To practice my grammar as well as my ability to write good texts, I went to read the book “Wish Collector”, and two things suddenly became crystal clear:

1 - I can’t read a fiction book for the first within a few days (like read a little today, a little tomorrow and keep going until it’s finished), I need to read all at once because I won’t be able to do anything else in the meantime

2 - this is one of THE most beautiful books I have ever read - a slap in the face of people who is obsessed with finding stupid reasons to not fall in love. We have a tragic love story taking place during the American Civil War, and another beautiful one happening nowadays - funny because while reading this book I remembered how stubborn men can be (not that I have many experiences with them to tell…)

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Ícaro de Carvalho (my marketing teacher) said some days ago how making (real) money can make the difference when situations like the one that happened in Manaus happen. And he told his students to stop waiting for the government to do something to help, because they are not going.

Ícaro is there, every day on the front line, exposing the fraud that our educational system is, and telling us that this system won’t help you to be someone who can, for example, pay R$ 40,000 to transfer your daddy from a hospital in Manaus to the best one in São Paulo and save his life.

And I will tell you: this it’s so true. In my years in prep school my mind exploded every day because there I was learning things that years in a regular public school didn’t teach me.

Ícaro, and many others that I’ll talk about in another post, are helping Brazilians to take control of their own lives, but it may take some time. Because, here in Brazil, people rely too much on the assumption that the government will do something to save them.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Remember the art piece I was doing, the one I told you guys about the other day? Well, it  didn’t end up as I imagined. At all.

First I was looking for the perfect leaf, and then I found the perfect leaf and a series of serendipities started to happen... I’m not gonna keep going with this story now, but I got about into deep details in my Patreon, and I also mentioned it here on the blog last week.

Anyway… my plan was to use the leaf as a stamp in the center of my piece, but the results were nothing like I expected, and in the attempt of fixing I created something entirely new, totally abstract. The detail at the bottom right, “107T”, is what made the difference, probably. It gave the impression of a serial number, which is totally not the case.

“107T” is the bus number I took the first time I went to the “downtown side” of Rua Augusta. If you are not familiar with the place, Rua Augusta (where all the cool kids are) is a giant street crossed in the middle  by Avenida Paulista.

On the Jardins’ side used to be stores and places related to the fashion world, but since the 2014 crisis they are disappearing.

And there is the side of Rua Augusta that will take you to the downtown of São Paulo, the side that I first visited when I took the “107T” bus.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

And there I was, on my way to the bakery when I saw the cute 3-color cat on top of a wall and started playing hide and seek with him. He (or she?) soon lost interest in our game, but then a second cat, that was lying on the floor watching us, came closer.

You know that thin voice that people use to speak to babies? Well, I use it to speak with animals. In the moment the second cat came to say “hi”, I started to speak to him using that thin voice, and at the same moment he started to purr (awww…) - cutest moment ever!!

We stayed there in the street floor playing for quite some time. He (or she?) lay with his belly up, then spun on the floor (a lot!), and used his paws to play with me. This last one I mentioned could have been cuter, but his claws were so huge (street cat, guys).

I don’t have money or stability to have a cat, neither a place of my own to live with him. But I wanted to bring him home with me and take a leap of faith that everything would be ok. But the little kitten didn’t want to come with me.

He followed me for a while, so obedient that a woman passing by stopped and asked me if I was taking a walk with my cat.

This was not the happy ending I was expecting, but I’ll always have the scar on my hand to remember him (or her).

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

I am the kind of person who likes to live simple, you know, keeping it small, and because of that my purse is usually no bigger than my hand. There I can carry my phone, my little bag that I use as a wallet, and my keys. The umbrella to protect me from the sun I hold in my hand.

But sometimes, when I’m on the street, and I eat something, the lack of space in my purse becomes a problem because, and pay attention to that, there's no trash cans in São Paulo.

If the streets where you are walking are more fancy, or if the place receives a lot of “potential buyers”, the probability of you finding a can to throw your trash will be bigger - and I’m talking about public spaces here, guys.

The situation is bad, but not only because those responsible for the city maintenance don't care. People in São Paulo can give a hard time to the infrastructure destroying the trash cans as an “act of rebellion”, which is something I can’t understand because in my head, if everyone took care of the city “things”, we would live in a more beautiful place.

