Monday, June 22, 2009

Winter in Sao Paulo

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) back home. In Sao Paulo, we are below the equator so it is just the opposite. We are at the center of Winter. But don't worry about me. Today's temperature is a beautiful 63 degrees. At home, that would mean t-shirts and jeans. Here, no joke, people are in wool hats and parkas. So funny. By August, it should start heating up again.

This photo is from last week. Hannah, Jackson and I walked up the street for sushi. We sat outside. We have Michigan blood.

Our apartment has no heat and no air conditioning. We control the temperature by opening or shutting the windows and it works quite well. The weather now is sunny and we have the windows open to let the heat in during the day. At night, we shut them. Easy.

Most of the gringoes with school-age children have returned to their home country for the month of July. It is really quiet here. Hannah and I went to church yesterday. Normally, there are about 150-200 people there. There were only about two dozen and we had Mass in the small chapel. A lot of the people we talked to were leaving in the next week or two.

We head back to Detroit on July 1 for three weeks. Dan and the kids are really excited. I'm going to work while we're home. Hannah, my Mom and I are going to take a long weekend for our annual "girl trip." This year's destination is Mackinac Island. Jackson is going to be at a pre-college workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Art for two weeks and Hannah is signed up for driver's education classes. Ro just wants to fish.

3 comments:

Rogério Penna said...

Gee, paulistas are quite the weaklings for wearing wool hats and parkas at 17ºC!!

I live at Rio Grande do Sul, and I can easily wear a t-shirt down to 15ºC. Under that it will start to be unconfortable to wear a tshirt.

Tim said...

Ummm....Jackson, what is with the black hair or is it just the camera? If not the camera, is that another Brazilian tradition like not cutting your hair? It can't beat my mullet back in '88 though.

Colleen said...

No worries, Tim. Jackson's hair is just long and unwashed, but not dyed. Your mullet was a stunner.