“The movie follows the three Villas Boas brothers from a prominent São Paulo family who join an expedition to open Brazil’s wild frontier. They encounter indigenous tribes who previously had no outside contact, and become advocates for protecting these groups. Orlando Villas Boas eventually helped convince the Brazilian government to set up Brazil’s first indigenous reserve, Xingu National Park, which is nearly the size of Belgium. The brothers also helped convince indigenous tribes to settle in the park and to relocate people who were scattered from tribes and other tribes who would be displaced by the Transamazonica highway construction.

It’s an incredible story not only about Brazilian history but also about Brazilian-style advocacy. Though it’s not about the environment, it does have an underlying message about sustainability and protecting land, which comes at an apt time with the passage of Brazil’s Forest Code law by Congress (President Dilma must now decide whether or not to veto it, or make changes and pass it).”

So many things have made my heart full this past week.  (Caesar. Salad.)  The list is too long to count, but here are a few photos that document my return to Minnie.

My best friend since fifth grade flew in from California TO SEE ME.  Just like old times, Katharine and I ate lots, chatted until all hours of the morning and had a sleepover.  Which is still completely acceptable.

Catholic mass at All Saints in Madison Lake, Mn.  My grandfather and great grandfather helped to build this church where the husband and I were married in 2010.

New. Foster. Puppies.

Meet Spot & Brittany.  They are so small they don’t seem real and they follow me e v e r y w h e r e.

The pups just told me they have always wanted to see Brazil.

If you are interested in crushing my dreams adopting, click on their names above and fill out an application with Secondhand Hounds.

Below is a real life conversation with my sister regarding the pups.

(It is possible that I make life changing decisions for family members without consultation on a regular basis.)

So if you want to see me… or just the puppies, get in touch.

Also, if you are reading this from Brazil, I am drinking tap water and flushing toilet paper.  Yes, it is just as luxurious as it sounds.

From across the field my dad could tell there were too many cars in the yard.  He presumed the family had found out I was in town and had shown up to see me.

To his dismay, he entered and was welcomed with shouts of “Happy Birthday, Ray!”

His response, “Shoot, if I would have known this, I would have never come.”

It’s okay, he was happy on the inside.

There was no time to be upset.  Dinner was on the table, prayers were said, and the family was drawing numbers for the card tournament.

Aunt Bernetta (who I conspired with from Brazil) had everything planned, down to high and low prizes for the night.  THANK YOU Bernetta!!

The night was filled with cake, cards, stories and laughter.

Wolff tradition: Spend as much time talking about the hand of cards as you do playing.

Men’s High: dad’s godson, Cousin Sam
Ladies High: Aunt Yvonne

Men’s Low: Uncle Larry
Ladies Low:  Aunt Sue

Dad’s buddy, Obama on the $9 bill.

Back:  Jim, Sue, Tim, Yvonne, Bernie, Betsy, Larry
Seated:  Glenn, Jan, Dick, Charles, Grandma Sally, Ray
Ground:  April, Sam, Marcia, Bernetta
Not Pictured:  Karla, Gerry, Mary Kay

Although my dad is still shaking his head at me, I know that he’ll never forget how it made him feel to have his family gathered at his expense.  Thank you to everyone who was part of this incredible night…

Dad, you mean the world to me.  If it were up to me, we would be celebrating you every day.  Love you forever.

The weekend was busy with the Macy’s Flower Show, time spent over hearty Minnesota meals with family, and Easter day at my grandmother’s farm.

I am slowly transitioning back to life in the states…

• Early this week I spent no less than 90 minutes silently wandering the aisles of Target in awe of all things reasonably priced.
• My attire has been a combination of the two outfits I traveled home with and some stuff I found in the basement.  For months I have been told of lovely, mild Minnesota weather.  As I write this I am sitting in front of a space heater and wearing an outfit entirely consisting of three shades of green.
• I partook in a twenty minute conversation with Josh at Jamba Juice for no other reason than it was in English.
• After meeting our new renters, I stopped by the neighbors for a quick hello and walked out three hours later up to date on local happenings and drunk on wine.

It is good to be home.

In the meantime, I am still working on getting the husband to write a post since he is in Brazil for a few more weeks.  You can imagine how that went.

April:  Have you thought anymore about doing a blog post while I’m back home?
Husband:  Maybe…
April:  {silence, look of pure intimidation}
Husband:  I’m sure I can pull something together.
April:  Great!!  I think our fans would love to hear from you!
Husband:  Don’t ever say that again.

