Manguinhos Community Garden - Jan 27th.

Our garden is really pulling through! It's so exciting to see the beginning of everything we planted really starting to grow! :)

On the photos there is one chilli pepper, and one quiabo - okra!

Awesome Day

I went to work. Nothing exciting happened until the last 30 minutes. A Japanese couple arrived. In their mid-30s. They carried a little whiteboard with them and a pen. The wrote to me that they are deaf. I was lucky they wrote English.

I checked them in, and had to explain the house rules to them. It challenged me to a whole new level. If I had written it, it could've taken hours, so I had to mime and use pictures and some key words. I felt so rewarded when they understood... especially explaining that they wont be getting a towel for 24hours, because the Laundry Service didn't bring back towels- that's I laughed internally (in shame), because that is something that in Japan, would NEVER happen.
I loved this challenge because they were so grateful.

As soon as everything was explained and I showed them into their room, I got changed and went to Ipanema. It is included in my bus-fare after all.
I arrived and asked some foreign girls to watch my purse while I took a dip. Why hadn't I done this before? It's so close to my work. Spending the afternoon at the beach... why not?? Why haven't I took advantage of that enough?? It's sooooo beautiful!!
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Whilst I was at the beach, I was watching Natalia - a professional beach tennis athlete in action. This girl is young, fun and very serious about the sport. She plays 9 hours a day on sands of Ipanema. I sat there and cheered her on (even considered a career in coaching)! She goes over her mistakes, she thinks of solutions, she is quite inspiring to watch!

After that I came home to find Pamela. I decided to make guacamole, so we went alllllll the way up to Bairro de Fatima to get vegetables, where we checked 3 stores to find coriander. We had a blast! She cracks me up! She takes my humor to the next level, with the same logic I use.

Now I'm going to have just a couple of beers with my hostel-working-friends.

I also printed a sign to put at the hostel, advertising my garden, I'll see if it'll work!  :)

Pedra do Sal - 18/01

By far, one of my favourite music events at Pedra do Sal.

https://soundcloud.com/zebrabeat

Manghuinhos Community Garden - GMF

Love It - A List

• Love living in Lapa.
• Love how it's almost always sunny (for about 10 hours a day) and warm.
• Love how beautiful the mountains are around the city.
• Love the friends I've met here.
• Love being here.
• Love knowing where things are in this city.
• Love showing tourists the sites/events that aren't in the LP.
• Love the flexibility of my job, which in turn lets me volunteer.
• Love skyping! Haha.
• Love to youtube whole albums of Brazilian music at work.

Six Month Mark

On the 27th, I will hit my 6 month mark of having left Canada.

I have done things my way. I chose to pack my things and come to Brazil.

I went to Itajai, SC to live with a friend to make my documents. I tried teaching and living in a small town. Not only was his company miserable, I was bored to death in that town.

I came back to Rio and began to look for apartments again. I got extremely lucky in finding Sheila and her place in LAPA. My room, although is not the biggest, it is aweomse and in a relatively safe place. Our apartment is clean and it always welcomes guests. I love the trust I have with her and the friendship we have of mutual respect. She is by far, the best room mate I have ever lived with.
She's a Firefighter and I have enormous amounts of respect for her in the career path she chose. She lives with integrity and has an amazing vibe.

I love living in this city. Even though I often wished things would be different and easier, I accept that it wont be. I have learned to navigate it and now through my job (as a receptionist at a hostel), I help others enjoy it too.

I have learned ALOT about dealing with people.
My friend from Itajai, my family pushing me in different directions, when trying to find a place to live, when finding a job, at my job (the tourists, national or international), the envinronmental minister, the Light company's CEO, other colleagues, the ladies where we eat at in Manguinhos... etc... many people!

About myself.
I still don't have discipline. I still run and give in, into my anxiety and doubt. I'm still insecure. I'm still angry at alot of things I haven't done. I still can't decide where to go. One day I look into studying Tourism, the next I want to pursue Environment studies, the next I want to do Public Relations... I'm constantly shifting my goals. It's not that I don't want to do anything, I just don't know what to do. I don't want to start something that won't give a concise end.

There are sooooo many things I should've done. There's so many things I want to do.
Majority of the time I doubt my dedication and often realize it's just desire out of impulse or desperation. I don't necessarily doubt my ability.

The heat.
I have to discuss the heat, because it's been a huge factor in my life. I have realized I am not comfortable in the heat. It gets too hot. I feel tired in the middle of the day. My body wants to shut down. I'm in a constant battle with myself in order to function. I sweat 24/7. I'm sticky and stinky. It's impossible to hold down a serious job, because that would require me to wear PANTS. It's impossible, I feel too uncomfortable and anxious.

My flavor palete is turning dull. In Brazil the only condiments are: onion, garlic, salt, pepper and spicy pepper sauce. This becomes incredibly dull. Even if I do try to make my own recipes as I did at home in Montreal, my dishes don't turn out the same. Given the terreau of all the ingredients I get, the flavour comes out entirely different. I miss flavours... I also miss crap like poutine, smoked meat sandwich, thai express, even WENDYs!!! I miss the PC brand sauces for meat too!! I miss peanut butter and multigrain bread... hehehe.. or CEREAL...
These are clearly things I'm living without and I'm doing alright... but I still miss it. I also miss having a microwave & a toaster.

