess. Making it manageable again.
3. Interior decorating. Yes, I will accept calling it nesting as well. Since arriving home from the wedding, we've bought 2 bright red sofas (to replace our old wicker living room set that was the only furniture we could afford when we moved to Maputo 2.5 years ago), a beautiful wool rug, and a wooden armoire for the kitchen (to replace the grotty old metal cabinet that previously served as a pantry), and - my favorite - an antique chandelier for the living room! It's funny, you'd think a place with a rich history like Maputo would be bursting with antiques, but that's not been my experience. Perhaps there are antiques here, but they're certainly not prominently displayed in shops, or homes, nor are they easy to track down. I have a friend who managed to buy a gorgeous old wooden bed - at a dirty little shop that usually sells car parts, but every once in a while dabbles in antiques. Our porcelain chandelier came from the giant furniture warehouse where we purchased the armoire for the kitchen. It is in perfect condition, and the price was ridiculously low. This chandelier has given me antiques fever - I want to find more!!
4. My name. Now, officially, I have a new last name. I love it. Amaro. It just rolls off the Portuguese-speaking tongue, unlike my previous surname which I constantly had to spell out using the "B de bola" alphabet and yet, despite my efforts, was frequently butchered and confused with the word Burra. So glad to have a new name, although I've really just tacked it on the end of the old sequence as to preserve my family name for historic reasons. Now all I have to do is the endless paperwork to officially do the change at Social Security, and get a new driver's license, and new credit cards, and new freaking everything with my name on it...easy, considering we're in a place where the mail doesn't reliably arrive.
5. Work. Changes are afoot. Big ones. Exciting ones. However, changes I am not quite ready to talk about because I want to be 100,000% certain they are really going to happen before I open my big mouth.
6. Water. We've been having water issues at our flat again, for the zillionth time in the past year. Let me preface this by acknowledging that I know we are lucky to have piped, clean water with any regularity. I am grateful, and eposides without reliable water in our house make me even more so. Still, it is not fun to take bucket showers day after day while the plumber desperately tries to find the solution - thus far with no luck. I've mastered the technique, though, to have a decently nice bucket shower. I use exactly 5 liters of water (we always keep an assortment of 5 and 20-liter bottles full of water in the cabinet, ready for the times when our piped water decides to disappear), of which 2 liters I heat in the electric kettle and pour back in with the cold water in the container. It works quite well, and avoids the gasping and cursing that come when cold water is poured over a sleepy, still-warm-from-the-covers body.
7. Ticket prices. We were planning on going to Brazil for my friend Rafaela's wedding at the end of next month. For the last 3 years, a round-trip ticket from Maputo to Rio de Janeiro cost between US$600 and US$800 - by far the cheapest inter-continental ticket available from this part of the world. However, it looks like the good times are over. Ticket prices have shot up, and are now over US$1,200 per person for the period we wanted to travel. Rico and I are holding out hope that perhaps prices will go down again - or at least be a bit more reasonable - in the future. So we've changed our plans and are going to go to Europe to visit my Grammy in Italy and his sister and her family in Austria (now my sister-in-law!). I am really excited. I talked to my Grammy on the phone last night about our plans, and I can't wait to show Rico our family's home and take him around what were essentially my summer stomping grounds as a child.
8. Jewelry. I need to make a lot during the next few weeks. I've been accepted to the Mozambican National Crafts Fair, and I need to prepare my stock for the 6-day event. This will be my second year as a participant, and I hope to put some of my lessons learned and creative inspiration from last year to good use.
9. Food. We got a cook. I feel so decadent even writing that. It's a bit of a long story how we came to employ someone to cook 3 times a week when I love cooking and tend to do a lot of it myself, but I'm very happy we made the decision to hire him. Américo is a fabulous cook, and he will make any recipe I request. I think this will help me and Rico eat healthier and save money, as one of the main traps we fall into is eating lunch at restaurants during the week because we are tired and starving. Now we just go home, and lunch is ready and waiting on the table. Yum!
10. Family. I wish they were closer. I miss everyone, especially after the special treat of being all together for the wedding. I wish it were easier.
1. Photos. I want to get our professional wedding photos and our photo books. I want to be able to share these photos online. I want to create Flickr albums of our honeymoon photos from Vietnam with informative captions. I want to understand why Facebook will let me upload photos from my point-and-shoot Canon but not from my badass Nikon. I want to share images with friends and family, and I am frustrated by distance, technology and the general overwhelming nature of the task of photo organizing.
2. Must clean our house. It is a disorganized, cluttery mess at the moment. I admit I left the house in disarray when I went to Brasil in June, but it's been made worse by the fact that we've only managed to half unpack our suitcases and we don't have appropriate storage space. My desk is full of crap, my jewelry supplies are all over the place, clothes are piled on the floor. It's terrible, and I feel 100% incapable of doing anything else properly while my environment is in such a state of chaos. This weekend is all about cleaning. Organizing. Donating excess. Making it manageable again.
3. Interior decorating. Yes, I will accept calling it nesting as well. Since arriving home from the wedding, we've bought 2 bright red sofas (to replace our old wicker living room set that was the only furniture we could afford when we moved to Maputo 2.5 years ago), a beautiful wool rug, and a wooden armoire for the kitchen (to replace the grotty old metal cabinet that previously served as a pantry), and - my favorite - an antique chandelier for the living room! It's funny, you'd think a place with a rich history like Maputo would be bursting with antiques, but that's not been my experience. Perhaps there are antiques here, but they're certainly not prominently displayed in shops, or homes, nor are they easy to track down. I have a friend who managed to buy a gorgeous old wooden bed - at a dirty little shop that usually sells car parts, but every once in a while dabbles in antiques. Our porcelain chandelier came from the giant furniture warehouse where we purchased the armoire for the kitchen. It is in perfect condition, and the price was ridiculously low. This chandelier has given me antiques fever - I want to find more!!
4. My name. Now, officially, I have a new last name. I love it. Amaro. It just rolls off the Portuguese-speaking tongue, unlike my previous surname which I constantly had to spell out using the "B de bola" alphabet and yet, despite my efforts, was frequently butchered and confused with the word Burra. So glad to have a new name, although I've really just tacked it on the end of the old sequence as to preserve my family name for historic reasons. Now all I have to do is the endless paperwork to officially do the change at Social Security, and get a new driver's license, and new credit cards, and new freaking everything with my name on it...easy, considering we're in a place where the mail doesn't reliably arrive.
5. Work. Changes are afoot. Big ones. Exciting ones. However, changes I am not quite ready to talk about because I want to be 100,000% certain they are really going to happen before I open my big mouth.
6. Water. We've been having water issues at our flat again, for the zillionth time in the past year. Let me preface this by acknowledging that I know we are lucky to have piped, clean water with any regularity. I am grateful, and eposides without reliable water in our house make me even more so. Still, it is not fun to take bucket showers day after day while the plumber desperately tries to find the solution - thus far with no luck. I've mastered the technique, though, to have a decently nice bucket shower. I use exactly 5 liters of water (we always keep an assortment of 5 and 20-liter bottles full of water in the cabinet, ready for the times when our piped water decides to disappear), of which 2 liters I heat in the electric kettle and pour back in with the cold water in the container. It works quite well, and avoids the gasping and cursing that come when cold water is poured over a sleepy, still-warm-from-the-covers body.
