A Day in the Life of an Expat!

I have to give myself a pep talk before I attempt to drive here. I get sweaty just thinking about it. I would never boast being a good driver anyway, but here, you factor in the motorboys, the street signs all in Portuguese, the traffic, the potholes, safety issues and the general lack of driving rules and it is basically a recipe for disaster. Here is an example of what Sao Paulo traffic looks like:

The motorboys, as they call them here, are always weaving in and out of cars like mosquitoes and it scares me to death! There are no rules with them. I saw one drive in the opposite lane toward on coming traffic and he didn't even move as an oncoming car approached him. He simply moved to the side a bit and continued in the wrong lane to bypass all of the traffic that was built up in the correct one.

That being said, Gracie-girl had to go to the Dentist today. We said a prayer before we got in the car and I put the address in my trusty GPS and off we went. Apparently, I am too vocal about being scared to drive because at one point I caught Grace praying vocally that "Mommy would be safe and not scared!" She actually ended up praying three different times on our journey there and back. Bless her heart!

Everything went great at the dentist. I am actually convinced we have the most darling dentist in all of Brazil. The picture says it all!

The fun began when I stopped for gas after the appointment and realized that I must have dropped my credit card on the street. To make matters worse, my phone was running out of juice and I had to have enough for the GPS on the way home. I called the dentist office to make sure they didn't have it, and that used a lot of battery because they have to search the whole office for someone who speaks English and then I waited for them to search the office for the missing card. After confirming it wasn't there I quickly sent Jordan a text and told him to cancel the credit card and I would call him later to explain after I made it home.

That's when we got lost.

Sometimes the GPS wants me to turn crazy places that don't look safe and by avoiding them, I end up on quite the adventure. All I know is that after driving for a good 10 or 15 minutes I ended up driving right back where I began at the dentist office. I thought about getting out to walk the street and look for my darn credit card, but I felt it was a hopeless cause and I was worried my battery was quickly going to die before I made it home. So after a few more prayers that my phone wouldn't die and we wouldn't die I can thankfully say that we made it! One more Sao Paulo drive under my belt.

On a very happy side note, Jordan called me right when I got home to tell me about an amazing phone call he had received. A random Brazilian business owner called him at work, explaining that he had found a missing credit card on the side of the street. He saw that the credit card said JORDAN MONSON and he took it upon himself to google that name. Out of all the names he found, there was only one Jordan Monson working in GM Brazil. The man called GM headquarters here and asked for Jordan and that is how the two got in contact. Jordan is swinging by on his way home to pick up the card from this guy. I love when negative stereo-types get contradicted. All I have heard since I got here has been the lack of safety and I have built this fear that everyone on the street wants to steal from me. Don't me wrong, I know I have to be careful, but it does my heart some good to remember that kindness is everywhere!

I am loving my experience so far. Brazil has many beauties and most impressive so far are in the hearts if it's people!

Tchau, Tchau!