House Hunters International Edition

  Having spent almost two weeks in Macaé, we are starting to get a better handle of what we are in store for in our new environment; and, the reality of the situation is that life is Brazil is going to be a HUGE adjustment for us. Recently, I read in an online article where it mentioned that it is common for expats to experience (4) phases of reactions towards a new living environment: 1. Honeymoon 2. Irritation to Anger 3. Rejection and 4. Adjustment. It is safe to say that we skipped right over the "Honeymoon" phase...

  The whole house-hunting process didn't live up to the hype. We were only given the option of selecting between three places, as these were the only properties available from the company's inventory of contracted housing. While I was hoping for a dwelling with a little more charm and character that we are accomstomed to in Louisiana; nevertheless, we think the place we selected will help us to ease the transition.

  Enough blabbering.  Below is what everyone has been waiting for...pictures of the house-hunting trip and our house-hunting vehicle--enjoy!

This was our "house-hunting vehicle". 

Jason got a kick out of this ride...  I on the other hand, didn't find it to funny as I had to get in and out of this truck in a dress.

Option #1: Three bedroom high-rise condo with beautiful ocean view

Pros: The wooden floors, gorgeous view of the beach, pool and workout facilities, and easy access to the beach and seaside restaurants
Cons: Small rooms, no green space, and not much room for our furniture from home

Kitchen and dining areas

The bonus/office room was a plus

Master

Beach view

Option #2: Three bedroom/three and half bath shower house with spacious floor plan on gated and guarded street

Pros: Larger square footage, large master walk-in closet, outdoor kitchen, green space, neighborhood pool, loft/office space, safe area, and open floor plan downstairs
Cons: No bathtub, dated kitchen, small laundry space

Outdoor kitchen and shower

Kitchen minus the fridge and freezer

View of the living area from the loft.  The company has been storing furniture and appliances here; hence, the clutter below.



TV room

Master bedroom

Option #3 Three bedroom house with bonus room and nice green space

Pros: Private gated street with security guard, wooden floors upstairs, and a nice yard
Cons: Smaller living area and bedrooms

Laundry room - Ensco provides appliances, but we were advised it is best to bring American-made if possible because the Brazilian products aren't with the same quality control.

Master bedroom

Kitchen

Living room, which is in desperate need of a painting

The backyard

Jason was very fond of the outdoor grill

Both of the houses above are located in a gated and guarded area known as Vivendas da Gloria.  As an added bonus, there is also a community pool entertainment facility for residents at the end of the street.

  Which option do you think we selected?? In the end we went with option #2. The three bedroom house has more of an open floor plan, large master bedroom with double sinks in the bath and a spacious walk-in closet. The company has even agreed to have a bathtub installed (that was a deal sealer for me). It should take about a month to complete the tub installation and have the rest of the house cleaned. We can also have the interiors painted to colors of our liking, so I am already thinking that I will have plenty of painting projects to keep me occupied!

  In the meantime, we will head back to the States in the next week or two to pick up our permanent visas in Houston and ready our belongings to be shipped to Brazil. It is estimated that our container will take anywhere from 8-10 weeks to arrive in Brazil and clear customs. I am sure once we settle into the house, it won't take us long to move on to Phase 4. We hope so!

Tenha uma ótima semana!

Blogging from Brazil

Oi! (One of the few words in Portuguese I know...)

  So our new adventure in Brazil began Monday.  Departing from New Orleans Sunday evening, we arrived in Rio early Monday morning by way of Houston. I must say that the 10-hour flight from Houston is a much easier flight than the long, arduous one to Singapore. Not to mention, there is only a 2-hour time difference between Louisiana and Macaé, so we should not have a problem with jet-lag. The only downsides of the trip were the long wait to clear customs and the 3-hour drive to Macaé from Rio. Fortunately the drive seemed to pass quickly as our English-speaking driver, Marcello enlightened us on the Brazilian culture and answered a slew of questions we had about the area.

  Today we were taken on a tour of Macaé. Our guide, Maria took us around to the hospitals, shopping markets, residential areas, a Catholic church, Wal-Mart (Wally-World may be our saving grace!), the oil and gas area, seaside restaurants, and schools. Maria helped to ease our minds about some initial concerns and shared many insights about living in this part of the world.

  Tomorrow, Jason heads to the office to meet his new colleagues and learn more about his position.  So, I plan to spend some time learning Portuguese; and,  if I get brave enough, I may venture out.  Thursday is a house-hunting day for us, thus, we are both axnious to a find a suitable house and neighborhood as this may be home for the next few years. 

  Riding from the airport to Macaé on Monday, it became quite evident that the lifestyle we were accustomed to in Singapore would be a far cry from the life we will have in Brazil. Jason pretty much summed up our thoughts when he leaned over and jokingly remarked, "Alaina, we aren't in Kansas anymore!" Though Singapore probably spoiled us in many ways, Jason and I agreed that we would keep an open mind. And so, aside from the language barriers and primitive ways here (yes, we did see a few donkey-drawn carriages during our tour of the city today), the beaches are nice; the weather is tropical and breezy; the food has been tasty; and the locals have been most pleasant. While adjusting to our new way of life and surroundings may prove to be a challenge, I am sure in time we will grow to love Macaé and all it has to offer. If nothing else, this assignment has already made us appreciate the American way of life that much more!

We will keep you posted on the house-hunting adventure on Thursday...so stay tuned!

Drive-by view of Rio on Monday.  Due to the haze I was not able to catch a glimpse of the Christ the Redeemer statue

View of Macaé from our hotel



The building in the background is the Ensco office

Fish market

Houses like the one above and below are typical residences for expat living.



Duck Season Started A Little Early

  This past weekend Jason and I made the trek west to Dallas, along with the other 80,000 some-odd members of the traveling Tiger Nation to watch the LSU football team play its season opener against the Oregon Ducks in what was dubbed as the "Cowboy Classic".  While the the game lived up to the hype, the new grandiose Dallas Cowboy stadium, along with its larger-than-life jumbotron, were equally impressive.  I think we both spent more time watching the game from the jumbotron, rather than the action down on the field.   A convincing Tiger victory was the perfect ending to a fun week. 

  On Wednesday, Jason and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with dinner in New Orleans and Thursday we traveled on to Houston to pick up our New Zealand trophies, which only took four months to arrive and clear Customs (that process in itself is a lesson learned, but I will spare you the details).  For all the driving we seemed to do this past week(end), it sure beat staying at home and watching it rain. 

  Speaking of Mother Nature, our trip home on Sunday was forced into a slight detour as drought-stricken areas of eastern Texas were ravaged by raging wildfires.  So much so, that portions of I-20 East were closed for an extended period of time; thus, an 8 hour drive home turned into a 10+ hour crawl through the country roads.  In one such rural county which we came upon, black smoke could be seen billowing in the sky for miles.  As we approached this area,  the scenes were heartbreaking for the people whose homes were in the path of the fire.  All we could do was pull over and say a few prayers for these poor people.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims of these fires.

Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so below are a few photos taken from our phones.



The JUMBOtron!

LSU Marching Band from Tigerland!

Standing in front of Cowboy Stadium before kickoff


 

The ESPN/SI pre-game activities were the perfect escape from the blistering Dallas heat!

 

Brazil Update:  FINALLY, we have a departure date--this Sunday!  Jason and I will fly from New Orleans to Houston and then on to Rio.  From there we have a three hour drive to Macae.  We will keep you posted on this adventure...ha!

Also, a special shout-out to my hubby who celebrates his 31st birthday tomorrow.  Happy Birthday J!