A Brazilian Christmas
Describing holiday gatherings in my family as hectic would be an understatement. There are multiple sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins to visit and [...]
Why are you here?
“Why are you here?” I probably posed that question 20 times over the course of my teacher training. Asking a person to explain her existence [...]
Orientation Day in Brasilia
Good morning and welcome to Brasilia! First, I’d like to congratulate all of you on winning your elections and having the honor of serving the [...]
Teaching Teachers Day 1
Today was my very first day of teacher training as well as my first day of totally on the books employment in Brazil. It was [...]
Navy v. Army: A Brazilian Rivalry
This week the naval school here in Vitoria celebrated it’s 50th birthday. They marked the occasion with a series of events culminating in the unveiling [...]
Turkey & Tanks: Happy Thanksgiving from Rio!
One week ago today, I was sitting at the end of a beautifully laid table surrounded by good friends and equally good food. On my [...]
Getting the Brazilian Work Card: Gateway to Legal Employment
Well, it’s official. As of today, I’m legally employable.You might be thinking, didn’t that happen when you applied for residency? Well, not totally. A residency [...]
Behind the Scenes at Garoto Candy Factory
It’s not been a good week for healthy or even reasonable eating. My multi-helping Thanksgiving dinner was followed by a birthday dinner that consisted solely [...]
Expat Masochists
The word “expatriate” derives from the Medieval Latin expatriatus, which means to have left one’s own country. It was and, according to Webster’s, still is [...]