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
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Not related to Brazil...but Iowa
So I had to post this because it made me somewhat angry.
An article came out yesterday on ESPN that Iowa's top receiver got busted for keeping a 'drug house' on campus and was not arrested and suspended from the team before it's Bowl game on December 28. While there is absolutley no way to condone this type of behavior I am glad he received NO special treatment for being a football player, but at the same time what is wrong with kids these days. My God that statement made me feel old, but my sister and I were so privileged to have parents pay for our education I just can't imagine when 100+k 4 year education and a shot at millions in the NFL didn't become enough. I think I'll run a pot house with some cocaine and prescription drugs on the side.
I've got a couple of cousins in college right now and one of them wants to go into business and I have tried to instill in him the need for foreign languages. We'll see if he listens, and if he reads this, get your butt into a foreign language (NOT SPANISH) next semester.
An article came out yesterday on ESPN that Iowa's top receiver got busted for keeping a 'drug house' on campus and was not arrested and suspended from the team before it's Bowl game on December 28. While there is absolutley no way to condone this type of behavior I am glad he received NO special treatment for being a football player, but at the same time what is wrong with kids these days. My God that statement made me feel old, but my sister and I were so privileged to have parents pay for our education I just can't imagine when 100+k 4 year education and a shot at millions in the NFL didn't become enough. I think I'll run a pot house with some cocaine and prescription drugs on the side.
I've got a couple of cousins in college right now and one of them wants to go into business and I have tried to instill in him the need for foreign languages. We'll see if he listens, and if he reads this, get your butt into a foreign language (NOT SPANISH) next semester.
Updates and I'm spoiled
So as some of you (if you're still actually reading this blog) may know I had some visa issues in Brazil and recently returned about two weeks ago to continue my job, work, and resume living down here. I didn't do any updates in the states because well I figured no one wanted to read that I rode the bus, took the el, worked, and then went home everyday. It was a nice time at home and it was great to see my family but also tough not knowing when the visa was going to be approved and my return was a big ?
For those that don't know I was issued two visas to be in Brazil and they were work visas with 180 day expiration and only a 90 day duration at one time in the country. This new visa is a Vitem V work/residence visa in Brazil and will allow me to stay in Brazil for up to 12 months without leaving (if I so choose). This new visa took 4.5 months to work it's way through the system and be approved by the ministry of labor in Brazil and then be issued by the consulate in Chicago. When I received work that the visa was approved and at the Chicago consulate I went to the consulate to pick-up my visa. Upon arrival (on a Wednesday) I brought my paperwork, photos, passport etc for the visa to be issued to me that day. The conversation went something like this:
Woman: Can I help you?
Me: Yes, I'm here to pick up my new visa for Brazil
Woman: Did you apply for your visa?
Me: Yes, it's here ready to be picked up.
Woman: Did you apply for your visa?
Me: Yes, I received word that the MOL in Brazil approved my visa and I'm here to pick it up
Woman: Yes, but did you apply for the visa here
Me: Why would I need to apply for it here when it was approved by Brazil and been applied for 4.5 months ago?
Woman: You need to come back on Friday to apply for your visa
Me: Why can't I come back tomorrow?
Woman: It's a holiday we are closed
Me: There's no holiday in Brazil tomorrow
Woman: It's veterans day
Me: That's an American holiday
Woman: Yes I know we take both holidays, Brazilian and American
Me: (sarcastic laugh) Can I have an application to work here?
Woman: Come back on Friday
So that's how my initial encounter with the consulate went. I went back on Friday and it took over 5 hours to issue the applications because I had to make 2 trips to the post office (Consulate ONLY accepts postal money orders) and I had to go back because they told me the wrong amount on the money order. I made the application with them and the girl said I can't process this because you don't have a return itinerary. (note this is now one of those times where you become so frustrated that even as a 31 year old man I wanted to either punch something very hard or cry) I said this is a work residence visa where I don't need to leave the country for 12 months if I don't want to and I can't book a flight 12 months out (also it's worth mentioning that the woman on Wednesday did NOT mention that I needed a return flight because she knew this was not a tourist visa). So luckily I had a flight for Christmas already which means I had to leave AGAIN, go to a kinkos and print and bring back my flight for Christmas.
After the application was done it was almost 11 am and you're thinking okay they are going to issue the visa and I can go, WRONG. Application hours are from 9-11 and pick-up is from 12-1. So I had to leave, take a cab to my office, and then go back at noon to pick-up the visa at the consulate.
All-in-all this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had to deal with, possibly edging out the DMV but that's because I don't have a car in the states anymore and rarely if ever have to go to the DMV.
