It's been a rough week. I've been studying a lot for an upcoming test for work and it's no easy feat when it's 80+ degrees outside, sunny and I'd rather be running or laying by the pool. I also got my first text message breakup this week. I've now been broken up with in person, email, phone, and now text. I am going to tell the next girl to please just change her relationship status on FB and I'll find out on her FB wall. After that I'll open a twitter account and be broken up with over twitter.
We also lost our flag championship game yesterday so it made the 6 hours in the car all that much more painful and a waste of a beautiful Saturday.
Busy week coming up starting tomorrow and then I've got Business on Rails in Sao Paulo on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then back home to pack and head back to the US on Thursday.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner so I am excited to spend it with the family and enjoy the time with Madeline and JR's first Christmas!
Hope everyone is safe and warm back home.
Cheers
Adam
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
First 'Official' Visa Coming to an End
So my first visa is coming to an end in about 3 weeks and I can't believe that I've already been here on this visa for a full year. This year has really flown by and it's tough to think about leaving for an extended period of time, but Brazil makes it really difficult for you to stay in the country and contribute to their economy. The US on the other hand has only rejected less than 5% of all visa's for Brazilian's so welcoming foreign spending has never been more popular and I can attest to that as the flights have all been full when traveling to/from Brazil to the US and vice versa. New shoes, iPads, clothes, and electronics are still the rage even given the recent increase in the dollar vs the real (or the real weakening vs the dollar). In September 2011 the real lost 25% against the dollar and marked one of the largest swings in currency volatility in a given month. Good for me (I am still paid in dollars) bad for Brazilians (unless you hedged). Little tangent there but oh well....
I finally got the vistoria for my new apartment so I'll be working on that this weekend if I have time. I've got to take pictures of several things that were of course noted as 'new' in the apartment. Sony Bravia 46 inch 'new' TV although it was manufactured and bought in 2009, a 'new' table and 6 chairs but the chairs mysteriously showed up with foot pads to prevent scratching on the floor (false) and also with scratch marks on the chairs (again false). Other than that I think most of the things are in order, but I'll be taking pictures non-the less so and showing to the company paint marks and other issues so I am not liable again when I move out.
Went to Cirque du Soliel this week with Kelly and we saw Varekai in Sao Paulo. The law firm that represents us in Brazil was having a client night so the tickets were free so we headed to Sao Paulo for the night and the show was really good, but glad I got the tickets free and didn't pay the going R$400 per ticket. I think some of the shows in Vegas are better.
Tonight we are going to see Seu Jorge at an event near Campinas, tomorrow a churrasco (Brazilian word for BBQ) and on Sunday it's our last regular season tackle football game. It's either win or go home so it's a must win situation for both teams. It's a home game so we have that going for us, but both teams are 2-2 and in the same division so I am sure we'll both come out fighting for a chance to get into the playoffs.
Pray for a good last few weeks of 2011 here in Brazil (I am going to REALLY miss the hot weather) and also that my temporary visa gets approved in January 2012 so I can return to Brazil while my work permit is being reviewed and processed by the Brazilian consulate.
Cheers
I finally got the vistoria for my new apartment so I'll be working on that this weekend if I have time. I've got to take pictures of several things that were of course noted as 'new' in the apartment. Sony Bravia 46 inch 'new' TV although it was manufactured and bought in 2009, a 'new' table and 6 chairs but the chairs mysteriously showed up with foot pads to prevent scratching on the floor (false) and also with scratch marks on the chairs (again false). Other than that I think most of the things are in order, but I'll be taking pictures non-the less so and showing to the company paint marks and other issues so I am not liable again when I move out.
Went to Cirque du Soliel this week with Kelly and we saw Varekai in Sao Paulo. The law firm that represents us in Brazil was having a client night so the tickets were free so we headed to Sao Paulo for the night and the show was really good, but glad I got the tickets free and didn't pay the going R$400 per ticket. I think some of the shows in Vegas are better.
Tonight we are going to see Seu Jorge at an event near Campinas, tomorrow a churrasco (Brazilian word for BBQ) and on Sunday it's our last regular season tackle football game. It's either win or go home so it's a must win situation for both teams. It's a home game so we have that going for us, but both teams are 2-2 and in the same division so I am sure we'll both come out fighting for a chance to get into the playoffs.
Pray for a good last few weeks of 2011 here in Brazil (I am going to REALLY miss the hot weather) and also that my temporary visa gets approved in January 2012 so I can return to Brazil while my work permit is being reviewed and processed by the Brazilian consulate.
Cheers
Monday, October 10, 2011
Frustrated as the battle rages on
I finally have access to internet so figured I'd take some time and update the blog for all of my 4 followers and family members. My company in Brazil changed the upcoming Holiday on Wednesday to today so I am off today while everyone else is working and of course the golf course is closed today so I am taking time to do some email cleanup, photo editing, blog updating, music and book downloading at Starbucks, invites on Facebook for the Expats and English speakers group, and then lunch with the lady friend. Afterwards I am heading to the gym and then I'll head home to relax for a bit and then I am determined to find a bar for the Bears MNF game tonight vs Detroit.
