São Paulo Update

Ok, here is my update with all the crap I am supposed to be doing this week while I am here:

1. Register with Policia Federal - All permanent residents must register with the federal police. They basically collect all the same information as the visa application. I have a feeling this is going to be a royal pain to accomplish. Adamo called several times to figure out what documents I needed to register and was repeatedly told I just need 2 passport-type photos (only a little smaller) and my visa with copies. Nothing could ever be that simple! When we arrived at the police station, I about had a heart attack: the room was filled with people waiting. But, apparently the room is used for many different purposes and when we got into the right line, there were only 2 people in front of us. As I said before, I am staying with one of Adamo's friends, who is fluent in English. He translated for me what the officer was telling me: I need a copy of EVERY page in my passport that has any stamp or document on it, the original or a certified copy of Adamo's RNE (a Brazilian ID card), payment of R$124,23 and R$64,58, 2 photos, their application form filled out, and my visa application form. I happened to have every one of those things except Adamo's document. So, we are spending more money for him to Fed-Ex the document to me overnight, which amounts to about 4 days. That leaves me only Wednesday and Thursday to register since I am leaving Thursday night. Unfortunately, if I do not register, I will not be allowed to come back into the country. Ugh...
2. Get my CPF card: This is the equivalent of a SS card in the US. I applied for this at the consulate and they assured us that it was relatively simple to get. It takes about 8 weeks for the number to be ready, then we can go online and look it up. We were able to look up the number with no problem. The instructions to get the actual card is to go into the Banco do Brasil and they will either give the card to me or mail it to me. When we tried to do this, the people at the bank insisted that the government will mail it to me and they don't really have anything to do with it. UHHHHH???? We will see who is correct in a few months... They were nice enough to print the page from their system for me and supposedly I am able to use the paper until I receive my card.
3. Reserve an apartment/flat for us to stay in while in São Paulo: It is very hard to find something here that has both internet and a kitchen and not be super expensive. Adamo gave me a few places to look at, but only one had both an internet connection and a semi-kitchen. It is in an okay area and is not fancy, but it is enough for us for a little while. But, of course there was a hitch: the apartment Adamo called about was available earlier last week, but when I went there, it was not available until July 27th. So, we will be in a smaller room for about 10 days when we get there. Oh well. I did actually get this chore accomplished, so I guess 1 out of 3 is not so bad.