7. Ticket prices. We were planning on going to Brazil for my friend Rafaela's wedding at the end of next month. For the last 3 years, a round-trip ticket from Maputo to Rio de Janeiro cost between US$600 and US$800 - by far the cheapest inter-continental ticket available from this part of the world. However, it looks like the good times are over. Ticket prices have shot up, and are now over US$1,200 per person for the period we wanted to travel. Rico and I are holding out hope that perhaps prices will go down again - or at least be a bit more reasonable - in the future. So we've changed our plans and are going to go to Europe to visit my Grammy in Italy and his sister and her family in Austria (now my sister-in-law!). I am really excited. I talked to my Grammy on the phone last night about our plans, and I can't wait to show Rico our family's home and take him around what were essentially my summer stomping grounds as a child.
8. Jewelry. I need to make a lot during the next few weeks. I've been accepted to the Mozambican National Crafts Fair, and I need to prepare my stock for the 6-day event. This will be my second year as a participant, and I hope to put some of my lessons learned and creative inspiration from last year to good use.
9. Food. We got a cook. I feel so decadent even writing that. It's a bit of a long story how we came to employ someone to cook 3 times a week when I love cooking and tend to do a lot of it myself, but I'm very happy we made the decision to hire him. Américo is a fabulous cook, and he will make any recipe I request. I think this will help me and Rico eat healthier and save money, as one of the main traps we fall into is eating lunch at restaurants during the week because we are tired and starving. Now we just go home, and lunch is ready and waiting on the table. Yum!
10. Family. I wish they were closer. I miss everyone, especially after the special treat of being all together for the wedding. I wish it were easier.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Wedding Images - a Preview
Believe me, friends - I want to share photos from the wedding just as much as you all want to see them. However, all of our professional photos are on the photographer's web site and we don't yet have them in .pdf format for sharing. Rico and I will get a DVD of all our photos when we go back to Rio in September for a visit. Until then, we've asked the photographer not to send us either 1) files by email, as our server is unable to cope; or 2) the DVD by mail, as the Mozambican postal system is unable to cope.
Until I can share the incredible, glamorous professional photos from our wedding next month, here are some previews from Rico's uncle. They aren't in order - sorry, I'm on my lunch break - but it's better than no photos at all. Enjoy!
Also, I will be putting these and our honeymoon photos on Flikr and sharing the album...coming as soon as I get my life a bit more organized. :)
Stories and my impressions of the wedding to come soon!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Or Maybe it's Just a Sign I'm Getting Older...
I am back in Maputo, back to the familiarity of the dusty city streets and the neglected corners of our flat, back to the routine of consulting and lunching and TV in the evenings that I had grown accustomed to before leaving for Brazil last month. Everything is still largely the same, of course, but it feels somehow different. I feel different.
I find it incredible that getting married has provoked this change in perspective for me. In all other chapter-defining life events I've experienced thus far, I've been hit with the slight depression that comes from expecting you'll feel radically different, when in reality it's just another day and you're left wondering when - if ever - you'll feel the change sink in.
When I turned 21, I felt just the same as I did on day 364 of being 20. Graduating from college was a similar experience; people kept asking how it felt to have a diploma, and quite honestly it was just the same as before I could put any credentials next to my name. Same with getting my MBA. And though I desperately wished it weren't the case, I didn't even feel that different after getting engaged!
Something about marriage is different. Perhaps it is the name change, or the aftermath of the wedding-high, or maybe it is the culmination of the subtle shift in perspective and beliefs and actions I've noticed taking place over the last few months. Whatever the reason, or combination of reasons, I feel different, Maputo feels different, Rico feels different, family feels different, plans feel different.
I wish I were able to put the changes into words a bit more eloquently and accurately...
I find it incredible that getting married has provoked this change in perspective for me. In all other chapter-defining life events I've experienced thus far, I've been hit with the slight depression that comes from expecting you'll feel radically different, when in reality it's just another day and you're left wondering when - if ever - you'll feel the change sink in.
When I turned 21, I felt just the same as I did on day 364 of being 20. Graduating from college was a similar experience; people kept asking how it felt to have a diploma, and quite honestly it was just the same as before I could put any credentials next to my name. Same with getting my MBA. And though I desperately wished it weren't the case, I didn't even feel that different after getting engaged!
Something about marriage is different. Perhaps it is the name change, or the aftermath of the wedding-high, or maybe it is the culmination of the subtle shift in perspective and beliefs and actions I've noticed taking place over the last few months. Whatever the reason, or combination of reasons, I feel different, Maputo feels different, Rico feels different, family feels different, plans feel different.
I wish I were able to put the changes into words a bit more eloquently and accurately...
Monday, July 21, 2008
La Dolce Vita
Rico and I are enjoying the last few days of our honeymoon in Vietnam. I will be back to regular blogging once we are in Maputo and recovered a bit from the shock of being back to real life.
This past month has been incredible. I couldn't have imagined a more magical wedding, a more awesome party, a more luxuriuos honeymoon, a more generous family (both by blood and by marriage), and of course, a more incredible husband.
Signing off for now,
Mrs. Amaro
This past month has been incredible. I couldn't have imagined a more magical wedding, a more awesome party, a more luxuriuos honeymoon, a more generous family (both by blood and by marriage), and of course, a more incredible husband.
Signing off for now,
Mrs. Amaro
Monday, July 07, 2008
Rehearsal Dinner
Date: 04 July 2008
Rehearsal Location: São Paulo Anglican Church, Santa Teresa
Dinner Location: Real Astória, Botafogo
Photos courtesy of my friend Maura - many more to come
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Rehearsal Location: São Paulo Anglican Church, Santa Teresa
Dinner Location: Real Astória, Botafogo
Photos courtesy of my friend Maura - many more to come
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008
We Are...
exhausted, happy, tired, anxious, excited, sleep-deprived, sick of being in the car, dreamy, in love, grateful, burned-out, content and ready to get married.
But mostly just exhausted. :)
My whole family is in Rio de Janeiro right now, and it is the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE that I have had everyone together. My family is small - I'm an only child, I have 1 surviving grandparent, 1 blood uncle, 1 blood aunt, 3 first cousins and 2 second cousins - and we have never in my lifetime managed to get the nuclear family together. (To be fair there are a few more distant cousins in there, but I'm not in touch with any of them and likely couldn't even list their names.)
Rico's whole family is here as well, so it is an especially nice reunion on both sides.
We're almost there. All the details are in place, now we just have to sit back and enjoy!
But mostly just exhausted. :)
My whole family is in Rio de Janeiro right now, and it is the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE that I have had everyone together. My family is small - I'm an only child, I have 1 surviving grandparent, 1 blood uncle, 1 blood aunt, 3 first cousins and 2 second cousins - and we have never in my lifetime managed to get the nuclear family together. (To be fair there are a few more distant cousins in there, but I'm not in touch with any of them and likely couldn't even list their names.)