SO… until we have that settled, you will likely be seeing a combination of Minnesota people and neglected Brazilian posts that have been sitting in my draft folder since last November.

Also, if you like food found in America & long walks by the lakes… we should probably hang out.  Call me.

It is quite possible that I am avoiding the topic out of pure frustration.  Over the past eight months I have formulated an excel spreadsheet for stateside purchases that is catalogued by store and includes links to online sources.

NOT. Normal. 

In the meantime, here is an excellent post written by our good friends Jeff & Suzanna.  Do me a favor and wait to judge my spreadsheet until you finish reading.

Rooted Journey’s “Coming to Visit? Bring an Extra Suitcase”

“I’ve officially been demoted from Rooted Journeys co-author to guest contributor. Not because Suzanna said so (she never did), but because it turns out I’m just not very good at motivating myself to actually sit down and write something. But here I am, so vamos-lá.

Generally speaking, it seems that many Americans view Brazil as a chaotic tropical wonderland – think Carnaval, string bikinis, palm trees, samba dancing, bossa nova, favelas, drug lords…you know, all the fun stuff.  In reality, one of the most defining features of Brazil as an expat in São Paulo is simply how ridiculously expensive it is. No matter how much you try to stop talking about it, and even more importantly, try to stop converting prices into dollars, it just won’t fade into the background as a simple fact of life. For those of us living it, it’s like a permanent fat lip – the moment you think it’s healing, you bite it again and want to take out your aggression on the old lady walking too slow on the street in front of you. That’s right, it makes you want to push an old lady. It’s that ridiculous.  Although, just for the record, I would never actuallypush an old lady.  And the prices here are worse than a fat lip.  Maybe that wasn’t quite the right metaphor, but there’s no turning back now.  Let’s keep moving.

A couple of recent articles have highlighted some of the effects of this charming Brazilian reality.  The cover story a few weeks ago for Veja (a popular weekly magazine in Brazil) was titled Pague Um, Leve Dois, Tres, Quatro…. English translation: Pay for One, Get Two, Three, Four.  The lead-off explains further (translated): “The favorable exchange rate alone does not explain the low prices that mesmerize Brazilians who shop in the United States.”  To drive home the title, the article cites the happy fact that the cost of an iPhone in Brazil is the highest in the world, leaving shelves for $1,650 (USD equivalent) in Brazil.  In the US, the same unlocked iPhone 4S (32GB) goes for $815.  That puts it at just over double the price for us lucky brasileiros.  But why stop there, it gets better!  Asics sneakers that go for around $200 in the US? A cool $457 in the equivalent Brazilian play money.  That’s 2.3 times the price.  A PlayStation 3 goes for 2.8 times the price.  Calvin Klein jeans are 3 times the price and a Guess handbag tops it off at 3.8 times the price.  Go Brazil!

These are just random examples, but they do give an indication of general price levels.  Not everything comes in at double the price, but it’s fair to say that São Paulo has justly earned its ranking as the 10^th most expensive city in the world for expats and the most expensive in the Americas (Mercer Survey).  So, you may ask “why”, which we ask ourselves constantly. Of course there is no simple explanation, though the Vejaarticle presents a pretty reasonable set of factors.  Here’s a summary:

• Exchange Rate – the Brazilian Real (currency) is about 25% stronger against the dollar than its long-term average making goods more expensive accordingly, especially imports.
• Demand – quite simply, growing demand is outstripping the country’s productive supply capacity. High demand + low supply = high prices.
• Tax Burden – the Brazilian tax burden is 36% on average versus around 25% in the US.  The difference is even greater when considering additional taxes on goods Brazil classifies as “superfluous.”  Plus, Brazilian import taxes are triple what they are in the US.
• Inflation – while the days of hyper-inflation have passed (hopefully for good), inflation is still significant and widens the price gap over time (6.5% inflation in Brazil last year versus 2% in the US)
• Competition – as a matter of policy, the US government prioritizes competition over protectionism and Brazil vice-versa.  For example, whereas the US government made cheap credit available to US auto-makers to help them become more competitive with cheaper Asian imports, Brazil has chosen to simply elevate import taxes to artificially raise prices of the foreign competition.
• Economies of Scale – US companies generally focus on selling more at a lower margin whereas Brazilian companies tend to focus on a small market at a high margin
• Productivity – it’s just not rising fast enough relative to labor costs (due to low unemployment, a lack of qualified labor, insufficient investment, etc.)

