The Airports

Leaving Sao Paulo was not easy, we did have our share of problems at the airport regarding the documents, but most of the times we travel back and forth from Brazil we had no problems at the airport. Our bags would be out in a timely manner and at immigration they did not care about us bringing cereal and maple syrup. Sometimes the immigration lines would be big, but it moved. And you don't have to pay to use the carts there. It wasn't that bad. But how does the other airports compare?


We travelled a lot throughout the US and Miami International Airport can't hold a candle to most airports we've been to. The Sao Paulo airport is not as modern Miami International, and it says a lot. And the airport in Mexico City is even less modern then both airports.


If you have luggage, landing in Mexico City is a nightmare. You'll have to wait for about an hour in front of the conveyor belt for your suitcase. And this is why: taking the bags out of the plane is a big operation. The police has to escort the suitcases. Once the plane lands the police has to go to it and wait for the bags to unload. Then they escort the luggage to the baggage claim where the dogs have to sniff them for drugs. After all this they will start loading the conveyor belts and you can go. The problem is that they don't have that many police cars, police officers or dogs. It is a nightmare. The best thing is to just have a carry-on and avoid all this trouble. So don't forget to pack lots of patience next time you travel.

How and Where to Make Friends

I was talking to a recently divorced friend and this subject came up. It is easy for us, moms, to make friends. We have play dates, school,  kids activities... It all leads us to other moms in the same situation then us, so we have a bond. But what if you're following your spouse? What if you don't have a job and you don't have kids?


It is a lot more difficult! You'll be lonely most of the time in the beginning. You won't have an instant bond with a group of peers that can speak your language. You can meet some people at the gym or in your neighborhood, but in my experience it is a lot harder to go thru a relocation as a couple then it is as a family.


Most of the time the locals already have their families and friends. In latin countries there will be the "nice to meet you, I'll call you", but they never call. It is not that they don't intend to or they don't like you, it is just that they're busy. It's not personal.  Go ahead and call them yourself. Make an effort to make new friends. Invite people over for diner or to go out for lunch.


You can get involved in volunteer work, newcomers clubs, join a gym, take some classes. But do something. Try to interact. Avoid being lonely. Don't get depressed. Tag along with the moms. And moms, make sure to include your new friends without kids on your activities. Invite them over for lunch. Or to go to a happy hour if you have a babysitter.


And go out with your spouse. Take nice trips, go to bars and nightclubs. Enjoy yourself. Find out where the cool places are and go there. You will end up meeting some interesting people. Go to the best hairstylist in town, they'll let you know where the best spots are. It will be money well spent. Enjoy life without kids. You won't regret it!

My Son's Idea of a Birthday Celebration

My son just turned 10. We were talking about organizing his birthday party when he asked me:


- "Mom, can I have a barbecue with brigadeiro cake and a pinata?"


Gotta love this Third Culture Kids!! 

Traffic and the Cities

This week I have a couple of great friends from New Zealand visiting. They are moving back home  after their term in Brazil. As we were driving around we couldn't help and compare the traffic between here, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Auckland. And what a difference. Where would you guess the best place to drive is?


According to my friends, and I have to agree, Florida is the best place to drive. Let's start with  number of lanes on the roads and the way the roads were planned. Only in America. In Auckland as here in Florida, the roads are well kept. No potholes. In Auckland, if they had craters the same size of the ones they have in Mexico City and Sao Paulo people would sue the government and win. There are some aggressive drivers there. The reason is that people are not used to heavy traffic and not tolerant of people causing it. In Florida there's the occasional person trying to cut the lane, but not that many. So Auckland comes in number two.


Now it is very hard to make a call for number 3 and 4, so I have to call it a tie. On one side we have small motorcycles everywhere who thing they own the roads and aggressive drivers. But if you put your blinkers on people will let you turn or switch lanes. This is Sao Paulo For you. In Mexico you have aggressive driver who will be fighting you tooth and nail all the time and who disregard every traffic rule there is.   


We even brought New York in the conversation. I must admit that New York traffic is mild compared to Mexico City and Sao Paulo. And I think this pretty much rest my case. I would love to know your opinion on this matter.

New Lives

We rented our apartment to a nice american family. This will be their first relocation and they're really excited about the move. But for some reason I can not stop bugging them. I e-mail her everyday with a list of things she should put on her container. Some times I can't help but wonder: When is she going to tell me to stop?


The list is long. It goes from baby diapers and tampons all the way up to food. Then I have a list of doctors and dentists. A good, reliable driver. Restaurants nearby. The pizza delivery place. Hairstylist. Manicure.... The list is long.