Rico's whole family is here as well, so it is an especially nice reunion on both sides.
We're almost there. All the details are in place, now we just have to sit back and enjoy!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Chove Chuva, Chove Sem Parar...
For the non-lusophone out there, it continues to drizzle and rain. The skies are gray and heavy, and we haven't seen the sun in 4 whole days. Beth washed our clothes the other day because I'd run out of long pants and wintery things in general, but they hang damp and cold on the line, forcing me to wear variations of the same outfit yet again. I don't really mind this weather - it's nice to bundle up a bit and have endless mugs of tea and coffee - but my secret hope is that all the gloominess this week simply means it will be beautiful sunshine and clear skies for the wedding.
Even if it rains, however, it won't be a disaster. We are spending an arm and a leg to cover the courtyard with a temporary awning in case of bad weather, so at least we'll have the satisfaction that it wasn't money down the drain in case it does rain on our wedding. And, as Rico's brother told me the other day, rain on a wedding brings good luck. Apparently it pissed down rain when they got married several years ago in Búzios, a beach wedding, and now Rico's brother and his wife have just welcomed their first child to the world.
I got a haircut yesterday (finally!) after 3 months of snipping my hair at home using nail clippers, and having my friend A. clean up the back with kitchen shears one day when we were over for beers and a braai. Given the potential for disaster, I have to say my hair wasn't looking that bad, but I was aching for a proper cut and style.
I am super happy with the results - I told César, the hairdresser recommended by my makeup artist, that my dress was 1920s-inspired and looked a bit flamenco-ish in the skirt. I said I wanted something easy to deal with, that I could literally wash and wear. He went to work, and now I have a haircut that, while not radically different from what I had before, is exactly what I was hoping for and makes me look as if I could join the women with long dresses and cigarette holders in the pages of an old French calendar whose pages I've framed and hung in the stairwell.
Yesterday we met with the DJ and put in music requests. The party should have a great soundtrack, complete with Freshlyground, the only specific artist Rico and I wanted to include in the reception music. I am excited - I think it is going to be a really fun party. In a few hours we are meeting with the wedding planner and the Reverend. We're meant to do some pre-marital counseling, and I'm guessing today we will find out more of the details. I'm actually looking forward to it. ;)
Even if it rains, however, it won't be a disaster. We are spending an arm and a leg to cover the courtyard with a temporary awning in case of bad weather, so at least we'll have the satisfaction that it wasn't money down the drain in case it does rain on our wedding. And, as Rico's brother told me the other day, rain on a wedding brings good luck. Apparently it pissed down rain when they got married several years ago in Búzios, a beach wedding, and now Rico's brother and his wife have just welcomed their first child to the world.
I got a haircut yesterday (finally!) after 3 months of snipping my hair at home using nail clippers, and having my friend A. clean up the back with kitchen shears one day when we were over for beers and a braai. Given the potential for disaster, I have to say my hair wasn't looking that bad, but I was aching for a proper cut and style.
I am super happy with the results - I told César, the hairdresser recommended by my makeup artist, that my dress was 1920s-inspired and looked a bit flamenco-ish in the skirt. I said I wanted something easy to deal with, that I could literally wash and wear. He went to work, and now I have a haircut that, while not radically different from what I had before, is exactly what I was hoping for and makes me look as if I could join the women with long dresses and cigarette holders in the pages of an old French calendar whose pages I've framed and hung in the stairwell.
Yesterday we met with the DJ and put in music requests. The party should have a great soundtrack, complete with Freshlyground, the only specific artist Rico and I wanted to include in the reception music. I am excited - I think it is going to be a really fun party. In a few hours we are meeting with the wedding planner and the Reverend. We're meant to do some pre-marital counseling, and I'm guessing today we will find out more of the details. I'm actually looking forward to it. ;)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
11 Days to Go
Things are progressing quite nicely in terms of wedding planning. There are 11 days to go, and I'm thankful that we're not completely stressed out and running after a hundred different things in a frenzy. Instead, we are reaping the benefits of early planning. We started preparing for our wedding a year and a half ago, and while it ate up some of our vacations during that time, it was certainly worth the effort as we are able to enjoy time with friends and family now.
My mom arrived, and we've been enjoying the Casa Rosa together and constantly marveling at what a good investment we did 8 years ago when we bought the house. Back then Santa Teresa was a bit run down, had a bad reputation for violence (though in my opinion it was no worse than any other area of the Rio, it just had an image problem amongst cariocas), and was full of hippies and musicians and students. There were a few prominent families in the neighborhood who maintained beautiful mansions, but not that many foreigners and not that much new construction or revitalization.
Now, the scene is completely different. Santa Teresa is enjoying its moment in the spotlight, with multiple articles in the Rio newspapers talking about how the neighborhood has undergone a cultural, architectural and commercial revitalization and has grown to be one of the secret corners of sophistication in the city. You can certainly see the evidence of this evolution - there is construction everywhere to restore old villas and transform abandoned palaces into hotels and restaurants; the movie theater on the corner is thriving; there is music in the streets every night, and people milling through the shops and eateries nearly every day of the week.
There has always been a steady flow of tourists in Santa Teresa, but the big difference I see is that now there are many more cariocas in the mix, and not just the bicho-grilo hippie types that hung out here before. You now see well-to-do, chic carocas up here on the hill to enjoy an afternoon stroll, or out on a date, or whatever.
The coolest part is that, for now at least, it doesn't seem that Santa Teresa has succumbed too much to the dark side of gentrification that plague other historic neighborhoods - the essential character of the neighborhood is still in place, along with the traditional residents and long-time characters of the bairro. It is super encouraging to see the direction in which Santa Teresa is going, a direction I intuitively knew would happen since the day I set foot in the bonde for my fist trolley-car ride back in 2000.
I remember back when we bought the Casa Rosa, many of my friends from college told me that 1) we were crazy to buy in such a dangerous neighborhood; and 2) that none of them would come visit me, pick me up, or drop me off anymore after nights out. I had to make the schlep down the hill if I wanted to see my patricinha girlfriends. At the time, I understood where they were coming from, but couldn't help being irritated at the incredible closed-mindedness of my friends. Now, 8 years later, and after Santa Teresa has been featured in novelas and has made it onto the "cool" list for Rio's socialites, the story is wholly different. Now the same girls that wouldn't dream of setting foot in Santa are gushing about how trendy our wedding is, how amazing the Casa Rosa is, bragging about how they know the family that owns the pink palace in front of the bar and the church. Ah, how things change...
Enfim, the house and neighborhood both are looking great, and we are all just counting down the days for the wedding. So far we've gone to church service and met briefly with the reverend, bought shoes for Rico to wear with his Italian suit, picked out ties for our groomsmen, and scheduled a series of meetings with the caterer, the dj, the photographer, the awning and generator people, the wedding planner and the makeup artist. Today I am going to get a haircut (yay!) and we are going to have lunch with a friend of Rico's up here in Santa. We were supposed to meet with the caterer, but she called off at the last minute to a buffet for an event downtown that the Prince of Japan will attend today. Brazil is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants, and I imagine this event must be part of the official commemoration of the two countries' history.
