Snapshots Pt. V

Tomorrow is four months in Brazil.

-I think if living here has improved me in any one way it's that I'm now a mentally stronger person. I'm less afraid of the unknown. More adventurous. I feel like I could now move to basically any place in the world and make it work. About once a month I start to think about how cool it would be to live in a place like Mexico City. Two years ago, the thought of visiting Mexico City scared me to death.

-I was always afraid of going places where they don't speak English. While having Dani here to help me translate is huge, please don't ever waste your time with this fear like I did. It's amazing how little a problem it is. Wherever you're going, just learn yes, no, please, thank you and I'm sorry.

-It's surprised me how many old friends I'm seeing here from the outside world. About once a month I get to hang out with someone else who's in town. Before I moved here, I felt like I barely knew anyone who had ever been to São Paulo. I'm not as far from home as I thought.

-If it's not someone I already know, it's amazing how easy it is to find common ground with the other Americans I meet. My new friend John moved here a couple weeks ago. We were introduced by a mutual friend who he met after college and that I grew up four doors down from.

-When John and I went to watch the USA vs. Ghana game, a guy from Minnesota sitting at the table beside us turned out to be a former member of the organization I work for. He's good friends with a member from our Minnesota chapter that I used to have monthly phone calls with. After the game, John and I were talking to a couple from Portland, OR. They knew one of John's friends.

-It's honestly disappointing to talk to a visiting American who doesn't share one of these connections with you. But that doesn't stop me from talking to them. I approach basically anyone I hear with an American accent. Here, we are united.

-As much as I love it here, I'm almost counting the days down till I get to visit home again. The 23rd of the month is always a big day for me because it means I've been here another whole month (I landed Feb 23). It's been four months now. If I woke up tomorrow and it was Feb 23 again, I would have a breakdown. Putting four months together in a place like Brazil is tough. Every time it's the 23rd, I've accomplished something.

-Today is the second day of Winter. It's 72 degrees outside.

-It's been over four months since I last drove a car. I miss walking outside, getting in and just going. I wonder if I'll still be a good driver. I have this recurring fear of returning home and going out for my first drive. I go from my parents' house to the entrance of their neighborhood. I want to stop at the stop sign, but I can't remember what to do. I just stomp the floorboard with my foot. The car rolls out into oncoming Franconia Road traffic. I think about this almost every day.

-I don't miss the endless expenses associated with having a car. Not for one second.

-When it comes to moving money around to pay the rent and bills, I've got two main options. The first is to wire it to Dani's account using a money transfer service. It's cheap to do, but the transfer company takes a decent bite through the exchange rate. The other is to take money out from the ATM and move it, in person, to the bank. The max withdrawal amount here is much lower than the US, so you have to do this over the course of several days, paying a convenience charge each time.

-This month was the first (and last) time we went the ATM route. Few things get the heart beating like carrying a couple thousand dollars in cash down the street in Brazil. This was not something we just went out and did. I spent a lot of time beforehand planning how best to execute it. It's the most I've ever felt like a drug dealer.

May I recommend a similar plan if you ever find yourself in this position.

1. Put a fraction of the money in your wallet.
2. Take your bank/credit card out of your wallet and hide it somewhere else. I put mine in my shoe.
3. Get a greasy paper lunch bag or a raggedy grocery bag. Cover the money and throw it in.
4. Put something disgusting in the bag. I went with a half-eaten, browning banana.
5. Hold the bag in one hand and a can of Coke in the other.
6. If robbed, drop the bag and Coke and hand over the wallet.
7. Pick up the real money and get to moving.

-I'm never running around this country again with that kind of cash on hand. Just having it in my house made me lose sleep.