Typical caipirinha clothing
Emma has some fun teachers and classmates!!
A few weeks ago, Emma's school celebrated Festa Junina, also known as Festa de Sao Joao, or the Festival of St. John. The kids came to school dressed in their caipirinha outfits and ate foods typically associated with the festival. Emma's favorite foods were the pink popcorn and the pinhaos, the seeds that fall from the pinheiro, a type of pine tree here. The boys were adorable with their little mustaches and straw hats and the girls were so cute with their fake freckles and fancy dresses.
One of the many reasons for the celebration is to mark the beginning of winter here. And yes, it is officially winter here!!! My indoor thermometer read 52.8 degrees this morning - INSIDE. Not funny. We don't have central heating, but we have some window units and a little space heater, which I'm using at the moment. For the last two winters, I've thought people were just crazy for not using their heaters nonstop. Only this week, I've heard some of their reasoning for not doing so. First of all, the electric bills here are insanely expensive. Most people would rather wear extra clothing and endure the cold than pay the bill (I'm with them on that one). Another reason is because they believe it's bad for the body to be heated and then to step out into the cold and have the body temperature drop. They believe this leads to sickness. While that might be partially true, dropping the body temperature down to below freezing doesn't make much sense either! A third reason people don't use their heat is because they just might not have it in their homes. It's not unusual for homes to be built without any sort of heating unit (except for the fireplace). If a home has a fireplace, it's cheaper to use that than to buy a space heater or window unit. That would explain why the city constantly smells like a smoldering fire during the winter months!! I'm staying warm by using my little space heater and by going for long walks in the afternoons. The sun is beautifully warm when it's out and I love wearing black and absorbing the heat!! For those of you who were jealous in December because we were swimming in our pool, oh how the tide has turned!! Happy summer to you all!! If you need a break from the heat, come on down!!
