I know Rio de Janeiro doesn't get that cold. I really truly get that. I mean, when I see the children wearing ski-caps, scarves, and hooded jackets in this city I wonder what they would ever do if they were shipped off to Norway.
But it has gotten chilly for a Rio de Janeiro winter and that, in an of itself, has turned my apartment into a refrigerator. I am not lying here people, I live in the crisper.
It's just that apartments here are not made for windy and breezy weather. They don't hold in warmth for a second. Obviously architects had to choose between cool for the summer and warm for the winter. Which is the greater of two evils.
So as I scoot around in my US Christmas jammies and sock slippers, I remind myself that my house is nice and cool come January. Well, as cool as an non air-conditioned place can be.
And I make a little promise to myself to have those damn windows changed to good ones. Ones that are not from the 60s and allow in a draft strong enough to be considered a breeze. Then again, once summer rolls around I love that air still gets in when the windows are closed because of the summer rain.
Oh well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find myself a blanket to curl up with.
My father was british and lived in several places around the world, including Rio. He always said that the time he felt most cold in his life was in Rio. The windows wouldnt close properly, he didnt have blankets or covers, and he just sat there feeling really really cold! xx
ReplyDeleteHomes in Italy are the same. I wasn't hardly there in the fall/winter timeframe, but my mom and Leah were quite cold from the marble floors and not-so-great windows, when it really wasn't all that cold outside. Now, Italy isn't right on the equator like Rio is, so I imagine it gets a tad colder....
ReplyDeleteI'm reading your post with the sweat running down my face. It's hot here in Moldova right now, but not too bad, but I did just sit down from exercising in a non-airco'd room. If only we could email each other ten or 15 degrees ;) but I don't believe they have an ap for that (yet).
ReplyDeleteLoved that photo of the baby in the fridge.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Christmas jammies, it's a freaking "scorcher" in New England today, we are melting alive, our old little houses have no A/C either :(
We are not equiped for this kind of weather up here.
The last time I was in Rio I was cold too, my brother insisted in driving us to the small beach south of Barra, the one with a small mountain right in front of it, and the sun was already behind the mountain and the water was freezing. I couldn't believe we all had purple lips and were shrivering from the cold wind.
Ray
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteGil just told me there is a "FROST" warning for all the mountains of Rio, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo for tonight!!!
So, get your blankies ready, it's going to be a cold night for you guys. :)
Ray
Frost warning?! There goes buying "American" broccoli for under R$6 for the next couple of months
ReplyDeleteHA. You most often find me in MY US Christmas jammies as well!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, I have been following you casually for over a month now and I thought it was time to break the ice :) I am also married to a carioca, however we are based in the UK. Summer should be at the doors now, but our termometers is registering the same 15/16 degrees that you guys have in Rio, how is that for a summer?!...Anyway, it was during one of this many moments of down, in which we think "OK, F**K IT let's sell everything and move to Rio!" that I stumbled on your blog. I love it, it's funny, it's canny and it's never dull.
ReplyDeleteGod help us!
ReplyDeleteWe had 97 degrees in Boston yesterday and we are not equiped for this kind of weather.
:(
Hi Adriana! Glad you like it!
ReplyDeleteSummer here is HOT like 100 degrees and you are inside or hiding away from noon to 3 pm. But it's not too bad. I love having an early day out and being mellow in the afternoon.
SO are you guys seriously thinking about moving back?
Not really, at least not for now...I am Italian and I would miss not being able to go home 3/4 times a year as we do now. We also have a baby and I think my mother would never allow me to take HER nephew so far from the family (think Braziliam MIL :)...but it is always nice to have a plan that can lift the spirit on rainy days :)))
ReplyDelete