I finally moved into my new apartment in Campinas and the battle with the apartment rental company is continuing to rage on. I think I need another day to update everyone on what's going on but I'll do my best to give you all a clue as to how things work here in Brazil when renting an apartment. When you move into an apartment here you have what's called a vistoria (no direct translation into English) but it's basically a visit from a company and they note in an entire list and photos what's inside your apartment and document with photos. If you disagree with anything then you MUST note this in your move in vistoria (I equate this with a walkthru in the states).
When I moved out of my old apartment I wasn't aware that I would be screwed over as bad as I was on the vistoria and I am currently in the hole over R$1,500 for painting and three (3) cleanings on my old apartment. I'll backup a little and say that my new apartment contract was signed and we were told that it would be ready on August 1 (which it was not hence the multiple cleanings). As I thought I was moving out in the beginning of August I had the apt painted, and deep cleaned to prepare for the vistoria which was not signed off on due to multiple items.
After weeks (literally no exaggeration) of waiting and being delayed in moving to my new apartment it finally happened a few weeks ago. It's been slow going and I bought a lot of things from the states when I was there last week but it still has aways to go. Need to buy some curtains, black out shades for the bedroom and some things for the wall but I think most of that will wait until I get back in January from my trip to the US. Still waiting on the move in vistoria for this apartment but I've documented a lot already because the painting and things within this apartment was just poorly done. I am the first person to live there and the paint was done very poorly, they installed a mirror in the bathroom crooked, and lots of marks on the walls from things being installed by guys with dirty hands and leaving marks on the walls. One thing you need to understand is that if any of these things were done (or not done in my previous apartment) you don't get the sign off from this vistoria company and you have to continue to pay on the apartment until things are up to their standards. So you would think that things when moving into a brand new apartment would be the same, but they are not. I have been told that if I have any problems with the apartment (paint, mirrors, other things) they are my responsibility and I must note them on the vistoria (such a crock!!!).
Last week I wrote a novel to the company outlining this entire process to the company and I am still waiting to hear back from them on what if anything they are going to do. Calls, emails, and txt messages are now going unattended so I am left wondering when I might receive the vistoria for my new apartment.
Anyway, I digress on this subject and on to some things more pleasant.
I got to spend a weekend in the states with the kids and my family so that was nice. I spent a few hours doing some shopping for some new sports/workout gear, then hung out with Madeline and JR on Thursday and I took care of JR during the day on Friday and we went to IKEA and then to Starbucks to hang out and have a coffee (me not him). I got back to Brazil this past Tuesday and will be here through October and I'll be leaving on November 10 to return to the states for an extended stay until I get my new visa in early 2012.
Checked my calendar this week and I'll be in the office a grand total of three full weeks as I will be at home for Thanksgiving, going to Atlanta for a long weekend to see my family there, and then be off for Christmas. Kelly and I are working on a visa for her to come to the US and visit and meet the family, go shopping, hang out in Chicago, and possibly do a quick trip for New Years somewhere.
Okay, I'm off to get some other things done, get some lunch with Kelly, and then off to the gym at some point this afternoon.
Hope all is well back in the states.
Cheers
Adam
I finally moved into my new apartment in Campinas and the battle with the apartment rental company is continuing to rage on. I think I need another day to update everyone on what's going on but I'll do my best to give you all a clue as to how things work here in Brazil when renting an apartment. When you move into an apartment here you have what's called a vistoria (no direct translation into English) but it's basically a visit from a company and they note in an entire list and photos what's inside your apartment and document with photos. If you disagree with anything then you MUST note this in your move in vistoria (I equate this with a walkthru in the states).
When I moved out of my old apartment I wasn't aware that I would be screwed over as bad as I was on the vistoria and I am currently in the hole over R$1,500 for painting and three (3) cleanings on my old apartment. I'll backup a little and say that my new apartment contract was signed and we were told that it would be ready on August 1 (which it was not hence the multiple cleanings). As I thought I was moving out in the beginning of August I had the apt painted, and deep cleaned to prepare for the vistoria which was not signed off on due to multiple items.
After weeks (literally no exaggeration) of waiting and being delayed in moving to my new apartment it finally happened a few weeks ago. It's been slow going and I bought a lot of things from the states when I was there last week but it still has aways to go. Need to buy some curtains, black out shades for the bedroom and some things for the wall but I think most of that will wait until I get back in January from my trip to the US. Still waiting on the move in vistoria for this apartment but I've documented a lot already because the painting and things within this apartment was just poorly done. I am the first person to live there and the paint was done very poorly, they installed a mirror in the bathroom crooked, and lots of marks on the walls from things being installed by guys with dirty hands and leaving marks on the walls. One thing you need to understand is that if any of these things were done (or not done in my previous apartment) you don't get the sign off from this vistoria company and you have to continue to pay on the apartment until things are up to their standards. So you would think that things when moving into a brand new apartment would be the same, but they are not. I have been told that if I have any problems with the apartment (paint, mirrors, other things) they are my responsibility and I must note them on the vistoria (such a crock!!!).
