WOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So much for what I had planned.  Writing furiously, making amazing observations learning about myself and BAM hit a wall just like a runner.  I am disappointed in myself actually.  I hate abandoned blogs at least ones with no closing.  They just hang out there cloaked in an air of despair -a life dissipated sinking into the abyss of anonymity.  How miserable.

Truthfully I doubt if anyone really cares where I went.  What happened was that we decided to stay in USA for the foreseeable future.  All my anxiety went out the window and new batch of anxiety came swooping in.  Although I am happy right now about staying.   part of me wanted to go.  If not more than anything else than to get away from my family.

We had been told before that my husband absolutely could not get papers because of the way he came over the border.  Three attorneys  I spoke to said there was no way, "wait to see if they pass immigration reform."   So we gave up and resolved ourselves to taking our chances getting a visa in Brazil.   Personally I don't believe they are going to pass immigration reform but lets keep that our little secret because A LOT of people are counting on it.   My husband didn't want to wait to see if they passed reform  he wanted to go home (and I didn't blame him), he had financial holdings down there that were losing value as each year went by.  But then one miraculous day I took another shot at talking to attorneys and I FOUND ONE!!!  She said she had 100% rating getting visa's.  And of course I then became pissed at the other incompetent jerk-offs I had already spoken to who had changed the trajectory of my life.  How can you play with people lives like that?  your screwing with families, livelihoods and people's emotions....WTF?  What that experience taught me was not to listen to anyone, to keep searching, till you know you have turned over every rock, never take anyone's word for anything be shrewd.  Now we are in the process of getting my husband papers so that he can get a social security number and become a normal member of society FINALLY that is a whole other post(s).   Although there is no guarantees she is pretty confident we have a good case.   All in all its a  long process about a year to a year and a half but its well worth it.

Then my husband bought thousands of dollars of equipment to open a business that is very lucrative right now.  So we are working on that and that is taking up a lot of our time, especially his.  This money we used was the money we were going to use to renovate our house in Parana.  So its all bittersweet, and mixed emotions.

Its weird, I had been mentally preparing myself for my new life in Brazil for at least 2 years.   I fantasized about meeting new people, getting to know his family, just having a new adventure.  Here is a list of things I wanted to do.

1.  Get to know his family
2.  Immerse yourself in another culture
3.  Learn to read and write Portuguese
4.  Start a business
5.  Visit Argentina which is right on the border
6.  learn to surf in Santa Caterina....world class
7.  Finally have an excuse to ignore your family
8.  Suck up all the adoration and novelty of being American


So we shall see how things progress, this post is a little lame, but I have just been so lazy lately with the heat, its been 90 degrees here, and I started running and I am just exhausted.  I will try harder to make it juicier next post...........and sooner.

Falling in LOVE with the United States all over again part one

It is hot as hell in New England right now its been in the 90's for the last few days and Americans are enjoying it.  Summer came early.  People are barbecuing, jet-skiing, kayaking, surfing you name it they are doing it.  I'm jealous because I have been pretty much cooped up in my house but at least sitting in air conditioning.

Which got me to asking my husband how do the people stand it in Brazil with no AC?  I mean we take it for granted in the US you can pick up a small air conditioner that will do you living room for around a $150.00.  He just smiles, he knows us Americans are spoiled.  Think about it Rio De Janeiro with no AC UGGGHHHH not going to lie Fck that.  No wonder every square inch of the beach if filled with glistening bodies stacked like sardines one on top of the other.  How does anyone breathe?  That is why we are buying a new air conditioning/heating unit that is portable that covers a large area.  It also has ventilation.  I don't plan on running it except on really hot days but I need it as back up just in case mold starts growing.  Another thing on my long list.

Which brings me to my latest purchase.  This is why I am beginning to fall in love with the US all over again.  She's coming back to me baby :)  The stuff you can get to make your life comfortable I just love this country.  When I came home singing its praises the other night my husband said ya you  mean the country that consumes more than any other country on the planet?  Or the country that uses third world countries to make it products?  He likes to knock me down to size when I lose it.  TRUE, TRUE, all true, and I do get disappointed as I read my latest Noam Chomsky book.  But then I say to myself I can't control it.  I'm not going to change it and I'm not going to start a revolution.  All I can do is take care of my family and try to help those I come in contact with.   And I'll be honest its hard when your on the receiving end of something that is good to want to stop it no matter what the injustices 5,000 miles away.  So lets not even get into Apple factories right now or the fact that I would love to boycott them while at the same time buy myself an Ipad.  I know other Americans understand what I'm talking about.  Give a hollar if you want to. That is a subject for another post.

My recent purchase is the balls its a remake of a bean bag chair but this one is 7 feet long it can sit three people across its like a bean bag couch.  It can also be used as a bed.  And you can stand it up and make it like a recliner.  Here is the website I bought one in bright turquoise blue http://www.yogibo.com if you don't mind paying customs it so worth it.  Once you see it you realize the applications are endless, and I love lounging even though I bought it for my daughter who I guarantee will be loving this thing long into college.  You can get replacement beads, and new covers in different colors so it lasts.  It also has a warranty but unfortunately I will not be able to enforce it in Brazil which sucks because it wasn't cheap. But I love it.  I imagine her whole play room filled with them for her and friends to lay in.  In fact I am thinking about getting another one.

