First Trip to São Paulo

Ok, I have been here before, so it's not really my first trip. I was here when my oldest daughter was about 6 months old; she's turning 8 this year. Where does the time go? But, in Brazil, not much has changed in the 7 years of my absense.

This was a last minute trip, so I didn't have time to plan anything. We weren't ready to move at the time we were supposed to, so we moved the dates into July. The only problem with that is I need to use my visa ASAP or else it won't be valid anymore and I will have to pay for a new one. Adamo booked the trip, and here I am! I got back from Oregon at about 2:00 Tuesday morning and I flew out Thursday morning (after getting crowns put in on Wednesday). Yeah, bit of a rush for packing!

I will be honest and say that I was dreading this trip. Going some where you don't speak the language, without the husband who does, is a little intimidating. I didn't even really get a chance to review the things I learned in Portuguese. While I was sitting at the airport, I realized that I'd forgotten my phrase book. I searched every store in the vacinity, top to bottom, with no luck. I did panic a little after that, since there was no real way for me to review now. My thought was to spend the 8 hours on the plane trying to relearn what my brain forgot in the last month I didn't even touch learning Portuguese. Then I realized that I would be sitting next to someone who invariably knew Portuguese. I was bound and determined to step out of my comfort zone and practice my Portuguese with the poor soul who would be sitting next to me. I figured the person wouldn't mind, since Brazilians like to talk to everyone and don't mind helping when it is needed.

After sitting in my seat, I thought it was strange that the man next to me didn't even say hello. In my mind, I came to the conclusion that maybe he didn't speak English. This, while all around me people are chatting happily away to the strangers next to them. While the flight attendants were passing out drinks and asked in Portuguese what we wanted for our "bebidas", he didn't understand and asked her to speak in English. Great. I was sitting next to the only other person on the plane who did not speak Portuguese! Ok, so no practicing my inferior language skills on the plane for me...

Towards the end of the flight, I got pretty worried and anxious. What if my visa doesn't work? Tourist visas are much more common than permanent resident visas. If I get stopped by customs or immigration, how will I communicate? I'm pretty sure they don't know that much English. I filled out the required customs and immigration forms and had butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Again, the language barrier had me more than concerned.

Immigration was the first stop, even before I got my luggage. I thought it was kind of ironic when the line for "Brasileiros" was a mile long and the "Estrangeiros" was very short. When it was my turn, the woman smiled and told me "Oi" and I handed her my passport. Apparently, the first time you go in with a permanent resident visa, it takes a LONG time to type things in! I was watching all the other people in my line fly right through while she is typing and clicking on her computer. I got a little worried, but she didn't seem to be, so I tried not to panic. Then, she gave me my passport and I was on my way.

At the luggage carousel, Brazilian Machismo was putting on a show. A passenger was in the middle of a screaming match with one of the airline workers. I think he was upset at the way his bag was handled; I thought it was pretty funny. My bags came out after a few minutes, and I was on my way to customs. This was the part I really dreaded. I have heard horror stories about the officers going through your clothes and charging you for anything new. Since I had my laptop, I was already over the "new" limit. But, I handed my form to the woman working at the desk and she waved my through.

Luckily, I am staying with my husband's friend and his wife. He speaks English, and she can get by with what she knows. They were there and waiting for me, so there were no incidents in the airport with my having to try to use my suckish Portugues. They have been extremely accomodating and have been driving me around to do all the bureaucratic crap I have to do on my first visit. More on that adventure later...