Vamos brincar! Estamos aqui e adoramos!

"Let's play! We are here and we love it!"

A family selfie before adventuring out!

It's officially been one month in Brazil, and similar to how quickly Áine grows, time moves so fast. Time to catch up on what we've been up to in month 1!

Departure and Arrival

(albeit, too detailed of a description - for more pictures, click here.)

After moving our flight a few times for optimization (read: being able to access our apartment upon landing vs. staying in a hotel and having our nanny's start date align with our arrival), we set out the morning of January 8, 2024 for Chicago. Coming from Springfield, IL as we had stayed with Connor's family following the Christmas holidays, we were fortunate to spend time with immediate and extended family just prior to leaving. Connor's dad, Chris, helped us by tetris-style packing up his truck with our suitcases and Connor's mom, Susan, drove us to Chicago. We met up with my mom, Mary, at a Panera close to the airport for a quick lunch before arriving at O'Hare.

Planned to allow for some rom-com movie-levels of cheese, my mom insisted on (thankfully) helping us by coming into the airport and standing with Áine while Connor and I worked with gate agents and porters to attend to our checked luggage.

We knew it would be a lot - hauling 9 checked bags, 2 carry-ons, and 3 personal items (+ our 6 month old, her stroller, and carseat) to the airport and hopping on a 10 hour flight was not 'simple' per se, but it happened. We made it. With varying degrees of help from United representatives (United Polaris porters with carts who are not friendly - looking at you; United desk agent who gracefully backed down when confronted with the policy provided via phone and did not charge extra for our baggage; United cabin crew who loved all the baby smiles), we were safely transported from Chicago's O'Hare to São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport.

Highlights included Áine just barely fitting into an infant bassinet (where she refused to stay, likely as claustrophobia ensued), a few movies for Emily, decent sleep for Connor, and only ~20 minutes of inconsolable crying from the little one. Through it all, Áine was a rockstar.

Once in São Paulo, I think we all immediately started sweating; coming from the cold and snow of the Midwest to Brazil's summer was a shock to our bodies. As we sought to pick up our luggage (by the grace of God each of our nine bags arrived, contents unharmed), we were quickly reminded that 1) signs are in Português and 2) we didn't know where we were going.

With bags in hand, we (and thankfully an airport employee) realized it would be nearly impossible to transport our luggage with just myself and Connor. A kind employee offered to push our bags through the airport from baggage claim, and drop us where we were expecting to meet our drivers. Arriving at the pickup location (inside), we must've looked quite lost and helpless, as we were offered help again! Unfortunately, our pre-arranged drivers did not know our flight was delayed, so they left the airport, requiring us to wait another hour for them to come back.

The drive from the airport to our apartment was only ~1 hour and 20 minutes; a pleasant surprise, as we were all incredibly tired. Once there, we met the original leasing agent who we toured the apartment with a few months prior, and were given the keys for the 'official' hand-over.

Unpacking took a few days - but we were especially grateful for 1) vacuum seal bags, 2) the pack 'n play, and 3) our toiletries. A few things we wished we packed in our checked luggage: a mixing bowl, a chopping knife, our padded playmat for Áine.

Left to right: Heading to security after a lengthy battle checking our 9 bags; a quick mirror selfie after a diaper change / bottle clean; baby earmuffs activated (they didn't stay on very long)

Our Baba (Nanny) Meets Áine

Thankfully, the owners of our condominium had kids and employed a nanny. We met the nanny (Darlane) on our original tour of the unit, and figured we'd want full-time support, and decided to hire her. From the start, we could tell that Darlane 1) had a lot of experience with kids (aside from two of her own, working with our condo owners' family since the birth of their first child, 11 years ago), 2) loved babies, and 3) is focused on giving Áine enriching experiences.

A few of the great things we've appreciated thus far about Darlane:

• She encourages Áine to try new things - like swimming, and Áine LOVES it

• She is hardworking, not one to sit around - If she's in the middle of something, she will continue (e.g., to clean parts of the house, meal prep, or do laundry) even if it's after her 'clock out' time

• She likes to cook - I've tried a few of her meals, and she insists on Áine eating well. She did request filet mignon, which I got a kick out of - but hey, quando em Brasil...!

• She is friendly and will make conversation (even if my português is limited, she will let me stumble and she's helping me learn)

• She likes Luna and puts up with Luna's antics

Darlane with Áine after swimming lessons

Luna's Arrival

After what seemed like AGES (in reality a few weeks) without Luna, she was finally deposited safely to our doorstep. Big thank you to Pets in Transit (Ted!) and the crew in Dallas, TX and at GRU who ensured Luna's safety throughout her travels. Bigger thank you to Connor's mom who took care of Luna prior to her departure, made multiple trips to the vet to ensure Luna's paperwork was up to date, and sent us regular updates of her!!