It's cold in Rio - to the point where I'm wearing boots and a jacket and pashmina every day. However, the weather can change at any minute, and I'm secretly hoping to be able to use our newly-refurbished mini pool in the courtyard before the wedding to get a little bit of a tan to go with my dress.
Hope you all are well. More news from wedding planning central soon. :)
My mom arrived, and we've been enjoying the Casa Rosa together and constantly marveling at what a good investment we did 8 years ago when we bought the house. Back then Santa Teresa was a bit run down, had a bad reputation for violence (though in my opinion it was no worse than any other area of the Rio, it just had an image problem amongst cariocas), and was full of hippies and musicians and students. There were a few prominent families in the neighborhood who maintained beautiful mansions, but not that many foreigners and not that much new construction or revitalization.
Now, the scene is completely different. Santa Teresa is enjoying its moment in the spotlight, with multiple articles in the Rio newspapers talking about how the neighborhood has undergone a cultural, architectural and commercial revitalization and has grown to be one of the secret corners of sophistication in the city. You can certainly see the evidence of this evolution - there is construction everywhere to restore old villas and transform abandoned palaces into hotels and restaurants; the movie theater on the corner is thriving; there is music in the streets every night, and people milling through the shops and eateries nearly every day of the week.
There has always been a steady flow of tourists in Santa Teresa, but the big difference I see is that now there are many more cariocas in the mix, and not just the bicho-grilo hippie types that hung out here before. You now see well-to-do, chic carocas up here on the hill to enjoy an afternoon stroll, or out on a date, or whatever.
The coolest part is that, for now at least, it doesn't seem that Santa Teresa has succumbed too much to the dark side of gentrification that plague other historic neighborhoods - the essential character of the neighborhood is still in place, along with the traditional residents and long-time characters of the bairro. It is super encouraging to see the direction in which Santa Teresa is going, a direction I intuitively knew would happen since the day I set foot in the bonde for my fist trolley-car ride back in 2000.
I remember back when we bought the Casa Rosa, many of my friends from college told me that 1) we were crazy to buy in such a dangerous neighborhood; and 2) that none of them would come visit me, pick me up, or drop me off anymore after nights out. I had to make the schlep down the hill if I wanted to see my patricinha girlfriends. At the time, I understood where they were coming from, but couldn't help being irritated at the incredible closed-mindedness of my friends. Now, 8 years later, and after Santa Teresa has been featured in novelas and has made it onto the "cool" list for Rio's socialites, the story is wholly different. Now the same girls that wouldn't dream of setting foot in Santa are gushing about how trendy our wedding is, how amazing the Casa Rosa is, bragging about how they know the family that owns the pink palace in front of the bar and the church. Ah, how things change...
Enfim, the house and neighborhood both are looking great, and we are all just counting down the days for the wedding. So far we've gone to church service and met briefly with the reverend, bought shoes for Rico to wear with his Italian suit, picked out ties for our groomsmen, and scheduled a series of meetings with the caterer, the dj, the photographer, the awning and generator people, the wedding planner and the makeup artist. Today I am going to get a haircut (yay!) and we are going to have lunch with a friend of Rico's up here in Santa. We were supposed to meet with the caterer, but she called off at the last minute to a buffet for an event downtown that the Prince of Japan will attend today. Brazil is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants, and I imagine this event must be part of the official commemoration of the two countries' history.
It's cold in Rio - to the point where I'm wearing boots and a jacket and pashmina every day. However, the weather can change at any minute, and I'm secretly hoping to be able to use our newly-refurbished mini pool in the courtyard before the wedding to get a little bit of a tan to go with my dress.
Hope you all are well. More news from wedding planning central soon. :)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Santa Chegada
I am in Rio, in the Casa Rosa with Rico, incredibly grateful that I had a safe and uneventful trip. The house looks beautiful, especially the Copacabana-style waves of Pedra Portuguesa we had done in the courtyard. There are still several things to be done before the refurbishing obra is considered complete, but we are very, very close (a great relief since the entire process was coordinated from Maputo).
My mom arrives tomorrow, and I am looking forward to antiques browsing (we need to find 2 large crystal chandeliers for the living room), fresh fruit and veggies that we can't find in Moz, a ride on the bondinho, and a walk around the neighborhood to photograph new street art and get in a bit of exercise.
Also, super cool, we just discovered that our wedding falls smack in the middle of Arte de Portas Abertas, a twice yearly, neighborhood-wide open studio weekend. This means Santa Teresa will be full of cariocas and tourists alike, strolling around having a peek inside artists' ateliers, browsing boutiques, eating at the many cute restaurants that have popped up over the years, and very likely looking on as an unexpected audience while I enter the church next to the Bar do Mineiro in my ivory gown.
Life is good in Santa Teresa. Every time I come back here, my love affair for this house and this special place comes flooding back. It's not in the cards for us to live here for the time being, but it is exciting to know it's an option for the future.
My mom arrives tomorrow, and I am looking forward to antiques browsing (we need to find 2 large crystal chandeliers for the living room), fresh fruit and veggies that we can't find in Moz, a ride on the bondinho, and a walk around the neighborhood to photograph new street art and get in a bit of exercise.
Also, super cool, we just discovered that our wedding falls smack in the middle of Arte de Portas Abertas, a twice yearly, neighborhood-wide open studio weekend. This means Santa Teresa will be full of cariocas and tourists alike, strolling around having a peek inside artists' ateliers, browsing boutiques, eating at the many cute restaurants that have popped up over the years, and very likely looking on as an unexpected audience while I enter the church next to the Bar do Mineiro in my ivory gown.
Life is good in Santa Teresa. Every time I come back here, my love affair for this house and this special place comes flooding back. It's not in the cards for us to live here for the time being, but it is exciting to know it's an option for the future.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Embark
Finally, the day has arrived. No, not *that* big day, but the other one I've been eagerly anticipating: today I am leaving Maputo en route to Rio.
I have a hundred things to pull together this morning before getting on the plane, including packing what is perhaps the world's most challenging suitcase (wedding + Rio in winter + Vietnam in hot steamy summer + transit time in freezing-ass Joburg). In all, though, I am ready to go.
This is all quite a bit surreal to me still. I had my bachelorette celebration this past weekend, and I had to keep reminding myself it was to commemorate this giant event in my life and not just any other girls' weekend at the spa. It was a lovely trip, by the way. Summerfields Spa is incredible, located in the middle of a working rose and macadamia farm on the banks of the Sabie River just outside Hazyview. We all had treatments on outdoor tables with the rushing river as a soundtrack. It was so divine it melted away all stress, including that which had accumulated during the, shall we say, "scenic route" we mistakenly took to get to the spa.