Last week I wrote a novel to the company outlining this entire process to the company and I am still waiting to hear back from them on what if anything they are going to do. Calls, emails, and txt messages are now going unattended so I am left wondering when I might receive the vistoria for my new apartment.
Anyway, I digress on this subject and on to some things more pleasant.
I got to spend a weekend in the states with the kids and my family so that was nice. I spent a few hours doing some shopping for some new sports/workout gear, then hung out with Madeline and JR on Thursday and I took care of JR during the day on Friday and we went to IKEA and then to Starbucks to hang out and have a coffee (me not him). I got back to Brazil this past Tuesday and will be here through October and I'll be leaving on November 10 to return to the states for an extended stay until I get my new visa in early 2012.
Checked my calendar this week and I'll be in the office a grand total of three full weeks as I will be at home for Thanksgiving, going to Atlanta for a long weekend to see my family there, and then be off for Christmas. Kelly and I are working on a visa for her to come to the US and visit and meet the family, go shopping, hang out in Chicago, and possibly do a quick trip for New Years somewhere.
Okay, I'm off to get some other things done, get some lunch with Kelly, and then off to the gym at some point this afternoon.
Hope all is well back in the states.
Cheers
Adam
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Almost 2 months...
So there weren't any more posts since my last game but below are some links to two articles and a link for some pictures from our last game. I scored our first TD(#88) and there are a few pictures of me in the 100+ or so on the link. My team lost the game on a 40 yard field goal and I think we were all amazed that the guy actually made it.
Fantasy football draft from Brazil is tonight so we'll see how things shape up with that.
Lot's more to update on (new apartment situation, new lady friend I am seeing) but time to get dinner and then get ready for the draft.
Pictures - https://picasaweb.google.com/103257822180957512851/CorupaBuffalos17X14PalmeirasLocomotives#
Article - http://www.avanteesportes.com/futebol-americano-corupa-buffalos-descarrila-palmeiras-locomotives.html
Article - http://www.touchdown.net/site/noticias.php?id=249
Hope everyone is doing well back home.
Adam
Fantasy football draft from Brazil is tonight so we'll see how things shape up with that.
Lot's more to update on (new apartment situation, new lady friend I am seeing) but time to get dinner and then get ready for the draft.
Pictures - https://picasaweb.google.com/103257822180957512851/CorupaBuffalos17X14PalmeirasLocomotives#
Article - http://www.avanteesportes.com/futebol-americano-corupa-buffalos-descarrila-palmeiras-locomotives.html
Article - http://www.touchdown.net/site/noticias.php?id=249
Hope everyone is doing well back home.
Adam
Monday, July 11, 2011
Palmeiras Locomotive's Game 1
Our first tackle game was this past weekend and we won 18-0. I scored a touchdown in the 3rd quarter and hauled in 5-6 catches during the game and was credited with two tackles on special teams.
If you want to see some photos you can go to www.sorocabaesportes.com and check out the link for Futebol Americano. I am #88. There is also a short video of the TD catch on YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um-69QA16c
Next game is August 27th in Sorocaba but more posts to come before then.
Cheers
If you want to see some photos you can go to www.sorocabaesportes.com and check out the link for Futebol Americano. I am #88. There is also a short video of the TD catch on YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um-69QA16c
Next game is August 27th in Sorocaba but more posts to come before then.
Cheers
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Finalmente um noite com nada para fazer...
So I finally have one night with nothing to do other than just relax and get some dinner and actually watch a little TV. Can't believe it's been since April since I've updated my blog but it seems like every time I start typing something it seems like I can't find anything to say but you'd think after 3 months it would be a lot easier. So since the last time I posted I became an uncle again and JR was born at the beginning of May and just like Madeline I am watching him grow up in the photos and videos that my sister and George send my way. Madeline is getting so big and so active it's been hilarious to watch her movies about riding her motorcycle, and playing in the water this summer.
The past few months in Brazil have been pretty crazy and working quite a bit during the week and on the weekends. When I returned to Brazil in May I was offered a job within the Brazilian company and I accepted the offer to stay down here for another 2-3 years. I was originally going to be working within the finance group of the company here but since then things have changed again and I've taken a job in the materials group managing imported products and assisting with inventories and demand planning. Right now I'm still doing my other job as well hence all of the work but I seem to be finding a nice balance until my replacement arrives later in August and then I train her for what I do on a weekly and monthly basis.