While Luna's journey was not ideal (as she doesn't love traveling) - her route was: pickup in Springfield, IL --> Drive to Dallas, TX --> Fly overnight from Dallas to Såo Paulo --> Await vet check/customs clearance for ~6 hours --> Drive from airport to our condo building - we are stoked she made it alright with (minimal?) psychological damage. Granted, the summer storms here have likely traumatized her already.

Our brave traveler!! Left to right: Kenneled and ready for her flight; Potty break after landing; Excitement entering the condo for the first time, Making herself at home on the couch (the first of four couches she will attempt to claim)

Furnishing (or Attempting to Furnish) our New Home

Remind me that doing things in Brazil will always be more complex and take more time than I envision... aside from attempting to find furniture at ~8+ different stores, the main challenges I faced (and continue to face) are:

1. Knowing which stores to go to for which items

2. Knowing how to describe exactly what I want, in Português

3. Understanding that 'solid wood' construction isn't common here (we think due to the humidity?)

4. Knowing that what you see online <> what is really available

5. Google maps is not reliable for knowing what stores exist

6. Multiple stores in different neighborhoods or at shopping centers take a very long time to explore

7. Traffic to get to/from said stores

8. Non-incentivized sales associates (they do not appear to work on commission)

9. Store associates who do not follow-up via WhatsApp, or who incorrectly take down information, even after I have stated that the phone number is not Brazilian

10. Not having a Brazilian bank account and therefore being unable to take advantage of additional discounts

    1. Fun one: this is STILL an issue due to bureaucracy

11. The quality of linens here does not compete with that which with we are accustomed

    
    

Overall - the journey continues; but a highlight has been finding wood side tables with iron legs from street artisans (shoutout Jubeirt and Regina)! And on the non-furniture side, my obsession with orchids (because they grow so well here) has led me on a journey in which I've curated nine so far... we'll see how many more I can find to 'beautify' our space. :)

Pictured below: Chairs for porchin' it; handcrafted table from Jubeirt with breakfast & an orchid; Regina with her wood creations; Two 'tree' tables from Regina; Some of our orchids and their pots

Exploring Nature and Art

Being walking distance from Parque Ibirapuera (similar to NYC's Central Park) is a definite plus, as there are lots of trees (from bamboo shoots to jacaranda!), green space, dog runs, courts for volleyball/basketball/tennis, museums, and ponds (with black swans). It's a lovely walk if you can catch a time without the blazing summer sun, isolated thunderstorms, or hoards of runners/bikers (stay off the main path during peak hours!).

We have yet to check out a lot of the museums in the park, but we did take a walk through a cultural museum which had an exposition on the Amazon. My favorite pieces were the different ceramic pieces created and the jewelry/accessories developed using vibrant bird feathers to appear as floral. The exhibit also included old-time posters (lil propaganda-ish vibes) about deforestation in the Amazon - as a 'place to discover and develop.'

Meeting New Friends

Checking out new places with the hopes of finding friends - so far, I've met one 'friend' via a workout class, which has been nice! Happened to strike up a conversation during a 'funcional musculação' class (strength/weight training) because I couldn't understand the instructor and a kind stranger (Isabela) came to my rescue. We grabbed coffee the following week after another class and picked up a few goodies at the local farmers' market. Planning to attend another class (different type - maybe boxing or a Barry's-style HIIT) together soon!

We also found an English mass to attend - hoping to meet some more folks here! So far, the congregation that we've seen is a small, but mighty crowd (and we may be bringing the average age down by a few decades). However, we hope to meet more folks here in the coming weeks.

COMIDA! (A summary view)

Each Thursday (and whenever we get the chance), we're trying a new restaurant for date night! So far we've had:

1. Kinoshita (amazing sushi, best shrimp tempura I've ever had)

2. Muza (trendy Italian - we'll need to test out the salad bar on our return)

3. Gula Gula (Brazilian with solid feijoãda, fries, best chocolate mousse, and nice ambiance)

4. DiBaco (Argentinian with a good value and tasty food, much more relaxed vibe)

5. Hiro Sushi (Good value, fresh sushi and a view - in El Dorado Shopping)

6. Pecorino (Italian - family friendly vibes, amazing bruschetta)

7. Farrabud (Lebanese - good hummus, nice atmosphere)

8. A Fornada Padaria (Brunch - solid egg dishes, Acaí smoothie, their almond croissant is perfection)

9. Oli Pan (Bread-focused bakery - the best focaccia, flaky croissant - will return for their sister Pizza restaurant!)

10. Jules L'art du Pain (French - if the name weren't obvious; integral bread is wonderful, ham on a toasted baguette is a simple pleasure)

    
    

For desserts, we've had the chance to try:

1. Diblu (gelato saúdavel - 'health gelato' where you can find zero additional sugars/zero lactose - yummy pistache!!)

2. Bolo Ao Forno (banana functional cake is both healthful and tasty, limão also delightful)

3. Sodie Docies (best brigaderinhos!)

4. Quintal Granule (amazing chocolate cake)

5. Bachir (Lebanese gelato, pistache is done very well here)

Fim de primeira carta!

Stay tuned for more - additional content on restaurants coming soon!