Well, I must get to it. I have tea to drink, clothes to pack, a bank to visit, and cat litter to purchase. I am incredibly excited, trying to focus on the tasks of the moment rather than the superstition/paranoia that is lurking just below the surface.
Last night I dreamt that Rico and I decided to take a midnight expedition in Rio, hiking up mountainsides and sneaking about through favelas to reach our destination, the National Library. We visited the library at night, and roamed around together in the colonial building listening to the echo of our footprints and marveling at the endless shelves of precious books. We slid down the banisters of the massive staircase in the Library foyer, and giggled to ourselves as we hid from the roaming security guards. At one point, however, I realized that our midnight expedition qualified as a Trip, and that I had neglected to say my travel prayer. At this point the Library had opened, and Rico and I were standing in the midst of university students and tourists. I said my travel prayer out loud, and burst into tears it moved me so much.
You can be sure I'm going to say that prayer multiple times over the next day as I make my way across the world...
I have a hundred things to pull together this morning before getting on the plane, including packing what is perhaps the world's most challenging suitcase (wedding + Rio in winter + Vietnam in hot steamy summer + transit time in freezing-ass Joburg). In all, though, I am ready to go.
This is all quite a bit surreal to me still. I had my bachelorette celebration this past weekend, and I had to keep reminding myself it was to commemorate this giant event in my life and not just any other girls' weekend at the spa. It was a lovely trip, by the way. Summerfields Spa is incredible, located in the middle of a working rose and macadamia farm on the banks of the Sabie River just outside Hazyview. We all had treatments on outdoor tables with the rushing river as a soundtrack. It was so divine it melted away all stress, including that which had accumulated during the, shall we say, "scenic route" we mistakenly took to get to the spa.
Well, I must get to it. I have tea to drink, clothes to pack, a bank to visit, and cat litter to purchase. I am incredibly excited, trying to focus on the tasks of the moment rather than the superstition/paranoia that is lurking just below the surface.
Last night I dreamt that Rico and I decided to take a midnight expedition in Rio, hiking up mountainsides and sneaking about through favelas to reach our destination, the National Library. We visited the library at night, and roamed around together in the colonial building listening to the echo of our footprints and marveling at the endless shelves of precious books. We slid down the banisters of the massive staircase in the Library foyer, and giggled to ourselves as we hid from the roaming security guards. At one point, however, I realized that our midnight expedition qualified as a Trip, and that I had neglected to say my travel prayer. At this point the Library had opened, and Rico and I were standing in the midst of university students and tourists. I said my travel prayer out loud, and burst into tears it moved me so much.
You can be sure I'm going to say that prayer multiple times over the next day as I make my way across the world...
Monday, June 09, 2008
Streaming
Today it is legitimately cold in Maputo. Well, cold for tropical Southern Hemisphere standards. I am wearing a silk sweater and boots, and a lightweight quilted overcoat to keep out the wind. A storm system blew in yesterday, and though it hasn’t brought any moisture yet, a cold wind howled through the flat for most of the night. I snuggled with the boys and watched a movie, complete with homemade watercress soup and a glass of Nederburg Baronne. It was a lovely evening, but getting up this morning was an entirely different story!
This past weekend was really enjoyable. On Saturday my friend C. and I went to the gym for a mid-morning workout, then hit the crafts market with Jenny. I picked up a few small gifts for people in Brazil and coveted, as usual, the beautiful Zimbabwean hand-printed textiles and the tall, intricately carved blackwood sculptures and clean-lined vases. I’ve had serious decorating fever lately, and am dying to finish beautifying our flat. We’ve already done several “improvements” – mainly painting the walls colors other than white, and putting paintings and framed photos on the walls. However, there is still much to be done. Thanks to the wedding, we are looking to get a lot of new furniture and finally upgrade from our locally-made wicker living room set. My goal is to remodel our bathroom and grotty kitchen, but that will seriously depend on our post-wedding budget.
So, after a quick tour of the crafts market, C. and I went to lunch at my neighbor’s house, a new friend we met a couple weeks ago while walking up the stairs. Hassan is my first friend in the building, something highly overdue after over 2 years living in the same flat. It is strange to me that Rico and I haven’t met our neighbors until now, in particular compared to my apartment in Austin where I was friends with just about everyone in the small courtyard complex and would regularly get together with neighbors for dinner, a swim at the pool, coffee, parties, etc. Anyhow, Hassan is a really interesting guy, probably in his late 30’s or early 40’s. He has traveled all around the world with his job in border and immigration security systems, and is full of incredible stories about Angola and Sudan and India and all of the other places he’s lived and worked. Hassan, C. and I all got along quite well, and he kindly invited us over for a lavish lunch on Saturday. It was delicious – homemade apas, lamb curry, daal, salad and for dessert Sharon fruit and ice cream. The meal prompted me to do internet research on Sharon fruit, but that is the topic for another post.
After lunch C. and I hit Woolworth’s for some grocery shopping. I cruised the nearly-expired items as usual, as the shop’s normal prices are far beyond what I am willing to pay for food in Maputo. I picked up some ricotta cheese, hake fillets and yogurt.
Later that evening I went to Marcos and Kelly’s house to watch a movie and hang out. They kindly invited me over, as they know Rico is away and wanted to be sure I wasn’t feeling lonely.
Sunday morning started off with a bang, as I was woken up at 6am by an insistent pounding on the front door. It was the guard, Sr. Augusto, informing me that once again they had failed to adequately look after the cars the previous night and that the side mirrors had been stolen off our CR-V. Grrrrrrrr. I understand that this is part of Maputo life, but I find it very frustrating that there are 2-3 guards in front of our building at all times, and the cars are parked not 20m from where they sit, yet things are still stolen all the time. The reason is that most of the time the guards sleep through their night shifts, which I suppose is understandable if they doze off while sitting outside the building at their watch-posts, but the other day I came home to find one of the guards inside the covered entrance, lying down under a blanket with his jacket bunched up to use as a pillow, snoring contently and not even stirring as I walked by and said quite loudly “Boa noite!” I think it’s time for another discussion about what we expect from the Guardas once Rico is back in town.
Today Zeca, our super taxi driver, bought 2 replacement mirrors for me at Estrela, the stolen car parts market. Last time they were 1.000 meticais for a pair; now they’ve hiked their prices up to 1.500, though Zeca negotiated them down to 1.200 meticais, the equivalent of US$50. I had our license plate number sand-blasted into the mirrors, so supposedly they won’t be stolen again because they now have no resale value, however I wouldn’t be surprised were they to disappear anyway…
I’m getting really excited for the wedding. It’s less than a month away! I leave for Rio on the 18th, so this next weekend is my last one in Maputo as a single woman. Instead of a wild bachelorette party, we’re going to do something a bit more my style. Jenny has planned a girl’s weekend at a spa on a rose farm in Mpumalanga Province just across the border in South Africa. I’m looking forward to massages, manicures, facials, rose petal and milk baths, lots of good food and wine, and quality time with my girls – something we sadly don’t seem to get enough of on a regular basis.
