Brunching like an Expat

Yesterday I went to a fabulous brunch at a fellow expat's place. I have to say, one of my favorite parts of being an expat is brunch! It's a tradition a bit lost with Brazilians although they already do pretty nice breakfasts down here in the first place.

I think the real problem is that Brazilians are obsessed with lunch. They just can't go a day without sitting some time between 1 and 4 pm for a large meal. It would be sacrilegious for them. 

Us foreigners understand the beauty of the brunch. It's breakfast and lunch combined! Where can you go wrong with that? And brunches always showcase the best from each contributor. 

Here a tradition was created somewhere along the line that the host provides a large base and each guest brings a nice additional item to pick at. It usually comes in the form of some really good bread from a hard to find French-style bakery or a pastry that takes far too long to make for anything other than special occasions.  

My absolute favorite comes from the kitchen of Becoming Brazilian. She makes this ridiculously amazing spinach, salmon, and cream cheese roll thing. Of course it's completely homemade and makes my tongue scream like a... let's just say in a very NC-17 way. 

Anyway, it was a wonderful way to spend our day off! Not only did I get to spend time with friends and their families, I also got to meet some new fellow foreigners. There were people from everywhere. It felt like we were at a UN meeting or a Carnival Cruise or something! 

And I am already reading some of the minds out there. Yes, I like to hang out with my fellow expats. While having our Brazilian circle is wonderful, it is also nice to hang out with families like our own. It is a chance for all these traveling and bi/tri -lingual children to chat with others like them. Us parents get to talk about all the kinds of things we adults talk about as well as all thing fellow expats discuss.

Finally it seems that I have my yin and yang, my expat and Brazilian friends. We were a bit heavy on the yang there.  And while you can never go wrong with yang, a little yin is much appreciated. 

Party House: Noise like nothing else

The Menace doing his thing on the dance floor

I'm sure some of you are thinking that I'm talking about something cool like a baile funk (funk dance) or a new Rio de Janeiro club. Have you all forgotten that I have 2 children under 5 years of age?

These days my parties are ones that include balloons, even more obnoxious music than electronic, and plenty of screaming children.

I went to one of these parties last night and it was a good one as far as party house parties go. You see, here in Brazil you can rent a house that is fully pimped out to be a kid's dream and a parent's nightmare. It's like sugar and noise on crack. Honestly, I don't know what I would do with myself if they didn't serve beer in these places. Better idea yet, Valium cocktails for parents upon entry!

But the kiddos love it. Hell, what isn't to love. You can jump on everything, climb on everything, all snacks are fried or full of sugar, there are video games, and costumes are almost required. Not to mention the super lame loud children's music, 300 other kids to play with, and plenty of opportunities to lose your parents and freak them the hell out.

I have to say that I secretly do love these parties. While I lament with the other parents, I feel like a big kid while there. I eat absolutely everything. You know when you are choosing your hor d'oeuvres from the waiter's tray and you see an arm dart in, grab something, and disappear? Well, that is my arm. I am that person. It's sad, I know.

Basically you show up at these parties with empty tummies and excited children. You leave said party with exhausted children, a slight beer buzz, a goodie bag, and full tummies (aka. no dinner preparations necessary that night). Not to mention the fact that you get to mingle with other parents as the children are fully occupied.

This girl right here gives Rio de Janeiro party houses a thumbs up as fun for the whole family!
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FYI: I was interviewed by a cool fellow expat Mummy in Provence and she posted it today. Go check it out: http://www.mummyinprovence.com/having-baby-brazil

Are you American?

I just met a fellow American at the grocery store. I was perusing the pasta selection when I finished my cell phone call and heard an "excuse me." You learn as an expat in a non-English speaking country that when you hear English at close range it is usually being directed at you, the foreigner. This little fact also makes me quite rude in Portuguese as the person has to say it about 3 times before my head wakes up and I turn around. 

Anyway, I turned and there was a friendly American face. "Hi, are you American?" 

Me: "Actually I am." 

Funny enough, this was the second time I had this same conversation today in my neighborhood (and no I do not live in Leblon or Ipanema). 

So we exchanged expat pleasantries of "what brought you here?" and "How do you like it?" Of course a few minutes had passed and we were heading in different shopping directions. I had my eyes on the leafy greens and he was headed towards the bananas. It was time to part ways. We said a quick nice to meet you and went about our way. 

Strangely enough, I felt like I owed this new acquaintance more than that. It actually crossed my mind that maybe it was rude that I didn't suggest we exchange emails or something.

What the hell is that? Just because he's American? Why would I feel a hint of responsibility to stay in touch just because a person is from my Motherland?

But there is a sense of automatic connection when you meet someone from your country, though it is not full proof. I must admit that I have adapted enough to where I have muttered "annoying American" to Mr. Rant on occasion. That being said, I still have a lot of my annoying American traits as well. What can I say, you can take the girl out of the trailer but you can't take the trailer out of the girl!

Did I just compare the US to a trailer park? I think that's a sign that I should be logging off now.