The result?  Prices that make your eyes pop and a growing class of Brazilian consumers that have become America’s big-spenders.  It’s no wonder so many Brazilians take annual shopping trips to Miami and New York – they easily recoup the cost of the trip in savings on their purchases.  Brazilians now spend more in the US than visitors from any other country – on average, $5,400 per person per trip in 2010 (article).  Japanese tourists came in far behind at number two with $4,300 in spending per person.  So next time you see people filling up suitcases with stuff in the mall, try a warm bem-vindo.  Good chance they’re our neighbors.

So, please have some patience when you hear us (constantly) complaining about the prices here and be generous with your suitcase space when you come to visit – we’ll be filling it up.

PS – I  had a coke and a nice sandwich for lunch today (filet, brie, arugula).  No fries or chips or any extras.  The tab was R$45.  That’s about $26.  For a sandwich.”

Your birthday celebration is likely on hold considering that you are training to be an Alaska State Trooper.  The day was probably spent being dropped from a helicopter into the frigid waters of the Sitka Sound for a water safety survival course OR learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu chokeholds and the art of ground fighting from a very loud man.  Because those things are normal.

I look forward to watching your antics on National Geographic’s Alaska State Trooper Show in the near future.  (In my mind, you have already been chosen for your dashing good looks and ability to charm.)

You would make good TV, my friend.  Your life has always been an adventure.

I am immensely proud of you and of your achievements.  From your service in Middle East to your upstanding character, there is no one I would rather have on my side.  You are the most courageous person I know.

I mean, let’s be honest.  Who is going to do battle with someone who completes obstacle courses with an attack dog slung over their shoulder?  Unwise, ill-advised people.  That’s who.

However tough you become as you grapple with the gun-slinging criminals in Alaska… I will always know the truth.

You give amazing hugs, are beyond thoughtful, and you are there to protect the salmon.

Love you forever, goose.  Happy birthday little brother.

People here plant Peace Lilies outdoors and they survive.  CRAZY.

Even better, they are holding the event in five major cities:  New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco.  No excuses, my friends.

If dazzling, tropical flowers aren’t really your thing, then there is probably something wrong with you.

I kid.  But your only other option is to book a ticket… Brazil is calling you.

What: Brasil: Macy’s Flower Show with Gardens by Bachman’s

When: Sunday, March 25th – Saturday, April 7th (open during store hours)

Where: Macy’s, 700 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 8th floor showroom

Cost: Free

Spanning both the Casablanca and Maipo Valleys, the Indomita Winery provides a central gathering point for visitors.

The bodega is named ‘The Casa Blanca’ for the stark white building and castle tower that overlook the valley.  The location is easily found, contemporary, and lounge like.

We withdrew from our scheduled cellar tour, instead opting to sample a selection of wines on the modern veranda.

In search of a more rustic winery experience, we set out for the Matetic Vineyard located in Rosario Valley.

Promising signs that you are headed in the correct direction:

• you become disoriented, driving in large circles
• stopping for directions in a rural ghost town, population: man + horse
• cruising for ages on well-paved road with no signage
• turning around twice because ‘this can’t be right’
• surrounded by astounding views
• five minute lull to take pictures and discuss love of alpacas

Our lovely and knowledgeable guide gave us a private tour of the facilities.

Corralillo was an easy favorite of the wines we sampled throughout our vacation.  Fortunately, this brand is sold both in Brazil and the United States.

Jeff & Suzanna + Jeffrey & April

Overall, an outstanding day with wonderful friends and delicious wine.

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”

- Benjamin Franklin

The Matetic Winery includes:

• A variety of tours & tastings
• La Casona Resort
• The Equilibrio Restaurant (closed on Mondays)
• Outdoor activities: biking, hiking, horseback riding

While many people may know the capital of Brazil is Brasília, the national drink is the caipirinha, and that Rio de Janeiro is a great place to party and relax on the beach, there is a lot more to be learned about this beautiful country. To help enhance your knowledge, here are ten interesting facts you may not have known about Brazil.

1. Natal, which means Christmas in English and is the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, was given this name because it was founded on December 25.

2. Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world. The main feature of the coffee grown in Brazil is the great diversity due to differences in soils, climate, species and varieties, and cultivation techniques in each region.