Outside of work I've still been working out but I started to play more golf on the weekends and I was also picked up by an American football team here in Brazil and we start out season this Saturday. I am also playing on the flag football team and we won our 4th game last weekend 24-18 and are now 4-0 and in 1st place in our division. This weekend is our first all pad tackle game and I am starting at TE and slot receiver and possibly playing some DE as well. Probably right now would be a good time to start praying that I don't kill anyone, or anyone kills me in the game this weekend. Brazilians are small but man they love when they get a chance to hit an American at their game.
I guess the last update is that I just closed on a new apartment today and I am set to move in when I come back from my trip in the US later this month. It's Madeline's 2nd birthday already and JR is being baptized on the same day so it's going to be a full day with lots of parties and gifts for the little ones. Anyway, the new apartment is great! It's a lot bigger than the one I am in now and it's in a brand new building but in the same area that I live in now. The owner is going to have me buy a few things for the place but 90% of the things the owner is going to buy and furnish with what I want so that has been some great news this week. He's going to put in AC as well and I'll buy things in exchange for the living room (sofa, table, chair, area rug, lamp etc). Got lots of shopping to do and quite a things to pick out before I move in a few weeks.
I'll do my best to keep on top of the blog over the next couple of months and defintley won't let it be 3 months again. Pray for safe travels in a couple of weeks for me and also pray for a safe game this coming weekend.
Cheers
The past few months in Brazil have been pretty crazy and working quite a bit during the week and on the weekends. When I returned to Brazil in May I was offered a job within the Brazilian company and I accepted the offer to stay down here for another 2-3 years. I was originally going to be working within the finance group of the company here but since then things have changed again and I've taken a job in the materials group managing imported products and assisting with inventories and demand planning. Right now I'm still doing my other job as well hence all of the work but I seem to be finding a nice balance until my replacement arrives later in August and then I train her for what I do on a weekly and monthly basis.
Outside of work I've still been working out but I started to play more golf on the weekends and I was also picked up by an American football team here in Brazil and we start out season this Saturday. I am also playing on the flag football team and we won our 4th game last weekend 24-18 and are now 4-0 and in 1st place in our division. This weekend is our first all pad tackle game and I am starting at TE and slot receiver and possibly playing some DE as well. Probably right now would be a good time to start praying that I don't kill anyone, or anyone kills me in the game this weekend. Brazilians are small but man they love when they get a chance to hit an American at their game.
I guess the last update is that I just closed on a new apartment today and I am set to move in when I come back from my trip in the US later this month. It's Madeline's 2nd birthday already and JR is being baptized on the same day so it's going to be a full day with lots of parties and gifts for the little ones. Anyway, the new apartment is great! It's a lot bigger than the one I am in now and it's in a brand new building but in the same area that I live in now. The owner is going to have me buy a few things for the place but 90% of the things the owner is going to buy and furnish with what I want so that has been some great news this week. He's going to put in AC as well and I'll buy things in exchange for the living room (sofa, table, chair, area rug, lamp etc). Got lots of shopping to do and quite a things to pick out before I move in a few weeks.
I'll do my best to keep on top of the blog over the next couple of months and defintley won't let it be 3 months again. Pray for safe travels in a couple of weeks for me and also pray for a safe game this coming weekend.
Cheers
Friday, April 8, 2011
One year and counting
I just passed one year in Brazil and the time here has flown by. Looking back on the past year I started out here thinking I would be lucky to last a year here given that I thought the time for my job would be in the 9-12 month range, and yesterday I emailed off to the visa company to start the process of a visa renewal and obtaining a visa for another two years (to be on the safe side). Also, prayers on this subject are always welcome too knowing the pains that I had to go through to get my current visa.
The admin that works on our floor told me that they just got the increased rent amount on my apartment and while it was only R$200 more per month I was surprised that on a 30 month contract you can just up and raise the rates because I've been here for 12 months. The only things that have been added by me are a pressure cooker, floor drying rack, and some new glasses, all of which have been paid for by me and not the owner of my apartment. I chalked it up to another learning experience for my life in Brazil and another difference in culture between life in the United States and life here in Brazil.
Speaking of rentals, if you follow this blog still you probably know that I still own my home in Oswego, IL and have had the same tenants in that house for the past three years. The couple that moved in there (who are consequently now divorced but the wife has stayed) are leaving this month so it was an added level of stress because while I was losing at least 50% of my mortgage and HOA costs per month, it was better than zero. This coupled with the girl who sublet my apartment in Chicago informed me that she would be moving out of the apartment a month before I arrived home and a month before the lease expired didn't help matters. It has been an a huge blessing to have the parents and friends that I do because not only I am fully moved out of my apartment in the city, with movers fully paid, and everything locked up in storage, but I rented my house in what I think has to be a record three days by listing it on Craigslist and enlisting the help of one of my friends wives to show the house for me. Not only did the house rent but I found someone that wants to pay cash up front for the entire year and she could turn into a long term renter, or someone that wants to buy the house if/when the market recovers. Now the tasks shift to hiring the help to get my house back in order once my current renter moves out of the house (which going back to my house I am convinced that there is a curse on the house because two married couples that lived there are now divorced and the woman moving in is also going through a divorce.......just weird). I have already hired a painter to help me paint the entire inside of the house, hired a cleaning crew to come in and do a 'move out' cleaning, and also a carpet cleaning crew to follow the cleaners and clean and protect the carpet in the upstairs of the home so I am on a roll.
