Back from Brazil

This is the door (we think!) to our new home for the next two years. After five whirlwind days in Sao Paulo of looking at about 20 apartments, we gave the relocation company our top three choices on Friday. Our favorite was a 14th floor unit that is about 200 square meters (about 2150 square feet). It has four bedrooms but what really makes the place is all the stuff in the condo complex--indoor and outdoor pools, hiking trails, great gym, etc. for the kids to do. It is like a resort. I think we can even bring Java. We looked at some really crazy places. I'll post them another time.


Hannah and Jackson's school is really impressive. Jackson said it looks like the TV show Zoey 101. Graded School has kids from all over the world that attend and the list of colleges they get into is amazing. They really work them too. Both kids already have reading lists and Jackson took a math placement test while we were there. Most importantly for my duo is that they think of art as something that is as important as the other core academic areas. They have 4-5 art rooms, lots of equipment and a real passion for the subject. They even have a guitar club for Hannah.



We met with the head of the Japanese baseball league and they are excited for Jackson to play with them. Soccer (football) is the big deal for Paulistas so there isn't baseball in the schools. But there is a big Japanese community there that plays baseball. It sounded intense enough for my boy. So Jackson may refresh his Japanese as well as learn Portugese.

Sao Paulo itself is crazy. The roads are not made for the volume of traffic. There are no highways. It is all two lane surface streets. It takes you forever to travel from Point A to Point B. The biggest danger is all these motorcycles that dart from lane to lane through traffic. I know I will have to drive there but I'm not looking forward to it.

Architecturally, Sao Paulo has no master plan. Lots of tall skinny buildings that are pretty ugly. There are some cool public art displays and a few pretty parks but mostly it is just street urban.

We are still trying to figure out our departure dates. Graded School is already in session. The admissions director was pretty adamant that if Jackson can't get there by September 1, he shouldn't start until after the holiday break in January. The junior year is pretty intense academically. It isn't as big an issue for Hannah since she'll be a freshman so she can start anytime. (Since so many kids there are ex-pats, they are used to people coming and going all year.) Optimistically, we probably won't get our visas until at least mid-September. So, we may depart in pairs. Ro and Hannah may leave in September and Jackson and I in January. Still to be determined.