I wonder how the trash situation is in other cities in Brazil, because here in São Paulo people just throw it on the street when they are walking or out the window of a car or a bus. Even if they see a trash can, the street will still have their preference - but let’s not generalize, not everybody does that.

And people throw things in the river too. Couches, fridges, cars… You know, it’s not because the river is polluted that it’s ok to use it as a “disposal place” for what you don’t want, but they do it anyway.

So consider yourself warned, and keep an extra space in your bag for your trash until the next trash can crosses your way.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

There’s this chocolate brand that every time I go to the market I like to buy, and not exactly because it is the best chocolate in the realm.

Between all the cheap/affordable chocolates on the market, Nestlé is one of those that still has a “chocolate taste”. You can eat it (most of the time) without wondering if you are not eating pure fat.

The “Moça” chocolate (from Nestlé) is my favorite at the moment. This chocolate is like the air I breathe. Outside it is made of milk chocolate, but then you take the first bite, and the chocolate shell is so thin... that if you are not careful, the condensed milk filling will fall all over your clothes (but I am not sure if the filling is in fact condensed milk).

Eating this chocolate is a unique experience every time I buy one, I mean, it’s not like those chocolates that taste like nothing, the “Moça” chocolate has a soul that wants to make you happy. My advice is that you start eating on the edge and allow the filling to get mixture in your mouth with the milk chocolate from the shell. 

Stop everything you are doing and focus exclusively on the chocolate, like if there were only the two of you in the world. Relationships may go bad, marriages can end in divorce, but the “Moça” chocolate will never let you down.

Fortunately it’s very easy to find the future love of your life in the Brazilians markets. 

No, wait, I don’t know if that’s true. But in São Paulo you can find it anywhere, even at a drugstore or a newsstand. Hey, this is another super interesting topic to discuss later - here in São Paulo a newsstand is no longer just a newsstand, but we will get into that in another post.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

My marketing teacher, Ícaro de Carvalho, always says that being and showing that you are a good husband is what will convince men how important is to be good and responsible to their family - this is one example among so many that he gives us every day.

Ícaro always says that it is through repetition that a thought becomes a belief in people’s mind.

And it was thanks to so many bad examples while growing up that I couldn’t see any good thing in Brazil, and in its history… My main goal when I was 19 was to marry a European and get the hell of this country - today getting me out of Brazil will require a great effort (I wish the best of luck to the British guy who will try, but he probably won’t succeed), because I absolutely love living here.

When my beliefs changed and I started to see my country in the best way possible, I couldn’t understand how people didn’t see all the amazing things I was seeing and treasuring here (come on guys, Brazil is the best country in the world).

But then I realized something. While growing up, all I heard from everyone was how much Brazil sucks, so I started to believe it was true. And to change people’s mind and show that Brazil matters, I have to do what Ícaro de Carvalho says every day: I have to give the example.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

What a beautiful day it was in São Paulo yesterday (practically perfect). It was a little too warm in the morning, but it didn’t take long until the clouds got a dark gray shade that tells us that rain might come.

The “might” means it isn’t because the thunder is loud and the clouds are practically black that it will rain where you are. I lost count of how many times I got frustrated because all the evidence pointed to a storm, only to see a blue sky half an hour later and read in the newspaper, the next day, how it rained so much in another part of São Paulo.

But yesterday, the rain fell in my neighbourhood the entire day after 11 am. And I could sleep with two cozy blankets after drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate - it has been like this for days.

Ironically now, with this beautiful weather outside, is the time when I’m staying at home the most, writing about life in Brazil and creating fun art projects to sell in my shop on the Mercado Livre website.

Maybe I should go out there to bring real stories for you guys, but the sky dawned entirely blue, so… not today.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

I had planned to write about the paranoia of living in São Paulo on my Patreon page today, but then something almost magical happened: I manifested the perfect leaf to finish my art project while meeting an elderly and kind man who told me exactly the kind of old family stories that I love to hear.

What happened today was a great example of what happens when you step into the unknown.