I filed my US taxes this past week which was no easy feat being 5000 miles away. The fact that I've done them the past three years online and can import a lot of my data automatically really helps so it wasn't too bad, but getting in touch with my tax adviser given the time difference and with Portuguese classes, working out etc, proved to be the biggest challenge but alas it is done and the refunds are on the way. Now comes the fun part of figuring out what I am going to buy and then where to put the rest of the money for it to grow to help with Adam's New Car Fund for when I return to the states. I already bought 2 iPad 2's and have sold my original iPad to a guy I work with here in Brazil. I am going to bring the other 2 back (one for me and one to sell in Brazil at an awesomely high price and make a nice profit). I've also been hit up to bring people back laptops etc but this trip will be low key for presents etc just because I won't be at home for very long and that is not the focus of why I am coming back. I think the next purchase will be of course for Madeline as I am sure she is in dire need of some new Pumas or Nike's (she will get to pick) and then a lot of things for my nephew who will hopefully be arriving while I am back in the states for this quick trip.
Things down in Brazil are busy as usual. March was an absolutley crazy month and it started at the end of February when my boss and President came into town which kicked off three big projects that I spent most of March working on so that I could have wrapped up and presented to them. We had a visit from the Internal Audit staff during March as well which culminated into a great weekend in Rio de Janeiro, sitting on the beach, getting some sun, and just relaxing. We hit a Samba bar on Saturday night and took some hilarious pictures which I will have to post here and get up on Facebook as well. I also cannot forget to mention Carnival which was one of the coolest experiences I have ever seen. Canival started on a Friday night and went through Tuesday with street bloco's, parades, bands, beaches, and of course the Sambodromo. This is really a whole other post in and of itself so I will have to carve out more time to talk about this experience but it was one of the best trips I've ever taken and well worth the money spent. I would highly recommend that anyone looking for a once in a lifetime experience check this out and you CANNOT miss the Sambodromo. I would also highly recommend that if you're looking to go to Rio that you stay on Ipanema beach and not Copacabana. I've stayed on Copa twice now and Ipanema was much cooler, lots of people, and a lot more things to do. Copa has the street fairs and lots of vendors, but you can always go for a walk or a run up the beach to check it all out.
I think that's about it for now. I have to put the finishing touches on a presentation I'm giving this afternoon to the technical staff here in Brazil (it's about finishing railroad axles in Brazil vs the United States, yes exciting stuff as you can imagine). Funny how things change as your career changes. A few years ago I thought I'd stay in audit for quite a long time now I am about to do a presentation in Portuguese about railway axles, who woulda thought.
I hope everyone is well back in the states. I miss you all very much and can't wait to catch up.
Cheers
Adam
The admin that works on our floor told me that they just got the increased rent amount on my apartment and while it was only R$200 more per month I was surprised that on a 30 month contract you can just up and raise the rates because I've been here for 12 months. The only things that have been added by me are a pressure cooker, floor drying rack, and some new glasses, all of which have been paid for by me and not the owner of my apartment. I chalked it up to another learning experience for my life in Brazil and another difference in culture between life in the United States and life here in Brazil.
Speaking of rentals, if you follow this blog still you probably know that I still own my home in Oswego, IL and have had the same tenants in that house for the past three years. The couple that moved in there (who are consequently now divorced but the wife has stayed) are leaving this month so it was an added level of stress because while I was losing at least 50% of my mortgage and HOA costs per month, it was better than zero. This coupled with the girl who sublet my apartment in Chicago informed me that she would be moving out of the apartment a month before I arrived home and a month before the lease expired didn't help matters. It has been an a huge blessing to have the parents and friends that I do because not only I am fully moved out of my apartment in the city, with movers fully paid, and everything locked up in storage, but I rented my house in what I think has to be a record three days by listing it on Craigslist and enlisting the help of one of my friends wives to show the house for me. Not only did the house rent but I found someone that wants to pay cash up front for the entire year and she could turn into a long term renter, or someone that wants to buy the house if/when the market recovers. Now the tasks shift to hiring the help to get my house back in order once my current renter moves out of the house (which going back to my house I am convinced that there is a curse on the house because two married couples that lived there are now divorced and the woman moving in is also going through a divorce.......just weird). I have already hired a painter to help me paint the entire inside of the house, hired a cleaning crew to come in and do a 'move out' cleaning, and also a carpet cleaning crew to follow the cleaners and clean and protect the carpet in the upstairs of the home so I am on a roll.