Rico and I have been apart several times before, and while it was never easy (especially the times he was gone for 3-5 months at a time), this is by far the hardest it’s ever been for me to be separated geographically. I am overwhelmed by paranoia, or superstition, or whatever you want to call it. I’m having a hard time controlling disastrous thoughts of plane crashes, violent assaults, car accidents, lost wedding rings, lost wedding dress, sudden illness, and many other flourishes of my imagination. I have this acute fear that now, just as everything is about to come together and I am incredibly happy, the floor will drop out from underneath me and life will have a spiteful laugh in my face. I’m afraid that all of my past poor choices, moral transgressions, mistakes and sins will karmically come rushing back and take away the good things I have coming my way.
I know I can’t control anything but myself, but it’s been difficult to let go and accept that what will be will be. I’ve been trying to breathe, mediate, journal, etc. but I haven’t found much relief. The one thing that has made me feel more grounded has been praying, out loud, to God. I’m not much of a religious person (though we are set to be married in the Anglican church next month), and I don’t tend to pray like this in my “regular” life, but it is the one thing that has made it easier to get through this time of crazy emotions. I feel like if I am praying to God and things still go wrong, at least it wasn’t for lack of expressing my desires and fears clearly. I will feel somehow comforted, as if it were all part of a grand plan that I don’t yet understand, but that I can have faith in and believe is the right thing for me. Still, Please God watch after me, everyone I love, and everyone who loves me. Watch over Rico and everyone he loves, and everyone who loves him. Let our families and friends travel and stay in Rio safely. Let us come together on our wedding day in happiness, peace and love. Amen.
This past weekend was really enjoyable. On Saturday my friend C. and I went to the gym for a mid-morning workout, then hit the crafts market with Jenny. I picked up a few small gifts for people in Brazil and coveted, as usual, the beautiful Zimbabwean hand-printed textiles and the tall, intricately carved blackwood sculptures and clean-lined vases. I’ve had serious decorating fever lately, and am dying to finish beautifying our flat. We’ve already done several “improvements” – mainly painting the walls colors other than white, and putting paintings and framed photos on the walls. However, there is still much to be done. Thanks to the wedding, we are looking to get a lot of new furniture and finally upgrade from our locally-made wicker living room set. My goal is to remodel our bathroom and grotty kitchen, but that will seriously depend on our post-wedding budget.
So, after a quick tour of the crafts market, C. and I went to lunch at my neighbor’s house, a new friend we met a couple weeks ago while walking up the stairs. Hassan is my first friend in the building, something highly overdue after over 2 years living in the same flat. It is strange to me that Rico and I haven’t met our neighbors until now, in particular compared to my apartment in Austin where I was friends with just about everyone in the small courtyard complex and would regularly get together with neighbors for dinner, a swim at the pool, coffee, parties, etc. Anyhow, Hassan is a really interesting guy, probably in his late 30’s or early 40’s. He has traveled all around the world with his job in border and immigration security systems, and is full of incredible stories about Angola and Sudan and India and all of the other places he’s lived and worked. Hassan, C. and I all got along quite well, and he kindly invited us over for a lavish lunch on Saturday. It was delicious – homemade apas, lamb curry, daal, salad and for dessert Sharon fruit and ice cream. The meal prompted me to do internet research on Sharon fruit, but that is the topic for another post.
After lunch C. and I hit Woolworth’s for some grocery shopping. I cruised the nearly-expired items as usual, as the shop’s normal prices are far beyond what I am willing to pay for food in Maputo. I picked up some ricotta cheese, hake fillets and yogurt.
Later that evening I went to Marcos and Kelly’s house to watch a movie and hang out. They kindly invited me over, as they know Rico is away and wanted to be sure I wasn’t feeling lonely.
Sunday morning started off with a bang, as I was woken up at 6am by an insistent pounding on the front door. It was the guard, Sr. Augusto, informing me that once again they had failed to adequately look after the cars the previous night and that the side mirrors had been stolen off our CR-V. Grrrrrrrr. I understand that this is part of Maputo life, but I find it very frustrating that there are 2-3 guards in front of our building at all times, and the cars are parked not 20m from where they sit, yet things are still stolen all the time. The reason is that most of the time the guards sleep through their night shifts, which I suppose is understandable if they doze off while sitting outside the building at their watch-posts, but the other day I came home to find one of the guards inside the covered entrance, lying down under a blanket with his jacket bunched up to use as a pillow, snoring contently and not even stirring as I walked by and said quite loudly “Boa noite!” I think it’s time for another discussion about what we expect from the Guardas once Rico is back in town.
Today Zeca, our super taxi driver, bought 2 replacement mirrors for me at Estrela, the stolen car parts market. Last time they were 1.000 meticais for a pair; now they’ve hiked their prices up to 1.500, though Zeca negotiated them down to 1.200 meticais, the equivalent of US$50. I had our license plate number sand-blasted into the mirrors, so supposedly they won’t be stolen again because they now have no resale value, however I wouldn’t be surprised were they to disappear anyway…
I’m getting really excited for the wedding. It’s less than a month away! I leave for Rio on the 18th, so this next weekend is my last one in Maputo as a single woman. Instead of a wild bachelorette party, we’re going to do something a bit more my style. Jenny has planned a girl’s weekend at a spa on a rose farm in Mpumalanga Province just across the border in South Africa. I’m looking forward to massages, manicures, facials, rose petal and milk baths, lots of good food and wine, and quality time with my girls – something we sadly don’t seem to get enough of on a regular basis.
Rico and I have been apart several times before, and while it was never easy (especially the times he was gone for 3-5 months at a time), this is by far the hardest it’s ever been for me to be separated geographically. I am overwhelmed by paranoia, or superstition, or whatever you want to call it. I’m having a hard time controlling disastrous thoughts of plane crashes, violent assaults, car accidents, lost wedding rings, lost wedding dress, sudden illness, and many other flourishes of my imagination. I have this acute fear that now, just as everything is about to come together and I am incredibly happy, the floor will drop out from underneath me and life will have a spiteful laugh in my face. I’m afraid that all of my past poor choices, moral transgressions, mistakes and sins will karmically come rushing back and take away the good things I have coming my way.
