Brazil’s Political Crisis Explained for Non-Brazilians
A week ago, Brazil's House of Deputies voted 367 to 137 to impeach President Dilma Rousseff. The vote lasted five hours and involved a lot [...]
A Tropical Paradise is a Sweaty Paradise
Today was another sunny, blue-sky day here in Vitoria. A breeze blowing through my apartment forced me to stop the doors with various colored flipflops. [...]
The World’s Pickiest Beachgoers
Last Saturday, the whole Barineau-Mauricio clan (all three of us) seized the day early (like 10ish) and headed to the beach. It was the kind [...]
My Bilingual Kid Doesn’t Want Your Attention
Having spent the majority of my adult life outside of the United States (mostly in small, homogeneous cities), I've gotten used to being the subject [...]
5 Ways to Improve Christmas in Brazil
We put our Christmas decorations up this past weekend. This is the first year my daughter has really anticipated decorating and, more or less, helped [...]
5 Things That Can Ruin a Kid’s Day (& the Parent’s as Well)
Saturday morning my kid woke up asking for sausage. She's Brazilian, so it's a pretty common request. She's a very picky eater, so if she [...]
Throwing a Brazilian Halloween Party: An Odyssey of Prep
I threw a Halloween party for fifteen preschoolers last Saturday. It was a huge success, but I feel I owe my guests an apology. Multiple [...]
I Gave My Daughter a Dinosaur
It all started when the Littlest Pet army wanted to steal Polly Pocket's kitty. In her desperation, Polly called on her big sister, Wonder Woman, [...]
Why Doesn’t Anyone Know a Thing About Brazil?
There's a famous comedy sketch in Brazil that features a home invasion with the owner held at gunpoint. The masked assailant aims at the owner [...]