I filed my US taxes this past week which was no easy feat being 5000 miles away. The fact that I've done them the past three years online and can import a lot of my data automatically really helps so it wasn't too bad, but getting in touch with my tax adviser given the time difference and with Portuguese classes, working out etc, proved to be the biggest challenge but alas it is done and the refunds are on the way. Now comes the fun part of figuring out what I am going to buy and then where to put the rest of the money for it to grow to help with Adam's New Car Fund for when I return to the states. I already bought 2 iPad 2's and have sold my original iPad to a guy I work with here in Brazil. I am going to bring the other 2 back (one for me and one to sell in Brazil at an awesomely high price and make a nice profit). I've also been hit up to bring people back laptops etc but this trip will be low key for presents etc just because I won't be at home for very long and that is not the focus of why I am coming back. I think the next purchase will be of course for Madeline as I am sure she is in dire need of some new Pumas or Nike's (she will get to pick) and then a lot of things for my nephew who will hopefully be arriving while I am back in the states for this quick trip.
Things down in Brazil are busy as usual. March was an absolutley crazy month and it started at the end of February when my boss and President came into town which kicked off three big projects that I spent most of March working on so that I could have wrapped up and presented to them. We had a visit from the Internal Audit staff during March as well which culminated into a great weekend in Rio de Janeiro, sitting on the beach, getting some sun, and just relaxing. We hit a Samba bar on Saturday night and took some hilarious pictures which I will have to post here and get up on Facebook as well. I also cannot forget to mention Carnival which was one of the coolest experiences I have ever seen. Canival started on a Friday night and went through Tuesday with street bloco's, parades, bands, beaches, and of course the Sambodromo. This is really a whole other post in and of itself so I will have to carve out more time to talk about this experience but it was one of the best trips I've ever taken and well worth the money spent. I would highly recommend that anyone looking for a once in a lifetime experience check this out and you CANNOT miss the Sambodromo. I would also highly recommend that if you're looking to go to Rio that you stay on Ipanema beach and not Copacabana. I've stayed on Copa twice now and Ipanema was much cooler, lots of people, and a lot more things to do. Copa has the street fairs and lots of vendors, but you can always go for a walk or a run up the beach to check it all out.
I think that's about it for now. I have to put the finishing touches on a presentation I'm giving this afternoon to the technical staff here in Brazil (it's about finishing railroad axles in Brazil vs the United States, yes exciting stuff as you can imagine). Funny how things change as your career changes. A few years ago I thought I'd stay in audit for quite a long time now I am about to do a presentation in Portuguese about railway axles, who woulda thought.
I hope everyone is well back in the states. I miss you all very much and can't wait to catch up.
Cheers
Adam
Monday, January 31, 2011
Random long posting (past)...
So apparently it's been almost 2 months since my last post and a ton has gone on since then so hence the title of random long posting about what's been happening.
During the last stint in Brazil (5-6 weeks) on my new visa I needed to register with the Federal Police in Campinas where I live in order to get an alien resident card, alien resident number etc. Well I paid all the fees, had all the paperwork, photos etc and I went to register, only to have my application rejected once I arrived at the station. Needless to say I was not thrilled and when I questioned as to why it was rejected the woman told me that I needed the original application for my visa from the consulate in Chicago. Keep in mind that I already had the visa in my passport, so I am not equating this to bringing your resume to work everyday after you've gotten the job. The application is the means and the visa is the end, so why do you need both? It's like how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world will never know, so another question asked another non-answer from the Brazilian government.
The woman at the police station did tell me that on my way out of the country I needed to pay a fine otherwise I could have issues entering country when I returned. So I get to the airport 11 hours before my flight only to find out that that I cannot pay the fine because it's triggered when you return to the country yet the 15 calls we made to the police and to the airport that day all told me to pay the fine when I leave. Needless to say it was not the best start to a Holiday vacation and return trip home.
I arrived back in the cold snowy Chicago to my mom and Big Rick wearing reindeer headgear in the car to pick me up and that really helped start to get me in the Holiday spirit because something about sweating, not wearing a shirt, and wearing shorts and flip flops more than half the time doesn't put me in the Christmas mood. After the picked me up we headed to my apartment in Chicago to unpack and repack and pick up packages, mail, etc that had been waiting for me and then finally got back on the road and headed to Sullivans for a late lunch, and man was it good!
I spent the next week or so in the burbs with my family having Christmas, spending lots of time with my sister and my niece, taking her to McDonalds, playing on the floor, going to Meijer to let her look at the fish, etc. Basically anything to keep a 2 year old entertained which involved lots of playing with babies. I headed back downtown on Monday or Tuesday after Christmas to host a party for the Iowa v Missouri game with some college friends and their wives, gfs, etc. Not too much of the game was watched but it turned out well because Iowa won in the 4th quarter and it was great to see all of my friends since I didn't get to see too many of them while I was at home due to the Holiday's families, travel, etc.