So now I'm back and I am fully legal, minus needing to register with the federal police which I will take care of before I leave for Christmas and then I am good for another 12 months and will possibly get extended for another 6 months bringing my total stint on/off in Brazil to two years. Work has really picked up the pace down here. I am in what my bosses are calling phase 2 of this position I guess and I am starting to sit in on daily production meetings, forecast meetings, pre-operational meetings, and have been given some additional logistics responsibility for helping the company do their planning for material coming into Brazil from the US. Probably doesn't sound too exciting but it's good to have your days full and makes the days and weeks fly-by that's for sure. I am still taking Portuguese classes 2 days a week for 1.5 hours each so three hours total per week and then of course all of my meetings and things are in Portuguese so it helps with the languages barrier and things are starting to become second nature. I am still having problems with verbs (there are a TON of regular and irregular verbs) and it's tough when you compare to English because English is a much easier language to learn than Portuguese.
I am heading to a gym this weekend to sign-up for a membership, have finally picked out a car for the next year + here (I am now on car # 5 in 7 months) so things are finally starting resemble a real life where things won't be constantly changing. Our company is providing healthy living discounts and reimbursing employees $50 per month for gym memberships, unfortunatley given that everything here is 3-4x more than the states (minus services) it will still cost me $85 out of pocket each month, but it includes the club in Campinas and in Sousas (20 min away) 2 pools, 4 tennis courts, classes, gym, night club, and full service restaurant. Pretty decent deal but being here less than a year is great because you don't have to pay the R$5,000 to join up (US$3,000). If that's the case I'll just keep running and swimming at my apartment building because I am not about to spend that much money on a gym membership.
So as some of you may know I can be and have been somewhat spoiled in my life. That's not to say anything about my work ethic because I've always sought out and achieved my own jobs and success in life, all by the Grace of God, but living here I am starting to get a little worried about moving back to the states in the next year or 18 months. I have hired a maid/cook to clean my apartment and she comes every Monday and cooks, cleans, does the laundry, irons and then leaves a grocery list for the following week based on what I like to eat. She's been great and truly freed up a lot of my time out of work and school for other activities. In addition, included in my rent is a daily service to tidy up the apartment, make the bed, and empty the trash. Well I arrived home yesterday and was wondering why it only took one turn to open my apartment door, walked in an realized that the bed had not been made and the trash emptied and then remembered that it was a holiday in Campinas. I told one of my buddies about this and his response was 'you poor thing.' Ha, precious and classic and then made me realize that I needed to do a lot of thinking and praying about my selfishness and how I am beginning to take things for granted. I guess living alone for the past 3+ years is making me realize that I need to make some slight changes in my attitudes and be a more selfless person.
No serious girlfriend to speak of, I am still focusing on building my relationships with some guys here in Brazil and had a good talk with one of my good friends here the other night. He said that our relationship and with another friend of ours as well has helped him with the relationship with his wife because he never really had a balance before. It was nice to hear that and nice to meet some good friends here that are willing to hang out, talk or help you out if necessary, and he's a golfer so that will be key when I come back in January!
That's about it for now. I've got a couple of other updates that I need to post and of course some pictures, but believe me that is my goal when I am home at Christmas! I will be posting some pictures from my trip to the North East of Brazil and some from our last weekend in Campos do Jordao (mountains of Brazil).
I hope everyone is well back home, you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and are gearing up for the Christmas season.
Cheers
Adam
For those that don't know I was issued two visas to be in Brazil and they were work visas with 180 day expiration and only a 90 day duration at one time in the country. This new visa is a Vitem V work/residence visa in Brazil and will allow me to stay in Brazil for up to 12 months without leaving (if I so choose). This new visa took 4.5 months to work it's way through the system and be approved by the ministry of labor in Brazil and then be issued by the consulate in Chicago. When I received work that the visa was approved and at the Chicago consulate I went to the consulate to pick-up my visa. Upon arrival (on a Wednesday) I brought my paperwork, photos, passport etc for the visa to be issued to me that day. The conversation went something like this:
Woman: Can I help you?
Me: Yes, I'm here to pick up my new visa for Brazil
Woman: Did you apply for your visa?
Me: Yes, it's here ready to be picked up.
Woman: Did you apply for your visa?
Me: Yes, I received word that the MOL in Brazil approved my visa and I'm here to pick it up
Woman: Yes, but did you apply for the visa here
Me: Why would I need to apply for it here when it was approved by Brazil and been applied for 4.5 months ago?
Woman: You need to come back on Friday to apply for your visa
Me: Why can't I come back tomorrow?
Woman: It's a holiday we are closed
Me: There's no holiday in Brazil tomorrow
Woman: It's veterans day
Me: That's an American holiday
Woman: Yes I know we take both holidays, Brazilian and American
Me: (sarcastic laugh) Can I have an application to work here?
