Brazilian Summer is Here

Announcement!

Our entire family got bikes! This was the first time that we have ever ridden non-rented bikes as a family!

Top 3 Moments

Fred: Christmas & New Years celebration, going on bike rides when the city was empty, and Rachel’s birthday.

Rachel: Going on bike rides, staying at the beach for a few days, and trying a new seafood restaurant for her birthday.

Caleb: Getting a bike for Christmas, going to a beach with HUGE waves (I wiped out like 20 times), joining an indoor soccer team!

Naomi: Going on bike rides, going to the beach, and going to a seafood restaurant. I don’t even like seafood but they had rice, chicken, and French fries. Plus, we sat next to the window of an amazing view of a a sea inlet (it looked like really big lake).

Joanna: Getting Christmas presents, going to a farm, and going to the beach.

Here are some things that we didn’t mention in our top 3 moments.

The farm we visited was in a city that was in the mountains (Campo Alegre). It was raining that day and so it felt like we were driving into the clouds. It was pretty awesome.

After the farm we went to a really cool waterfall. People are actually allowed to swim in the water at the bottom of the waterfall. We were the only ones there but we couldn’t swim because it was raining.

Culture

Because pedestrians have the right of way here, a lot of people here think they can walk across the street WHENEVER they want. For example, when we were driving to the mall, a random guy just walked out into the street out of nowhere. He was looking at his phone and a car was a few feet away from hitting him! (It wasn’t our car, I promise)

Vocabulary & Phrases

How to say “Really Cold” and “Really Hot”

“Really Cold” is “Muito Frio” (Mooi-tu Free-oo)

“Really Hot” is “Muito Quente” (Mooi-tu Kien-chee)

Interesting Facts

Let me tell you about a Brazilian bank heist that happened in our state. It sounds like something out of a movie. It happened in December of 2020 (I guess they were that desperate for money to buy Christmas presents). These guys had 10 vehicles, were heavily armed and very organized. They blocked roads and tunnels, set cars on fire, used hostages as shields, and used explosives to access the safe. Two hours later when they drove off, they left money in the streets to cause confusion and draw attention away from them. This worked because people started getting in on the action and stealing the stolen (left behind) money. It was never said how much money they stole, but police were able to recover $300,000 Reais (about $60k US dollars) from the money in the streets. So it is safe to say they kept a whole lot more to themselves. The rumor is it is somewhere between $80-$125 million Reais, which is about $15-$25 million US dollars.

Our New Year’s Resolutions

Fred: Instead of New Year's resolutions, he chooses a word of the year. This year his word is prudence.

Rachel: Become fluent in Portuguese and keep and maintain a good schedule.

Caleb: Become perfectly fluent in Portuguese (better than my dad!).

Naomi: Learn how to crochet (a type of sowing.)

Joanna: Learn how to ride a bike with no training wheels.