My noiva is sleeping right now so I have some time to write to the list.
It has been a great time so far. We are very compatilble in our domestic lifestyles.
I want to briefly share some of her thoughts about south Florida and the US in general, as well as some of my own observations.
When Hoda got married he told us to be very aware of the difference between our version of "clean" and a Latina's versin of "clean". HE WASN"T JOKING!!!!!!!! It has gotten to the point where this morning, not only did she clean my porch landing she cleaned the next-door neighbor's too!!!!
Despite being from northeast Brazil where it is very warm all year round, she is finding the Miami area way too hot! And the sun way too bright!
The thunderstorms have unnerved her. Almost like clockwork, thunderstorms roll into south Florida almost daily between 3 and 6 pm. She says they don't have them like this in Brazil. In the first major one into her trip, the storm was right over us. You could hear the lightening ionizing, or whatever it does, the air. The thunder came immediately and rattled the windows. She was putting her hair in curlers at the time and came RUNNING to where I was. "What is happening?!?!?! What is happening?!?!?!?!?!" Today while driving, we saw lightening bolts go from the sky to the ground. She asked if people get struck by lightening. I had to say sometimes since a few days ago a Miami Dophins practice was stopped due to lightening strikes and today another person was struck by lightening.
American foods and beverages taste bad to her. They have little to no flavor and are too sweet. At a Brazilian restaurant we went to she complained to me that this wasn't real Brazilian food. She called the manager over and spoke with him. She told that the manager knows the food is bad but can't find good cooks. So what he serves is Americanized Brazilian food.
She finds that people dress badly here, especially the women.
The shopping we have done will take up 10 long posts! "Kid in a candy store" has new meaning for me! At an electronics and appliances store "BrandsMart" she found all kinds of things she wanted to buy for herself, her family, her friends, etc. She says that electronic things in Brazil are 3-5 times the US price and with less variety. The prices of food in grocery stores are much higher here than in Brazil. She wanted to go to some "second-hand" stores. We went to some thrift shops yesterday and today and it was like she went to heaven. She was overjoyed to find lots of good clothing and rock bottom prices. Today we spent 3 HOURS (!!!!) in ONE Salvation Army store. The reason she went to bed early today is because she tired herself out trying on so many clothes!
We went to a Brazilian church service in the Pompano Beach area of Florida, where there is a sizeable Brazilian community. She enjoyed it tremendously and I was impressed with how warmly we were accepted by regulars. Several people approached us and welcomed us to the church. Others who were returning were also very warmly greeted. There was lots of hugging and embracing before the service started.
I thought I would have problems with guys looking at my fiancee, but I did not. Very few guys ogled her in an obvious fashion. Many did so discreetly. But it was a different story with the women! We went to some malls and stores like Macy's, JC Penney, Dillard's etc. There, the other women customers checked her out like I did not exist. They looked her up and down, at her hair, then at each, then back at her and up and down again. It was mostly the younger women that did this. The older, over 60, women treated her very well. One even called her "sweetheart" when squeezing around her to get to the next rack of clothes.
This Sunday we go to visit with my family.
I will post a more complete account in a week or so.