Woman: Come back on Friday
So that's how my initial encounter with the consulate went. I went back on Friday and it took over 5 hours to issue the applications because I had to make 2 trips to the post office (Consulate ONLY accepts postal money orders) and I had to go back because they told me the wrong amount on the money order. I made the application with them and the girl said I can't process this because you don't have a return itinerary. (note this is now one of those times where you become so frustrated that even as a 31 year old man I wanted to either punch something very hard or cry) I said this is a work residence visa where I don't need to leave the country for 12 months if I don't want to and I can't book a flight 12 months out (also it's worth mentioning that the woman on Wednesday did NOT mention that I needed a return flight because she knew this was not a tourist visa). So luckily I had a flight for Christmas already which means I had to leave AGAIN, go to a kinkos and print and bring back my flight for Christmas.
After the application was done it was almost 11 am and you're thinking okay they are going to issue the visa and I can go, WRONG. Application hours are from 9-11 and pick-up is from 12-1. So I had to leave, take a cab to my office, and then go back at noon to pick-up the visa at the consulate.
All-in-all this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had to deal with, possibly edging out the DMV but that's because I don't have a car in the states anymore and rarely if ever have to go to the DMV.
So now I'm back and I am fully legal, minus needing to register with the federal police which I will take care of before I leave for Christmas and then I am good for another 12 months and will possibly get extended for another 6 months bringing my total stint on/off in Brazil to two years. Work has really picked up the pace down here. I am in what my bosses are calling phase 2 of this position I guess and I am starting to sit in on daily production meetings, forecast meetings, pre-operational meetings, and have been given some additional logistics responsibility for helping the company do their planning for material coming into Brazil from the US. Probably doesn't sound too exciting but it's good to have your days full and makes the days and weeks fly-by that's for sure. I am still taking Portuguese classes 2 days a week for 1.5 hours each so three hours total per week and then of course all of my meetings and things are in Portuguese so it helps with the languages barrier and things are starting to become second nature. I am still having problems with verbs (there are a TON of regular and irregular verbs) and it's tough when you compare to English because English is a much easier language to learn than Portuguese.
I am heading to a gym this weekend to sign-up for a membership, have finally picked out a car for the next year + here (I am now on car # 5 in 7 months) so things are finally starting resemble a real life where things won't be constantly changing. Our company is providing healthy living discounts and reimbursing employees $50 per month for gym memberships, unfortunatley given that everything here is 3-4x more than the states (minus services) it will still cost me $85 out of pocket each month, but it includes the club in Campinas and in Sousas (20 min away) 2 pools, 4 tennis courts, classes, gym, night club, and full service restaurant. Pretty decent deal but being here less than a year is great because you don't have to pay the R$5,000 to join up (US$3,000). If that's the case I'll just keep running and swimming at my apartment building because I am not about to spend that much money on a gym membership.
So as some of you may know I can be and have been somewhat spoiled in my life. That's not to say anything about my work ethic because I've always sought out and achieved my own jobs and success in life, all by the Grace of God, but living here I am starting to get a little worried about moving back to the states in the next year or 18 months. I have hired a maid/cook to clean my apartment and she comes every Monday and cooks, cleans, does the laundry, irons and then leaves a grocery list for the following week based on what I like to eat. She's been great and truly freed up a lot of my time out of work and school for other activities. In addition, included in my rent is a daily service to tidy up the apartment, make the bed, and empty the trash. Well I arrived home yesterday and was wondering why it only took one turn to open my apartment door, walked in an realized that the bed had not been made and the trash emptied and then remembered that it was a holiday in Campinas. I told one of my buddies about this and his response was 'you poor thing.' Ha, precious and classic and then made me realize that I needed to do a lot of thinking and praying about my selfishness and how I am beginning to take things for granted. I guess living alone for the past 3+ years is making me realize that I need to make some slight changes in my attitudes and be a more selfless person.
No serious girlfriend to speak of, I am still focusing on building my relationships with some guys here in Brazil and had a good talk with one of my good friends here the other night. He said that our relationship and with another friend of ours as well has helped him with the relationship with his wife because he never really had a balance before. It was nice to hear that and nice to meet some good friends here that are willing to hang out, talk or help you out if necessary, and he's a golfer so that will be key when I come back in January!
That's about it for now. I've got a couple of other updates that I need to post and of course some pictures, but believe me that is my goal when I am home at Christmas! I will be posting some pictures from my trip to the North East of Brazil and some from our last weekend in Campos do Jordao (mountains of Brazil).
I hope everyone is well back home, you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and are gearing up for the Christmas season.
Cheers
Adam
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