I saw the leaf when I was going to the market and I thought “on my way back home I’ll take it”. But my intuition said “no, no, don’t wait, take it now. later the leaf might not be here”. So I went back, took the leaf and a series of events started to unfold.

I didn’t just find the perfect leaf at that moment, you know. I also found the answers that the Universe showed me for the same questions I have been asking for almost a year - but it can take some time until you guys know what they were.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

In Brazil we have the best prince that a nation could wish for.

Ronnie Von, singer and tv host, doesn’t have a noble title and neither a noble blood, but he is, in fact, our Prince Charming (he received his “title” after saying in an interview how much he was a fan of the book Le Petit Prince).

About 15 years ago, I used to see the tv show Todo Seu (All Yours) presented by Ronnie, a gentleman like I saw only a few Brazilians men being. And at the time, a specific merchandising that Ronnie did every day caught my attention - he was always saying that he drank and loved the wine of the Brazilian brand Salton (later I found out that my fancy and rich uncle only drinks from that brand)

I don’t know if what Ronnie said at the time was true or not, but being him the gentleman he is, no more arguments were needed to convince me to choose a Salton wine in my next alcoholic purchase, that 15 years later still hasn’t happened (I’ll get into that in another post) - but I bought Salton’s grape juice last month (I didn’t know that they produced it!!), and it’s the most delicious grape juice I have ever tasted.

For the wine, well… not yet.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

São Paulo is not a tourist city. At all. 

But it’s the economic capital of the country, and millions of people live here, which for itself brings a lot of “indirect tourists” who come here for shows and different kinds of events. We also have a little bit more infraestrutura, so… it’s easy to plan and execute things in São Paulo. And it’s easy for international tourists to get here - we have the most important international airport in Brazil.

When my mom goes to Bahia, she usually brings souvenirs like tshirts that says “estive na Bahia - lembrei de você” (I went Bahia and remembered of you), or key chains with a common animal in the state and the name of the city she visited.

It’s a fact that São Paulo is not a tourist city, and I’m ok with that, but we do receive a lot of tourists  (seriously), and yet we don’t have souvenirs like the ones my mom brings every time she travels. I know (to be fair) only one shop with presents that have a “travel atmosphere” (you can find it at the shopping center Center 3 - Avenida Paulista, 2064).

Sometimes you can find little things like “polaroid photos”, fridge magnets or one or two kinds of key chains in our downtown or on Avenida Paulista with tourist spots of São Paulo. And maybe (maybe!) in the museum's gift shops you’ll find something to remember your trip, but don’t keep your hopes too high.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Differently from most Brazilians, I am not a “sun person”. I hide from it, always walking on the side of the street where there is a shadow and constantly checking the weather app to see when the next cold front will arrive in São Paulo.

But when I wash my hair, at least 30 minutes under the sun must be spent to let the hair strands soft as a baby’s butt - who needs an expensive hair conditioner, right?

I don’t like to wake up every day with a blue sky without clouds, and I don’t like having to walk with an umbrella open all the time to protect me from the sun (although I’m already used to it, so the judgmental looks I receive from people no longer affect me).

But let’s face it: I don’t like the sun because I have it, 365 days a year.

One of the most common complaints that people (and I am not talking about Brazilians) who used to live in Brazil make once they are gone is how much they miss our sun and our early sunrise and late sunset - 6 am here in São Paulo is as bright as it would be at noon. Maybe this could say too much about what your opinion might be once you arrive in Brazil, but hey, don’t let me put words in your head.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

There are no words to describe how I went crazy in the art field in the last weeks. I see a metal bowl in the trash (originally the packaging for this cheese) and imagine a thousand things I could do with it - I saved the bowl from the trash, by the way.

I used to do this kind of recycled art many years ago, but then working full-time jobs (with no time for anything else), made me stop.

I don’t know if this is the Universe putting me on the path of the abundance that I’m mentalizing thanks to Lauren Saunders and Tara Brunet, but I’m doing this again with a passion that until now was unknown for me. I swear, I wake up every day thinking about getting the brushes and painting, and go to sleep thinking about the things I wanna create the next day - those art tips that Orlando Seale gave in a live he did in April (2020) are finally kicking in.

