A view from above...with our favorite Brazilians!

Yesterday, Jonathan and I ate lunch with Jaedino. At the payment counter, there were various options of candy you could purchase. A particular type of candy in Brazil caught my eye:


Notice the Halls?

While we Americans usually only use Halls when we have a sore throat, in Brazil, it is considered candy! As we walked out of the restaurant, Jonathan asked Jaedino what this was:


Nectar do Cerrado (Reserva)

Walking into certain restaurants, you will find Nectar do Cerrado (a.k.a. Cachaça) available for you to drink (for free). This is a type of clear whiskey made from sugar cane; people drink it before eating to open the senses and stimulate the appetite. By opening your senses, the flavors of the food will be more pronounced in your mouth. I didn't drink any of it because it smelled like tequila, and we didn't want a floor of vomit, but Jonathan drank some of it after we ate:


Jaedino and Jonathan

In the afternoon, we viewed a new apartment for us to move into. The place we have been for the past week is definitely a roof over our head, but after speaking with Jonathan's co-workers and other Brazilians we have met, everyone agreed that we could probably find a more accommodating and spacious flat for us.

A little background...

Before we arrived in Uberlandia, the group had run into a little trouble finding apartments that were furnished; the majority of the places here are unfurnished, much like the U.S. Hence, they set us up with the best place they could find for the time being that had furniture in the rooms. Once we arrived on Saturday, Mariana, a co-worker you will hear us speak of often, became our little angel from God! She took on the task of trying to find us a new place.

You're not going to believe how blessed we are: Mariana was able to find an apartment that a tenant lived in for a few months, and then abruptly moved out of the city -- leaving the majority of his/her furniture behind! When we walked through the doors of our new place, this is what we saw:

Kitchen



I love this table!



Dining area (see the Twin Towers?)



Living area and balcony



Living room TV



Balcony view of Uberlandia



Another view

The new apartment has three bedrooms, two full baths and two half-baths, a pool, gated garage parking, and all of the above awesomeness! Mariana found it for practically the same price as the basic one bedroom we are currently staying in. So, you can definitely live in luxury in Brazil for a FRACTION of what it would cost in the U.S.

Once we were done at the apartment, we went to a few stores to buy sheets, pillows, blankets, etc. for our bedroom. I called Mariana to pass on our thanks and praises for working so hard to find the apartment (Jonathan told her he was going to kiss her ;)). She asked if we wanted to grab drinks later, and of course we said yes!

I am going to take a minute to try and explain just how pleasant Brazilians are. In America, it seems we are so quick to lose patience with foreigners because they do not speak our language; but here, they want to help you. They want to learn English, so they want to talk to you! And they are so patient -- so very patient. The people are the friendliest group we have ever been around, and they want to show you the best they have to offer and share their culture with you, especially if you are willing to take it all in. In fact, Mariana asked me and Jonathan to spend Christmas with her and her family, which just completely touched our hearts. Brazilian hospitality seriously seems to be endless.

If it were not for Jaedino, Mariana (and her sister, Renata), and Nathalia (who you will meet in a moment), our experience in Brazil so far would have been empty. Completely empty.

Last night, we met Mariana and Nathalia for drinks. Nathalia is also a Dow employee. She drove to Moji Morim with Jaedino to pick us up last week, so she and I spent five hours in a vehicle together laughing and sharing our languages and their important words!



Me, Nathalia and Mariana

Brazilian beer is very good (the country is the world's fourth largest market for beer). Our favorites at the moment are Brahma and Antarctica Original, which you may be able to tell that we quite enjoyed ;):

Me and Jonathan (my heart)

 I feel like I say this at the end of every post, but this was yet another busy and wonderful day! It's great to enjoy friends that you never knew you'd meet, even while you miss the ones at home.