Truth in Advertising

I saw this ad on a bus stop the other day:
"Homens cuidado: sapato feio afasta mulher."
A loose translation: "Caution, men! Ugly shoes send women running in the other direction!"

Not the floor!

I went to CCBB today to see the new exposition -- "Drawing since the 15th Century" -- and it showcased drawings, etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, and silkscreens from several well-known artists.
While I was in the restroom, I noticed something. Let me start with a little cultural info. Here in Brasil it's NOT acceptable to set your purse on the floor. In Copacabana and the more touristy areas, putting your purse on the floor/ground at a restaurant means you're available and looking to get paid for the night. Besides that, I think it has something to do with how dirty the ground is here, even though the streets do get cleaned. With that said, even though the stall door may not lock or shut just right, you'll damn sure have a hook to hang your purse on!

A mix of cultures

I realized today that it's been quite awhile since I have written anything. I have been exhausted (it's been HOT here) and have had my friend Amy in town. She used to live here and we were roomies and she's back in the US. She was in town for a wedding; see if you can keep up.
Ramu is of Indian descent and lives in Atlanta. 2 years ago, he came to visit his friend (also from Atlanta) who lives here. Jeremy (the friend) met my roommate because their grandmothers know each other. She had introduced him to several of our friends from one particular church. While Ramu was here, we all got together (the 2 guys, their other friend, Amy, myself, and our friends from this church) and he met Veronica. Two months later, Ramu came back to Brasil to visit Jeremy and to surprise Veronica on her birthday. She figured out that he was really interested in pursuing her. Veronica came to the US last year and they got married in September. They came down here last week to have the "church" ceremony and to include her family in the whole mix (his family is in Atlanta). They are having an Indian-style reception (without the religious part, since Ramu and Veronica are both Christians) in Atlanta in April.
His mom, stepdad, brother, and sister-in-law (in addition to several friends) got to come down here for the wedding, and it was so much fun. His family is definitely Indian (and all are practicing Hindus), and I was thinking about how much fun God is to have contrived such a story for 2 people from 2 different countries to get together. I also thought about how wonderful it was for his family to both get to come down here and be so supportive of the wedding. You never know how 2 cultures will mix, but their families seem to get along wonderfully and Ramu's family will definitely take care of Veronica now that she is away from her own.

Mad language skills

I have been back in country for almost 5 months and I just realized something today.
Every time I meet someone new (especially a sweet little old lady), they always tell me how great my Portuguese is. Before I even say 2 words. It makes me smile.

Happy Birthday, Rio!

Today is the anniversary of the official founding of Rio de Janeiro (the city, not the state). It was founded in 1565 by Estácio de Sá (a Portuguese knight). The city's full name is São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, combining the name of King Sebastian (of Portugal, of course) with the name that the first settlers gave it.
Rio was the capital of Brasil from 1763 (when it was moved from Salvador) to 1960 (when it was moved to Brasília). It was also the capital of the Portuguese empire from 1808 to 1822, when the Portuguese royal family moved to Brasil to get away from Napoleon.
Many famous Brasilians are from Rio. Can you guess any?

(Thanks to wikipedia for the info)