estabelecendo-se em

That first day Brett didn’t have to go into work until later, giving us some time to settle in at the apartment. There is a Carrefour (a French international grocery chain) within walking distance, as well as a mall. On this first day we decided to drive, that way we wouldn’t have to limit our purchases to what we could carry.

Carrefour is basically WalMart. We walked in and they have a small drug store at the front, but then immediately to the right is a display of car tires that are on sale. There is a definite food section and a household section. They sell cell phones, flat screen TVs, and other household items. We grabbed a cart and started to familiarize ourselves with the layout. We first stuck to the food section, seeing as that was the most essential need.

At first I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the produce, but we discovered on later trips that it seems like we were there the day or so before they received a new shipment. We hardly got any produce aside from some bags of salad mix (which were iffy at best), some apples, and a bulb of garlic. However, it seems like most, if not all, of their produce is organic.

We noticed that both their milk and their eggs are left unrefrigerated. Different. Plus, most all of the milk comes in boxes or liter bottles. We had no idea what to pick so we just picked the prettiest looking bottle of milk. That’s pretty much how all of our shopping went. We got some pasta, some pasta sauce (they all come in bags!), and some chicken breasts. We bought two different brands of pasta sauce so we can start to figure out what we like best.

We snagged some frozen pizzas and frozen hamburgers that are called “hot pockets”. All you have to do is microwave them. Brett says they’re just okay. Of course we also got some ice cream. I was excited to see that they had a ‘coco e abacaxi’ (coconut & pineapple) combination! After picking up some juice and some Guarana (supposedly the famous Brazilian soda), we headed over to grab some dog food. Desmond could care less what is in his bowl as long as it’s food, but Penny stares at me every morning with the saddest eyes like, “this isn’t my food.. :(“ I tell her to toughen up because I’m not eating my regular food either.

Finally, we had to pay for everything. The moment of truth. If you’ve never stood in a check out line with a cart full of groceries, not knowing if your credit card will be declined or not, you haven’t lived. Just kidding, it’s one of the most stressful things ever. Brett’s work Amex was declined, but our international Visas (thank goodness we had applied for them when we went to China- they are great) were accepted (this time)! When you travel, don’t forget to call your credit card companies and let them know where you’re going and the duration of your stay. Doing this will save you a couple of phone calls later.

Meanwhile, Penny and Desmond are settling into their new roles as ‘apartment dogs’. Compared to all of the other dogs in our complex, they are VERY quiet! I’m currently being serenaded with yaps from the Yorkie in the building across from us. Penny likes to lie on the balcony and rest her head on the ledge and look out over everything.

Both dogs seem to very much enjoy the tile floors throughout our apartment. The temperatures are pretty much always in the 70s-80s, so I’m glad that they can keep cool. Our apartment is on the fourth floor of building L overlooking the pool area. There are several buildings in the gated complex, ranging from A to I think.. N? Claudio told us that they are about 50% occupied. The complex is also still under construction, so it’s very busy and noisy all day long. They had filled the pool, but found a leak and drained it. Now it’s nearly full again. I hope they add chemicals to their pool water down here because it looks pretty nasty.

Also, the apartments don’t really seem to be designed like apartments in the United States (but I wouldn’t really know for sure). For one thing, we have our own private elevator that we share with five or six other units that opens onto a very small lobby space. Each building has about four of these. No big communal dorm-type lobby. Each access point to the elevators has a door that can be closed (and subsequently locked, we haven’t found out how to bypass this unless you go through the parking garage). The entire complex is designed like a resort- pool and activities in the central part, buildings to the exterior.

looking to the right

straight ahead (the yorkie lives on the one with the hammock)

and the left

a little hometown pride on our balcony

The complex itself is just about a half mile in diameter and fenced on all sides. It has nicely paved pathways and green spaces. Each building has a “theme”- I think ours is “fiesta” or something similar. Basically there are a couple of event space rooms at the bottom of our building. Another building has several sports areas (two futebol courts, basketball, tennis, sand volleyball), and another has playgrounds for kids. We’re still trying to figure them all out.

We have yet to ride the subway, but it’s just a stroll away. I’m itching to go to the city center, hopefully we will get to do that this weekend or next. There is supposedly a free art museum (Brett is thrilled to hear that, I’m sure) and a lot of interesting architecture to look at.  Hopefully we will be able to update you about the city sometime soon!