It’s hard to believe we are back. I’m sorry for not posting but once we returned “home” to Arraial D’ajuda in late May we slipped into a normal routine of capoeira, beach, pool and home school. June did bring friends from home. This was an amazing adventure that I never thought I would have in my life. We are so lucky we had this chance.

Below are pictures from our last month in Brazil, which included a trip to Chapada Diamantina, the Grand Canyon of Brazil. But first:

Top 10 Things I Won’t Miss About Brazil

10. Stairs- I never saw a stairwell that had same-sized steps. Not to mention, there were random steps everywhere that we stubbed our toes on.

9. The Rainy Season- We did get caught in Bahia’s wet season. With no clothes dryers it’s an extra bummer.

8. They Don’t Like to Say No- This can lead to some weird responses. Once we ordered french fries and instead of saying no, they said “We’ll go buy some potatoes right now.”

7. Roads- Infrastructure sucks . I drove the crazy loops of Brasilia, hours on dirt roads in Bahia and even the stop-and-go of Rio de Janeiro. It all sucked.

6. Pedestrians- I can say the same for NYC, though

5. Things Manufactured in Brazil- we just found stuff to be poorly made. This does not apply to hand-made things.

4. Bats (and monkeys) in the Belfry- In two of our homes we had these critters living between our roof and ceiling. They do not make for a good night sleep considering they are nocturnal.

3. Dinner taking forever. No such thing as “turn and burn” here. G-d forbid you come to a restaurant hungry.

2. Finish what you start- Not really a priority in Bahia.

1. Lack of Foresight- The biggest flaw we could find in Brazilian culture was a lack of foresight. It was evident everywhere. Classic example: We asked a friend why all bathrooms seem to be a step up from the floor they were on. He said it was to make room for the pipes for plumbing. I replied that we build the plumbing into the building in the U.S. His response was, “Oh, here they don’t plan for plumbing when building.”

Top 10 Things I will Miss About Life Brazil

10. Speaking Portuguese- Though I have a limited vocabulary and probably only comprehended 30% of what I heard, I really enjoyed the challenge and success of communicating in another language. By the end I could even be funny!

9. In most restaurants everything was made fresh. We ate so little processed food. Specific foods that will be missed:

• Super Paletas- The best filled-ice cream pops in the world
• Quejo Coalho- Our favorite beach food. Cheese stick heated over coals with oregano and molasses.
• Coconut Water and Açai- Two great ways to cool off and recharge
• Fresh Juice- It’s cheap and plentiful in so many flavors. Watermelon, Strawberry, Passion Fruit, Lime, Pineapple, Orange and fruits that you’ve never heard from.

8. Letting my kids go outside to play unsupervised. The only time in my life I’ve had that luxury since we live in NYC. Not to mention that with less T.V. my kids were SO MUCH more creative. They made most of their toys. They also became more brave and adventurous.

7. Laid-back Bahia- I got used to not being rushed and trusting everything will happen in time.

6. Living on the Beach- Do I have to explain?

5. Taking walks in town at night down charming cobblestone streets with my loved ones.

4. Samba in Rio- I fell in love with the music. Samba especially, but good Forro and Bossa Nova are always welcome.

3. Being together as a family. We rode some big ups and downs, but we are so much closer. One day the kids will not want to be seen in public with us so when that happens we’ll fondly remember this time.

2. Brazilians- Almost everyone is so friendly and helpful. Brazilians can be such generous people. They welcomed us into their homes, made us food, gave us things we needed, stopped to help call a motorcycle to drive up a hiking trail to get April who broke her toe. We made some wonderful friends (although that included Italians and Australians).

1. Wearing a Sunga- I get it now. It’s so comfortable.

In June we had a visit from the Hays family.

Sidney turned 10.

Then the Sadovniks visited us for our last two weeks. We went to Chapada Diamantina together.