3. The most common last name in Brazil is Silva. Along with being very common in Portugal, Silva was also given to thousands of slaves brought into the country during the colonial period.

4. São Luís, capital of Maranhão, is the only Brazilian city founded by the French. The city name is a tribute to Louis XIII of France. Before the arrival of the Europeans the land was inhabited by the Tupinambas Indians, who called the place Upaon-Acu (Big Island).

5. Brazil’s soccer team is the only team that has participated in every World Cup. Currently, Brazil has won five World Cups: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.

6. Pizza is definitely the favorite food of many “Paulistas” (people from São Paulo). According to a survey conducted by the Food Service EDC, about 1.5 million pizzas are consumed each day in Brazil and the state of São Paulo is responsible for devouring 800,000, or 53% of them.

7. One of the main attractions in Rio, Sugar Loaf, is 1,296 feet above sea level and there are speculations that it consists of a single block of 6 million-year-old gneiss-granite, which comes from the separation between South America and Africa.

8. Angra dos Reis is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro and includes in its territory 365 offshore islands, one for every day of the year.

9. With over 80 different species, Brazil has more species of monkeys than any other country in the world.

10. Brazil is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the world’s largest remaining rainforest, which encompasses an area of 2.3 million square miles. Native Indian tribes can still be found dwelling in these rainforests today.

While chatting with a dear friend the other night I had to explain that my blog is most definitely NOT in sequential order. Our trip took place in mid February, which as it turns out is text book travelers weather… sunny warmth during the day and cool breezy nights.

I’ll never understand how Suzanna was able to condense our entire vacation into a single post, but I respect it greatly.  On the other hand, I will proceed by showing you all six hundred photos… Kidding.  Although, not really.

The highlight of our trip was participating in a bike and wine tour through the Maipo Valley.  Cycling through three boutique vineyards with the Andes mountain range as a backdrop was spectacular in every way.

On our Sunday tour with La Bicicleta Verde, we learned an incredible amount from our knowledgeable and super friendly tour guide, Anibal.  (It may have helped that we refrained from tasting until the end of our cycling route.)

Mid tour we stumbled upon a trail of almonds drying in the sun and stopped for a snack.

And perhaps, if your guide recommends staying on the path and avoiding off-roading due to thorns…. maybe you should actually listen.  Because there’s a chance he knows what he’s talking about.

If you need confirmation that this is indeed, a good idea, you could ask my husband who went rogue and reappeared with a sunken tire.  I bet he could tell you the importance of  following the directions.

Silly husband.  Thank goodness Anibal is handy with the tire repair kit.

Once the bikes were retired we sat down for a picnic table tasting with the owner of an organic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard.

The last stop was an authentic Chilean lunch at a roadside restaurant/farm house where we proceeded to finish off both red & white wine from all three vineyards.

Besides good eats, they had a bird farm and some hidden gems in the tractor shed.

Believe it or not, I actually asked permission to enter the shed.  This is how the conversation went (in Spanish of course):

April: Hello!  Can I meet and touch your animals?

Farmer: That idea is not good.  There is a dog and he is very mean.  He bit off my goat’s leg.

April: Great!  I really like mean dogs.  My parents grew up on farms and I miss visiting them very much.

Farmer: {silence, confusion}

April: {persistent smile}

Farmer: Okay.  I’ll introduce you!

While the rest of the group ate dessert inside, I hung out with the farmer in the shed while he introduced me to a multitude of farm animals… by name.  Including their pet goose and tripod goat.

Be still my heart.  I have a new dream people.

SO… the tour ended with me petting a goat and dogs… at THE SAME TIME.

Also, an attempt to pet the family goose, which as it turns out was a little leery of me.

So basically, the best day ever.

If you are in Santiago, Chile… this tour is a MUST.  Even if you don’t like wine.  Because it is that good.  Honest.

TOUR DETAILS

1. Tour includes: all necessary biking equipment, private transport to and from your hotel, mineral water, guides, lunch and vineyard entrances and tastings
2. Size of group: The tour requires a minimum of 2 people. Average group sizes are 2-8 people.
3. Language: Guides are bilingual in English and Spanish. You will be asked to specify upon making your reservation.
4. Schedule and pick up: The tour runs from 9:30 am to between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. You will be asked to specify upon making your reservation where you are staying. Our Bike & Wine tour will pick you and drop you off.
5. Difficulty: The route is about 12 kilometers and possible for ages from 14-65 years old.

To make a reservation, fill out this online form.