Boy Toys

March 11, 2013

Hosted in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the city of Sao Paulo which happens to be separated from the second largest favella in the area by two wide lanes. The dichotomy of Brasil.

The Disney Channel is on in the apartment all the time and the shows are in English so the children hear the language and learn to pronounce words correctly. Or as good as an animated figure can generate! The boys whine when I speak in Portuguese and ask me to switch to English I assume so they can practice. The little one, who is two, complains the most. He seems to understand everything I say and yet doesn’t respond in English often. It is difficult to explain to them that I prefer to speak in Portuguese while I am in their country, even if it is far from perfect!

The shopping mall “mom” took me to after her short shift at work (she is a Administrative Assistant for a one-man realty show) is close by. We meander the relatively empty Center with paid parking, take the time to eat a flaky palmetto torte and have a rip-my-guts-out cup of sugar with coffee. “Mom” insists I place my slim purse gripped on my lap as we sit to chat. As most malls around the world, the prices are outrageous. We jump from shop to shop searching for the perfect backpack purse for my daughter. I shoot photos of one I thought she would like to attach to an email her this evening.

While we are in a chatchkey jewelry store, “mom” tells the story of a robber who broke into her house thru the electronic gate (the street guard, like Sergeant Schultz knows “Nothing, nothing!”) The family jewels were swiped, along with dollars she was saving for her daughter’s trip to D.C. She described the designers and types of stones and cut to the three wide-eyed clerks with skin-tight tops. Because of this horrific experience, “mom” no longer purchases genuine precious stones, it makes her ill to think of what she lost. A lot of the pieces were handed down from her grandmother, snatched in the rush to leave the country in a panic.

I share my own sad tale of being robbed in our Port Townsend home then having generous friends anonymously replace some of the cash, slipped it in my purse during a meeting which I only discovered when I returned home. I cried in gladness and for my close friends compassion and generosity. I believe “mom” understood my story or perhaps the glazed look isn’t in sympathy!

The vampire shop clerks race to greet us at the entryway of each store hoping for a sale. The minimum wage here is R$755 ($1.962 less in today’s dollars) per month for a forty hour week yet I am not sure how they are paid, considering their behavior, I would say it is based on commission. A slight glance to the right brings down the purse from the high shelf to show me the compartments and features. Vanna White unzips, twists the handles and places it on her slender shoulder to present the full picture. Most are dressed casually and are in their early 20’s wearing a lot of make-up and over eager attitude. Ugh, I hate shopping, especially at the Mall!

“Mom” turns us around and around the parking lot looking for the car and then again to search and rescue the EXIT. Back at the spacious apartment, the boys greet us at the door with huge hugs and kisses for avo. It is so wonderful to realize they have the ability to be with their grandparents every week. They love going to her house to wreak havoc on her plants, scrounge in the cupboards for Frosted Flakes or anything that resembles sweets. The last time we were there they ate multi-colored sprinkles from a cup.

The electricity went out so I was unable to finish my Blog and Post it until today.