I know I can’t control anything but myself, but it’s been difficult to let go and accept that what will be will be. I’ve been trying to breathe, mediate, journal, etc. but I haven’t found much relief. The one thing that has made me feel more grounded has been praying, out loud, to God. I’m not much of a religious person (though we are set to be married in the Anglican church next month), and I don’t tend to pray like this in my “regular” life, but it is the one thing that has made it easier to get through this time of crazy emotions. I feel like if I am praying to God and things still go wrong, at least it wasn’t for lack of expressing my desires and fears clearly. I will feel somehow comforted, as if it were all part of a grand plan that I don’t yet understand, but that I can have faith in and believe is the right thing for me. Still, Please God watch after me, everyone I love, and everyone who loves me. Watch over Rico and everyone he loves, and everyone who loves him. Let our families and friends travel and stay in Rio safely. Let us come together on our wedding day in happiness, peace and love. Amen.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Bilene: Mostly Gray Weather, But Satisfying Nonetheless
Our trip to Bilene last weekend was incredible. I fear I may have cursed us a bit, however, by my boastful post about the good weather prior to leaving. The first day was lovely, though we made the critical mistake of only hitting the beach around 3pm, just before the sun slipped under some hills behind the cottage we were renting. The beach was wonderful, though. No waves, the whitest sand I have ever seen, and water so shallow you could nearly walk across the lagoon if you were so inclined. No seashells, but I suppose no beach can be 100% perfect in my book. :)
We stayed in an amazing little house at a complex called La Perla. All of us had the same reaction - "Can't we just move in here forever?" Seriously, the house was delightful. Super simple - whitewashed wood walls, locally made wicker furniture, spacious white bedrooms with mosquito nets - but so tastefully decorated (deep red and magenta as accents!) that it could have been featured in an interior design magazine. We were all in love with the place, and tried our best to find a way to stay an extra night, though in the end we conceded that it was better to return to Maputo on Sunday afternoon as planned.
At night we had a braai, complete with the largest sack of charcoal I've ever seen in my life (purchased by Marcos on the side of the road). We drank wine, ate meat, sang along in earnest but off-key voices while Marcos played the guitar, and even took a midnight trip to the beach to look at the breathtaking swath of stars in the sky.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip (for me, at least!) was starting - and finishing! - the hardest jigsaw puzzle I've ever attempted in my life. It's been a good 15 years since I did a puzzle, but the necessary skills came creeping back and, with a team effort, we managed to put together the image of Swedish fish without going too crazy. Very satisfying in the end, and perfect for the gray weather that rolled in after we'd gone to sleep.
In all, an excellent trip. I really look forward to going back to Bilene and getting in some decent beach time. I also hear there are some really cool dunes about 25km outside the little town that would be great for exploring.
We stayed in an amazing little house at a complex called La Perla. All of us had the same reaction - "Can't we just move in here forever?" Seriously, the house was delightful. Super simple - whitewashed wood walls, locally made wicker furniture, spacious white bedrooms with mosquito nets - but so tastefully decorated (deep red and magenta as accents!) that it could have been featured in an interior design magazine. We were all in love with the place, and tried our best to find a way to stay an extra night, though in the end we conceded that it was better to return to Maputo on Sunday afternoon as planned.
At night we had a braai, complete with the largest sack of charcoal I've ever seen in my life (purchased by Marcos on the side of the road). We drank wine, ate meat, sang along in earnest but off-key voices while Marcos played the guitar, and even took a midnight trip to the beach to look at the breathtaking swath of stars in the sky.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip (for me, at least!) was starting - and finishing! - the hardest jigsaw puzzle I've ever attempted in my life. It's been a good 15 years since I did a puzzle, but the necessary skills came creeping back and, with a team effort, we managed to put together the image of Swedish fish without going too crazy. Very satisfying in the end, and perfect for the gray weather that rolled in after we'd gone to sleep.
In all, an excellent trip. I really look forward to going back to Bilene and getting in some decent beach time. I also hear there are some really cool dunes about 25km outside the little town that would be great for exploring.
The Moment in Gerunds
Listening: to "American Boy" by Estelle, featuring Kanye West. I love this song, I love this video. I especially love that I can see it on TV Trace, one of three fabulous music channels we get with our basic cable package. TV Trace is out of France and is very urban-focused, including lots of Latino and African music; Channel O is South Africa's answer to MTV - I love watching their country-specific programs and getting acquainted with Nigerian, Angolan, etc. music; Afro-Music channel is all in Portuguese and features a mix of Luso-African music and lots of Zouk and artists from Congo.
Coveting: clothes from some of my favorite shops in Brazil: Cantão, Shop 126, M. Officer, Claudia Simões and Corpo e Alma. Can't wait to go shopping in Rio!
Missing: Rico. He left yesterday for Brazil to make sure the remodeling of the Casa Rosa is on track. The wedding reception will be in our house, and we've done some significant work on it that needs to be ready within the next couple of weeks.
Cursing: the massive downpour of rain that soaked me this afternoon and left the cat boxes soggy. Oh, and the black cat who vomited all over my shoes (this makes the 3rd time).
Smelling: the wet scent of asphalt mixed with earth and garbage. It's actually not unpleasant.
Craving: picanha, crusty ciabatta bread, cherry tomatoes and arugula.
Planning: to go to a garage sale this evening to see if there are any pieces of furniture or random appliances I'd like to pick up for our flat.
Wondering: how to get out a massive stain on one of my favorite shirts from a bottle of spray sunscreen that leaked from my necessaire while in Swaziland.
Remembering: going to the balloon fiesta each year when I was younger. Today Google featured a sketch of a hot air balloon and I immediately knew what the special date was - the anniversary of the first hot air balloon flight. My favorite balloon growing up was always the Mongolfier, a beautiful old-world design with royal blue and gold designs. I imagine this is a unique aspect to childhood in New Mexico: having a favorite hot air balloon.
Thinking: that I don't feel like leaving the house, despite the lure of second-hand shelves and toaster ovens. It's chilly, I'm in pajamas, the TV is on, and there is a warm cat curled up in my lap.
Coveting: clothes from some of my favorite shops in Brazil: Cantão, Shop 126, M. Officer, Claudia Simões and Corpo e Alma. Can't wait to go shopping in Rio!
Missing: Rico. He left yesterday for Brazil to make sure the remodeling of the Casa Rosa is on track. The wedding reception will be in our house, and we've done some significant work on it that needs to be ready within the next couple of weeks.
Cursing: the massive downpour of rain that soaked me this afternoon and left the cat boxes soggy. Oh, and the black cat who vomited all over my shoes (this makes the 3rd time).
Smelling: the wet scent of asphalt mixed with earth and garbage. It's actually not unpleasant.
Craving: picanha, crusty ciabatta bread, cherry tomatoes and arugula.
Planning: to go to a garage sale this evening to see if there are any pieces of furniture or random appliances I'd like to pick up for our flat.
Wondering: how to get out a massive stain on one of my favorite shirts from a bottle of spray sunscreen that leaked from my necessaire while in Swaziland.
Remembering: going to the balloon fiesta each year when I was younger. Today Google featured a sketch of a hot air balloon and I immediately knew what the special date was - the anniversary of the first hot air balloon flight. My favorite balloon growing up was always the Mongolfier, a beautiful old-world design with royal blue and gold designs. I imagine this is a unique aspect to childhood in New Mexico: having a favorite hot air balloon.
Thinking: that I don't feel like leaving the house, despite the lure of second-hand shelves and toaster ovens. It's chilly, I'm in pajamas, the TV is on, and there is a warm cat curled up in my lap.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Meme: My Mosaic
As inspired by Secondhand Gods, who was in turn inspired by Pea Soup.