I also sent her the phone number of a few friends who live in the same gated community who can help her out.


In a way I feel like I am giving her all the information I wish I had before I moved. Things that can make her life easier. And friends she can rely on. All expats, who understand what she'll be going thru.


As for me, I am having a hard time making friends. I have been very reclusive. And usually I am very outgoing. One of my friends told me that it is because I am not over having had to say goodbye to most of my friends. And I think she's right. On top of that there's the perspective of a new assignment. So why bother make new friends if I am going to have to say goodbye to them soon, right? I've been staying in touch with my old friends though. We had a few friends visiting us already and starting Sunday I'll have guests every week until the end of July. The kids couldn't be more excited. I'll have my work cut out for me and I'll have to take daily trips to the mall, but I am very happy. And hopefully, by the time they leave I'll be ready to make some new friends. I need to change my mind set and realize that with the new friends, just like with the old ones it won't be goodbye, it will be an "auf wiedersehen".

Settling Down

Things are not as hectic as they used to be. There's a lot less to worry about. A few things still don't work in Mexico, like the internet, but we're learning to adapt. So today I was thinking about the whole process and how it started about a year ago.  It seems to me like everything that could go wrong on this move did go wrong. But it was great!  Why? Because I started this blog.


The reason why I started to write about all I've been thru is to help people avoid making the same mistakes I made. To help people have a smooth transition. I did not have it easy this time. And here  I could vent.  I can talk about the good, the bad and the ugly. There were lots of good things coming out of this move and there were some very frustrating times too. Good and bad experiences. In the end I was actually hoping for things to go wrong so I could learn the ins and outs and post on the blog. But, boy, I am relieved things are under control now. At least for now...

The Volcano

The Popocatepetl Volcano, near Mexico City, blasted ashes on Friday, June 6th. It caused some flight delays because it spew dark clouds up to 2 miles into the sky.  Today, Sunday some flights were delayed, but not for very long. There was a little turbulence near Mexico City. But other than that everything seems normal and under control. No need to worry right now. Isn't it amazing how many volcano activities we've been having recently? Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico City, Chile... Hopefully the volcanoes will calm down and not erupt. We can definitely take a break from natural disasters.


Update: It seems like the volcano calmed down. No clouds were seen in the sky from Polancos, Mexico City, today. Thank God!

One Less Thing To Worry About

So our apartment in Sao Paulo has been rented. Managing life in 3 countries will be a little bit easier now. Before we still had to pay condo fees, taxes, water, power and gas bills. It wasn't easy. But it's getting better. So what do I have left?


We are still trying to get internet connection at our flat in Mexico. At the same time we moved into our home in Florida my husband moved to a new flat in Mexico. It is much closer to his work. The previous place was in Santa Fe. The new one is in Polancos. Huge difference on the traffic. The first place was the Haus Suites. It is dog friendly, the apartments were nice, the staff was friendly - although most people couldn't speak english - and we did have internet connection. The only problem was the distance from work. With all the traffic and with the dog in Florida we thought moving would be a good idea.


The new flat is nice, new, modern, walking distance to work and only offers wireless internet connection. But it does not work! We moved to 2 different apartments but still nothing. The connection is slow and is always breaking.  And they don't care! We keep hearing that they will fix the problem "ahorita", so you know what it means, it will never get fixed. Now we're looking for a new place to move to. 


Life back in the US is pretty sweet. And not having to worry about Brazil will make my life a lot easier. But hurricane season is starting and we'll see how it goes. My evacuation plan is Mexico City. With the pets.  let's see how it goes... 

Kids and Their Friends

More and more I think our decision to move to Florida was the right one. Particularly in regards to our kids. Taking 2 international assignments in a row to  countries where they don't speak the language would have been too much for them. They are still grieving their friends, they still talk about Brazil often, their favorite restaurant is a brazilian steakhouse where they can eat picanha with rice and beans. They like Mexico a lot, but they do not want to move there. To them Mexico is where Daddy works and where we travel for fun weekends. 


But now vacation is coming and I thought the kids would like to go to Mexico to spend some extra time with daddy. Boy, was I wrong. They want to stay here or travel to Orlando to meet their friends from Brazil. They've already scheduled 6 play dates with friends from the Graded who are coming to Florida for their summer vacation. They even made a calendar and are counting the days to see their friends.


I haven't seen my kids this happy since the move. Making new friends and meeting the old ones somehow is making them feel like they belong here. They are becoming americans again, creating roots. They are finally realizing that no matter where we end up moving to we can and will stay in touch with friends. And they know that this is home. Even if we have to move again in a couple of years...