All the food, it's number one. Indian food, Thai food and all the options from country to country of the Americanized plates. Vegan food comfort food! Things like Veganize and better than cream cheese. The options of different beer, let is rain coffee beer, stouts, pumpkin ale and much more!
Education options and accessibility. While I am lucky to even be located near a public university, it doesn't have programs of interest or courses of real use, well out side of Portuguese class. But I would say that Portuguese one is the only class worth the trouble. I was interested in the academic writing class that is listed but never offered. I love to be able to take something like a short course on excel for example or a whole list of things.
Being able to have a life after 11pm without my husband. I'm not really sure how safe it is in other areas for women, but really it's not safe for women to be out alone after 11pm anywhere near my house or commuting to campinas. You may for example be safe in sousas (one really nice neighborhood) but as soon as your heading home safety is just not there. Your cell phone might not work, the area may be without lights, the police or the help you call may never come, your loved one may not have a working cell phone, if something happens no one will help you on the road and people will take advantage that your a woman. Here the legal system is so crazy broken, the criminals are in control in and outside of the prison. So people don't care about going to prison, there is little stopping someone from doing a crime against up unless it's dealt with privately.
Finding women with similarities near my house. I live in a city of 80,000. It's not easy to just move out of Paulina to Campinas. We can't unless I have a really good job in Campinas, which seems to not be happening (let along possible with the baby right now). I am not moving to Campinas to join the rat race of English teachers. I have lots of friends who are Brazilian and from various countries, but guess what no one close to me. I can play social scripts with women around me, but I have little or nothing in common. I have one Brazilian woman, Lu that I can have a real conversation.
Having a blender that last more than 12 months! I am so annoyed by this, I guess I have to buy one from the states but it's super annoying. I even have laid down some money and it just ends up dying around month 11 or 12.
Making money, I was not dependent on Ricardo. I was 100% able to pay all my bills, have my spending money, my savings account and our joint account and of them all, omg containing money. Well, I forced Ricardo to sign up for this program that takes 75R out of our account and put into our savings every month for the next two years automatically. Right, otherwise forget even having a saving account. I even agreed that we could not touch the money for one year through the bank.
Snow and christmas, snowing at christmas and being with family during christmas. There is just no way to replace in my heart the christmas I experienced as a child.
Halloween! It's my favorite holiday. My friend here, we put on a halloween party together at her house. It really made me feel better, but I have such lovely memories of halloween. There was a woman that had her house setup like a witches house 365 days a year. She had quite the personality, right down to her strange car. Anyway, every halloween she put a graveyard in her yard and dressed up like a witch. She laid in one of the coffins, you had to go up to her to receive her candy. I was so scared of her as a child. But it was really different to experience someone so involved in one holiday in your neighborhood.
Really when you look at it, the things that I miss are really cultural. Relating to Capitalism, familial relationships and culture. Yeah, well the US is one of the birthplaces of capitalism.
Education options and accessibility. While I am lucky to even be located near a public university, it doesn't have programs of interest or courses of real use, well out side of Portuguese class. But I would say that Portuguese one is the only class worth the trouble. I was interested in the academic writing class that is listed but never offered. I love to be able to take something like a short course on excel for example or a whole list of things.
Being able to have a life after 11pm without my husband. I'm not really sure how safe it is in other areas for women, but really it's not safe for women to be out alone after 11pm anywhere near my house or commuting to campinas. You may for example be safe in sousas (one really nice neighborhood) but as soon as your heading home safety is just not there. Your cell phone might not work, the area may be without lights, the police or the help you call may never come, your loved one may not have a working cell phone, if something happens no one will help you on the road and people will take advantage that your a woman. Here the legal system is so crazy broken, the criminals are in control in and outside of the prison. So people don't care about going to prison, there is little stopping someone from doing a crime against up unless it's dealt with privately.
Finding women with similarities near my house. I live in a city of 80,000. It's not easy to just move out of Paulina to Campinas. We can't unless I have a really good job in Campinas, which seems to not be happening (let along possible with the baby right now). I am not moving to Campinas to join the rat race of English teachers. I have lots of friends who are Brazilian and from various countries, but guess what no one close to me. I can play social scripts with women around me, but I have little or nothing in common. I have one Brazilian woman, Lu that I can have a real conversation.
Having a blender that last more than 12 months! I am so annoyed by this, I guess I have to buy one from the states but it's super annoying. I even have laid down some money and it just ends up dying around month 11 or 12.
Making money, I was not dependent on Ricardo. I was 100% able to pay all my bills, have my spending money, my savings account and our joint account and of them all, omg containing money. Well, I forced Ricardo to sign up for this program that takes 75R out of our account and put into our savings every month for the next two years automatically. Right, otherwise forget even having a saving account. I even agreed that we could not touch the money for one year through the bank.
Snow and christmas, snowing at christmas and being with family during christmas. There is just no way to replace in my heart the christmas I experienced as a child.
Halloween! It's my favorite holiday. My friend here, we put on a halloween party together at her house. It really made me feel better, but I have such lovely memories of halloween. There was a woman that had her house setup like a witches house 365 days a year. She had quite the personality, right down to her strange car. Anyway, every halloween she put a graveyard in her yard and dressed up like a witch. She laid in one of the coffins, you had to go up to her to receive her candy. I was so scared of her as a child. But it was really different to experience someone so involved in one holiday in your neighborhood.
Really when you look at it, the things that I miss are really cultural. Relating to Capitalism, familial relationships and culture. Yeah, well the US is one of the birthplaces of capitalism.
Nina,
ReplyDeleteHang in there! Those things you miss probably seem worse as a new mom given that in the beginning you get kind of isolated and house bound (at least I did). Come to BH for Halloween! We did a great party last year and plan to repeat this year. More realistically (and closer to home), I bet the expat group in Campinas will do something :)
BH could be in the options. I would have to take the bus, I'm too freaked out to do that drive. The highways in Mineas are too crazy! And of course Luca would need to be invited. I can't leave him right now.
ReplyDeleteNina - goes without saying that Luca comes too!! Please look into coming to BH, I would love to have you. Flights are getting cheaper too, there are sales all the time.
ReplyDelete