I'm thankful I came alone to Brazil and I have gone through all I did. I am proud of myself. I'm happy about all the bonds I have made and will continuously make. I'm happy to be living here. I love this city!
I am having a fun time in my continuous search for... ways to evolve!

I live in Rio de Janeiro!

Things You Need to Get Used Too (2)

• Moskitos.
  IF you see them (because they are sometimes invisible!), they are fast and hungry. With time you do get better at swatting the motion though...
• Hearing about people getting mugged.
• Majority of the time, regardless of how the day starts, it'll be sunny and really hot at some point.
• The universal smell of garlic and onions. everywhere.
• Homeless people sleeping on the streets during the day. 
• Buses taking routes they want, rather than the bus route they are suppose to do.
• People yelling: at their kids, their significant others, from car to car, from across the street, anywhere really...
• Sometimes there's water shortages.
• 8-10 policemen standing at the same corner, drinking beers.

No Visits

I can't ever seem to find enough words to express how awesome I think this city is... The only thing missing is someone experiencing it with me. When I left, there were people that clearly told me that they couldn't come. They've bought houses, got married or had children. I understand all of those. 

Then there are others who choose things, rather than the experience of coming to see me... and that not only makes me angry, it makes me really sad!! Especially because I have a place where I can freely receive visits...

Thing You Need to Get Used To

When you live in Rio de Janeiro, there are some things you need to get used to:

• Lifting your feet when walking.
  This is to avoid tripping due to the floor being uneven. 
• Looking at where you're going to be stepping.
  It might be a puddle of urine.
• The noise of helicopters.
  They are everywhere.
• Getting mugged.
  When I lived at the hostel I'd hear about this all the time. People get robbed anywhere at anytime. 
• Not having easy access to healthy snacks.
  They have "juelhos" : ham and cheese pastries everywhere.
• Banks go on strike.
• There are line-ups for everything.
• The police are useless.
• Per/Kilo places aren't high in quality, but essential for a budget.

Samba School Practice - Choosing Music

Yesterday it was the first time in my life that I`ve ever gotten close to a SAMBA EXPERIENCE.


A friend of a friend gave us free tickets to Mangueira Samba School.

Incase you don`t know much about Carnaval Schools...


It was just insanely amazing. I stared around for the first hour. There`s colors of the school: pink, green and white.
The sounds of samba... amazing... seeing people knowing the brand new lyrics... singing and dancing with such intense passion.. wow!!


Mind blowing experience. 

Did it. Another Milestone.

Yesterday I got the call. I got the room at the apartment. This is the first time I actually get a room I truly want.
It has a phenomenal location, it`s clean, it`s relatively safe and I have a window.

I have a room. I have a fan. I have 3 drawers.
There`s a kitchen, a washing machine, a decent bathroom, WIFI and cool living room.
I have ONE roommate. Sheila.

Things I've Done.

A brief list.

• Went to ArtRio Exposition 2013 for FREE.
• Worked in my PJs, watching movies and doing my nails.
• Respected my bitch of a boss... Kept calm, in situations where I would've flipped my switch.
• Went to a VIP Forro party so close to the Christo Redentor statue, I was basically high-fiving him.
• HAVEN'T been robbed yet.
• Made phenomenal friends.
  - Hostel staff.
  - Hostel guests:
      - Richard: British. Early 50s? Who looked brazilian, but wore Brazil tourist shirts, hats and bracelets. He was always with a drink in hand, played the music and loved to dance and videotaped almost every night.
      - Markus: Sweedish. 28. Deeply inlove with his awesome girlfriend. Had a phenomenal sense of humor. Always up to try new things. Vegetarian. Showed us how he was taught to swim by lying on top of two chairs.
       - Zach: American. 33. Loyal. Wants to learn Portuguese.

What's your plan?

I've made plans... I left Canada with a plan. Most of them haven't worked.

The one plan I really had was: I WANT TO LIVE IN RIO.

Every day when I wake up and realize I'm in Rio, I'm happy.

Someone I know came up to me on facebook and asked:
"How long do you plan on staying there?"

"I dunno." I replied.  

"What do you mean you don't know? You can't stay there forever..." The person says.

It's rather funny how people seem to think they have the right to think about what you can or cannot do.

I love being here, right now. I can be here right now. I don't think of it as having an expiring date.

This is what I chose and I'm continuously choosing. 

Back to Square One.

Jobless and Homeless again.

BBQ in Santa Teresa

I got up for breakfast as per usual. I'm still wearing my best sunburn.
I spent hours on the phone with RBC, because even thought I told them I'd be away, they still decided to block my card.
By 5pm, I got an invite to go to Santa Teresa for a BBQ. I left at 6pm... I managed to take a wrong bus and end up in Villa Isabel. Then I took a taxi there.
Saw my awesome Lapa friends. Then made it back home in time to go the Funk Party. I came home, I slept 2 hours and I'm working in my PJs. Only about 4 hours of work to go... Then I'll take a shower, head down to Lapa again... today there's Samba at Pedra do Sal!