Fantastic Meal at Artefato with Friends from NYC

Fred had to work really late, so I was on my own in Sao Paulo with friends last night from NYC.....big step.  Delicious meal to celebrate Ruben's birthday at Artefato in the Pinheiros neighbord.  Lots of Lychee Caipirinhas!!!

Leandro and Karina

A Delicious White Fish with Spinach and Pumpkin Puree....mmmm

Coffee All Day...An amazing thing

Just finished my first in-person interview to teach Business English!!  It was way more intense than I expected, which is why I rewarded myself afterwards:))

Everywhere you walk there are these cute little coffee shops...my caffeine addiction could very easily go through the roof!  

Lots of Good New Stuff

The big move into the new apartment is this Friday, and I can't wait to finally be living out of a closet, and not a suitcase.

Fred's mom gave me the nicest welcoming gift, a plant that is almost impossible to kill...the leaves are bright green and beautiful

Last night was my first time driving in Sao Paulo, following Fred of course, but it was a big accomplishment.  Driving here is a bit more aggressive, quite similar to NYC, but then again I never drove in NYC.  This can be a walking city when you want to go out to dinner, but you really need to drive in order to get to the gym or work, etc.

Yesterday we had a delicious lunch at a place that made me feel at home

The things you learn when you move abroad

On any normal day, I turn on my computer log into Gmail, Facebook, surf the web, and play my favorite tunes on Pandora.  If I'm really bored, I might go to the CWTV website to catch the latest episode of Gossip Girl or 90210, not to mention my occasional venture over to HULU where I can pretty much watch anything for free.  The things that we take for granted because we have always had a US IP address, but now I fall in a new category.  I've never been technologically savvy, so the other day when in big letters, "This site is not available in your country" came across my screen, I panicked.  How will I survive without these oh so important sites!!!

Everything is in Portuguese, even the command bar on Google.....aaaaaaah, what will I do?  Well, someone out there is making money off people like me, because for $9.95 a month, you can have a US IP address assigned to your computer and it's as if I never left NYC.  A matter a fact, I'm listening to Pandora right now...Life is good.

In case you find yourself traveling out of the country, and you can't live without Gossip Girl and the UES, here's how you can solve all of your problems- https://www.overplay.net/

OUR NEW APARTMENT....I'm so excited!! A real home!!

Let me start by telling you that Fred thought it would be funny and probably smart to manage my expectations about our future living space, so I arrived with the mindset that closet space might be on the limited side, and the shower might be the next best place to hang my clothes.  I was also convinced that we would be storing my bras and underwear in a dresser in the living room.

I practically shed tears of happiness when I saw our apartment.  I've recently nicknamed Fred "Big" because I can compare my experience to the unveiling of Big's gift to Carrie....the closet of all closets.  When she opens the doors to see a shoe rack empty and ready for her Jimmy Choos (of course mine will be Nine West), her dreams come true.  I've been living out of storage units, depending on space under my bed, and purchasing movable garment racks off craigslist for so long, that the thought of having all of my belongings in one place could make me cry, and it did.  I've shared a sneak preview below, but of course there will be many more photos to come:))


Pedroso Alvarenga, 793, 16th Floor
Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo, Brazil

THE CLOSET of ALL CLOSETS

My First Week in Sao Paulo!!!

I'm finally here!!!  I left from Miami International Airport on 11/11/11, arriving in Sao Paulo on Saturday morning, the 12th.  The trip overall was a breeze, but lugging four 70 lb bags and all of my carry-ons through the airport and customs wasn't one of my happiest moments...of course worth every minute because I can't live without my beauty products, shoes, and handbags..

I think any difficulties I had were forgotten when someone named Frederico snuck up behind me at the airport.  At this point I was profusely sweating, and the deodorant I had bought in the airport was no longer living up to its promising words of prevention and protection.  I don't think Fred noticed, or maybe he did, but either way it was so rewarding to finally see him.  Leaving my family, my friends, my work, and my home, NYC, was at this point more real than ever, but I felt oddly calm and very relaxed...not like me...haha.  I think it was my Dad who said to me once, "if you the love the person, and you love spending time with them, then you can make any place work."  I'm on a mission to prove that statement true!!