Christmas Travels

We traveled to three different cities on our trip back to the US for Christmas and New Year's Eve.  In Houston, I successfully picked up my Brazilian work visa, enjoyed our annual high school girls Christmas gift exchange and celebrated Christmas with my family at my mom's gorgeous new house.

In front of Mom's tree.

Kaylee's first Christmas!

At Hugo's for the annual Christmas gift exchange.

On Christmas Day, we flew to Ft. Wayne and arrived just in time for the Vann's final Christmas dinner at their Indiana house. After viewing Les Mis and The Hobbit, eating at Brody's favorite restaurant, and catching snowflakes in our hair, we boarded another plane for Charlotte, NC. Look for my New Years Eve post tomorrow! May this New Year bring you much peace, joy, and laughter!

This is Brody's parents' driveway on Dec. 29.

Rain, Rain Go Away...

This weekend we continued our apartment search in Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, it rained all day Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully, I had my AMAZING Hunter rain boots, a birthday gift from Brody's mom. I wore these all weekend and confidently walked through the deepest of puddles.

This photo was taken before the downpour began on Friday evening. We tried to capture the view from  the roof of our hotel, but it is a bit dark. Its the best photo we have of us together so far!

Beautiful Nothings

I am currently freaking out in our hotel room, desperately trying to figure out a way to get a background check from the APD without actually flying back to Atlanta. After tirelessly emailing the Houston Consulate and the Atlanta consulate, and making a super expensive international phone call to the APD ID Unit. I am out of options.

Sleepy man napping behind his moto on a magazine stand.

So, instead of yelling into a pillow...I decided to create a post of all the 'beautiful nothings' I have observed in Sao Paulo. You know, the beautiful details of a city that often go unnoticed by someone who has lived there for over a year.

Striking fully-stocked  bar at Candela.

Candela, aptly named as the walls are filled with dripping white candles.
Very romantic!

Palm tree-lined avenue

Orchids decorate the trees in front of our hotel.

The ceiling at this bar is filled with beer bottles and these chandeliers.

A moss covered gate and a peak into a lovely garden on our walk back from the park.

Feira De Itaim

On Tuesdays, the neighborhood where we are staying has a farmers market. The prices are really low and the produce is fresh and beautiful. Brazilians were filling shopping carts with produce! As I walked through the feria, I felt like I was being attacked by the Portuguese language! All of the vendors yell out their deals and wish everyone a good day, "Bom dia!" One nice man asked if I wanted to try a papaya. He cut off a hug piece and gave it to me. Chomping down on it and forgetting that papaya skin is really rough, I must have looked silly trying to swallow because he immediately handed me a napkin. I am super excited to learn more about the exotic fruit here.

I love that the banana tent was yellow!

Lots of alface (lettuce)

Figs

I have no idea what these are! 

Christmas Lights on Avenida Paulista

We went to Avenida Paulista on Saturday evening to check out the amazing Christmas decorations that line the street. As we walked, Christmas music in English roared over the speakers. We smiled as we heard " the weather out there is frightful...", as it was 80 degrees outside and we were all wearing cool summer clothing. Below are a few of the mesmerizing sights...

Merry Christmas Sao Paulo!

We were surprised to see so many street vendors. One man was selling Halls sore throat lozenges as candy. The smell of cooked corn smothered in butter filled our noses as we walked by this man.

This man was people watching, just like us!

First Week in Sao Paulo

Filled with skyscrapers, lush trees, and honking traffic; Sao Paulo is a bustling city. After departing Dallas at 8pm, we flew all night and arrived in SP on Monday  morning at 10am.

These motos speed in and out of traffic! I heard there are 5 moto driver deaths a day here!

Our hotel is located two blocks from Brody’s office. The room is very comfortable with a king-size bed, desk, and a tiny bathroom.  The roof has a sun deck and a workout room. The view is amazing from up there! (Check out the photos below!)

Yup... our room is filled with luggage.

I am standing in the shower taking this photo!

The neighborhood is called Itaim Bibi and it seems as though delicious restaurants are on every corner! Having only been here for four days, we have already found a romantic Italian restaurant (Serapina) , a fun Mexican restaurant (Hecho en Mexico), and a delicious sushi place (Aoyama)!  We walked fifteen minutes to Ibirapuera Park and were struck by its beauty! It has lakes, fountains, gorgeous trees and gardens. Tons of people were working out there; running, biking, skateboarding, and walking. Everyone seems to be in tip-top shape here.

Currently, we are trying to extend our expat network here. On Tuesday, we ate dinner with two KPMG guys and on Thursday we met another KPMG guy for lunch at a cute burger place (Butcher’s Market). I am excited to meet my school principal next weekend, see the school, and discuss my 5^th grade teaching role.

We begin our apartment search on Wednesday and are collecting as much advice on neighborhoods as we can! As you can tell, our days are free for exploring the city, trying different restaurants, and practicing Portuguese! Believe it or not- Brody and I are trying to speak to each other as much as we can in Portuguese!

Even though we are learning quickly, there are hiccups and embarrassing moments everyday! For example, last night at the Mexican restaurant we wanted to order chips but did not know the Portuguese translation.  After skimming the entire menu (luckily filled with photos) for the word, we ordered salsa hoping that the chips would come with it. Unfortunately, no chips came! So we did what most foodies would do, we tried the salsa sans the chips! haha

At Hecho en Mexico

Birthday in Houston

Colorful Birthday Cake

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Brody's family in Denver, Colorado. From playing family football to meeting our new niece, Lily, we had a blast! Unfortunately, I did not take any photos! 

Next, we flew to Houston to celebrate our birthday(s) and to celebrate Kaylee's dedication at church. I am so thankful that I was able to see both of our families, Mimi, Aunt Ann, and Nana before flying to Brazil. What a blessing!

Brody, Tripp, Anne, Nellie, Marshall, Kaylee
Mom and me

Nap time with Kaylee

Birthday Lunch with Mimi and Aunt Ann