Anyway we have been enjoying it as a family.  And it made me think how great it is that I love here (right now).  That is one thing I do love about the US I have to admit the endless amount of different cool, fascinating, cutting edge,  make your life easier things that the US has.   I think it would be hard for people from other countries to really understand what its like in the United States unless they have been there.  Not saying they don't have beanbags down there.  And please correct me if they do have this, but even if they do I now no one could afford it except the very well off.  Where as in the US regular joes with a job can buy this.  And I'm not materialistic and I'm not one of those over consumers that just buy to buy.  But once you've had it like this its hard to get it all out of your system and go somewhere that is well a little bare?   I like when inspiration hits me to be jump up and try something new.  I have lots of choices and the prices are reasonable due to free trade.  If I wanted to get this in Brazil the customs would be so ridiculous it would make it not worth buying which for an American is so disappointing.   

That has been a hard realization for me.  My  husband knows this.  I say where am I going to get clothes?  I'm tall I have like a 34" inseam (i'm almost 6 feet) they just started making pance long enough for me in cool styles in the US like 15 years ago.  For years I couldn't get jeans long enough or sleeves and it sucked.  So I know that Brazil does not have this market.  That's annoying to me.  I will always have to buy all my clothes in America.  And lets not get into shoes, the bras which I heard are horrendous or anything else that women love  that remains to be seen.  

Ya YA I know whiny American whining about problems like this when people have it so much worse.  I have heard it all before, I have debated it all and theorized about it all.  Believe me I am grateful for my life.  I'm very lucky.  All I can do is live the life I was given and try to help others as well.   

Mango and Palm Trees.....Who cares?

Its seems sometimes well more often than not whenever anyone talks about Brazil or moving to Brazil they always mention the cost of produce, and the weather.  I see a lot of photographs of scenery, and people tell you how great freshly squeezed juice is.   Then I sit back and scratch my head.  THAT'S IT?  That's all it takes to get you move thousands of miles with your family in tow- pineapple JUICE?  Don't get me wrong I like the idea of nice weather and fresh fruit but for me that's a good vacation in the Mexico, that's not going to cause me to pack up and move.  There are way more pressing issues at hand when deciding if you should call a place home. 

Right now Norway has one of the highest standards of living in the world if not number one, and they get freezing dark winters, however that would not stop me from moving there if I could because they have a great quality of life and arguably the best social services in the world.   And those are the issues I'm more interested in (the tough issues), issues that effect my families daily life like public safety, roads, health care, social services, education, and government.  I don't know about you but last time I checked good mango juice is not a hallmark for great quality of life.  They might have great fruit in Haiti but I would never move there.  So the posts are colorful and juicy but if the real issues that affect people's lives in a dramatic way are not discussed with honesty than its all kind of pointless fluff.  

Prevalence of Hep A in Brazil

English: Geographic distribution of Hepatitis A prevalence (Anti-HAV-Antibody), 2005

   High : prevalence higher than 8%

   Intermediate : between 2% and 7%

   Low : less than 2%

Deutsch: Weltweite Prävalenz der Hepatitis A (anhand der Anti-HAV-Antikörper), 2005

   Hoch : Prävalenz höher als 8%

   Mittel : zwischen 2% und 7%

   Niedrig : weniger als 2%

Français : Répartition géographique de l'hépatite A, 2005

   Haute : prévalence supérieure à 8%

   Moyenne : entre 2% et 7%

   Basse : inférieure à 2%

This is a map of the prevalence of Hepatitis A in the world.  The highest rates are in maroon.

As you can see Hepatitis A has mostly been eradicated in all 1st world countries, they are colored grey.

Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver that is usually spread by the fecal oral route; transmitted person to person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with a person infected.   (Restaurant workers that do not wash their hands well after going to the bathroom).

In a lot of developing countries with poor sanitation its most prevalent-  i.e poo bins

Makes you wonder why Brazil still does not have adequate plumbing in public restrooms to ensure peoples disgusting bodily fluids and fecal matter get flushed down the toilet.  They have trash receptacles that you put your soiled tissue into.  You could call them shit bins.  I wonder which parts of the country are still doing this so I can up my daily dose of xanax medication when I get there.   I know Rio does.  So hypothetically if you go to the bathroom then wipe yourself (especially if you have been drinking) and drop a tissue in the bin and your hand accidentally scrapes up against another person's toilet tissue that has contaminated fecal matter on it?  And lets assume that you are smart enough to REALLY REALLY wash your hands.  Not just wet and go.  I  mean a good down-home LATHER, I mean get the clorox bleach out.  And lets assume that it (the shit) may not all get washed off or that you missed a spot its not an exact science after all.  Then if you eat afterward or somehow your hand comes in contact with your mouth you could possibly get Hep A.  And lets face it some people don't even wash their hands.  Come to think of it this would be a good anti drinking and anti restaurant ad.  The "NO drinking" for the part where your out having a few drinks and you catch a nice buzz and all your worries are drifting away with the nice cool Brazilian breeze and your swaying side to side as your making your way to the next  bar when you realize shit! I need to take a p*ss and you make your way to one of the many public bathrooms in Brazil.  You can hardly see straight and the toilet looks like its moving in front of you, but somehow your not going to touch the huge pile of white fluffy tissue that is teetering on a mound of more white tissue all covered in someone's SHIT............ well you get my drift.   I mean looking at that map and the numbers what do you think the percentages are for restaurant workers who make and deliver your food having Hep A?  Pretty good right?   So to be safe you should probably assume everyone has it.  That's not too relaxing when your out spending you hard earned money on some Brazilian shindig  at your local restaurant.  Soon you'll be missing "The Outback" back in the States and biting your tongue.   Also think about young children who don't yet understand good hygiene habits.  I would not let them go the bathroom anywhere public where this goes on.  I'll let you imagination run wild from here if your not ready to hurl your lunch in a the nearest toilet.


Vigilance is key here!

Side note --These stats are from 2005 and there are some regions of Brazil where the rate will be higher and some regions where the rate will be lower.  And obviously not everyone has Hepatitis A.