After Christmas I decided to meet one of my friends from Brazil (he is from AZ) in Las Vegas for New Years eve and so I booked a couple of free tickets that I had on SW and American Airlines and headed out to Vegas on New Years eve for a couple of days. Got there in the afternoon in Vegas and met a few people on the plane that offered to give me a ride to my hotel so I didn't have to wait in line for a cab at the airport. All in all it was a great weekend, spent a lot of time watching the football games at the MGM sportsbook, got to see my first UFC fight in Vegas and the tickets were given to us by a guy that played Santa Claus for Dana White (President of the UFC) so we were in the 11th row with $400 tickets that cost us $75. I felt a little bad for the guy that sold us the tickets bc he was supposed to go with his son but he couldn't make it and he admitted that he was an addict for video poker and had recently gotten a royal flush on a machine and won about $3,000. Granted he probably has spent 10x that in his life gambling but who knows. He seemed like a really good person, just felt bad that he was alone during the holiday's. So after the fight my buddy and I got some food and then started to do a little gambling at the roulette wheel at Tropicana. It wasn't too busy so it was a good time there and I managed to dig out of my hole and was only down about $200 at that point. I decided to head to a poker room at the MGM with my buddy and after a couple of drinks, what I thought had flopped 8, 9, J (I am holding a 10 & Q thinking I flopped the straight) i started to increase my bets only to have the dealer tell me what I thought was a 9 was a 6. I pretty much decided that was it for my night told everyone Happy 2011 and started to leave. Well on my way out I have to pass the roulette wheel and as any of my friends will tell you that have been in Vegas with me, it's a point of weakness. So I head over to a table ($25 min) and started to bet $100 per spin on colors letting it ride for the first 4 spins. So after about 10 min (if that) I am up $800 as I am betting so much on each spin. I started to go nuts, cashed in to $500 chips and kept playing until what I thought was about 4:30 or 5 am. I look down at my watch and see that it is 8:30 in the morning and my flight is in just over 2 hours. I head to the cashier, book it back to the hotel, sleep for an hour, get up, pack, and get to the airport. When I arrive at the airport I desperately need food and the only thing I see (sorry Dad) is Burger King. At this point I reach into my wallet and am looking at this wad of bills wondering if I did a drug deal in the middle of the night because when I am done counting I have 19 $100 bills in my wallet and no receipt for an ATM. As the memory comes back and lack of sleep wears off, I realize that I won big, FINALLY, at the roulette wheel and made some decent money this time in Vegas, so I treated myself to some Chinese for dinner and a taxi ride home instead of taking the el.
I spent a week in the Chicago office working there, and then one last weekend in the burbs with my family where we all went out for dinner and then spent another night with Madeline and my family out in the burbs. I got to see my old volleyball coach and friend and her kids which are now approaching teenage age (she had her first when I was in high school) so immediately felt very old.
Heading back to Brazil was very nerve racking for me and again I appreciate all of the prayers and thoughts as I was traveling back here and wondering if I would get in or be sent packing to catch another flight back to the states. I was advised by the attorneys to enter into Rio because they can be somewhat more lax on letting you back and in as I stood in line I was extremely nervous and when I got to the counter the girl told me I needed to talk to the Federal Police so I was placed into a small room with them where I had to answer questions as to why I had not registered etc, and they finally decided to have me pay a fine and I was on my way. All of my bags made it through fine as well (also nervous about that due to how much I was bringing in). After that I met the driver that was taking my bags for me to Campinas (the baggage limits are really high in Brazil and I had to catch another flight to Campinas from Rio so my bags were driven there and met me there at night). All said and done it was 25 hours to get back which normally takes half that.
That's about it for now, the next post will be updates for the past few weeks in Brazil and the adventure of finally registering with the Federal police.
During the last stint in Brazil (5-6 weeks) on my new visa I needed to register with the Federal Police in Campinas where I live in order to get an alien resident card, alien resident number etc. Well I paid all the fees, had all the paperwork, photos etc and I went to register, only to have my application rejected once I arrived at the station. Needless to say I was not thrilled and when I questioned as to why it was rejected the woman told me that I needed the original application for my visa from the consulate in Chicago. Keep in mind that I already had the visa in my passport, so I am not equating this to bringing your resume to work everyday after you've gotten the job. The application is the means and the visa is the end, so why do you need both? It's like how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world will never know, so another question asked another non-answer from the Brazilian government.
The woman at the police station did tell me that on my way out of the country I needed to pay a fine otherwise I could have issues entering country when I returned. So I get to the airport 11 hours before my flight only to find out that that I cannot pay the fine because it's triggered when you return to the country yet the 15 calls we made to the police and to the airport that day all told me to pay the fine when I leave. Needless to say it was not the best start to a Holiday vacation and return trip home.