1. Alexandra leaving, 2. Luk Chup - Thai Marzipan, 3. Impending Storm, 4. Bosque by Twilight Star Trails, 5. OUT916512, 6. Coffee & Cigarettes, 7. Cuba - La Habana, 8. Malva with Chantilly Cream, 9. one would., 10. The Photographer, 11. Enhance Your Beauty..., 12. Castillo de La Mota
To play:
a.) Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b.) Using only the first page, pick an image.
c.) Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into the fd's Mosaic Maker.
The Questions:
1.) What is your first name?
2.) What is your favorite food?
3.) Where did you go to high school?
4.) What is your favorite color?
5.) Who is your celebrity crush?
6.) Favorite drink?
7.) Dream vacation?
8.) Favorite dessert?
9.) What do you want to be when you grow up?
10.) What do you love most in life?
11.) One word to describe you.
12.) Your Flickr name.
1. Alexandra leaving, 2. Luk Chup - Thai Marzipan, 3. Impending Storm, 4. Bosque by Twilight Star Trails, 5. OUT916512, 6. Coffee & Cigarettes, 7. Cuba - La Habana, 8. Malva with Chantilly Cream, 9. one would., 10. The Photographer, 11. Enhance Your Beauty..., 12. Castillo de La Mota
To play:
a.) Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b.) Using only the first page, pick an image.
c.) Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into the fd's Mosaic Maker.
The Questions:
1.) What is your first name?
2.) What is your favorite food?
3.) Where did you go to high school?
4.) What is your favorite color?
5.) Who is your celebrity crush?
6.) Favorite drink?
7.) Dream vacation?
8.) Favorite dessert?
9.) What do you want to be when you grow up?
10.) What do you love most in life?
11.) One word to describe you.
12.) Your Flickr name.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Miracle: The Weather Seems to Be Cooperating
We are embarking on another road trip this weekend to Bilene, a saltwater lagoon in Gaza province about 1.5 hours north of Maputo. Along for the adventure is me, Rico, new girl C. (who is not so new anymore), Marcos and Kelly. Although they are some of our closest friends in Moz, it wil be the first time we travel with M and K.
I am super excited for a beach weekend. The sky outside is blue and sunny, I have a good book to finish (Paulo Coelho's The Witch of Portobello), and I am looking forward to hours of wandering along the shoreline collecting seashells. I am a bit of an odd duck when it comes to the beach - I love the ocean, but I don't really get in the water. :)
We will be back on Sunday, tanned and relaxed and full of photos to share.
PS - An unfortunate pre-road trip pattern is emerging. For the second time now, I've discovered that the cat has vomited directly in the pair of shoes I've laid out to wear while travelling. First it was my running shoes the night before Swazi; now it was my Havaianas, definitely easier to clean up,but yucky nonetheless when you nearly shove your foot into a pool of cat urp in your drowsy yet excited-to-get-out-the-door morning state.
I am super excited for a beach weekend. The sky outside is blue and sunny, I have a good book to finish (Paulo Coelho's The Witch of Portobello), and I am looking forward to hours of wandering along the shoreline collecting seashells. I am a bit of an odd duck when it comes to the beach - I love the ocean, but I don't really get in the water. :)
We will be back on Sunday, tanned and relaxed and full of photos to share.
PS - An unfortunate pre-road trip pattern is emerging. For the second time now, I've discovered that the cat has vomited directly in the pair of shoes I've laid out to wear while travelling. First it was my running shoes the night before Swazi; now it was my Havaianas, definitely easier to clean up,but yucky nonetheless when you nearly shove your foot into a pool of cat urp in your drowsy yet excited-to-get-out-the-door morning state.
The Red Plunge
Inspired by my dark vampy red nails a few weeks ago (I know, a look that has been around for maaaaaaaany years, but that I never felt inspired to do myself until recently), I now have the desire to try dark red lips!
I've never worn red lipstick unless it was for halloween or a theater production. It was simply not something I thought of as my style. But I'm ready to try it out!
Thankfully I know a thing or two about color theory and how to find a red that will suit your skintone and not make you look like a child who has gotten into mommy's makeup bag!
I know I am a Soft Summer, that I have cool/neutral muted coloring (light/medium olive skin, gray-blue-green mixed eyes, neutral/ash light brown hair), and that I look best in a red lipstick that has these same qualities. Basically a blue-based or true red that is more of a cranberry/merlot/ruby than tomato, brick or fire-engine red (all yellow-based).
The problem is, my lips do this weird changing thing to many red lipsticks that in theory should look good on me. They tend to turn magenta or look like candy-apple red if I'm not very careful about the color. I think this happens when the colors are too bright, as opposed to saturated/muted tones (even if they are the right basic hue).
With this in mind, I've done some obsessive internet research over the last two days, and have identified the red lipstick I think will work best on me: NARS Fire Down Below, a deep blood-red that seems to be good for people with medium, neutral coloring. I briefly considered Afghan Red (more of a berry-red) and a few others that I think would suit my coloring, but would likely not really turn out red on me. I'm still pondering the purchase for another day or so, but when it comes down to it either it will be a color that works on me, or it won't. There's only one way to find out!
Days like this I wish I were in the US so that I could go to Sephora with my mom and try on shade after shade of red lipstick. Alas, I am stuck with internet shopping, but I'm sure that worst-case scenario, I can always find a friend in Maputo who will look great in Fire Down Below if it doesn't work for me.
I've never worn red lipstick unless it was for halloween or a theater production. It was simply not something I thought of as my style. But I'm ready to try it out!
Thankfully I know a thing or two about color theory and how to find a red that will suit your skintone and not make you look like a child who has gotten into mommy's makeup bag!
I know I am a Soft Summer, that I have cool/neutral muted coloring (light/medium olive skin, gray-blue-green mixed eyes, neutral/ash light brown hair), and that I look best in a red lipstick that has these same qualities. Basically a blue-based or true red that is more of a cranberry/merlot/ruby than tomato, brick or fire-engine red (all yellow-based).
The problem is, my lips do this weird changing thing to many red lipsticks that in theory should look good on me. They tend to turn magenta or look like candy-apple red if I'm not very careful about the color. I think this happens when the colors are too bright, as opposed to saturated/muted tones (even if they are the right basic hue).
With this in mind, I've done some obsessive internet research over the last two days, and have identified the red lipstick I think will work best on me: NARS Fire Down Below, a deep blood-red that seems to be good for people with medium, neutral coloring. I briefly considered Afghan Red (more of a berry-red) and a few others that I think would suit my coloring, but would likely not really turn out red on me. I'm still pondering the purchase for another day or so, but when it comes down to it either it will be a color that works on me, or it won't. There's only one way to find out!
Days like this I wish I were in the US so that I could go to Sephora with my mom and try on shade after shade of red lipstick. Alas, I am stuck with internet shopping, but I'm sure that worst-case scenario, I can always find a friend in Maputo who will look great in Fire Down Below if it doesn't work for me.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Synsepalum dulcificum
I found this article from the New York Times so incredibly cool it prompted about 30m of Google research. As the scientific name implies, it is a berry that has the ability to make sour/bitter foods taste sweet. I'd love to try this tastebud-twisting fruit, and imagine that a party based on its effects must be a rare new experience in these saturated times...
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