Plates, vases, collages…

Can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and start to work on my new ideas.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

And today I wrote my second column for my $5 Patreon (it was so hard!!). My mistake, I believe, was not to write there as I do here.

First I fought with the “technical issue” of writing about a historical place in another language, then with the sales tone that I should add to the text, that should try to convince people (in a time of so many uncertainties) to come to Brazil as tourists. But what a quest…

I never was good at selling anything. I was always gentle, attentious, my clients remember me years after the last time they saw me (last week I found a client that recognized me in the market). But I was never a good salesperson.

Maybe, writing for you guys, I answered my own initial questions.

I don’t need to be always selling airplane tickets or hotel rates. I just need to show how much I care to promote Brazil to the brave souls that come here, with almost no information available in English, for a few days of rest.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

A recent research said that only 1% of Brazilians speak English fluently. I don’t know what kind of data they used for this conclusion (no one asked me anything), but these are results that should turn on the danger siren.

English is the main language in the world, and I got lucky that my father and my aunt could pay for me to study it for 2 and a half years. And I also got lucky to know how to learn by myself what I didn’t learn in English school.

But this was me.

For most Brazilians, learning English was never an option. And now, with everything that happened in 2020, the numbers that were bad are for sure getting worse.

Maybe it’s not fair for me to ask you this, but please, try to understand why you won’t find Brazilians speaking English outside of Brazil’s “commercial zones”

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

When you guys wake up, your mouth also taste funny? Mine does. And I can’t exactly brush my teeth at 4 am - it would wake up everybody.

It’s natural to want to drink something when you wake up. And I don’t know if it’s me, if it’s my mouth, or if it is the water itself that has an impossible taste - I just can’t drink it. And the problem is not my filter either, although I confess I’m having serious thoughts of buying a clay filter (I’ve been told that the water of it tastes delicious!!).

But enough about problems. My solutions so far for drinking a lot of fluids when I wake up have been:

1 - drinking tea: it has worked, but drinking tea every day can be exhausting, and it’s summer, too warm for a hot beverage

2 - eating a mint Tic Tac before drinking water for the first time in the morning

3 - to drink a 100% grape juice: I have only done it a couple of times, and the results, so far, are not bad. The juice is sweet, has an unbelievable good taste, and it’s so healthy.

This can be a silly topic for you (so sorry for that), but when we have the goal to age without letting time affect our skin, drinking a lot of fluids when we wake up is just not an option.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Maybe seeing the sunrise or the sunset in São Paulo can be considered a privilege, with so many buildings and stuff (who lives in the city will know what I’m talking about).

We have a balcony in the house, only used (in general) in the rare family reunions.

But I like to hang out there pretty much every day, to play with the dog (not my dog), to read, to dry my hair - unbelievable how the frizz of the hair stays low when the hair dries in the sun.

And I go there to see, when I remember or when I can, the sunrise - the sunset I try, but I can’t see much because of the balcony position.

Actually, I can’t see much of both. I live in a house surrounded by buildings, and only a few pieces of sky stay visible. Only if you guys could see…!

The color changes now began to happen at 5 am. The dark sky gets clear and clear each second, and then the white clouds become something between a pink and a purple, like candy colors. And there is no way to tell when one color ends and the other begins.

The sky stays that way only for a few minutes before the clouds get a white with golden color, full of energy - and the birds singing? So, so, so lovely.

Those are minutes where São Paulo forgets that it's a city of concrete and can be a glimpse of a paradise, something that none of the loud planes passing can erase.

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com

Yesterday afternoon I had the thought “why not create a Patreon page?”

It was December 31, the new year’s eve vibe was everywhere, and I have been wanting for a while to write in a different place that has a kind of “financial support” - so yesterday was the day.

My original plan was to have something like a paid subscription service, but how does it work?

In my routine I have to study grammar and watch a lot of videos to get used to the English way of speaking, I don’t have time to check out how to create a site like that now, nor the money to pay someone to solve this problem for me.

And Patreon seemed like an easy solution, a lot of people make their living by creating content there (in Brazil I don’t think many people heard about the site, but as my readers come from the US and Europe, and as I write about Brazil to foreigners, I thought it worth the shot).

Anne Rios

amodafala@gmail.com