I arrived back in the cold snowy Chicago to my mom and Big Rick wearing reindeer headgear in the car to pick me up and that really helped start to get me in the Holiday spirit because something about sweating, not wearing a shirt, and wearing shorts and flip flops more than half the time doesn't put me in the Christmas mood. After the picked me up we headed to my apartment in Chicago to unpack and repack and pick up packages, mail, etc that had been waiting for me and then finally got back on the road and headed to Sullivans for a late lunch, and man was it good!
I spent the next week or so in the burbs with my family having Christmas, spending lots of time with my sister and my niece, taking her to McDonalds, playing on the floor, going to Meijer to let her look at the fish, etc. Basically anything to keep a 2 year old entertained which involved lots of playing with babies. I headed back downtown on Monday or Tuesday after Christmas to host a party for the Iowa v Missouri game with some college friends and their wives, gfs, etc. Not too much of the game was watched but it turned out well because Iowa won in the 4th quarter and it was great to see all of my friends since I didn't get to see too many of them while I was at home due to the Holiday's families, travel, etc.
After Christmas I decided to meet one of my friends from Brazil (he is from AZ) in Las Vegas for New Years eve and so I booked a couple of free tickets that I had on SW and American Airlines and headed out to Vegas on New Years eve for a couple of days. Got there in the afternoon in Vegas and met a few people on the plane that offered to give me a ride to my hotel so I didn't have to wait in line for a cab at the airport. All in all it was a great weekend, spent a lot of time watching the football games at the MGM sportsbook, got to see my first UFC fight in Vegas and the tickets were given to us by a guy that played Santa Claus for Dana White (President of the UFC) so we were in the 11th row with $400 tickets that cost us $75. I felt a little bad for the guy that sold us the tickets bc he was supposed to go with his son but he couldn't make it and he admitted that he was an addict for video poker and had recently gotten a royal flush on a machine and won about $3,000. Granted he probably has spent 10x that in his life gambling but who knows. He seemed like a really good person, just felt bad that he was alone during the holiday's. So after the fight my buddy and I got some food and then started to do a little gambling at the roulette wheel at Tropicana. It wasn't too busy so it was a good time there and I managed to dig out of my hole and was only down about $200 at that point. I decided to head to a poker room at the MGM with my buddy and after a couple of drinks, what I thought had flopped 8, 9, J (I am holding a 10 & Q thinking I flopped the straight) i started to increase my bets only to have the dealer tell me what I thought was a 9 was a 6. I pretty much decided that was it for my night told everyone Happy 2011 and started to leave. Well on my way out I have to pass the roulette wheel and as any of my friends will tell you that have been in Vegas with me, it's a point of weakness. So I head over to a table ($25 min) and started to bet $100 per spin on colors letting it ride for the first 4 spins. So after about 10 min (if that) I am up $800 as I am betting so much on each spin. I started to go nuts, cashed in to $500 chips and kept playing until what I thought was about 4:30 or 5 am. I look down at my watch and see that it is 8:30 in the morning and my flight is in just over 2 hours. I head to the cashier, book it back to the hotel, sleep for an hour, get up, pack, and get to the airport. When I arrive at the airport I desperately need food and the only thing I see (sorry Dad) is Burger King. At this point I reach into my wallet and am looking at this wad of bills wondering if I did a drug deal in the middle of the night because when I am done counting I have 19 $100 bills in my wallet and no receipt for an ATM. As the memory comes back and lack of sleep wears off, I realize that I won big, FINALLY, at the roulette wheel and made some decent money this time in Vegas, so I treated myself to some Chinese for dinner and a taxi ride home instead of taking the el.
I spent a week in the Chicago office working there, and then one last weekend in the burbs with my family where we all went out for dinner and then spent another night with Madeline and my family out in the burbs. I got to see my old volleyball coach and friend and her kids which are now approaching teenage age (she had her first when I was in high school) so immediately felt very old.
Heading back to Brazil was very nerve racking for me and again I appreciate all of the prayers and thoughts as I was traveling back here and wondering if I would get in or be sent packing to catch another flight back to the states. I was advised by the attorneys to enter into Rio because they can be somewhat more lax on letting you back and in as I stood in line I was extremely nervous and when I got to the counter the girl told me I needed to talk to the Federal Police so I was placed into a small room with them where I had to answer questions as to why I had not registered etc, and they finally decided to have me pay a fine and I was on my way. All of my bags made it through fine as well (also nervous about that due to how much I was bringing in). After that I met the driver that was taking my bags for me to Campinas (the baggage limits are really high in Brazil and I had to catch another flight to Campinas from Rio so my bags were driven there and met me there at night). All said and done it was 25 hours to get back which normally takes half that.
That's about it for now, the next post will be updates for the past few weeks in Brazil and the adventure of finally registering with the Federal police.
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